South Africa has some of the most progressive spatial planning legislation in the developing world. The Spatial Planning & Land Use Management Act (Spluma), the Municipal Systems Act and the National Development Plan 2030 together create a methodology that should transform the apartheid spatial legacy into integrated, sustainable human settlements. Yet a decade after Spluma’s enactment, the country’s towns and cities remain fragmented, its townships peripheral, and its infrastructure crumbling. The paradox is stark: world-class laws are producing world-weary results.

Infrastructure is the silent yet visible engine of every thriving economy; its decay or its absence is the loudest signal of a dying town or city. Roads, railways, power lines, water pipes and digital networks don’t just connect places; they connect people to opportunity, businesses to markets and nations to prosperity.

South Africa’s 257 municipalities are, in essence, publicly owned businesses. They hold a monopoly on essential services within their boundaries through electricity reticulation, water distribution, sewerage management and waste collection. They own the infrastructure, control the customer base, and levy tariffs for services rendered. They can also charge property rates on every rateable land parcel within their jurisdiction.

Ntiyiso has noted the reports concerning arrests linked to Emfuleni Local Municipality.  Ntiyiso takes allegations of fraud, corruption and misconduct extremely seriously and maintains a zero-tolerance approach to unlawful conduct. 

The continent has the labour, the resources, the growing consumer markets, and increasingly, the policy intent to industrialise. And yet the gap persists.

The continent has the labour, the resources, the growing consumer markets, and increasingly, the policy intent to industrialise. And yet the gap persists.