Smart Cities Start Here: Inside Gauteng’s Infrastructure Turnaround with MEC Mamabolo

The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID)  is accelerating progress in implementing its Infrastructure Turnaround Strategy, a cornerstone of the provincial government’s commitment to realising the National Smart Cities Framework led by the National Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

Addressing the media at the Gauteng Legislature, the MEC for Infrastructure Development and CoGTA, Jacob Mamabolo, joined by MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela and MEC for Environment, Ewan Botha, provided a detailed update on provincial priorities. Central to this briefing was the significant headway made in aligning infrastructure delivery with the province’s Smart Cities agenda,  vision for modern, connected, and sustainable urban centres that offer efficient services and a better quality of life.

This national framework provides the vision for developing modern, connected and sustainable cities that enhance service delivery, strengthen governance and improve citizens’ quality of life. In Gauteng, this vision is being realised through the “Building Smart Cities through Infrastructure Development” strategy a coordinated approach uniting the DID, CoGTA and the Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency (GIFA).

This strategic alignment ensures that infrastructure delivery through the DID, governance and intergovernmental coordination through CoGTA and financing and investment mobilisation through GIFA function within a single, coherent framework. The approach strengthens Gauteng’s capacity to address the 13 key challenges (G13) confronting municipalities, including unreliable water and energy supply, poor maintenance of assets, waste-management backlogs, and weak institutional coordination.

Since adopting the Infrastructure Turnaround Strategy, DID has focused on rebuilding internal capacity, improving project governance, and enhancing delivery systems to ensure that public infrastructure is functional, safe, and sustainable. This represents a decisive shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive, data-driven planning supported by professional oversight.

At the centre of these reforms is the Project Readiness Matrix (PRM), a governance and performance-management tool developed internally to strengthen project planning, preparation, and execution. Rooted in the principles of the National Treasury’s Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS), the PRM translates this national framework into a practical instrument tailored for Gauteng.

It is supported by the department’s Infrastructure Delivery Enterprise Platform (iDEP) a digital system that automates real-time tracking, reporting, and performance management, linking data, oversight, and accountability in one transparent platform.

To reinforce governance and accountability, DID has established a Governance Lab, an institutional mechanism that ensures service providers, contractors, and professional teams adhere strictly to their contractual, financial, and performance obligations. Working in synergy with project managers, the PRM, iDEP, and the A-Team, the Governance Lab strengthens compliance, accelerates problem resolution, and embeds consequence management across the project lifecycle.

The Infrastructure Delivery A-Team, a multidisciplinary group of engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors, and safety specialists provides independent, on-site verification of project progress, workmanship, and compliance. The A-Team works alongside DID’s internal project managers, who oversee external contractors and professional service providers. Findings from field inspections are uploaded directly to iDEP, enabling real-time visibility of project performance and allowing for early corrective action.

During the latest inspection cycle, the A-Team assessed more than 25 projects across five regions, confirming tangible progress on key social infrastructure facilities:

Sedibeng Region: Laerskool Parksig – 98% completion; minor OHS and drainage adjustments. Rustervaal Secondary – 96%; final compliance sign-off in progress. Bantubonke ECDC – 98%; sewer gradient correction underway. Laerskool Noordhoek – 85%; storm-water improvements in progress.

Westrand Region: Bekkersdal Social Integration Facility – 82%; personnel constraints affecting progress. Simunye Secondary – 76%; specification changes resolved. Phororong Project – 90%; nearing completion. Wedela Project – 98%; final quality verification pending.

Tshwane Region: Refithlile Pele Primary – 80%; stabilised after contractor termination. Mmabana Primary – 50%; awaiting re-appointment. Bafeti LSEN – 45%; behind schedule. Rodney Mokoena Primary – 30%; recovery plan in place. General Nicolaas Smith Laerskool – below 50%; workmanship being rectified. Semphato Junior Secondary – inactive; access constraints being resolved.

Ekurhuleni Region: Far East Project – 50%; awaiting structural approval. Barcelona Project – 60%; contractual dispute under review. Sizuzile Project – 80%; progressing on schedule.

Johannesburg Region: Savanna Primary – 83%; awaiting excavation and cable-relocation approvals. Nancefield Primary – 100%; extension-of-time confirmation in process. Thubelihle Intermediate – 67%; awaiting transformer connection.

These inspections allow for the early detection of potential risks such as safety non-compliance, contractor delays, and design deficiencies enabling the Department to intervene promptly and sustain delivery momentum.

Together, the PRM, iDEP, Governance Lab, and A-Team form the backbone of DID’s Infrastructure Turnaround Strategy, providing the systems and institutional capacity needed to oversee service providers, enforce compliance, and ensure value for money.

These reforms directly support the G13 Turnaround Programme, which seeks to stabilise municipal infrastructure, strengthen intergovernmental collaboration, and promote sustainable service delivery. By aligning provincial interventions with national frameworks such as the National Smart Cities Strategy and the IDMS, and through the coordinated efforts of DID, CoGTA, and GIFA, Gauteng is building a responsive, data-driven, and integrated infrastructure delivery system.

While acknowledging that the transformation journey continues, the progress achieved so far demonstrates a shift from fragmented project management to coordinated, system-based delivery. The Infrastructure Turnaround Strategy, under the leadership of MEC Mamabolo is positioning DID as a credible, professional, and reform-driven department at the centre of Gauteng’s infrastructure renewal.

Through these collective efforts, Gauteng is laying the foundation for Smart Cities that work for people, drive economic growth, and improve the quality of life across the province