ISA releases inventory of R395 billion in infrastructure projects
Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) has released the third edition of South Africa’s Construction Book – a comprehensive inventory of 110 projects across six infrastructure sectors, with a combined value of approximately R395 billion.
Compiled as part of ISA’s work to improve visibility of the country’s infrastructure pipeline and provide the construction industry with more useful and timely market information, the Construction Book provides a detailed list of infrastructure projects that have allocated budgets and are expected to enter procurement and construction over the next 12 – 18 months.
The Construction Book was launched at the recent Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA), hosted by ISA in Cape Town, where President Cyril Ramaphosa said project preparation – once a stumbling block in the way of critical infrastructure development – had been significantly improved in South Africa, paving the way for the faster implementation of Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs).
The President said: “We recognised that our infrastructure system was too fragmented, causing delays and escalating costs, and there were too many projects that did not progress. That gave rise to the reform processes through which we have strengthened coordination through the Infrastructure Development Act and the work of ISA to help prepare and advance the SIP pipeline. ISA identifies blockages and brings the relevant institutions together to solve them.”
The Construction Book inventory includes 10 municipal projects valued at around R112 billion in metros including Polokwane, eThekwini Municipality, Johannesburg and Mogale City. For the first time, the Construction Book includes Public-Private Partnership Projects. It also includes three significant digital infrastructure projects valued at around R28 billion, including investments associated with MeerKAT and the SAeX East Subsea Fibre-Optic Cable.
Highlights in the third edition include the upgrade of national rail and rail container corridors and procurement of a new concessionaire to operate the Gautrain system, and the Beitbridge Musina water transfer scheme. In the water sector, 18 projects totalling R35 billion are listed, with projects including dams, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, irrigation systems, reservoirs and pipelines. 41 projects totalling R81 billion are listed in the transport sector. In the energy sector, 29 projects worth around R86 billion are listed, including the Aries-Aggenys 400kV Line in the Northern Cape and the refurbishment of the main plant at Steenbras in the Western Cape. 16 social infrastructure projects with a combined value of R52 billion are listed, including works on the Tygerberg and Belhar Hospitals in the Western Cape, the development of Durban Film City, modernisation of the Joburg Fresh Produce Market and the construction of new hospitals in Soweto, Ga-Rankuwa, Limpopo and the Western Cape.
Mameetse Masemola, Head of ISA, says: “The Construction Book will complement, rather than replace formal procurement platforms such as National Treasury’s eTender Portal. Our intention is to create a clearer line of sight between the forward infrastructure pipeline and the tenders that subsequently enter the market. This enables contractors, professional service providers, suppliers and financiers to plan and position themselves earlier.”
She notes that ISA will continue to strengthen the Construction Book as a trusted source of information on the infrastructure pipeline, and will progressively move towards more regular and timely reporting on projects coming to market.
The Construction Book is available here https://sidssa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/isa-construction-book-3.pdf
