By Amy Musgrave
The Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission Council has called for a number of measures to be implemented to fight crime in the construction sector, including beefing up the police and building relationships with communities.
The council led by President Cyril Ramaphosa held its first meeting under the new government on Wednesday.
It met to discuss crime and extortion on construction sites, the level of implementation of priority infrastructure projects and programmes, and strategic initiatives to accelerate the pace and quality of infrastructure investments in the country.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency, the council made four recommendations to deal with crime and extortion.
They include that law enforcement be allocated more resources to deal with criminal activity and violence on construction sites, and that policy reforms in the construction sector be prioritised.
Other recommendations are that industry must adopt best practices in social facilitation and invest in security measures, and infrastructure project leads must enhance community engagement and encourage communities to actively participate in project planning.
As per the Infrastructure Development Act, the council is tasked with coordinating the development, maintenance, implementation and monitoring of the national infrastructure plan, and deciding on priorities for infrastructure development.
It is also tasked with ensuring co-operation between organs of state affected by projects undertaken, promoting investment, and identifying and developing strategies that remove impediments to investment.
“This administration has prioritised scaling up investment in infrastructure as we seek to grow the economy, create more jobs, improve access to basic services and improve the quality of life of our citizens.
“Continuing the work of the sixth administration, we are working to involve the private sector in achieving our infrastructure development goals,” Ramaphosa said following the meeting.
He said it was encouraging that after a period of declining infrastructure spend, public sector capital expenditure was on the rise for the second straight year.
According to Stats SA, public sector institutions had a combined capital expenditure of R233 billion last year, which was an 11% improvement from the previous year.
There are currently 82 projects valued at R437 billion in construction.
The council has identified eight pathways to drive infrastructure development and growth in the next five years. They will underpin the infrastructure investment plan of the 7th administration.
They include institutional coordination, centralised planning and prioritisation, budget reforms, and addressing regulatory bottlenecks.
The council will also focus on municipal bulk infrastructure, unlocking other sources of funding, economic regulation in construction, and the cancellation of tenders, social unrest, damage to infrastructure and crime.
The meeting follows the National Construction Summit in eThekwini earlier this week. Delegates agreed on five priorities that will form the foundation of a multifaceted strategy to stamp out crime in the construction sector.
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