Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said on Wednesday his department is taking decisive action against corruption and mismanagement, warning those who he alleges want his department “to fail”, that he will not be distracted, bullied and will not back down.

Making his address during day two of the State of the Nation Address debate, Macpherson said he takes a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and will hold officials and politicians to account.

He claimed that some members of Parliament wanted his department to fail.

“While some members in this House seek out paid-for journalists and attempt to spread fake news through AI voice notes and falsified WhatsApps, including ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and some members in the ANC, we will not be distracted. We will not be bullied. We will not back down. We will not be pressured by false reports, political collusion, or those being investigated for wrongdoing,” he said.

The EFF recently opened a case against Macpherson for his alleged “corrupt interference” in tender processes at the Independent Development Trust (IDT), and for an alleged violation of National Treasury Regulations and the Executive Members Ethics Act.

Democratic Alliance national spokesperson Willie Aucamp said it was suspicious, and “entirely transparent”, that the allegations came just as Macpherson was exposing, investigating and stopping serious corruption, including an R800-million scandal involving an oxygen tender awarded irregularly by the IDT, within his department.

ActionSA had urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to immediately suspend Macpherson, pending the outcome of investigations into allegations of criminal and unethical conduct.

Speaking during the debate, Macpherson said he found the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) crippled by “neglect, inefficiency, and corruption”.

He explained that morale was low, and the department’s core mandate to build infrastructure, create jobs, and ensure public assets served the people, was not being fulfilled.

Macpherson said in just seven months since he took over the DPWI, it had launched investigations into failed projects, including the R1-billion Telkom Towers in Tshwane and the R800-million IDT Oxygen tender.

“We are building a department with a bold vision, with staff that are motivated and where big ideas are embraced. One of my most important decisions has been to use public assets for public good,” he explained.

He said State-owned properties had stood vacant for too long, and had attracted crime and decay, highlighting that his department had released public properties for requests for proposals, inviting the public and private sectors to submit ideas.

Macpherson said soon the department would convert “eyesores” such as the Barracks in eThekwini into mixed-use developments, where the first new skyscraper, in 20 years, will be built in the Durban CBD.

“In our first round, we will release 31 properties for redevelopment, valued at R1.4-billion. This is estimated to generate up to R10-billion in private investment, create over 165 000 jobs and generate close to R200-million in rental income for the South African government,” he said.

He noted that over the next year, his department would attract R100-billion in private infrastructure investment, making Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) the hub of all major projects.

Last week, the National Treasury issued public-private partnership regulatory reforms, which Macpherson said was a tangible step toward achieving the department’s R100-billion private sector funding goal.

He explained that the department woould launch a Special Projects Unit to fast-track infrastructure projects and revive failed initiatives like the Sarah Baartman Centre for Remembrance.

“We will redevelop small harbours, such as the Hout Bay Harbour, into tourism and economic hubs; build the next V&A Waterfront, which is set attract tens of billions of rands in investment and can create tens of thousands of jobs.

“And, we will finalise reforms to the Expanded Public Works Programme to ensure it leads to permanent employment and skills development after it has been abused by politicians and political parties for too long,” he stated.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that in Tshwane, the department handed over State-owned land to community projects such as the Mamelodi Skatepark after years of delays, saying this demonstrated the department’s commitment to community development.

He announced that through ISA, the department had launched the first-of-its-kind project preparation fund, worth R180-million, to prepare and package infrastructure projects across government.

“This first bid window has been completely oversubscribed and is testament to the big reforms we have introduced in just seven months.

“In another first, we have launched the adopt-a-municipality programme where we will pilot an infrastructure partnership programme with four local municipalities to maximise infrastructure spending and efficiency,” he explained.

Macpherson highlighted that his department had also started conducting a skills audit to ensure it had the expertise to execute its mission.

“We have declared war on the Construction Mafia, which has held infrastructure projects hostage. The Durban Declaration, signed between the DPWI, the South African Police Service, and the KwaZulu-Natal government, is a landmark agreement to dismantle these syndicates,” he explained.

He said his department was securing public property to prevent land invasions, crime, and theft.

“No person has the right to claim public land and buildings as their own. Despite our progress, some in this House want this department to fail,” he stated.