• Speaking to Parliament this week, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson laid bare the rot within the department.
• Delayed public infrastructure projects have cost taxpayers R2.9 billion over the years.
• The Minister reported that of the 206 current projects, 164 are delayed but laid out plans to address delays and the financial burden they create.

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson has revealed just how deep the rot within the department he inherited extends.

Speaking to Parliament this week, the minister described the delayed projects he has seen during his tenure in office as crime scenes. While an extreme comparison, it is apt given just how much these delays cost the country.

“In this financial year alone, out of the current 206 infrastructure projects overseen by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), 164 projects are experiencing delays for a number of reasons,” Macpherson told Parliament.

The minister went on to say that these delayed projects not only impact South African citizens who depend on public infrastructure and housing, it also affects taxpayers. This year alone, delayed projects have cost South Africans R1.3 billion. Over a few years, this increases to R2.9 billion.

These incomplete projects don’t just stand as unfinished structures; they are monuments to
inefficient management, corruption, lost opportunities, deferred dignity, and unfulfilled
promises to the public.

“One of the most striking examples of these delays is the Telkom Towers project in Tshwane,
where approximately R1 billion was spent on upgrades over ten years with little to show for it,” Macpherson reports.

“The complex, intended to become the SAPS headquarters, still has the Telkom sign in front of the building. Instead of serving the public, this project has become a financial burden, costing the state millions each year for security alone.”

The reason the Telkom Towers project and many other projects are delayed comes down to greed. Rather than doing the work that they are paid to do, unscrupulous politicians and contractors line their pockets leaving unfinished projects in limbo.

The minister also highlighted that the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance is only 37 percent complete, it has seen R247 million ploughed into it over the last decade.

No half measures

To address this rot, Macpherson says his department has taken several measures to overhaul how it manages, executes and oversees projects.

This first of these is what the minister describes as “consequence management protocols”. This is a fancy way of saying that if a contractor fails to complete a project on time and within budget, they will be blacklisted and will not be able to work on public projects again.

Importantly, Macpherson notes that individuals and not just their companies will be held to account. This matters because it’s simple enough for somebody to spin up a new company and play games with taxpayer money.

“Furthermore, working through the Construction Industry Development Board, we will ensure that only contractors of the appropriate size and with an adequate level of expertise are awarded large construction projects. In conjunction with this, we are enforcing new regulations for tender evaluation to ensure transparency and accountability,” said Macpherson.

The minister also wants to make the department’s tender process more visible to the public. He says that audio and video recordings of the process will be made available in future and will ensure that suppliers and contractors are hired based on merit and their ability to deliver.

To assist in future projects, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is also reportedly developing a pre-approved panel of contractors it can employ based on its past experience with these contractors.

The Council for the Built Environment will also be empowered to set mandatory oversight standards across the sector which the department can use to hold nebulous contractors to account.

“Legislation will require registration for all practitioners in the built environment. We believe this measure will ensure that only qualified, accountable professionals are entrusted with our nation’s infrastructure projects. This is not merely a bureaucratic requirement; it is a safeguard for public funds and a commitment to quality,” the minister added.

Despite billions being spent on these projects, Macpherson also noted that the problem doesn’t rest solely with contractors. He said that client departments withhold payments which disrupts projects. To address this, payment protocols will be established. This should help to insure that funds flow efficiently and ultimate create streamlined process at all levels.

“Moreover, the R14 billion owed to us by user departments must be paid, or else we will be forced to start treating government departments as debtors and apply debtor policies, which may include debt collection and eviction,” the minister said.

Perhaps most promising is the mention that the department is working closely with the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). Together, work is being done to implement a live auditing process. This will allow the DPWI to identify and address financial and operational issues before it’s too late.

From his speech, Macpherson looks to be drawing a hard-line on corruption and inefficiency within his department. The name of the game seems to be rooted in transparency, accountability and responsible financial management. While righting the ship certainly isn’t a desirable position to be in, if executed well, it could stand to benefit all South Africans and that’s a goal worth striving toward.

“Let me be clear: I will not tolerate or accept shoddy work, delayed projects, or excuses—whether from officials or contractors. The days of taking advantage of South Africans and crushing their dreams are over. I want to assure the members of this house, and indeed South Africa at large, that we are committed to overcoming the obstacles that have held back our nation’s infrastructure,” the minister added.

We look forward to seeing the work the minister does. The goal of improving the buildings and infrastructure every South African use at some point is frankly the bare minimum but, as Macpherson pointed out the rot runs deep. Let’s hope shedding light on the department is an effective solvent.

[Image – Dean Macpherson on X]