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A time for unity and sustainability

Across the world and in South Africa, we’ve all had to endure an especially challenging period since the start of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 further exacerbated the situation, driving global fuel and food prices into super-heated inflationary territory.

The last thing anyone needs is conflict. In fact, now more than at any other time in history, we need global unification and stability as we renew our fight against climate change. Keenly debated on the global stage at COP27 in Egypt, it’s clear that this threat cannot be ignored.

For this reason, citizens, industry and governments must stand together in a concerted effort to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a widespread doctrine in practice. This is especially crucial given the world’s mushrooming population.

More people every year

In 1960, the global population was around three billion. Fast-forward to 2022 and the figure has now exceeded eight billion. It will rise to an estimated 9.8 billion by 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to a UN report.

Within our regional context, the World Economic Forum predicts that Africa’s urban population could triple by 2050 to around 1.34 billion. By then, Africa could be home to some 2.5 billion, with South Africa’s population hovering at 75 million.

From an African and international perspective, this has major implications in terms of competition for available resources. At the same time, there will need to be an increasingly intensive focus on infrastructure development to keep pace, while working to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It won’t be easy.

An accountability ecosystem

In the South African context, initiatives like the National Infrastructure Plan 2050 are critical in rapidly narrowing poverty, inequality and unemployment gaps. And that responsibility, working in collaboration with the private sector, rests firmly with our three spheres of government (national, provincial and local).

Our future depends on a professionally qualified and dedicated civil service, and it’s great to see proactive steps being taken by leaders to ensure an efficient service delivery pipeline. A prime example is the stance adopted by Ms Tsakani Maluleke, South Africa’s auditor-general (AG).

In November 2022, the AG’s office released the 2021-22 audited outcomes for “national and provincial departments and their entities”. As for previous reports, there were concerns raised about wasteful expenditure and material irregularities, but these are being rigorously investigated.

On the upside, there have been positive gains, with 128 out of 424 auditees receiving a clean audit, compared to 117 out of 422 auditees for the 2020-21 period.

Of course, more needs to be done, especially regarding key strategic service delivery portfolios (like transport, and water and sanitation), as well as SOEs. Collectively, these entities account for more than 30% of the expenditure budget (estimated at R2.58 trillion for 2021-22), “but consistently have the worst audit outcomes.”

To gain positive traction, the AG says there’s a collective need for an accountability ecosystem and a culture shift. “A culture of performance, accountability, transparency and integrity should be a shared vision,” says Maluleke.

In my view, that’s a highly encouraging approach, and lays the groundwork for more coordinated infrastructure implementation going into 2023 and beyond.

In the meantime, though, I’d like to wish our readers an excellent festive season and a happy new year.

Alastair

www.infrastructurenews.co.za

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