Deputy Chair, the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission, PICC, was formed in September 2011. It is constituted of a council, management committee and secretariat. The council consists of a number of Cabinet members, nine premiers, metro mayors, and SA Local Government Association, Salga, representatives. It is chaired by the President and in his absence by the Deputy President. The management committee consists of a similar team of Ministers, premiers and Salga representatives and is chaired by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Mr Gugile Nkwinti. The secretariat consists of Cabinet members and Deputy Ministers and is chaired by the Minister of Economic Development, Mr Ebrahim Patel.
The PICC structures have met on numerous occasions. The council has convened two formal meetings. The management committee has met on more than 10 occasions and the secretariat meets at least fortnightly.
In January this year the Cabinet lekgotla, which included Ministers, Deputy Ministers, premiers and Salga representatives, received a report on the draft infrastructure plan and endorsed the proposed plan. The plan was then formally adopted by the PICC council, which met in February this year.
The plan provides for a 20-year project pipeline and includes projects in the 2012-13 financial year and beyond. The plan sets out 17 strategic integrated projects containing road, rail, port, water, sanitation, energy, communications, health and education infrastructure projects. Every province is covered by one or more strategic integrated projects.
As hon members will recall, I made available details of the five geographically and strategically integrated projects in the state of the nation address in February this year. Subsequently, I launched the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape, as well as the Dube Trade Port in eThekwini - two projects that are included in the infrastructure plan.
One strategic integrated project addresses the challenges of Mpumalanga and contains proposals for a shift from road to rail transport in the province, as well as strong logistics corridors between Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The Moloto Rail Corridor is one component but the technical team seeks to develop the idea beyond its simply being for the transport of day labour from Mpumalanga to Gauteng. Instead, it has identified the need to use the corridor to support agro-processing industries, among others. The details of this idea will be pursued further at local level by the team that has been set up for strategic integrated project 1, launched on 13 April 2012.
Two weeks ago we convened a provincial and local government Conference at which the PICC provided details of the 17 strategic integrated projects to MECs, executive mayors, and directors-general, as well as other senior government officials.
Infrastructure is critical to national development. It provides the physical platform for economic development by making available energy, transport facilities, communication and water to industries identified in the New Growth Path framework adopted by Cabinet. So it spurs new investment and jobs. It is an essential component of service delivery, providing sanitation, health facilities, education, electricity and water to local communities. However, infrastructure also creates jobs and, if properly structured, it is a major source of new industrialisation. Our infrastructure plan will focus on the local procurement of components, building materials and construction equipment in order to support local industry.
The infrastructure plan has one strategic integrated project focusing on African regional integration because South Africa's future prosperity is tied to expanding the African market.
Deputy Chairperson, I am satisfied. Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, I must confess my dilemma as to whether this is a follow-up question or a comment based on what the President has said. President, you have been very consistent on and passionate about co-operation and intergovernmental relations, which in the main characterise the mandate of the NCOP. There is one specific issue I would like to raise regarding co-operation and the strengthening of the principle of intergovernmental relations.
Going forward, how do we ensure that we avoid a situation in which national departments bypass our provinces and municipalities and, with good intentions, launch projects in those particular areas? Once the project is launched, the municipalities and provinces are left with the burden of ensuring that the project becomes a success. When we were traversing the provinces and municipalities to do our oversight work, this was one of the major issues that we encountered, not only in my province of the Northern Cape but throughout the country.
Deputy Chair, our colleague started by saying he was not sure whether he had a comment or question. However, in the process of making comments, he clarified himself and posed his question. [Laughter.] We cannot debate whether it was a question or comment because there is a very clear question in what he was saying. [Laughter.] The question is vitally important. It is asking us to give some background to why we have the PICC.
