PRESS RELEASE- People’s Movement for Change Demand Immediate Halt to Saldanha Bay Airfield Evictions and Call on Mayor Truter to stop his unwarranted aggression against Recreational Pilots

Saldanha Bay, March 8, 2025 – On behalf of the People’s Movement for Change,I am appalled by the shocking revelations surrounding the Saldanha Bay Airfield. It has come to our attention that there was the last few months a perception from the recreational pilots that there is a relentless and inexplicable push from the Mayor of Saldanha Bay,Mr Andre Truter, to get them from the recreational site. The Pilot Association have received letters demanding them to sign contracts with unreasonable return times, and when they indicated that they need more time, they are now being threatened with a “lock out”. 

The Recreational Pilot Association, it seems is a group of older (retired and semi retired) professionals, that is currently using the airfield for non-commercial reasons and PMC believe that this network of pilots can add a lot of value to children and young people from the disadvantaged communities in training and development. 

The recent commercial evaluation onto a non commercial and recreational site, is mind-boggling to say the least! 

What’s even more disturbing is that in one’s analysis, this evaluation appears to be a thinly veiled attempt by the Saldanha Bay Municipality to evict the current recreational pilots from the airfield. 

Sources close to the matter have revealed that this move is motivated by potential business interests driven by the current mayor. 

It is utterly unacceptable that a municipality would resort to bully tactics to advance the personal interests of it’s leaders. 

If so, then it is a clear abuse of power and a betrayal of the public’s trust. The municipality’s primary responsibility is to serve the needs of its citizens, not to further the potential private interests of it’s leaders. 

Mayor Truter need to take the public in confidence and indicate if he had any engagement with a business group at business options for this site? And if he did, he should explain why he kept the current Association out of such engagements. 

We demand that the Saldanha Bay Municipality immediately halt its plans to evict the recreational pilots from the airfield. The People’s Movement for Change also calls for:

People’s Movement for Change Demand Immediate Halt to Saldanha Bay Airfield Evictions and Call on Mayor Truter to stop his unwarranted aggression against Recreational Pilots 

• An immediate engagement between the municipality and the Association in line with the Integrated Development Plan and consultation process 

• That Mayor Truter need to be reprimanded that the MFMA process don’t allow him to be so close in the operational engagement on this matter 

Transparency and protection of citizen rights in all municipal dealings. 

The People’s Movement for Change will not stand idly by while there is an attempt to evict this group of Pilots. 

We are committed to fighting for transparency, accountability, and the protection of our citizens’ rights. 

Public trust is foundational to democracy, and actions that erode that trust can cause irreparable harm to our community. 

We assure the citizens of Saldanha Bay and South Africa at large that we will not relent until justice is served and public trust is restored. 

Marius Fransman
President
People’s Movement for Change

Media Contact:
Nella-Mari Allen
People’s Movement for Change
073 287 4454