Last month, I returned to Congress not to make new commitments, but to explain what I had already promised and explain in clear terms how I intend to finish what I started.
South Africans have seen government construction projects become symbols of broken trust, with half-finished schools with weeds growing through their foundations, clinics encased in scaffolding for years, and courthouses and police stations that exist only as concrete shells. They are a daily reminder to communities that their dignity, safety, and livelihood may be postponed.
Over the past year and a half, we have been working to turn the situation around. The culmination of our efforts was the publication in October of the South African Construction Action Plan, which was approved by all nine provincial MECs for public works and infrastructure.
This is our framework for recovering delayed construction projects, restoring accountability, and ensuring public infrastructure is delivered on time, on budget, and to standards that serve communities, not contractors. This is essentially a plan to turn South Africa into a construction site, with a focus on getting the job done right.
A year ago, when I first addressed Congress on these issues, the vast majority of projects were delayed, budgets routinely exceeded, and sites abandoned with impunity. The so-called construction mafia threatened contractors and workers, jacking up costs and discouraging investment. Some states experienced more than 60 site outages per month. It’s not an inconvenience. It’s economic sabotage.
For those who believed they could hold communities and nations to ransom, we are beginning to see the tide begin to turn.
Over the past year, working with SAPS and other law enforcement partners, we have seen hundreds of reports of construction-related extortion and intimidation result in arrests and convictions. In KwaZulu-Natal, site disruptions have decreased from more than 60 to fewer than 10 per month. For those who believed they could hold their communities and countries to ransom, we are beginning to see the tide begin to turn.
We also sent a clear message to contractors who failed the state. From June 2024 to date, 40 companies have been blacklisted for abandoning projects, failing to implement or undermining the bidding system. The initiative begins efforts to prevent serial underperformers from moving from one public contract to another without consequences.
These efforts are beginning to appear across the economy. The construction industry created 130,000 jobs in the third quarter. This is more than any other sector and accounts for almost half of all new jobs created across the economy.
This action plan aims to achieve one main goal. That means there will be consequences if the project doesn’t work out, and support if the project goes well. That’s why we’re increasing accountability. Performance degradation should no longer be treated as a costless activity.
Meanwhile, we are working to fix fundamental systems that were frustrating even honest contractors. In the past, too many projects stalled because budgets were approved without funding, payments were delayed, and procurement stopped. We are working to introduce tighter ring-fencing of infrastructure budgets, improve oversight of payments and establish clearer rules to stop funds being misappropriated.
You can’t fix what you can’t see. By March 2026, all public works and infrastructure sectors will be required to have an integrated and digitized project and asset information system in place. We believe that modern enterprise systems will allow us to track in real time where each project is, how far along in construction it is, and where red flags are occurring.
None of this matters if the state does not have the capacity to manage complex construction. That’s why we want built environment professionals who work for or work with public works and infrastructure to be properly registered and subject to legally enforceable standards. It’s also why we work to strengthen the skills and ethics of public sector built environment workers. States must be able to interrogate design, challenge rising costs and argue for value for money.
Failing municipal infrastructure, slowing economic growth and pressure on public finances mean that every Rand’s infrastructure spending will need to grow further. But this is why we cannot tolerate ghost projects, abandoned cranes, and abandoned construction sites. Infrastructure is one of the few tools we have to funnel private investment and create large numbers of entry-level jobs.
I expect to be judged by what I build, not what I say. My sector must become South Africa’s economic delivery sector, known for building faster, cleaner and smarter. If we can deliver on that promise, we will transform South Africa into a functioning country.
• Macpherson is Minister for Public Works and Infrastructure.