I have said a lot about the motivation behind the PICC. Some people were asking why we even have it, because we have had presidential teams and so on. The critical point is that in our view departments are working in silos. Therefore, whatever good work departments, provincial departments or municipalities were doing - and they have been very busy - was not co- ordinated. These entities were not talking to one another and we could not see if we were making progress. Related to this aspect was the issue that there was no national plan that was overarching and that we were all working towards implementing.
We therefore took a very deliberate decision, which was directed by our Constitution. Our Constitution does not talk about national, provincial and local matters as separate things, as if they were different countries. It talks about co-operative governance, where we have these different levels to enable the administration of the country. How do we make them work together in one plan?
Ever since I came into office I have been saying that we should work differently and in a co-ordinated manner. Whenever one says so, people say yes, yes, but they walk out and carry on exactly as before. My thinking was that we could not effect co-ordination at the level of a Minister, premier or mayor. It required a structure that was headed by the Presidency to ensure that it happened. That is why this co-ordination of infrastructure development has to be chaired by the President and the Deputy President has to deputise in order to ensure that it occurs.
For the first time we have a national plan in terms of which we all know what we are doing. The structures I talked about - the management committee, the council, and the secretariat - have to report so that we can co-ordinate things from there. We have been saying to Ministers, premiers and everybody else that this was not done to please anyone - changing the quality of life in this country was a task given to us by our Constitution. So, as you know, the national plan is about to be completed so that we will know what we are doing in this country.
We have one Budget - yes, it is separated in regard to the levels of government, but we have one government. I know that when people look at provincial boundaries, they sometimes seem to think that provinces are countries. [Laughter.] They are not, even though people fight so much about boundaries. They fight so much that one would think they were two countries fighting about their borders. In reality these boundaries were meant to make the administration of the country easier. Politically, we hardened these borders when it was not necessary. So, we are trying to say: "Let the country work together."
This means that one cannot have national departments jumping over the heads of others and implementing projects that are unknown to those other parties. Everything has to be co-ordinated within this structure. We will allow a national department to do something if it wants to, but certainly the province and local government will know all about it and there will be co-ordination.
Now, if you find any department still doing things the old way, please report that to me because we will deal with it. We say silos must go away. We need a co-ordinated effort to govern and develop our country. Very soon we will have a national plan and whether you are in local, provincial or national government, your work must be aligned to that plan. We must be able to monitor and judge you on that basis. That is why I thought your question was very important.
Thank you, Deputy Chair. As the hon President correctly said, South Africa is a unitary state. However, municipalities, provinces and the national level have different priorities. What will happen in a case where the provincial priority competes with the national priority? How will the PICC resolve this issue and who will have the final say at the end of the day? [Interjections.]
The premier! [Laughter.]
We have the different levels of government. There are three spheres and they all have specific mandates. Whatever your mandate, it must relate to this country. If in the past there was no structure to ensure that mandates did not compete negatively, we now have a structure that will ensure that the competition is constructive and healthy - never negative. Certainly there will be competing types of issues but they must be constructive and positive. We are going to be there to make sure there is no negativity. Mandates and their processes must complement each other, and not work to undermine each other. That is why we are there, looking at the country broadly. We are not just looking at one project or one area. So, there will be no competing mandates impacting on each other negatively. I can guarantee you that.
We are a unitary state with very specific levels of government to help this unitary state become stronger. If anything works towards undermining that, it will certainly be addressed. There will be nothing of that nature.
Thank you, hon President, for your answer. The question of infrastructure is a vexed one. New infrastructure is going to be a huge shot in the arm for the economy of the country. However, there is a huge need - and I am using the word "huge" with great sensitivity - for the maintenance of our existing infrastructure. We have sewerage plants such as the one at uMtshezi, which spews sewerage into the Bushman's River because of a lack of maintenance. I think such examples can be found throughout the country. Is this commission looking seriously at the need for infrastructure spend?
