Transforming infrastructure in South Africa: A new partnership with the UK
Image: IOL
In a significant move aimed at revolutionising infrastructure delivery in South Africa, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson yesterday unveiled a partnership with the United Kingdom government.
This collaboration is set to harness the skills and expertise of UK companies to address the pressing need for efficient infrastructure projects in the country.
The launch event in Durban was attended by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and other UK diplomats, including those based in South Africa. It was described as a historic partnership between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the United Kingdom, aimed at capacitating the department as it works towards using public assets for the public good and transforming South Africa into a construction hub.
Reflecting on his department's achievements in a year in office, Macpherson stated that significant progress has been made, with the capacity to achieve even more.
'One of the biggest problems in government that we have identified is how infrastructure is procured and implemented. We (Public Works) package and prepare those projects for loan departments and SOEs, but then we wait for them to come and do that (implementation). We see indifferent results from that,' he said.
Speaking about the achievements on the project preparation side, he noted, 'In just over a year, we have doubled the construction book of infrastructure-ready projects to R268 billion. That is what Infrastructure SA has accomplished in one year.'
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But he noted that there are serious shortcomings in the current implementation of projects. Macpherson called for a streamlined approach to implementing government projects. He proposed that a single entity, possibly Infrastructure SA, should oversee these projects from inception to completion.
'In my view, this is Dean's view, not the government's view; if we continue to procure and construct in the way that we are, we are going to have very slow delivery. I would argue that many departments and many SOEs are not infrastructure implementers; it's not their speciality.
'Yet we say to them, you must go and do so. I think we need to have more coordination and a more central focus on procurement and implementation of projects in an entity like Infrastructure SA.
"What I am arguing for is that Infrastructure SA should move beyond just being a coordinator; we should now start capacitating them to be a procurer and implementer, and then hand those projects back to their clients. I think we will see a lot more delivery if we do that,' he said.
Regarding the partnership with the UK, he stated that it will see the United Kingdom provide expertise and capacity support across three focus areas:
1. Project Capstone: This will support the effective operationalisation of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's Special and Strategic Delivery Unit (SSDU). This unit will accelerate infrastructure delivery by focusing on high-impact and high-priority projects and addressing systemic process inefficiencies that hinder effective implementation.
2. Project Speed: This will enhance the management of public assets through more effective and efficient public sector asset management, including improved resource efficiency.
3. Infrastructure South Africa's Adopt-a-Municipality Programme: This will strengthen infrastructure delivery at the municipal level in selected focus municipalities.
Macpherson said that, taken together, these projects represent a step-change in infrastructure collaboration between the United Kingdom and South Africa, helping to realise his vision of using public assets for the public good and turning South Africa into a construction site.
'Like Chancellor Reeves, I firmly believe that increased infrastructure investment leads to accelerated economic growth, which will undoubtedly help to create jobs.
'At a time when South Africa faces a persistently high unemployment rate, we welcome any support to address this issue head-on and thank the United Kingdom for their commitment to our shared goals.'
Chancellor Reeves stated that the partnership and projects will support the government of South Africa in accelerating the delivery of much-needed infrastructure, creating growth and jobs for young people in South Africa by drawing on expertise. This collaboration will benefit both countries and businesses and help deliver economic growth in both nations.
Ä statement on the UK government website said this model of Government-to-Government (G2G) Infrastructure Partnership has previously delivered strong growth and jobs in countries such as Peru.
In the same statement, UK Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said: 'This Government-to-Government Partnership builds on the UK's thriving business relationship with South Africa and shows how our Plan for Change is paving the way for growth at home by unlocking new opportunities abroad.'
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