MEC Motara calls for unified regulatory services in construction sector

By Alfred Nhlapo

The MEC for Infrastructure Development and Property Management Ms. Tasneem Motara has called on regulatory bodies in the construction and build environment to support faster infrastructure delivery in the sector by streamlining their work into a unified service. Regulators must help attract infrastructure investment into the province and the country at large, and help eliminate unnecessary red tape.

The MEC was speaking at a special meeting convened with statutory bodies and non-statutory organisations, at the Place in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday the 20 of October 2019. One of the key aims of the meeting was to ensure that government’s infrastructure build programme is in step with developments in the regulatory space so that attendant gaps should not slow down service delivery.

Arguing for more collaboration and integration of services provided by regulatory bodies Motara said the provincial authorities were, on their part, looking at how local government ordinances could be harmonized with provincial and national legislation to accelerate service delivery in communities. This included working with the four underlying provinces of the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West where certain public facilities are accessible to people from both sides of the provincial demarcations. This was also aimed at building new economic zones for the benefit of the people.

“Together, we need to respond to the needs of the sector and our communities while also ensuring that we hold the work that we do to a certain level of professional standards. As government, we also seek your assistance and knowledge in addressing the objective realities on the ground”

She said although government was investing heavily in infrastructure development projects across Gauteng the speed of delivery was also being held back by lack of integration in the work of regulatory bodies, whereby infrastructure plans must go to many different offices before implementation takes place.

Organisations in attendance included CEOs and other executives at Agreement S.A., Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the Engineering Council of South Africa, the Independent Development Trust (IDT), National Home Builders Association (NHBRC), South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), and the South African Forum of Civil Engineering (SASFEC). The MEC was accompanied by her Head of Department Mr. Bethuel Netshiswinzhe, the Chief Financial Officer Mr. Rannoi Sedumo, and Deputy Directors General.

The representative of the NHBRC said the outlay of public infrastructure such as bulk services should come ahead of human settlements. Lateness in this regard often compromised the integrity of newly built housing developments when works such as rock-blasting are then done to install water and sanitation pipes.

It was also announced that the department is currently working on a 5-year infrastructure project pipeline on behalf of the province which will be published in time.

Source: Gauteng Province