Residents continue to battle to access basic services due to the inefficiency of the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID). This is despite Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s efforts to talk up the performance of his administration during his State of the Province Address (SOPA). GDID’s third quarter report for 2023/2024, highlights the shocking irregular expenditure of R101 million and the fact that only 52% of the projects over the last five years have been completed.
It has been highlighted over many years that this government has failed spectacularly to invest in infrastructure. Several failed and abandoned projects dot the landscape of Gauteng. In keeping with its populist election strategy, the government is throwing money at attempting to complete these projects. The focus on projects in township areas only highlights the populist election strategy of the ruling party.
Oversight visits to infrastructure projects in the days leading up to SOPA demonstrated that, without fail, the projects were all running late, with some schools and clinics taking five to eight years to complete.
GDID claims these projects are not completed on time due to the following:
• Poor stakeholder engagement with communities;
• Poor project management;
• Poor inter-departmental coordination;
• Poor workmanship;
• Contractors continuously terminated because of poor quality of work;
• Delays in procurement;
• A state of lawlessness.
In 2017, the Gauteng administration prioritised 15 projects as part of the Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan. To date, not a single project has been brought to fruition, with most of them not even having started.
A government run by the Democratic Alliance (DA) will ensure that efficient infrastructure investment will contribute positively towards improving the quality of life in Gauteng