The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) yesterday called for urgent infrastructure reforms to foster economic growth and improve living standards.
SAICE said in a statement that Sekadi Phayane-Shakhane, SAICEs CEO, addressing the Big 5 Construct South Africas Stakeholders Engagement Forum, said, Infrastructure contributes significantly to human development, poverty reduction, and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Despite the progress made in the last 30 years of democracy, South Africa faced numerous challenges hindering sustainable growth, she said.
The 4th SAICE Infrastructure Report Card (IRC) of 2022 had awarded an overall grade D to South Africas public infrastructure, indicating it is 'at risk of failure.'
Phayane-Shakhane said: 'Infrastructure is not coping with normal demand and is poorly maintained,' stressing the urgent need for action to avoid risks to the public.