Infrastructure bottlenecks can be unlocked by public-private partnerships, according to public works minister Nathi Nhleko. This appeal for private sector involvement was made in Nhleko’s National Infrastructure Plan speech which was delivered by Wasnaar Hlabangwane, chief director for construction management, at the recent Totally Concrete Expo in Johannesburg. The expo hosted over 2,500 small contractors and 9,000 participants. Hlabangwane said private sector involvement will not only facilitate the rollout of infrastructure but also create capacity and address skills shortages in the sector. “If we are to realise radical economic transformation that will see the economy begin to pick up, there will be increasing demands for professional services, and the pool of skills represented by built environment professions should accordingly increase to bring the historically marginalised into the mainstream of the economy,” Hlabangwane said on behalf of Nhleko.
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