Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says he “remains resolute” in turning the department into the country’s economic delivery unit.
Speaking at the “Build KZN Better” event in Durban, on January 28, he asserted that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) had, over the past few months, laid a foundation to play a role in delivering economic growth and creating new jobs, with an aim being to attract more infrastructure investment.
He pointed out that in Durban, a memorandum of understanding was signed to start using public assets for the public good by releasing underused properties for requests for proposals.
Also, the DPWI released the first round of 27 properties owned by the department for requests for proposals, with additional properties to follow in later stages, Macpherson informed.
He highlighted that buildings such as Excelsior Court and the Police Barracks in the Durban CBD could be revitalised through public-private partnerships, leasing or sale to the private sector.
Macpherson mentioned that 663 companies and individuals attended the technical briefing by the department for bidders on these properties.
“It is a testament to the immense interest in the property and construction sector working with the government to drive a construction boom in our country,” he posited.
Macpherson said that work to tackle the construction mafia included signing the Durban Declaration with the Department of Police to develop a sector-wide response.
The department is also collaborating with National Treasury on reform regulations surrounding public-private partnerships to streamline private-sector investment in its projects.
It is also engaging multinational funders to attract more infrastructure funding, and launching investigations into failed projects to hold officials accountable and recover State funds, Macpherson said, with this including a commitment to resume and complete several stalled projects.
He added that the department was reforming governance in the built environment sector to eliminate loopholes that enabled abuse.
Macpherson highlighted that the construction industry added almost 180 000 new jobs in the third quarter of last year. 