Key findings of the fourth Infrastructure Report Card

Key findings of the

FOURTH INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT CARD

The South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s SAICE 2022 Infrastructure Report Card for South Africa (2022 IRC), released in November, rates the overall condition of South Africa’s infrastructure as a D. The 2022 IRC is the fourth in the series.

The 2022 IRC team was led by convenor Sam Amod and research leader Dr Kevin Wall, who pointed out that, in each IRC, SAICE has progressively widened the scope of its scrutiny. In the 2016 report, 21 subsectors were covered, rising to 27 in the 2011 report, 29 in the 2017 rendition and 32 for the 2022 IRC. In the three IRCs prior to the 2022 report, the overall grades were a D+, C- and a D+.

“In this report, we introduce fire engineering, information and communications technology, oil and gas pipelines, as well as coastal infrastructure, and reintroduce fishing harbours to the portfolio. Our comments also touch upon the impact of global warming and other environmental factors on infrastructure,” explain Amod and Wall.

The scorecard is based on a simple fivepoint scale, namely A (world class), B (fit for the future), C (satisfactory for now), D (at risk of failure) and E (unfit for purpose). On the spectrum, a plus indicates ‘robust’ and a minus ‘fragile’.

Drilling down into key sectors

The following is a snapshot of some of the key sectors studied and their scores: • Water: According to the 2022 IRC, the quality and reliability of water supply has decreased in small towns and rural systems.

In contrast, the national water resources infrastructure system has been able to meet

the demands for which it was designed. Bulk water resources scores a D-, major urban areas a C+, and all other areas a D-. • Sanitation (including wastewater): In this sector, some 16% of households still need improved sanitation. Major urban areas get a C-, while all other areas score an E. • Solid waste management: There has been a slight reduction in the provision of refuse removal services in urban areas. However, in rural areas, there is a significant increase in indiscriminate dumping. Waste collection in the major urban areas scores a C-, while waste collection ‘in other areas’ is rated as a D-. • Roads: Here, the consequences of the widespread underfunding of road maintenance and improvement are cause for great concern. National roads remain favourable with a B+, but paved provincial roads and paved roads in the major urban areas score a D. The grading for ‘other municipalities’ paved roads’ is a D-, while provincial and municipal unpaved roads get an E. • Rail: As the 2022 IRC states, safety and security have deteriorated quickly, and fewer trains are dispatched yearly due to infrastructure, process and systems issues.

Heavy haul freight lines and general freight lines get a B- and C-, respectively. In turn, branch lines and Prasa passenger lines each score an E. The star is Gautrain, with an A-. • Electricity: The findings here show that peak demand for Eskom electricity has declined slowly over the last 10 years. The 2022 IRC says it reflects the increasing unreliability of supply, rising tariffs and the greater availability of alternative sources of electricity. So, a D- is scored for Eskom’s generating infrastructure, and a D for local distribution. On the upside, Eskom’s transmission network scores a B.

Strategic implementation

Now that the data has been collated, the next step is the strategic implementation of the 2022 IRC, says John Kaplan, 2023 president elect, SAICE. “The overall goal is essentially to increase awareness and influence change for the better.”

Working within the three tiers of government, SAICE undertakes to engage with decisionmakers responsible for prioritising resource and budget allocations relating to infrastructure.

“The IRC’s value lies in its ability to inform and influence macro-level planning, lobby for funding and to highlight the actions that we believe are necessary to improve the condition of the nation’s infrastructure,” Kaplan concludes.

To access the full SAICE 2022 Infrastructure Report Card for South Africa, visit: www.saice.org.za/irc.