After 12 years, Gauteng Infrastructure Department still continues to fail on its core mandate

24 February 2021

Since its inception in 2009, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) has not met any of its performance targets.

The latest annual report of the department indicates that it completed only 12% of its projects within time, and 40% of its projects within budget.

There are a number of projects which are over time, have failed, and are still not complete, including;

The Kopanong Precinct which was first mooted in 2003;

The Suikerbosrand project which remains incomplete after 13 years;

The R350 million Nokuthula School and the Womens’ Monument that do not have occupancy certificates; and

Libraries such as Rust-ter-Vaal and Acacia that have taken more than four years to complete.

Despite being the custodian of R45 billion worth of immovable assets, the department is incapable of properly managing these assets as they do not have the resources and expertise to do so.

This has resulted in unsafe buildings such as the Bank of Lisbon, as well as the deterioration of assets, leading to financial losses to the fiscus.

Despite complaining about the poor quality of output by the GDID and the lack of value for money, the client departments are forced to use the services of this dysfunctional department.

If Premier Makhuratruly cared about the taxpayers’ money, he would agree to client departments using third party infrastructure developers. This would also motivate the GDID to up its game in order to compete.

In his tenure, Premier Makhura has never held the string of incompetent MECs and officials to account, and instead has shielded those responsible for our crumbling infrastructure.

It is high time that cadre deployment ends. Government cannot become an employment agency for politically-connected, inept cadres.

Issued by Alan Fuchs,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development and Property Management, 24 February 2021