Cabinet has adopted a new infrastructure implementation model to help address sluggish infrastructure development.

Speaking at the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA 2019) in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that although the country had made significant progress with the provision of infrastructure over the past five years, infrastructure development had slowed down.

According to Ramphosa, cabinet’s new infrastructure implementation model will be underpinned by the infrastructure Fund announced in September last year.

Through the new this model government has committed to contribute R100 billion over a 10 year period to the infrastructure fund as well use this to leverage financing from the private sector and development finance institutions.

Ramaphosa noted that government’s first step towards improved implementation would be expanding on projects currently underway already, such as student accommodation.

Fragmented infrastructure provision

“Our infrastructure development has slowed down for a whole number of reasons. We have also realised that our infrastructure provision is too fragmented between the different spheres of government.

“It does not fully integrate new housing development with economic opportunities and with the building of dams, water pipelines, schools and other amenities,” the president explained.

Strengthening technical capacity

Ramaphosa said that cabinet plans to strengthen the technical capacity in government to ensure that projects move faster, building a pool of engineers, project managers, spatial planners and quantity surveyors, an action team that can make things happen faster on the ground.

“We plan to do things differently, starting with a deeper partnership with our communities in the planning, building and maintenance of infrastructure,” Ramaphosa noted.