Infrastructure development
South Africa’s infrastructure build programme is gaining pace through the work of the Infrastructure Fund and Infrastructure South Africa, which has been established to support strategic infrastructure projects.
One of the greatest obstacles to infrastructure investment is the lack of technical skills and project management capacity. To fix this, Infrastructure South Africa has been allocated R600 million for project preparation, specifically in rural and under-resourced areas. The support and planning mechanisms that government has put in place over several years is now starting to bear fruit in increased public investment in infrastructure.
By January this year, projects worth R232 billion were under construction and projects worth nearly R4 billion had been completed. The completed projects include new human settlements in Gauteng, road upgrades and the development of small harbours.
Road construction
In a major development, the South African National Roads Agency has awarded road construction contracts worth R18 billion over the last three months. The construction of the Msikaba Bridge and Mtentu Bridge will be finished and make travel in the Eastern Cape, much better.
This investment will substantially benefit the construction industry and enable large-scale job creation, skills development and poverty relief, especially in nearby rural communities.
Construction of rural bridges
Last year, government said it would increase the construction of rural bridges as part of the Welisizwe programme, to enable residents to easily and safely reach schools, workplaces and amenities. Twenty-four bridges in KwaZulu-Natal are currently under construction and site preparations are being made for a further 24 bridges.
Related links
Source: State of the Nation Address Highlights [PDF]
