R53 Million Somerset East Airfield now cattle grazing field
28 August 2019
The R53-million Somerset East Airfield that was opened in January 2016, has now become nothing more than grazing field for stray cattle due to the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality’s failure to act.
The airfield, with its 1.2km long runway, was built by the Cacadu Development Agency in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. It was supposed to be the gateway for transportation of domestic produce and tourism to the Zuurberg Heritage Corridor, as well as being a catalyst for significant economic and industrial development in the region.
Instead, it has become a death trap, riddled with stray animals, because the municipality has failed to replace a fence that was stolen in 2016, despite numerous requests for it to do so, and has failed to establish a functioning pound for stray animals in the area.
The DA has also been informed that a private air school, which had established a fair weather base at the airstrip in 2016, and which was making use of the facilities and local accommodation for students, has also had to be closed due to fact that the airfield is not operational.