While South Africa is certainly facing significant challenges with regard to expanding economic infrastructure and promoting access for all, at municipal level, the greatest challenge currently faced is maintenance, the South African Local Government Association’s municipal infrastructure services directorate: roads and transport planning specialist, Sibulele Dyodo, has argued.

Speaking as part of a recent Development Bank of Southern Africa Infrastructure Dialogues panel, he said, while over the past 20 years South Africa had addressed infrastructure upgrade backlogs and added new infrastructure, maintenance would be one of the key issues in future.

“[In a way, South Africa] has neglected maintenance to focus on upgrades and new infrastructure,” Dyodo said.

He stated that the funds required for maintenance of economic infrastructure had to be factored into the tariffs for services such, as water and electricity to ensure that, when the maintenance had to be done, the funds were available.

Also speaking as part of the panel, Deloitte associate director JP Labuschagne reiterated the importance of maintaining the infrastructure the country already had.

He stated that, currently, South Africa had a short-term focus of “let’s build, but then we walk away”. However, Labuschagne said there had to be a link between the funding of the construction and subsequent maintenance of an asset.

He agreed with Dyodo, stating that the greatest scope to do this was indeed located within local municipalities.

However, Labuschagne stated that there was a “great level of underspending” at this level, “but the [municipal level] is also where the greatest challenges lie”.

Speaking on these challenges, Dyodo pointed out that the funds collected from users of economic infrastructurew were often used to supplement the funds needed for the establishment and maintenance of social infrastructure, as the money received from the National Treasury for this was insufficient and, therefore, the money collected was not used for what it was initially intended.

Dyodo further said the issue of depreciative accounting also had to be addressed to ensure that provision was made in the tariffs structure to replace assets in the longer term.

He added that municipalities were also grappling with the challenge of refurbishing infrastructure and explained that much of the country’s infrastructure had been inherited from the apartheid government.

However, that infrastructure now had to service many more people than prior to 1994 and, therefore, refurbishment was necessary, but not always carried out effectively.

Dyodo noted that refurbishment was closely linked to maintenance.

“[In future], municipalities need more [integrated] planning, more skills to address the challenges and funding will be key,” he concluded.