IN his State of the Province address, Premier Alan Winde announced the establishment of a new department that will concentrate on the rapid roll-out of infrastructure projects with a core objective of creating much needed jobs. “A new department of infrastructure to be created in the Western Cape
• As part of our commitment to create jobs and to rethink, focus and innovate when doing so, I have decided that a new Department solely responsible for Infrastructure will be created in the Western Cape, through the merger of the Human Settlements Department,
and specific components of the Transport and Public Works Department, including the
Western Cape’s property portfolio and our road programmes.
• This Infrastructure Department will be tasked with leading the change, working together with local governments in the Western Cape, the National Government as
well as the private sector to ensure that we collectively complete quality, catalytic infrastructure projects that will help inclusively create jobs. They will also take forward the establishment of a Schedule 3D Infrastructure Entity.
• As part of this change, we will create a Department responsible for
Mobility, which will include our transport programmes, such as our financial support to bus
and taxi services, including our Blue Dot Taxi pilot, our transport regulation mandate, and our extensive traffic management operations.
• This Mobility Department will also focus on finding specific, innovative strategies to improve mobility in the Western Cape, especially in the greater Cape Town area, given the very serious failings of the National rail network. They will be our lead department for working with and finding solutions with our local governments and, most importantly, PRASA.
• Following this policy announcement today, we will embark on a detailed consultation programme with all stakeholders and will provide regular updates both internally and to the public, so that this process is efficient, fair and transparent.”
