Project preparation – once a stumbling block in the way of critical infrastructure development – has been significantly improved in South Africa, paving the way for the faster implementation of Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs).
This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was addressing the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA), hosted by Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) in Cape Town.
The event brought together over 1 200 local and pan-African government officials, infrastructure industry experts, project sponsors, investors, financiers and technical professionals, to review progress on national Strategic Integrated Projects.
“One of the most important lessons we have learned is that South Africa doesn’t suffer from a shortage of infrastructure proposals, but our constraint was that too many of them were not adequately prepared,” Ramaphosa says.
“We recognised that our infrastructure system was too fragmented, causing delays and escalating costs, and there were too many projects that did not progress. That gave rise to the reform processes through which we have strengthened coordination through the Infrastructure Development Act and the work of ISA to help prepare and advance the SIP pipeline. ISA identifies blockages and brings the relevant institutions together to solve them.
“We expect ISA to ensure that the pipeline progresses, that projects are properly planned, that funding is secured and that procurement takes place when it is supposed to,” he adds.
“The economic imperative for this is clear – South Africa’s level of investment is far below what is required to achieve faster and more sustained economic growth. The gross fixed capital formation of the country, which measured investment in productive assets such as infrastructure, stood at around 12% in 2025 – less than half the 30% investment level envisaged in the National Development Plan for 2030. These figures should alarm us and motivate us to work with greater urgency to build the infrastructure our country needs.
“As we meet at SIDSSA, we can say with confidence we are moving ahead at a greater pace. The estimated capital value of our SIP portfolio has grown to approximately R340 billion in 2020 to over R1.7 Trillion – that is phenomenal growth.”
Ramaphosa goes on to say: “The project pipeline is becoming more mature, and our attention must now be focused on converting plans into prepared projects, investment, construction and ultimately infrastructure that supports economic activity and improves the lives of our people.”
He says ISA played a vital role in coordinating and facilitating SIPs.
Dean Macpherson, minister of public works and infrastructure, says: “To move projects forward, we also launched South Africa’s project bid window initiative, with our first-of-its-kind R600 million commitment to project delivery support in 2024. Through this, ISA is helping public institutions develop high-value projects into bankable and investment-ready opportunities.
“ISA now provides preparation support to 26 projects with a value of R150 billion. A further R60 billion in projects is in Bid Window II, while Bid Window III opened in July this year. The strength of the programme lies in its bespoke approach to prepare projects properly, take them to market and support them to financial close,” the minister adds.
Over the past 18 months, ISA has also committed R131 million to supporting local government infrastructure. In Matjhabeng Local Municipality, an investment of approximately R1,8-million to prepare a non-revenue-water programme across a network of around 1 700 kilometres helped unlock an R800-million debt-financing facility from the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
Through the Presidential Adopt-a-Municipality pilot, ISA is helping Metsimaholo, Govan Mbeki, uMngeni and Ramotshere Moiloa municipalities prepare projects seeking to unlock approximately R7 billion in water, sanitation, energy and waste-management investment.
Macpherson says: “These figures demonstrate the multiplier effect of proper project preparation – it unlocks billions in infrastructure investment.”
SA Construction Book launched
Another initiative to drive SIPs progress, the third Construction Book, was officially launched at SIDSSA 2026.
This publication showcases over 170 projects worth more than R350-billion, spanning sectors such as water and sanitation, transport and logistics, energy and municipal infrastructure. The book provides a detailed list of infrastructure projects with allocated budgets expected to enter procurement over the next 12 – 18 months, with the third and latest edition expanding sector coverage and including PPP projects for the first time.
Municipal infrastructure remains a major feature, with projects spanning water, sanitation, precincts, roads and safety monitoring upgrades.