Permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will embark on a week-long Provincial Week Programme across the nine provinces from 16 to 20 September. The theme for the 2024 Provincial Week is: Confronting the challenges facing the timely delivery of viable public infrastructure to communities.
The various provincial delegations will return to their respective provinces to meet with the provincial legislatures, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), premiers, members of the executive councils (MECs), mayors and other relevant stakeholders. The delegations will also use this opportunity to conduct oversight visits to the unfinished and abandoned infrastructure projects in the provinces.
According to NCOP research documents produced in preparation for Provincial Week, despite a firm policy framework on the provision of infrastructure, South Africa is dealing with a growing number of delayed, abandoned or incomplete government infrastructure projects. These projects across the country include schools, health facilities, housing, roads and water projects, which sit idle or incomplete for various reasons, costing the taxpayer billions of rands.
In 2023, the Auditor-General (AG), Ms Tsakani Maluleke, and her department visited 132 infrastructure projects across the country, ranging from schools to health facilities, housing and water projects. According to the AG, 82% of the projects showed either cost overruns or delays due to numerous material irregularities that have resulted in some projects being stalled, abandoned or taking more time to complete than planned, resulting in significant financial losses.
“Many of the incomplete and abandoned infrastructure project are subsequently vandalised, costing the state billions of rands,” the NCOP said in its preparation documents. “During the 2023 visit to 132 infrastructure projects across the country, the Auditor-General discovered that many of the delayed, incomplete and abandoned infrastructure projects had their plumbing and electrical pipes stripped. Some housing infrastructure projects had their building materials, such as building blocks, windows and door frames, removed, which completely ruined and compromised the integrity of the buildings,” the NCOP documents said.
The NCOP says the 2024 Provincial Week is a high-impact, integrated, oversight-driven approach to the challenges of abandoned and incomplete community assets and infrastructure in the various provinces. The programme is intended to provide NCOP delegates with an opportunity to return to their respective provinces to assess progress and plans to address these challenges.
“This will include oversight visits to incomplete, delayed and abandoned public infrastructure projects with the various affected departments. The main objective of the 2024 Provincial Week is to ensure that provinces produce clear and costed provincial public infrastructure completion plans,” reads the NCOP document.
The Provincial Week also provides an opportunity for the NCOP and the provincial legislatures to engage directly with citizens on challenges experienced by them. It further provides an opportunity to receive reports from government departments and municipalities on progress achieved in delivering services.
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