Dear Editor
The Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) 2025, held in Cape Town this week, marked a significant shift from rhetoric to implementation for South Africa’s infrastructure agenda.
The Democratic Alliance acknowledges the integrated approach being championed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure under Minister Dean Macpherson, in partnership with Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), to reignite the economy through infrastructure investment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s keynote address reinforced this drive, positioning infrastructure as the “flywheel” of economic growth and job creation—an analogy that echoes the DA’s own belief in infrastructure as a powerful lever for development.
The publication of the second edition of the Construction Book, detailing over 250 shovel-ready, technically viable and bankable infrastructure projects worth more than R238 billion, is a critical step forward. These projects are not just ideas on paper – they are designed, funded and poised for delivery within the next 18 months.
This progress reflects a broader shift in thinking: infrastructure delivery must be coordinated, investor-friendly, and rooted in sound preparation.
The DA welcomes the reforms aimed at streamlining public-private partnerships, particularly the effort to fast-track PPPs under R2 billion by removing unnecessary regulatory duplication.
These reforms are essential. Government does not have the capacity—financial or technical—to deliver on its infrastructure ambitions alone. A credible, investable pipeline is key to unlocking the trillions in private capital.
The DA has long advocated for this kind of approach—one that embraces the expertise and efficiency of the private sector while safeguarding public interest through transparency and accountability. Blended finance models, clear procurement timelines, and well-prepared project pipelines are central to the DA’s economic growth and job creation strategy, and we welcome their growing prominence in national policy.
One of the key initiatives showcased at SIDSSA 2025 is the Adopt-a-Municipality programme, piloted in four municipalities—including the DA-governed uMngeni Municipality, chosen for its sound governance and effective service delivery. The programme connects capable local governments with Infrastructure South Africa to strengthen infrastructure planning and delivery through technical support, procurement guidance, and real-time digital tracking.
Critically, it promotes coordinated infrastructure delivery across local, district, provincial, and national spheres of government, ensuring that projects are better aligned, better managed, and more responsive to community needs – an approach the DA has long championed.
While these developments are encouraging, we must be cautious. South African cannot afford another cycle of “announce and abandon.” The true test of this infrastructure agenda lies in delivery: in completed roads, functioning water systems, reliable energy infrastructure, and the jobs that flow from a thriving construction sector.
The World Bank has estimated that every 1% increase in infrastructure investment can yield up to 0.6% in long-term GDP growth. With more than R1 trillion in public infrastructure spend projected over the next three years, the stakes – and the opportunity – are enormous. Infrastructure must become the connective tissue of our economy: supporting trade, attracting investment, and restoring dignity to underserved communities.
The DA will continue to engage constructively with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and Infrastructure South Africa to ensure that this infrastructure momentum is sustained, and that delivery is tracked, measured, and felt on the ground.
Regards
Edwin Macrae Bath MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Public Works and Infrastructure