President Jacob Zuma says economic growth depends on fast tracking government's R1 trillion infrastructure plan.
As a result, Zuma announced Thursday that his Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Council had now adopted a new focus of urgency.
It was established in 2011 to fast track infrastructure plans.
Three months ago President Jacob Zuma insisted that South Africa’s economy was doing very well but by August he admitted that the economy was in trouble.
The President conceded that the economy was facing renewed headwinds, caused mainly by a decline in the prices of mineral products that South Africa exports.
Zuma said that the only way to make the economy more resilient was to improve and expand all infrastructure from roads, hospitals and electricity plants to water infrastructure.
He stressed that projects have to be delivered on time and in budget.
Meanwhile, President Jacob Zuma said a proposed law that would see criminals targetting critical public infrastructure face heavier punishment, was critical for government to prevent disruptions to power and water supply as well as public transport.
Zuma said the amendments to the Criminal Procedures Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act had already been approved by cabinet and submitted to Parliament for processing.
He said this would help to act against the theft of copper cables and metal from the country’s infrastructure programme which seriously affected the supply of electricity which results in disruptions to train schedules and the supply of water among others.
Zuma said this meant that disrupting infrastructure would no longer be regarded as a minor crime, like simply theft or vandalism, but was a serious economic offence.
