View all News

Minister Simmers hosts fruitful interministerial visit with Kwa-Zulu Natal MEC of Public Works & Infrastructure, Martin Meyer

10 September 2024

Department of Infrastructure

News

Over the past two days, I had the pleasure of hosting the Kwa-Zulu Natal MEC for Public Works & Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, and representatives of his department, showcasing the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure’s projects, and sharing ideas, expertise and best-practice models to ensure that we deliver excellent services to all residents of our respective provinces.

At the Conradie Park mixed-use development project in Pinelands, which is earmarked to create a minimum of 3 500 residential units, we showed that our work is not only about delivering housing opportunities. This mixed-used housing development is a blueprint for how we unlock the economic potential of state-owned property in the future. The Conradie Park project provides first-rate housing opportunities located close to employment and economic opportunities in the City of Cape Town. The development has also created over 2 000 job opportunities and more than 90 economic opportunities for SMMEs. The project is also being leveraged to upskill our workforce with more than 180 learnership and graduate intakes.

The N7 Refinery Interchange and the Malmesbury Bypass are road infrastructure projects that underscores our commitment to enhancing infrastructure to accommodate our growing population and support economic connectivity. The N7 Refinery project significantly relieves traffic congestion in the area and links large industrial enterprises with main arterials and highways, ensuring a safe and efficient flow of products and services that contributes to a growing economy. The project itself has created nearly 40 000 job opportunities.

The Malmesbury Bypass is also a critical project that not only ensures road user safety and reduces travel time, but it also bolsters economic activity by improving accessibility in the Swartland region. This R640 million project is well on track and will ensure that our communities and local enterprises have easier access to opportunities that will contribute to growing the local economy and create more job opportunities.

We are not just building roads; we are also unlocking economic opportunities.

Minsters Simmers said, “We are very proud to showcase that our infrastructure projects are more than just concrete and steel. Our projects emphasise our commitment to enhancing infrastructure that accommodates a growing population and enables a thriving economy that creates jobs.”

The occasion also provided us the opportunity to discuss the challenges we face as departments, and common challenges we have identified is extortion in its various forms, illegal invasion, and climate change.

MEC Meyer commented, “I am hopeful that the successful fact-finding visit will go a long way towards making the KZN Public Works and Infrastructure’s over-R20 billion portfolio work more efficient. Both Minister Simmers and I are confident that the initiatives shared over the two-day period will lead to a successful working relation between our two sister provinces going forward which will further propel KZN into one big functioning construction site.”

Audio

Minister Simmers

English