Ndou tables Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure budget
Several key factors about the state of Limpopo’s roads were at the forefront of the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure budget speech on Friday.
POLOKWANE – MEC, Jerry Ndou, tabled the R3,1 billion budget for the 2017/18 and he said key factors which have informed their performance planning include the department focusing on its operational model and placing greater emphasis on the transformation and regulation of the Construction and Property Sectors.
“We have approved measures as part of the MEC Turnaround Plan and the Section 100(1)(a) recovery plan. As a result, these are incorporated into the Annual Performance Plan and the Risk Assessment Plan to mitigate on repeated audit findings and matters of emphasis and issues not concluded during Section 100(1) (a),” Ndou said.
These are:
• Increased revenue collection.
• Technical skills to deliver on mandate and capacity building.
• Improved contract and project management, organisational redesign and alignment.
• Implement energy efficiency measures and greening projects.
• Capacity building in the office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) which involves alignment of CFO structure to National Treasury to move towards achievement of high impact service delivery and clean audit.
“The department has implemented these projects to completion in exception of improved contract and project management and greening projects which are still to be pursued over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period,” Ndou said.
He added it has been a long 98 531 km Strategic Economic Route they traversed during the 2016/17 financial year, with the main objective of emancipating the people and communities both socially and economically.
“We need to invest in a network of economic infrastructure designed for medium and long term economic and social objectives. This is a precondition for providing basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, telecommunications, and public transport, and it needs to be robust and extensive enough to meet industrial, commercial and household needs,” he said.
Despite the 14 332 km backlog, the department has managed to:
• Upgraded 17,8 km of D4 and D3745 from Matsakale – Alten – Shangoni Kruger National Park, in the Vhembe District.
• Upgraded 22,8 km of the route D3634, D3778, D3753, and D3758 from Giyani to Nkuri, in the Mopani district.
• Rehabilitated and resealed D19, from Westenburg to Kalkspruit in the Capricorn district.
• Completed Phase 1 of route D2534 in the Sekhukhune district.
• Rehabilitated 22,8 km of the D887 from Tom Bourke to Alldays in the Waterberg district.
“This is why we lobby for more funding from the private sector in order to ease the pressure on the provincial fiscus. Through these private sector partners, we raised R302 million. We also recognise and appreciate Marula Platinum Mine, Anglo American, PPC/North West, and Exxaro,” Ndou said.
Through this partnership progress has been made to upgrade the following roads:
• Upgrading 17,5 km from gravel to bituminous surface on D4170.
• Upgrading gravel to bituminous surface on routes D4182, D4185, D4432, and D4180 from R37/Makgakala to Makgake and the intersection with D4180, D4220 from Manyaka to the end.
• Upgrading road P20/2, D1234, D1309, and D2702 from Koedoeskop to Northam to Dwaalboom.
• Upgrading 33,5 km of the northern links and 14,1 km of the southern links, from gravel to bituminous surface on D3114, D3117, D3102, and D3109, covering villages from Abbortspoort to Dipongpong and to Kiti, creating 200 full-time equivalent (FTEs) jobs.
