R37 Billion Infrastructure Projects At The Heart of Gauteng’s Plan To Boost The Economy

Thebe Mabanga

The Gauteng government’s decision to ramp up infrastructure in the face of slowing economic growth is a “focused and deliberate” attempt to stimulate the economy through infrastructure spending that has a heavy local spending component.

This is according to Tasneem Motara, the Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development following the delivery of the provincial budget on Thursday.

“You have to be deliberate about your intention to stimulate the economy, you cannot just leave it to chance,” says Motara, adding that government also needs to maximise local spending in order for infrastructure to help bring about transformation.

MEC for Finance and e-Government Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko announced that government is to increase infrastructure spending by 9%, well above the inflation rate, to reach R 36.7 billion over the next three years.  

Nkomo-Ralehoko pointed out that in line with the recently unveiled Growing Gauteng Together plan “the infrastructure budget directly supports the