Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson, on May 9, signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Metsimaholo local municipality, in the Free State, the uMngeni local municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal, and the Govan Mbeki local municipality, in Mpumalanga.

The MoUs form part of the pilot phase of the ‘Adopt-a-Municipality’ initiative to improve infrastructure delivery at the local government level. Each MoU will remain in effect for a period of 24 months.

The first-of-its-kind initiative, adopted by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Council last year and chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, will see Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) work with municipalities and the private sector to introduce rapid infrastructure interventions aimed at improving the implementation and delivery of infrastructure projects.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), in a media release, said that the objective was to address cost overruns, poor workmanship and inadequate planning, challenges that had frequently plagued municipal infrastructure initiatives.

“This is not simply just a signing ceremony, it is, in my view, a launchpad for action and tangible change,” Macpherson said during the signing ceremony.

“These municipalities are the first partners in what we believe will become a national movement to restore the State's capacity to deliver municipal infrastructure, one municipality at a time,” he added.

Macpherson noted that, over the next 24 months, these municipalities would receive targeted support from the ISA to drive rapid, focused interventions in three critical service delivery areas, namely water and sanitation, electricity and energy and waste management.

In the area of water and sanitation, Macpherson noted that the project aimed to replace asbestos and corroded pipes with modern, durable alternatives; expand or refurbish water treatment plants, reservoirs and towers to meet rising demand; reduce water losses and non-revenue water through smart metering; and upgrade or build wastewater treatment works to be in line with environmental compliance.

In the electricity and energy sector, he said the DPWI would upgrade substations and transformers for improved reliability; modernise infrastructure with smart grid solutions; install battery solutions to integrate renewable energy; and support municipalities with demand side management and energy efficiency.

In waste management, the project aims to convert illegal dump sites into engineered landfill facilities; develop new compliant landfill sites where needed; establish transfer stations to improve waste logistics; encourage recycling and separation at source through partnerships with informal recyclers and community-based initiatives; and explore waste-to-energy facilities where feasible.

“While it is a pilot project, it is more importantly a proposed new working model, a model that brings together national technical expertise with local knowledge.”

Following the signing of the MoUs, the scope of the ISA’s involvement with these three municipalities will include, among others, project preparation and planning; collaboration with municipalities and strategic partners to efficiently package projects and programmes; and assisting municipalities in developing robust and bankable business cases to attract funding from both public and private sectors.

The ISA’s involvement also entails streamlining approvals, authorisations, licences and permissions to expedite project implementation and address regulatory bottlenecks that may hinder progress; and implementing effective monitoring mechanisms to track project progress, ensuring accountability and the timely completion of infrastructure developments.

A digital dashboard will also be developed on the ISA’s website to enable the respective mayors, the Minister and other government officials to monitor progress on infrastructure projects and address any emerging challenges promptly.

“While this is a pilot, it is also a test of delivery. In two years’ time, we must be able to demonstrate clear, visible results. We must be able to walk through these municipalities and see functioning infrastructure, improved service delivery and communities who once again believe in government's ability to deliver.

“We must also be able to say that this model works and that it is ready for national roll-out. This is part of our broader mission to turn the DPWI into the economic delivery unit of South Africa,” Macpherson expressed.