By Staff Reporter
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three local government municipalities spanning three provinces to enhance infrastructure delivery.
This groundbreaking ‘Adopt-a-Municipality’ initiative, endorsed by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Council in November last year, will involve Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) collaborating with municipalities to introduce swift infrastructure interventions.
These efforts aim to improve the implementation and timely completion of projects within budgetary constraints.
Macpherson finalised MoUs with Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the Free State, uMngeni Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, and Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in Mpumalanga during the pilot phase of the initiative focused on enhancing local government infrastructure delivery.
Each MoU will be effective for 24 months.
This pioneering initiative, supported by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Council chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, aims to partner ISA with municipalities and the private sector to implement rapid infrastructure interventions.
The objective is to tackle challenges such as cost overruns, substandard workmanship, and inadequate planning that have historically hindered municipal infrastructure projects.
“The initiative will help us address the often chequered track record of infrastructure delivery at local government level across South Africa, to ensure that infrastructure budgets are properly spent, that projects are properly prepared, that project cost overruns are avoided, and poor workmanship addressed,” said MacPherson.
“With this initiative, we are trying to change the narrative surrounding local government infrastructure projects and bring an end to the era of failing municipal infrastructure, as we see in many places across the country.”
“While we are launching the project in three municipalities, we intend to replicate the model countrywide in the months and years ahead. This initiative will play an important role in achieving our goal of turning the country into a construction site—with more infrastructure projects successfully executed to stimulate economic investment, grow the economy and, most importantly, create jobs.”
A digital dashboard will also be developed on ISA’s website to enable the respective mayors, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, and government officials to monitor progress on infrastructure projects and address any emerging challenges promptly.
“With the launch of the ‘Adopt-a-Municipality’ project, we are seeking to deliver tangible results from the policy interventions we have introduced since taking office, in order to meaningfully improve infrastructure delivery,” said MacPherson.
“It is one of the key initiatives being implemented in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to expedite infrastructure development as we work to build a better South Africa for all our people.”
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