Category: Africa

South Africa is stepping up the pace of infrastructure delivery, with 81 Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) comprising 263 individual projects, with an estimated combined value of R1.9888 trillion.

The scale of the pipeline, coupled with projects already completed, under construction and moving through procurement, demonstrates a country at work and creates significant opportunities for infrastructure investment, development and partnerships.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson outlined the progress during a media briefing at Century City Urban Square in Cape Town on Sunday ahead of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) 2026.

The sixth edition of SIDSSA, taking place at the Century City Conference Centre, is being held under the theme: “Shaping the Future of Municipal Infrastructure”.

Macpherson said developments include both public and private sector-led “high-value, high-impact infrastructure investments”.

Over the past 18 months, 37 projects, worth approximately R69 billion, have been completed, while a further 82 projects, valued at about R502.7 billion, are currently under construction.

Another 54 projects, worth approximately R206 billion, are in the documentation phase, where approved building designs are turned into precise technical instructions, while others are in the procurement phase.

“These figures show both the scale of the pipeline and the importance of sustained coordination across the infrastructure system,” Macpherson said.

Connecting projects to investment

SIDSSA 2026 provides an important platform for taking this infrastructure pipeline from planning to implementation by bringing government and the investment community together around projects that can unlock economic activity and improve service delivery.

The symposium brings together government leaders, municipalities, development finance institutions, investors, infrastructure specialists, developers and other stakeholders to explore opportunities to accelerate infrastructure development, particularly at municipal level.

Macpherson said the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) would use SIDSSA 2026 to announce projects selected through Bid Window II, while Bid Window III opened in July as government continues to build the infrastructure pipeline.

Through a R600 million commitment to project delivery support launched in 2024, Infrastructure South Africa is helping public institutions develop high-value projects into bankable and investment-ready opportunities.

“Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) is providing preparation support to more than 26 projects, with an estimated capital value of approximately R148 billion, while 15 supported projects have completed their preparatory work,” the Minister said.

Macpherson stressed that preparing projects is only one part of the process, with projects needing to be connected to appropriate sources of finance to move into implementation.

Building and using State assets

The infrastructure drive extends beyond new projects to the construction, maintenance and management of the buildings and properties from which government delivers services.

Macpherson pointed to several projects as evidence of work underway to improve and expand the State’s infrastructure portfolio.

In Johannesburg, the new R769 million Deeds Office is under construction in the inner city. The development is the first new high-rise development in the Johannesburg CBD in more than 20 years and is scheduled for completion in October this year.

Once completed, it will also reduce the State’s reliance on rented accommodation.

The department has also supported the handover of the Durban Forensic Science Laboratory to the South African Police Service within 12 months and helped restart progress at the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance, where a contractor was appointed after more than a decade of delays.

The Minister said government is also changing how it manages its wider property portfolio.

“Government cannot continue spending approximately R6 billion each year on private leases, while State-owned buildings remain vacant, underused or in poor condition,” he said.

The planned South African National Property Company is intended to move the State towards more professional asset management by reducing unnecessary leases, refurbishing buildings, structuring partnerships and unlocking responsible investment.

Infrastructure that works for communities

The infrastructure programme is also being used to support vulnerable communities and expand opportunities.

During the past financial year, the department made more than 46 State-owned properties available for shelters for victims of gender-based violence and femicide and for skills development centres.

For Macpherson, the objective is ultimately to ensure that infrastructure translates into functioning public services and tangible benefits for communities.

“South Africans need government buildings that work, public assets that are properly used, and infrastructure that delivers reliable services in their communities,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is the convener of SIDSSA, which is organised by the Investment and Infrastructure Office within The Presidency.

With projects worth nearly R2 trillion moving through different stages of development, SIDSSA 2026 provides an important platform for turning South Africa’s infrastructure ambitions into investment, construction and delivery on the ground. – SAnews.gov.za

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) and the National Building Institute (NBI), the Infrastructure Technical Assistance Facility (ITAF) and Zutari at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA), currently underway in Cape Town.

