10 Feb SAICE responds to key issues highlighted in SONA
The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) acknowledges the positive sentiment expressed by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address last night, but asks the critical question that South African’s have been asking for many years – how will we effect implementation and change?
We understand there is no easy fix for government to improve the country’s economy and infrastructure status. We do however suggest the following:
- We need to increase the investment in infrastructure from 13.7% of GDP in 2020 to at least 30% by 2030.
- We need to reduce habitual underspending of infrastructure budgets by those public service providers who are “not held accountable, prone to service delivery failures, poor governance, weak institutional capacity, and instability”.
- We need to introduce revised procurement regulations to minimise the recurring “revenue management failures”.
- We need to sensitize decision makers in national, provincial and local government infrastructure departments and SOCs of the importance of economic and social infrastructure and of its deteriorating condition. In particular, alerting them of the dire consequences that occur when the maintenance of infrastructure is neglected and renewal or replacement thereof is delayed.
- We need to provide assistance to the decision makers and their support teams in the built environment. We need to persuade them about the importance of maintenance and life cycle planning, and to provide guidance on remedial activities.
- We need to encourage the decision makers to enhance the capacity within their infrastructure departments by highlighting the role of the civil engineering profession in service delivery through the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure.
The below is a reply from SAICE in response to some critical issues highlighted in the President’s address.
- The Current Energy Crisis
We acknowledge the declaration of the National State of Disaster in response to the electricity crisis and its effects. A little too late perhaps, but we hope that the solutions proposed by the government are effected professionally leaving no room for corruption but efficiency and speed in dealing with this challenge.
SAICE acknowledges the announcement of the appointment of a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency. We are, however, deeply concerned that the addition of yet another Minister tasked with looking after energy will undoubtedly overlap with, and possibly confuse the established roles of Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, and Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Public Enterprises.
The key question is – what is the mandate of the Minister of Electricity and the board of Eskom. Without the authority to effect change in operations, nothing will change.
In light of which, there needs to be a clear mandate on whose job it is to oversee the restructuring of Eskom, and whose job it is to oversee the operation focusing essentially on eradicating the rampant syndicated crime impacting on the performance of the coal-fired power stations. The expression that comes to mind in brief: “too many cooks”.
We are of the view that the primary inputs into each Minister’s strategic portfolios, should include core contributions from professional engineers, as an engineering mindset and problem solving skills will catalyse improvements. We see this successfully implemented in the Department of Water and Sanitation, where the current Director General, Sean Phillips, is an engineer making progressive strides.
In terms of Eskom, we are aware that the utility has approached ECSA for assistance in identifying suitable engineers for deployment. SAICE fully supports this initiative and can assist. We are also aware of the Eskom “crowd sourcing” web-based platform. However, that said we do feel that Eskom should have first engaged the South African engineering-based voluntary associations, who have large databases of practitioners in the relevant engineering disciplines, before embarking on the aforementioned endeavours.
Meanwhile, the functional separation of Transmission, Generation and Distribution within Eskom is long overdue and may well ensure that investment is correctly directed within the utility. This can only succeed and become effective, if the current syndicated crime and corruption [mentioned above] is rooted out!
We understand that resolving the electricity crisis will not be easy, but it is worth remembering that the origin of the problem has been in the unwise delay in investment in new generation capacity, whether these be powered by fossil fuel or renewable energy. This was pointed out in SAICE’s 2022 Infrastructure Report Card, which also indicated more broadly, that the delayed investment in maintenance places the entire portfolio of public assets at risk of dysfunction.
The negative effects of electricity loadshedding cannot be overstated. The impact cuts across all infrastructure sectors, decreasing the performance of everything from the treatment of drinking water and the treatment of raw sewage to the operation of transport networks and health facilities. It also creates conditions conducive to criminal activity with direct impacts on infrastructure. And 2023 is set to be the worst year on record.
- Dysfunctional Municipalities and Professionalisation of the State
The responsibility to implement civil infrastructure and services is, to a large extent, carried by municipalities. Investment spending in South Africa decreased from an average of almost 30% of GDP in the early 1980s to about 16% of GDP by the early 2000s. In effect, South Africa has missed a generation of capital investment. Building human capacity to oversee the implementation and maintenance of this infrastructure in South Africa is paramount.
Municipalities have steadily lost skilled engineers, technicians, and technologists – all skills that are vitally important to manage and maintain large capital projects. The most persistent problem are the under-funded, weak public service institutions that lack appropriate technical decision-making skills.
