NCOP - Premier Lesufi Provides Infrastructure Update

Today, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi met with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and Members of Executive Council (MECs) at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to address critical public infrastructure issues under the theme: “Confronting the challenges facing the timely delivery of viable Public Infrastructure to communities”.

Premier Lesufi elaborated on the focus areas of Gauteng’s Medium Term Development Plan, “Infrastructure is critical to improve our economy and job creation. The Central Business District (CBD) needs ?an infrastructural overhaul. We need to improve the building capacity of the state. Health facilities must be mordernised and we need to strengthen public-private partnership for improved health infrastructure. We need to deal with disruptions and incapacity in our education projects to be able to invest in our education portfolio. We must eliminate asbestos built schools.” Premier Lesufi added that vandalism of infrastructure projects will not be tolerated.

The MEC for Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) and CoGTA, Jacob Mamabolo remarked on the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) ’s project portfolio and measures taken by the DID to improve project delivery. He said, “Through the Infrastructure Delivery Platform (iDEP) we want to create a DID that is data driven and data centric. The system will ensure that we deliver within cost, time and quality. The law enforcement agencies will deal with the disruption of projects onsite. We want to prioritise the payment of our service providers on time. We need to strengthen our project management capacity. We have harnessed a strategy to digitalise our delivery platform”.

The DDG for Education and STARS, Mmakwena Selepe and the DDG for Health, Realeboga Mahapa provided an update on the DID education and health projects including Simunye Primary School, Rus-ter-Vaal Secondary School and Bekkersdal Social Facility and Kopanong Hospital.

Later today the NCOP will conduct oversight visits at delayed projects in the Johannesburg Region including; Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Parktown, Bosmont / Lilian Ngoyi Street Fluerhof Mega Projects in Soweto and Duzenendlela LSEN School in Orange Farm.