Fixing SA’s crumbling infrastructure ‘not rocket science’
Stellenbosch University’s Head of Research in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Professor Richard Walls, believes the collapse of municipal infrastructure is due to the country’s lack of technical and engineering capacity.
The Johannesburg Road Agency recently revealed that 80% of bridges in Gauteng are on the verge of collapse.
Crumbling infrastructure has also been blamed for the erratic water supply experienced by residents in several parts of the country.
Walls said municipalities fail to build sustainable infrastructure due to a lack of engineering skills, weak leadership, budget constraints, and corruption.
“One of the things to look at is the budget available. Is it being used efficiently and is there wasteful expenditure? And how best can necessary resources be channelled to the infrastructure? And, in addition to that, do they have enough capacity and experience in terms of rolling out these projects and how municipalities can get back highly skilled engineers to deliver on high-quality structures?”
Walls said many engineering organisations in South Africa are willing to help and guide municipalities in delivering quality structures.
However, municipalities need to engage and listen to these organisations.
“The South African Institute of Civil Engineers published a good infrastructure report card, highlighting infrastructure across the country in a range of sectors and what status it is,” Walls said.
“This provides excellent insight into where we are struggling and numerous details on how it can be improved, where the biggest shortcomings are and where infrastructure is unfit for usage.”
While the public sector is key in infrastructure delivery, Walls said the inspection of the infrastructure of bridges, roads and pipes is often done by the private sector.
He warned that it would be difficult for South Africa to deliver proper infrastructure due to issues such as budget constraints, lack of skills, and high poverty levels.
“No municipality in this country will even try to say they will deliver perfect infrastructure because it is impossible with the existing constraints. However, some municipalities certainly are doing far better.”
Walls said infrastructure delivery “is not rocket science, as it involves qualified contractors, approved engineers, on-time payments, and municipal oversight”.
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