Poor end-user behaviour also impacts on the serviceability of infrastructure through theft of materials and vandalism.
However, it is encouraging that the bill on Professionalising the Public Sector, published in October last year, echoes many of these concerns. Further, the recent adoption of the Municipal Staff Regulations, which include competency frameworks for mainstream occupations, is a move in the right direction.
It is necessary to urgently re-install appropriately qualified and professionally registered technical people back into the system to plan, identify, procure and manage large-spend engineering projects to unlock the economy. The brain drain happening in the public sector is devastating, and is costing the country a lot of money and resources to produce world-class engineers, only to lose them because they can’t find work.
In the short term, it is necessary to ensure that these ailing municipalities are able to:
- Drive the re-establishment of short and long-term planning, and budgeting;
- Manage development and building control;
- Handle emergencies as well as planned maintenance;
- Manage designs and contracts; and redevelop systems and processes.
Most importantly, in the longer term, these experienced professionals will be required to mentor the young graduates to be able to do the same. This will guarantee them a secure and worthwhile career path, where they too will eventually be responsible to mentor the next generation of young graduates.
- Transport Infrastructure
SAICE welcomed the reference to the importance of the transport system, including rail and road. The rail system is crucial for the transport of goods and persons. A fully functional system that is shielded from the criminal elements that are sabotaging it currently, cannot come soon enough.
Currently the poor rail and port infrastructure is hindering export (and import) activity and lowering GDP. Further because the poor performance of the rail network is pushing more and more freight onto the provincial and national road network, this is increasing product costs and also damaging our netowrk. South Africa’s road network is not geared up for the resulting increased road heavy freight traffic.
However, our transport specialists caution the President that the suggestion for the road system will not address the road safety pandemic, nor solve congestion. Furthermore, in the short term, as South Africa is still highly dependent on fossil fuels, a move to electric vehicles will increase pollution and negatively impact the energy crisis already hampering our society.
Legislation in the form of the National Infrastructure Plan and the pending Rail Policy both aim to speed up the revival of rail – urgent and fast-paced implementation of policy is key.
We also call on the President to delve further around his announcement related to the restructuring of Transnet Freight Rail and PRASA.
- Water Supply and Maintenance of Infrastructure
The National State of Disaster in response to the electricity crisis, as stated by the President, will exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from load shedding where technically possible.
A theme that is filtering through again, and as highlighted in the IRC, is the various water supply and sanitation systems in our country are all differing in their level of management and condition, from excellent to failing, more as a consequence of the challenges of an inadequate maintenance budget and ignoring or removing all decision making from technically competent staff.
Meanwhile, in some urban areas the water supply systems have been operated at full capacity and will not be able to meet growing demands unless proactive measures are taken to decrease consumption, refurbish critical components of the systems, and expedite key bulk water augmentation projects that have been delayed. Therefore, we welcome the President’s sentiment to push forward with the construction or completion of critical water infrastructure supply projects in the country and Lesotho.
Again, we caution – spending on repair, maintenance and rehabilitation of water supply systems remains inadequate. Damage due to increased theft, vandalism and service delivery protests diverts funding from maintenance and expansion budgets, exacerbating the problem. Further, building or finalising new dams will not yield sufficient capacity in the long-term. Demand management, water conservation, improved maintenance processes and the reuse of water are critical.
A Call to Action
SAICE calls on the government of South Africa to ensure that solutions and actions proposed at SONA are effectively implemented. For far too long, we have been a nation that has developed first-class policies but have severely lacked with implementation. There is no time to procrastinate given the severity of the challenges South Africa faces.
Government must provide detailed timelines, identify roles and responsibilities and execute plans of roll-out to ensure we can efficiently re-build this country’s infrastructure and economy for all. Role players must be held accountable to ensure that there is no room for corruption that continues to negate this country’s progress on all levels.
Ends
About SAICE
The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) is a learned society and voluntary organisation that acts as a catalyst for innovation and good practice in the development of the civil engineering profession. SAICE has a membership base in excess of 16 000 Civil Engineering professionals, and is involved in the development of policies, standards, structures, and systems that impact infrastructure at national and international levels.
Contact details:
Nthabeleng Lentsoane
SAICE: Head of Marketing
nthabeleng@saice.org.za
Call: (011) 805-5947
Media Contact:
Stacey Turnbull | SWM Communications
stacey@swmcommunications.co.za
Call: 072 427 1680