MILLIONS of rands meant for infrastructure projects are not being spent due to overlapping roles and lack of accountability.
This is what President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his address at the second Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Joburg on Thursday, 7 October.
He revealed that the government would be proposing amendments to the law to make the system more free flowing.
“The regulatory framework intends to clarify roles and responsibilities among all relevant organs of state in the preparation, approval, procurement and delivery of large infrastructure projects and programmes,” he said.
Ramaphosa said infrastructure development was key to developing the economy, which has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are implementing quality infrastructure for inclusive growth so that we redress the economic imbalances between urban and rural areas, we develop townships into viable economic centres and we reduce the cost of living of the poor,” he said.
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Ramaphosa said investing in infrastructure was investing in the future of the country and its people because it would lead to communities having access to clean water, affordable electricity and decent homes.
He said it would also expand economic opportunities by creating jobs and making businesses more competitive.
“One of the new frontiers of infrastructure development is green energy, which has the potential not only to drive industrialisation but to establish a whole new industrial reality,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the Green Hydrogen Export project, a special economic zone to be developed at Boegoebaai in the Northern Cape with Sasol, could make South Africa a leader in green hydrogen.
Another initiative he announced was the establishment of the National Water Programme Management Office, which would improve the planning of municipal water projects.
“We are fast tracking the establishment of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency and the review of the Raw Water Pricing Strategy to ensure effective pricing and cost reflective tariffs,” he said.
