Gauteng Government Moves to Fast-Track Infrastructure Delivery
By: Luyanda Mamatu 
Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo, today led a high-level workshop with municipalities at the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Johannesburg to address persistent delays in town planning and municipal approvals — one of the biggest barriers slowing down the delivery of critical infrastructure.
Held under the theme "Streamlining Town Planning and Municipal Approvals for Efficient and Effective Infrastructure Delivery," the workshop brought together Members of Mayoral Committees and key municipal town planning officials. The engagement forms part of the Department of Infrastructure Development's Turnaround Strategy, launched earlier this month, which identified lengthy approval processes as a key factor driving up costs and delaying service delivery.
Mamabolo stressed that municipal decision-making has a direct and immediate impact on communities.
"Every approval you sign, every delay you allow, directly determines whether a child has a school, a patient has a hospital bed, or a community has a library. Decisions delayed are futures denied," he said.
He emphasized that government could no longer afford a "business-as-usual" approach and called on municipalities to adopt technology that tracks approvals, enhances transparency, and holds officials accountable.
"No application should sit in the system for years. Everyone must know who is responsible, what is holding up progress, and how we fix it," Mamabolo added.
Beyond directives from leadership, the workshop included robust discussions where departments and stakeholders unpacked misconceptions about the causes of project delays and presented practical solutions. Key outcomes included a commitment to establish a provincial monitoring system for approvals, strengthen intergovernmental collaboration, and foster an "infrastructure family" that works collectively to deliver projects on time and within budget. The workshop was convened in partnership with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).
Mamabolo's direct involvement, coupled with the workshop's strong resolutions, signaled a decisive shift towards greater accountability and urgency in infrastructure delivery. He reiterated that the government's focus must remain on turning plans into tangible services for communities, warning that the speed and quality of municipal decisions would ultimately "make or break Gauteng's economy."
With commitments in place and solutions mapped out, the Gauteng government has injected fresh momentum into infrastructure delivery. Communities can now look forward to projects that are completed on time, within budget, and that restore trust in government's promise to serve its people.