COLLABORATION was the feature concept as stakeholders met and discussed the role of the private and public sectors in infrastructure development and economic growth for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) at the CESA Presidential Function held in Umhlanga, on June 8, 2023.
The event brought together various stakeholders, including government representatives, industry leaders, and experts, to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for cooperation. The discussions also touched upon the need for regulatory frameworks that facilitate collaboration between the private and public sectors.
In his presidential address, CESA president Olu Soluade stated that clear guidelines, transparent processes, and supportive policies would encourage private investment in infrastructure projects and foster an environment conducive to economic growth, especially in KZN, which was ravaged by the floods of 2022 resulting in billions of rands worth of damage to key infrastructure.
CESA board member Naomi Naidoo concurred indicating that it was time to show resilience in this time of great need to rebuild the province of KZN. She asked a pertinent question to all stakeholders: “Are we rebuilding our infrastructure fast enough to enable the lives of citizens to return to some level of normality in order to create employment opportunities and to drive economic growth in KZN?”
Naidoo also stressed the importance of investing in maintenance in the province and highlighted that the floods in KZN really exposed the lack of maintenance prior to the devastation. For example, she added: “KZN has a serious water and sanitation challenge, which was amplified by the floods. Poor quality infrastructure, failing infrastructure and the absence of infrastructure in this environment is a serious threat to the quality of lives of the people of our province! Moving out of the province, we are all aware of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, in Gauteng. So, if we fail to address the poor, dilapidated water and sanitation infrastructure – we take the risk of inviting diseases into our homes and placing the health and livelihoods of South Africans at risk.”
Soluade added that our current water and energy challenges are stretching our resilience to the maximum, in addition to challenges related to transport systems affecting logistics; healthcare systems and educational institutions, to name a few. “So, how do we come together as role players and start rebuilding KZN and South Africa as it should be?”
He acknowledged the importance of raising competency levels in the public and private sectors to achieve the necessary progress in infrastructure development and economic growth. Soluade stated: “As a developmental country, South Africa is already facing many of these challenges and as engineers, we are called upon to ‘make a difference’. Let me first reiterate the role of an industry organization such as CESA. In a nutshell, our mandate is to lobby for positive change within the regulatory environment to enable our members to better serve society”.
This was also expressed by chief civil engineer at the eThekwini Transport Authority, Lavern Moodley, who highlighted the importance of collaboration and emphasized the need for stakeholders to work together in planning for the future of transportation in the region. He also took the opportunity to discuss various projects undertaken by the authority to enhance traffic flow in KZN’s largest city.
Meanwhile, the N2 programme manager of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), Mabuyi Mhlanga, shared details about the plans and projects being undertaken by the State-owned entity, and how Sanral is actively promoting the inclusion of SMMEs in the construction industry by providing opportunities for them to participate and contribute to projects, particularly on the N2/N3 programme, which she indicated is expected to take 60 months to complete at a budget of R5 billion.
Attendees also had the opportunity to ask pertinent questions, which were addressed by the CESA president as well as the guest speakers from Sanral and eThekwini Transport Authority. The questions predominantly revolved around funding mechanisms, project timelines, stakeholder engagement, sustainability considerations, and future plans for transportation and road networks.
