Hon Deputy Speaker, infrastructure development and maintenance remains a continuous process with little or no room for lethargy. The South Africa of today finds itself on a sink-or-swim trajectory with very ambitious but absolutely required economic growth paths and development plans.

With government planning to spend nearly R5 trillion over the next two decades on public infrastructure projects, it became wholly necessary for the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission to be established and tasked with the development of a 20-year infrastructure pipeline. Many social infrastructure projects are lagging behind, which has negatively impacted on schools, hospitals and communities in general.

Corruption has also played a role in undermining progress, with some contractors not delivering on their mandates while receiving money from a department which does not hold them accountable. The need for infrastructural development is great in our country. Government must not only communicate better with communities with regard to development, but must also work alongside them to meet the goals of the National Infrastructure Plan.

With the success of the strategic infrastructure projects, we will see greater economic and social development. With entrepreneurs getting better access to economic opportunities, especially in black rural communities, such communities will be helped to be truly more self-sufficient. The IFP supports the Bill. I thank you.