The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI; formerly the Department of Public Works) is one of the

ministries Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

of the

South African government The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...

. It is responsible for

public infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

as well as providing accommodation and

property management Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and mon ...

services to all the other ministries of the South African government. It is also responsible for promoting the national Expanded Public Works Programme and for encouraging the transformation of the

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

and

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...

industries in South Africa.

Governance

In 2014 a spokesperson for the

official opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

, David Maynier of the DA, described the department as "monumentally incompetent", and asked that it be kicked out of the

SANDF The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The Chief of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister of ...

. Secretary of Defence Sam Gulube said that the SANDF experienced a repair and maintenance backlog of some R8 to R13 billion, and that maintenance underspending by the department amounted to R1.6 billion over the years 2012 to 2014. In March 2022 nine state department buildings in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

were closed and their essential services interrupted when the department fell in arrears with its rent payments and allegedly owed R124 million. The department blamed the landlord, Bothongo Group, of rent that was not market related, while the group countered that the department was "a nest of corruption", which has no complaints when bribes are paid. Questions were also raised about non-contractual rent payments by the department to Armscor. In 2024, following the ministerial appointment of Dean Macpherson, an ongoing R300 million cyber crime was uncovered. The latest heist was in May 2024 where R24 million was stolen. It was revealed that over a 10-year period, cyber criminals have been looting the department; possibly with help from department officials.

Branches

*Policy *Expanded Public Works Programme *Asset Management *Finance and Procurement *Operations *Human Resource Management *Information Technology

Programmes

* National Infrastructure Maintenance Strategy * National Construction Week * Contractor Incubator Programme

References

External links

Public Works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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