Hon Deputy Speaker, the DA strongly supports initiatives to improve service delivery. A lack of co-ordination between government departments and between different spheres of government has too often delayed the construction of much-needed infrastructure. Too often those tasked with the planning processes of significant infrastructure projects have not shown the urgency needed to get things done. That is why the Western Cape government has the From Red Tape to Red Carpet programme. That is also why we support the objectives of the Infrastructure Development Bill. However, some questions regarding the Bill still remain and the DA is looking forward to the debates in the Portfolio Committee on Economic Development.
Minister Patel recently presented to the Portfolio Committee a long lists of risks associated with the fast-tracking of infrastructure projects. The Bill is silent on how these will be mitigated. Let me highlight just four concerns which the Minister did not identify.
We will be seeking clarification on the impact that this Bill may have on the competencies allocated under the current legislation to provincial and local spheres of government in terms of planning and zoning processes.
Another concern is the right given to the Presidential Infrastructure Co- ordinating Commission under section 5(4) to expropriate land or rights in respect of land, and that the effect of the expropriation on the value of the land may not impede the progress of these developments. Section 17(1) prescribes that planning processes must now run concurrently in order to save time.
Planning processes do take time but can also be quite costly. The outcome of one planning process may have a huge influence on the thinking and progress of another planning process, which, under normal circumstances, would be running sequentially. This Bill may therefore have the unintended consequence of legitimising wasteful and fruitless expenditure in a country where fraudulent actions are all too rife and which is slipping on the international list of corruption rankings. This risk should be of major concern.
Lastly, the President will be chairing the Presidential Infrastructure Co- ordinating Commission. We will be pushing for Parliament's role in providing oversight as to which projects will be selected as strategic infrastructure projects, Sips, to be strengthened.
Also, the criteria to select the SIPs should be clearer. This is extremely important, especially in the light of a recent infrastructural upgrading of a private residence belonging to the President. Nothing in this Bill prevents the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission from including and fast-tracking similar projects in the future. We trust that our concerns will be addressed during the deliberations on this Bill. I thank you.