A 20-year research project: discovering the condition of South Africa’s public sector infrastructure

This 20-year research project has aimed to improve infrastructure asset management in South Africa, the underlying problem being that much public sector fixed infrastructure is in poor condition, no longer capable of delivering reliable services. The objective of each of the four ‘report cards’ along the way has, in the first instance, been to discover the condition of infrastructure and, in the second, to publicise the findings to raise awareness of the need to improve infrastructure asset management. Mostly using volunteer specialists from its membership, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering has systematically gathered information on infrastructure condition, seeking also to understand the reasons for that condition and the consequences – for example, in terms of service delivery – of that condition. The bulk of the information has come from grey literature, substantially supplemented by the experience of those responsible for the infrastructure. The research has shown a decline in the average condition of infrastructure. Responsible factors include shortfalls in skills, budget, and the collection and analysis of condition data. Implications are clear: delivery of services such as water, sanitation, electricity, and solid waste, among others, is in many parts of the country sub-par, threatening quality of life and the economy.