Roads and public works in spotlight

The premier’s office and provincial treasury are to be roped in to help the struggling roads and public works department beef up its capacity to deal with infrastructure development.

This was recommended yesterday by the Bhisho legislature’s portfolio committee on finance and provincial expenditure.

The committee raised concerns about what it termed lack of capacity in the province’s “nerve centre of infrastructure delivery” – roads and public works department – saying despite the province having a good infrastructure delivery master plan, lack of capacity in that department made it difficult for the plan to be realised.

Tabling the committee’s report during a house sitting yesterday, committee member and ANC MPL Nomvula Ponco said Premier Phumulo Masualle and treasury had to work closely with the department in developing and finalising the organisational structure of that department “in order to deal with these incapacity issues”.

Ponco said the province indeed had a good infrastructure delivery master plan, but his committee was concerned about “the department’s capacity to deliver on the model”.

The report was compiled after the committee met with three of the four “selected infrastructure service departments” late last year.

Their meeting was to afford the departments an opportunity to present their infrastructure delivery plans. The four departments are roads and public works, health, education and human settlements.

Ponco revealed that despite being invited, the department of roads and public works did not honour the invitation to attend the meetings.

She recommended to Masualle that the department be taken to task for failing to attend the meetings.

“The department of education finds it difficult to expedite delivery of infrastructure due to these incapacity challenges at roads and public works.”

Addressing the media on Tuesday, roads and public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu conceded there were capacity challenges in her department. However, she said not all infrastructure projects were a responsibility of her department.

Departmental administration head James Mlawu said there had been strides made in the past two years in terms of building additional capacity in their department.

However, Mlawu said other departments needed to work hand in hand with his department.

During the debate on the matter, DA MPL Vicky Knoetze said the development of infrastructure was essential for creation of a prosperous and flourishing economic climate. “Roads and public works must start working with other departments.”