The MoU is part of efforts to enhance collaboration and support infrastructure projects in South Africa.

Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, Head of Infrastructure South Africa Mameetsi Masemola said Infrastructure South Africa was officially established by government in 2020 to provide a single point of coordination for the country’s pipeline priority.

“Our mandate is provided in the Infrastructure Development Act. We are mandated to identify and prioritise strategic infrastructure. We are also mandated to prepare and package projects to move then from being concepts to bankability thus attracting public funding as well mobilisation of private sector financing,” Masemola said.

Masemola also explained that as Infrastructure South Africa, they are also mandated to coordinate the national pipeline of priority projects in the form of strategic integrated projects.

“We are also mandated to monitor and report on projects as well as enabling the ease of doing business vigorous through regulatory un-blockings in line with regulations of IBA,” Masemola said.

The signing of MoU is therefore a significant step towards improving infrastructure delivery and fostering investment in the country’s development.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said SIDSSA would be bringing together government, project sponsors, investors, financiers and technical professionals to convert those commitments into viable infrastructure projects and functioning assets.

“This year, we have seven African Ministers joining the Summit from, among others, Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as nine African Mayors from cities such as Nairobi, Maputo, and Douala in Cameroon – the most in the conference’s six-year history,” Macpherson said.

He said in addition to the Premier of Gauteng, there are seven Members of Executive Council from across South Africa’s nine provinces attending.

“And – for the first time ever – we will be having 13 mayors from important metropolitan and regional areas across South Africa, as well as three members of the mayoral committee joining as part of our City to City Connect conversations.

“Over 1 200 delegates will enter our doors during the upcoming days as we work to turn South Africa into a construction site.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa will also address the event.

Macpherson said the value of SIDSSA must be measured by whether projects are prepared, financed, procured and completed.

“Municipal infrastructure is essential to service delivery and economic growth. Reliable water, sanitation, electricity, roads and waste services determine whether communities and businesses can function.

“Improving these systems requires more than additional funding. Municipalities also need credible project preparation, technical capability, sustainable funding models and plans to operate and maintain assets over their full lifecycle,” he said.

Prior to the signing of the memorandum of understanding, Minister Macpherson and his delegate conducted a site visit at the Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Project.

The project was commissioned in response to the Cape Town water crisis.

The water treatment plant located in the Cape Flats recharges the aquifer through a series of four linear filtration buildings.

Zutari, a proudly South African company, has played a pivotal role in delivering infrastructure and advisory services across the Middle East for over two decades. – SAnews.gov.za

  

 

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KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, together with King Cetshwayo District Municipality Mayor Zephania Dlamini, has officially opened the KwaHlokohloko Water Scheme in the uMlalazi Local Municipality, a service delivery project expected to benefit 1 385 households in the area.

The scheme will provide communities in KwaHlokohloko with access to clean, safe and sustainable water, and help restore dignity, improve public health, and create opportunities for social and economic development.

Addressing the official opening on Saturday, Ntuli emphasised that while water is a basic resource, it is also a fundamental human right.

The Premier said the provincial government remains committed to ensuring equitable access to clean water in both rural and urban communities.

“Access to water is central to human dignity, household wellbeing, food security, education, healthcare and local economic activity,” Ntuli said.

The KwaHlokohloko Water Scheme is the result of collaboration between government, municipalities, engineers, and communities to transform lives through practical service delivery.

Ntuli said the project demonstrated what can be achieved when all spheres of government and communities work together to respond to basic service delivery needs.

“As taps begin to fill and flow with water, they also carry hope for a better future, healthier families, fruitful communal gardens, thriving schools and functional health facilities,” the Premier said.

The Premier further urged community members to take care of the vital water infrastructure and report anyone found vandalising or tampering with it.

He said protecting public infrastructure is a shared responsibility, warning that acts of vandalism undermine service delivery and deprive communities of essential services.

The official opening of the KwaHlokohloko Water Scheme, Ntuli said, reaffirmed the Provincial Government’s commitment to building a province where every citizen has access to basic services that empower them to live with dignity, purpose and hope. – SAnews.gov.za

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