PUBLIC WORKS PLANS TO BOOST THE ECONOMY

THESE are extraordinary times. Our country is on a battlefield that we have never before encountered. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to shift paradigms, to reimagine the world we knew.

Our programme of action as Public Works is aligned with the State of the Nation and State of the Province commitments, the National Development Plan, Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP), ANC Manifesto and the electoral mandate of our people. The added impetus comes from having the responsibility of implementing agent of choice for provincial infrastructure projects.

Our record in the past year demonstrates an intensive consultation with our people, to advance the programme of radical socio-economic transformation. Special attention remains focused on our youth, women, people with disabilities and military veterans.

The department convened summits designed to enable vulnerable sectors to access opportunities in construction and infrastructure development.

As a government at work we must rouse our anger to social consciousness to lift our youth, women, people with disabilities and military veterans out of poverty and onto the path of demonstrable empowerment.

This activist approach is a hallmark of our developmental state. Our impact must be scaled up to reach more people, more meaningfully and in far greater financial quantum than presently.

Covid-19 has dealt us a serious blow. Many infrastructure projects have been stalled, impacting on service delivery and slowing the momentum in empowerment programmes. It also impacted on the livelihoods and sustainability of those reliant on the construction and property sectors.

Our special concern is diminishing financial resources to and from the fiscus and the anticipation of deeper cuts. In spite of this, we have been working with emerging contractors to better equip them with technical skills.

The department has enforced emerging contractor development by major players in the industry using the 30% (as a minimum) sub-contracting policy directive. We remain committed to promoting and empowering through localisation.

The department spent R1.2 billion in the past financial year on infrastructure investment projects including 90 education facilities, 42 health facilities and six administration office buildings.

Public Works plans to undertake 165 infrastructure projects on behalf of client departments in the 2020/2021 financial year with an estimated overall budget of R1.6bn.

There are eight Covid-19 projects at an estimated value of R680 million under way at Clairwood, Wentworth, King Dinuzulu, Mosvold, Bethesda, St Francis and Siloah hospitals. Three temporary structures for quarantine purposes at Clairwood, KwaDukuza and Ngwelezane hospitals are also being erected.

Other significant responsibilities for Public Works are the Provincial Infrastructure Nerve Centre and the State Infrastructure Development Agency. The Nerve Centre will monitor all infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal including those being developed by the private sector. There are 153 registered infrastructure catalytic projects of which 20 have been completed during the past cycle of the PGDP, over the past five years, at an estimated value of R79 trillion. Among these are John Ross interchange and the BHP E-village.

Another major project that is becoming a reality is the development of the Provincial Government Precinct in Pietermaritzburg.

A master plan for the KZN Legislature and Provincial Government Precinct using internal resources has been completed. Site constraints and conditions have been determined. Zoning has been changed to government zoning and the consolidation of the sites into one parcel of land has commenced.

In addition to the development of the Provincial Legislature’s Chamber and offices, Arts and Culture has raised its hand to construct new Provincial Archives as has Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs for its provincial offices.

We are confident that an energised infrastructure programme will be a powerful platform for our country’s socio-economic recovery.

Nkonyeni is the KZN Human Settlements and Public Works MEC. This is an edited excerpt of the Public Works budget speech presented in the Provincial Legislature yesterday