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UNITED DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT

MEDIA RELEASE

 

GOVERNMENT NEGLECTS INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

STATEMENT ISSUED BY DR GERHARD KOORNHOF, MP
UDM SPOKESPERSON ON FINANCE

The UDM believes that government has neglected for the past seven years the vital task of developing infrastructure. The statement by Minister Manuel yesterday in the National Council of Provinces, that increased spending on infrastructure is hampered by capacity and institutional problems in government, vindicates our position.

Unfortunately, the Minister has chosen to shift the blame to provincial and local government, which certainly do experience problems. However, that does not remove the responsibility of national government to ensure that infrastructure is developed and maintained as a matter of urgency. The Minister also reportedly neglected to highlight the failure of the present government for the past seven years to prioritise infrastructure development and maintenance.

Infrastructure is central to economic growth, and therefore job creation. In addition, social needs and service delivery cannot occur if there is no proper infrastructure. This has been one of the primary weaknesses of government, and is part of the reason why many government programmes have failed. The truth is that the South African landscape is littered with examples of little or no infrastructure that relegate the majority of our citizens to informal settlements and rural areas where not even their most basic economic and social needs are provided for. Without proper infrastructure the obstacles for citizens to help themselves become virtually unbreakable bars in a cage of poverty, degradation and unemployment.

Enquiries:
Dr Gerhard Koornhof, MP
UDM Spokesperson for Finance


Cape Town
25 October 2001

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