MEC Tertuis Simmers: Debate of Public Works and Infrastructure Budget Vote 2025/26, NCOP

Chairperson, 
Honourable Minister and Deputy Minister, Fellow MECs,
Honourable Members of the NCOP,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for the opportunity to again engage this House on a matter fundamental to our country’s future: public infrastructure and the strategic use of land for the public good.

Chairperson,
Much has been said, rightfully, about the need to release well-located public land. 

Let me be clear: in the Western Cape, we are not waiting. We are delivering.

We are already utilising strategically located, provincially-owned land to advance spatial justice and opportunity.

Right in the heart of Cape Town, major integrated housing and mixed-use projects are to commence this year, placing residents closer to work, transport, education, and healthcare. 

These developments are not theory. They are visible proof that in our province, integration is not a slogan. It is a structured plan in action.

Our approach is anchored in long-term planning.

The Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050 outlines our vision for an inclusive, sustainable, and responsive infrastructure ecosystem across housing, transport, water, energy, and broadband.

The Western Cape Infrastructure Strategy 2050 translates that vision into practical, implementable actions. 

And the Western Cape Infrastructure Implementation Plan 2050 tracks every project from planning to completion, ensuring transparency, delivery, and accountability.

This ecosystem allows us to move decisively. 

We are currently evaluating 23 provincially owned land parcels, covering 85 hectares, for future development. 

These sites have been selected based on proximity to public transport, economic nodes, and social infrastructure, because well-located land must enable opportunity, not just hold title deeds.

Chairperson,
Strategic partnerships are also key to delivery.

Two weeks ago, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal signed a landmark intergovernmental cooperation agreement between our respective Infrastructure Departments. 

This partnership will promote knowledge exchange, joint innovation, and shared expertise in infrastructure planning, digital tools, financing, and delivery models.

We recognise that while our contexts may differ, our challenges are shared, and collaboration is a catalyst for scalable, cross-provincial solutions. 

It is our view that effective partnerships, not duplicating efforts, is a mark of a mature developmental state.

Chairperson,
We are also embracing technology to accelerate delivery and improve efficiency.

Our Virtual Twinning Programme digitally models major infrastructure projects, allowing us to detect risks early, improve design accuracy, and avoid costly delays.

By integrating AI-driven analytics, we can forecast infrastructure needs, optimise resource deployment, and make evidence-based decisions.

This is not innovation for its own sake, it is innovation in service of the people: cutting costs, saving time, and stretching every Rand.

Chairperson,
We know that no infrastructure programme will be sustainable without financial innovation.

That’s why our provincial treasury has adopted the Alternative and Blended Finance Framework, enabling us to attract private capital and reduce dependence on national grants.

We currently have over R200 billion worth of infrastructure projects under review within this framework - from catalytic mixed-use precincts to bulk infrastructure and roads.

And roads, Chairperson, are not to be overlooked.

Our economy and our people move on roads. 

When roads collapse, so too does access to opportunity, health services, and food security.

That is why we have launched a new Provincial Roads Delivery Model, focused on accelerating upgrades and maintenance across urban and rural networks.

Some of our key road projects currently underway include:

• The Malmesbury Bypass, a catalytic route that will divert freight traffic from the town centre, improve safety, and unlock economic flow along the N7 corridor; and
• The Louis Fourie Road Upgrade in Mossel Bay, a vital project in the Garden Route region that will expand capacity, reduce congestion, and link residential areas with economic zones.

Looking ahead, we are planning for the Wingfield Southern Upgrade Scheme, the R300 Extension, and a phased programme to upgrade at least 50% of the province’s gravel road network over the next decade.

Chairperson,
Our road network is more than tar and asphalt. It is the infrastructure of economic resilience, connecting people to jobs, services, and dignity.

In the Western Cape, infrastructure delivery is not ad hoc or reactionary.

It is driven by the Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050; executed through the Western Cape Infrastructure Strategy 2050; and tracked via the Western Cape Infrastructure Implementation Plan 2050, ensuring that our development is planned, financed, and delivered in a transparent and accountable manner.

Ultimately, our goal is simple: to build a province that works - for everyone.

A province where integrated settlements, sustainable infrastructure, and modern mobility support a future of dignity, well-being, and growth.

As Peter Drucker once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

That is what we are doing in the Western Cape – building a province of the future, today, through infrastructure that connects, infrastructure that empowers, and ultimately infrastructure that restores dignity to all who call our province home.

I thank you.

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