President Jacob Zuma has signed a proclamation bringing into operation the Infrastructure Development Act.
The Act, which was signed into law by the President on 30 May 2014, will come into operation with effect from today.
The Act aims to speed up and improve the delivery and implementation of social and economic infrastructure and to maximise the developmental impact.
It also establishes the coordination structures of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) to ensure that all three spheres of government are part of the PICC and that all the main executive authorities across the public sector are mandated to meet regularly to drive the implementation of infrastructure.
The Act provides for Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) that bring together several catalytic projects that together make up the National Infrastructure Plan. These allow for better integration of connected projects and improved monitoring of implementation.
The Act will also set time frames for the approval of regulatory decisions affecting the implementation of infrastructure projects.
Instead of sequential approval processes, it provides for processes to run concurrently wherever possible. This ensures that the state works to a common deadline and that this time frame provides for public consultation processes.
This article first appeared on SANews.gov.za
