Parliament, Wednesday, 19 August 2026 – The Western Cape’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) have welcomed positive feedback from the provincial executive and mayors of district municipalities on the state of progress on infrastructure projects that the delegation is in the province to assess their progress as part of the NCOP’s flagship programme, Provincial Week.
To start the programme, the delegation received a comprehensive briefing yesterday from Mr Tertius Simmers, MEC for Infrastructure. who presented an extensive breakdown of progress in several key areas.
The MEC informed the delegation of strategic milestones, highlights and ongoing initiatives aimed at sustaining development in the Western Cape. The briefing forms part of the NCOP’s oversight cycle as a report-back phase following the oversight visits that were conducted during the 2024 and 2025 Provincial Week programmes to assess the progress achieved by national, provincial and local spheres of government on implementing recommendations previously adopted by the NCOP.
According to the MEC, several areas of progress include transport infrastructure assistance to smaller municipalities; municipal co-funding mechanisms, support on municipal co-payment requirements to those who cannot afford and approval requirement for full funding where requests for 100% funding is considered only in special instances and requires approval by the Minister.
On human settlements assistance to smaller municipalities, the MEC informed the delegation that the provincial department acknowledges that municipalities hold the primary mandate for funding and providing bulk infrastructure and as a result it applies a multipronged approach to help facilitate project implementation and address infrastructure-related constraints.
Most importantly, the MEC said: “The department coordinates technical engagements with local municipalities to assess readiness across housing development, informal settlements upgrading, socio-economic facilities and land acquisition initiatives. These engagements help identify constraints that may delay or prevent implementation and determine what support is required to unlock projects.”
He further informed the NCOP delegation that his department also helps a great deal on consulting with other infrastructure sector departments and strategic stakeholders to facilitate capacity and support for the local municipalities. Also, the province applies a ‘project activation process where the department’s standard operating procedure for project activation supports municipalities to package projects for inclusion in provincial business plans for funding consideration.
The delegation heard that as part of commissioning readiness to confirm the required bulk infrastructure capacity is available or that suitable arrangements are in place, local municipalities are mandated to submit a bulk services availability confirmation letter. This enables the department to address critical infrastructure gaps that could otherwise delay the delivery of approved human settlements projects.
The briefing included updates from the mayor of the Garden Route District, Mosselbay, George, Bitou and Knysna local municipalities and municipal managers. The delegation welcomed the detailed presentations that were mainly in relation to last year’s NCOP Provincial Week recommendations on building viable municipalities for enhanced delivery of basic services to communities; strengthening stability, political state and leadership; mechanisms to strengthen governance in the municipality (financial systems, corruption allegations); progress in the delivery of basic services such as water and sanitation, human settlements and refuse removal; upgrading of informal settlements through grants, the provision of new housing for the "gap" market and the implementation of various housing programmes like the Integrated Residential Development Programme.
However, both the local municipalities and Mr Simmers, also informed the delegation of the persistent challenges in the respective municipalities, such as iintergovernmental coordination, infrastructure and funding whereby bulk infrastructure, disaster recovery, land and electricity-related challenges continue to place pressure on municipalities and require sustained intergovernmental support.
The briefing session was followed by site visits to infrastructure projects where the delegation conducted a walkabout at the GO George site to assess the company’s integrated public transport system, particularly focusing on the impact of reduced national subsidies, infrastructure investment and public transport affordability and at Rosedale Housing Project in Pacaltsdorp, George.
In his closing remarks, the leader of the delegation, Mr Rikus Badenhorst, welcomed the progress reported but stressed that Provincial Week must ultimately be measured by tangible improvements in communities. He said: “We appreciate the work that has been done and the progress made in implementing a number of the NCOP’s previous recommendations. But our responsibility as Parliament is not simply to receive reports; it is to verify whether commitments have translated into delivery on the ground. Where progress has been made, it must be recognised. Where challenges remain, we must identify what is holding projects back, who is responsible, and what must be done to fix it. Our message is straightforward: show us what was promised, show us what has been delivered, and where there is a gap, explain how and by when it will be closed.”
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE WESTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL WHIP, MR RIKUS BADENHORST.
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