Regarding the Moloto Rail Corridor, the project was approved by Cabinet in 2006. I think a budget of R5,8 billion was allocated to it. What progress has been made on that? What this project seeks to deal with is what we call in English "the road of death" - umgaco osuka eMpumalanga uye eTshwane [the road from Mpumalanga to Pretoria]. That road is known as "the road of death". The subsidies paid there to bus companies are in the region of R500 million per annum. Why has that project not made any progress since 2006? And now, hon President, you are suggesting that it is part of a bigger plan and is only a proposal. The need there is so great!
First, the point I have been trying to clarify is this. We have taken a decision to implement what we have been saying, namely that government must do things differently.
One of the difficulties has been the fact that, historically, infrastructure in this country was created wrongly. It was done to cater for a minority, and not for the majority of the population. As a result, when freedom came and there were no restrictions to control the influx of people, they came to the cities in great numbers. Infrastructure that was meant for fewer people could not carry the load of the number of people who now had the freedom to be in the cities. That is what is causing the overflow of sewage and so on. It is not as if somebody was careless. This is part of the legacy of our bad history and this is what we are addressing.
Perhaps we have not paid attention to infrastructure for a number of years because it is not just a social matter, it has been economic, precisely because the economic infrastructure was made for a few. When the economy had more people participating, they suffocated it. It could not carry the load and it began to undermine economic growth. We have now taken a very conscious decision, saying we should expand the infrastructure nationally. We will not look only at one municipality or one province but we will look at it broadly. That is a big change.
Therefore we are saying that in addressing infrastructure of all types - bulk infrastructure or whatever - we are actually addressing the issue you mentioned.
Uthe kuseMtshezi lapho kuvuza khona ipayipi. [You said it was in eMtshezi where they had a burst pipe.]
It is going to be addressed. No doubt about it. It is part of what we are doing to create infrastructure able to carry the entire population of this country.
We are also going to deal with the roads. I have mentioned roads and rail many times here. It includes the road which you say is the road to death. We are going to make it the road not to death but to life. [Laughter.]
We are also saying that we are going to increase the skills level and the level of professionalism with regard to the maintenance of our infrastructure. So, that issue is going to be resolved too.
You know, there are many things in this country that were undermined by our history and which we are now correcting. I have been saying that this is a window of opportunity for us to correct the wrongs forever. Therefore, the maintenance of infrastructure is going to be brought up to date. So, don't worry! It's a matter of time until there will be no overflowing sewage because there will be people doing the job there.
In fact, we have a very specific, effective plan to train our people. We will change the nature of education in this country to produce more engineers for the work that is out there. In the recent past, even if you produced engineers, they had nothing to do, so they left the country. The opening up of this opportunity means that we are actually going to need more engineers to maintain the infrastructure. So, all that is in the plan. Rest assured, the worries are gone! [Laughter.] Gone and forgotten. [Laughter.] Absolutely! [Laughter.] I take it this was the last question?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
I just wanted to say this, hon Deputy Chairperson, thank you very much for the opportunity.
The point I want to make to this important House is that to me the House has always been important, partly because it is the bridge between the national, provincial and local levels.
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
You have a critical, a key role to play. Therefore, based on some of the questions you have been asking and the discussions we have been having, you must identify your role.
Then, how do you make the executive implement what it has said in its plan? You are almost at a point where you can interact with individuals in the provinces. You are interacting with provinces and local governments, and now we are saying, "Here is this huge plan." I think your task as public representatives is going to be to put government under pressure to implement this programme. To me, in this House you should be saying, "We now have this plan by the executive. What is our plan as a House to make the executive implement this plan?" That is absolutely crucial. You are also in a better position to tell us when our emphasis or priorities in different areas are not accurate. This is what you need to do.
So, I am expecting that, as a House and the executive, we are going to be working together. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
President, thank you very much for coming in to answer our questions. We actually do remember that the theme is "Working together, we can do more." Thank you very much and we hope to see you in the near future.
See also QUESTIONS AND REPLIES.