In the spirit of “engineering the future we want” Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) president David Leukes opened this year’s CESA Infrastructure Indaba by emphasising the importance of sustainable infrastructure development through smart, resilient and equitable solutions.

He encouraged industry participants at the event to remain mindful of a lifecycle integrated approach to building projects that considers design, construction, maintenance and repurposing, particularly as government has allocated R1-trillion to be spent on infrastructure over the next three years.

Leukes also stressed the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including engineers, policymakers and communities to ensure inclusive and fit-for-purpose infrastructure delivery.

He also expressed the hope for greater investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to ensure an adequately skilled next-generation workforce, as well as more ethical leadership and transparency in procurement systems to eliminate corruption and foster innovation.

Leukes further called for enhanced project oversight mechanisms in the construction sector, particularly in the public sector, to maintain high standards of quality and accountability, as well as to eliminate criminality and inefficiency.

Reflecting on the progress that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has made over the past ten months since the formation of the Government of National Unity, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson noted a significant achievement as having been the release of 31 State-owned properties, valued at R1.4-billion, for private sector participation through requests for proposals.

He expected the endeavour to generate R4-billion in private sector investment and create more than 40 000 new jobs, while making economic use of what would otherwise be neglected or abandoned properties.

The DPWI planned to release the second version of the Construction Book, which contains details about infrastructure plans, in May.

Macpherson said the department has been hard at work to harmonise infrastructure development across the three spheres of government, especially to unlock economic potential through public-private partnerships.

One of his personal ambitions is to make South Africa an attractive professional environment to retain local talent. He cited an example of a South Africa company with hundreds of engineers that are now focused on projects in the Middle East instead of South Africa. He said he would like to see the company’s focus return to South African projects.

In addition to national government’s R1-trillion allocation for infrastructure over the next three years, the DPWI aimed to attract R100-billion in infrastructure investment over the next four years.

This work will be driven through Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), which is helping various stakeholders, including municipalities, to coordinate, plan and prepare projects. Notably, R180-million had been allocated through the department’s Project Preparation Financing Initiative to this end; the department also established a special project delivery unit to expedite infrastructure projects.

The DPWI has also been focused on eliminating unethical practices under Macpherson’s leadership, including through a skills audit to determine the merit of individuals in senior positions and to bring stability. The Minister assured that unethical practices were no longer tolerated in the department and those involved would be barred from working at the DPWI ever again.

Macpherson lauded the efforts of National Treasury and the South African Police Service to reduce construction stoppages, saying that there has been a noticeable decline in construction mafia activity across the country. The DPWI has also been obtaining eviction orders to prevent unlawful property occupation.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CRISIS

Macpherson highlighted a particular problem in South Africa’s construction sector as being the incapacity of local municipalities to not only award projects for infrastructure development but also to maintain existing infrastructure.

Citing the City of Cape Town as an example, the Minister said the metro has been successfully undertaking capital investment – more so than all the other metros in the country combined.

Macpherson emphasised the need for municipalities to invest in capital expenditure rather than maintaining large staff complements that do not contribute to city improvement.

The DPWI has launched a pilot project with four municipalities through ISA as the implementing agent to improve project execution. Macpherson aspired for the model to be replicable to more municipalities across the country.

Additionally, the DPWI is re-gearing the Expanded Public Works Programme to a “working for infrastructure” programme that focuses on skills development and long-term employment in infrastructure maintenance, which will also bode well for municipalities.

These critical interventions in local government are necessary to address the backlog in infrastructure maintenance.

Macpherson acknowledged that investor confidence is compromised when government is unable to execute projects on time and on budget, hence the DPWI’s efforts to de-risk more projects and ensuring their completion.