Johannesburg - The Gauteng government is set to spend more than R126 billion to improve the province’s infrastructure.
This is the total amount of money Premier David Makhura hopes to spend to give residents access to better transport, clean water and electricity and to expand the Gautrain’s reach.
More than R300 million of the total amount would also be used to increase ICT (information and communications technology) connectivity in Gauteng schools.
Makhura made these pledges in his second State Of the Province Address in the legislature on Monday.
Detailing his plans, Makhura said: “Our infrastructure investment programme focuses on the following key areas: public transport; broadening the energy mix; ICT and broadband; and water and sanitation.”
The premier said his government would invest more than R32bn in infrastructure, while municipalities would spend R94bn over the next five years.
“This investment will have a massive multiplier effect on the economy of the Gauteng city region. As part of strengthening our investment in public transport, we are conducting a feasibility study with a view to expanding the existing Gautrain rapid rail system,” Makhura said.
His government wanted the Gautrain to reach the new mega settlements to be constructed in various areas, including Lanseria and Wonderboom airports.
Makhura was upbeat that three metros – the City of Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni – had made major cash investments in their bus rapid transit rollouts.
Joburg has made a cash injection of R2bn, while Ekurhuleni plans to spend R500m in the next five years.
Makhura also announced that plans were at an advanced stage to establish a factory in the West Rand to build coaches to supply various mass transit bus fleets in the province.
He also said the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa planned to roll out passenger coaches that would bring temporary relief to traffic congestion and do away with the old trains that had been in operation for decades.
“The people of Gauteng, I wish to reiterate that transformation, modernisation and re-industrialisation will not be possible without paying serious attention to the critical issue of energy security,” Makhura said.
He mentioned six interventions that he said showed his government planned to broaden access to the energy mix.
The premier said the Gauteng government was:
* Working with municipalities to finalise plans to create an additional 1 200MW of electricity by increasing the generation capacity of the current coal-fired power stations in Tshwane – Rooiwal and Pretoria West Power – as well as Joburg’s Kelvin station.
* Installing rooftop solar panelson its government buildings. “Our estimate is that we have available 8 million square metres of rooftop space suitable for this and will be able to generate 300-500MW of electricity.”
* Implementing a programme to retrofit coal-fired boilers with natural gas.
* Implementing the tri-generation programme in six hospitals. Tri-generation is a technology that is able to produce electricity for heating and cooling using gas.
* Initiating the waste-to-energy programme aimed at converting waste into bio-gas.
“We will continue our energy-efficiency programme through which we aim to replace existing lights in all our facilities and government buildings with LED lights. We have thus far replaced 45 000 lights in our health facilities,” he pointed out.
Makhura vowed to invest in local solar technologies with the intention to establish a manufacturing plant in Gauteng – an initiative that would be undertaken with the University of Johannesburg.
“This project, which is worth R7bn, will supply 500MW of solar energy and create more than 15 000 direct and indirect jobs,” he said.
His government and the municipalities planned to reduce water losses by 15 percent in line with the national government’s Water for Growth Strategy, including improving the province’s water and sanitation infrastructure.
The province had to find a strategic solution to the problem of acid mine drainage, he added.
The Star