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.

Trends in built environment

Current trends in the built environment show that there is a decline of an important skills base, with very few newcomers in the sector. This contrasts the large numbers of professionals who have left the sector.

“That is why it is vitally important to continuously and urgently replenish the human resources in the built environment with young, enthusiastic and determined young people,” Hlabangwane said.

He added that it was important to increase skills development across the continent to meet the acute infrastructure shortage.

Hlabangwane also emphasised the need for good governance, meaningful civil society participation and real accountability when rolling out infrastructure projects. He said this will enable projects to be more sustainable and deliver real benefits to communities.

The National Infrastructure Plan kick started with a budget of R827 billion in 2012 with the aim to transform the economic landscape, while simultaneously creating a significant numbers of new jobs, and strengthen the delivery of basic services.