Justice committee blasts DPWI over court infrastructure crisis

The long simmering tension between the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) reached boiling as committee members expressed mounting frustration over stalled court infrastructure projects nationwide. Committee chairperson Xola Nqola delivered a scathing critique of DPWI's performance, stating that the department is "delivering services at a very slow pace and in some cases not delivering services at all."

By Lindsey Schutters

25 Oct 2024

Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development chairperson Xola Nqola

The sharp rebuke came during a briefing with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJCD) on the state of court infrastructure.

The crisis has been exacerbated by severe budget constraints, with the DOJCD's infrastructure allocation for 2023/2024 limited to R44m.

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This financial squeeze has forced the department to halt all planned projects and focus solely on existing construction, while service providers are already issuing delay notices due to funding shortfalls.

According to the DOJCD, their dependence on DPWI for project implementation, as mandated by the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, has created significant operational challenges.

Maintenance funding

The committee expressed particular concern over the R1m cap on reactive maintenance funding, which the DOJCD argues should be increased to R2,5m to meet actual needs.

"The committee fails to understand why land acquisition and site clearance takes so long," Nqola said, highlighting one of many frustrations with DPWI's processes.

He also criticised the DOJCD for its own shortcomings, particularly in project monitoring, calling for "aggressive consequence management" for project managers who over-rely on external consultants.

Broader engagement

The committee resolved to engage with the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure to arrange a joint meeting with both departments and their executive authorities.

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"We are proposing a planned intercommittee engagement where we can clearly state these are the particular areas where we think Public Works contributes immensely to derailing infrastructure development in the department," Nqola concluded.

The committee's stance signals a potentially confrontational approach to addressing the infrastructure challenges plaguing South Africa's court system, with DPWI's performance now under intense scrutiny.