Blueprint for Renewal: South Africa's Plan to Rebuild Trust and Infrastructure

Image: Mcpherson on facebook

Minister Dean MacPherson stood before the House, not to offer another catalogue of failures, but to deliver an unvarnished truth and a blueprint for redemption. A year earlier, he had decried a crisis: delayed construction, ballooning budgets, sites standing still, and public money draining away all symbols of a "broken system" that mocked the dignity of communities waiting for progress. Today, he returned to declare that the era of excuses was indeed over, replaced by the unified commitment of the South African Construction Action Plan (SACAP).

The Minister did not shy away from the harsh reality that necessitated the plan. The country's construction and public infrastructure system was simply not working. Projects were perpetually stalled, non-performing contractors failed without consequence, budgets vanished, and communities were left with promises instead of delivery.

In response, the leadership of Public Works and Infrastructure, spanning national and all nine provincial levels, convened through MinMec to forge a unified path forward. This culminated in the unveiling of SACAP on October 29th a comprehensive turnaround framework rooted in performance, accountability, and delivery.

"We collectively own and will collectively implement it without fear or favour," the Minister stated, acknowledging the unwavering dedication of the Deputy Minister and all nine MEC’s.

SACAP is not based on theoretical ideals, but on the hard-won lessons of past failures. It directly tackles the systemic issues that have plagued the sector: weak oversight, crippling late payments, inconsistent procurement, uneven provincial delivery, and a profound lack of consequence management. The plan has already garnered crucial support from key industry bodies, including the Master Builders Association and the Black Business Council for the Built Environment.

Six Core Pillars of the New Operating Manual

Minister MacPherson outlined the six core actions that now serve as the operating manual for the entire Public Works and Infrastructure sector:

1. Accountability: Establishing Restriction Committees in all provinces to blacklist non-performing contractors, preventing them from moving between failed projects. This aims to end the practice of state business being seen as a "get-rich-quick scheme."

2. Fixing Cash-Flow Constraints: Ensuring budgets are ring-fenced and payments are made timeously to prevent financial blockages from halting construction.

3. Digital Infrastructure Tracking: Implementing a unified, enterprise resource planning-based system to provide real-time visibility of every project nationwide, from budget allocation to physical progress.

4. Procurement Reform: Launching Procurement War Rooms for real-time monitoring of major tenders and faster evaluations to eliminate avoidable delays.

5. Strengthening Governance and Audit Outcomes: Working directly with the Auditor-General to resolve findings instantly, enforce compliance, and improve internal controls.

6. Professionalising the Built Environment: Mandating that all engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and project managers working with Public Works must be registered with their statutory councils.

   
   

This reform agenda received a powerful endorsement at the recent National Construction Summit, where over 2,000 stakeholders, including provinces, industry leaders, and social partners, formally adopted the 2025 National Construction Summit Declaration, aligning behind SACAP's principles.

Evidence of a Turnaround

While acknowledging that decades of mismanagement, cronyism, and corruption cannot be fixed overnight, the Minister presented undeniable evidence that things are getting better.

• The Quarterly Labour Force Survey confirmed that 130,000 new jobs were created in the construction sector in the third quarter of the year—nearly half of all new jobs in South Africa.

• Work to tackle the so-called "construction mafia" has yielded results, with 250 arrests and 176 convictions for site stoppages.

• In KwaZulu-Natal, site stoppages have dramatically decreased from 60 a month to less than 10.

  
  

This momentum has led to President Cyril Ramaphosa expressing full support for SACAP and the reforms. Furthermore, the Minister has formally requested that Operation Vulindlela, the government's structural reform initiative, include SACAP as a priority focus area to ensure consistent and swift implementation across the state.

The Path Ahead: Infrastructure South Africa and Self-Correction

To sustain this long-term growth, the Minister stressed the urgent need to formalise Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) as an independent entity. Its role in project preparation, bankability, and pipeline development is "central to our vision," and the finalisation of its business case is eagerly awaited.

However, the Minister also issued a sharp warning about internal accountability. He expressed deep dismay that the Department's own head office, the CGO Building, was temporarily closed following a safety inspection.

"We cannot demand accountability from others while tolerating dysfunction at home... I have been advised that he [the Director-General] has already instituted consequence management against officials who have been negligent or failed in their duties."

The Minister committed to visiting the CGO Building personally to ensure full compliance, underscoring the principle: "We must set the standard, not fall short of it."

In conclusion, Minister MacPherson stated that the era of a 79% delayed project environment costing the state billions is receding. With SACAP now the roadmap, the National Construction Summit Declaration the mandate, and a foundation of demonstrable job creation and reduced site disruptions, the turnaround is firmly underway.

The House was called upon to support these reforms and join the collective mission to rebuild public infrastructure, reignite the economy, and restore faith in the state's ability to deliver, ensuring the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure becomes a true economic delivery unit for South Africa.