ALEC HOGG: Given the success of Gautrain, are you expecting that public private partnerships will be a bigger part of the strategy going forward?
MANDLA NKOMFE: It will, in the short-term, in the mid-term and as well as in the long-term because that’s how to go because at the end of the day, we’ve got to retain the core resources of the state, of government, to go where there is the utmost need and then ensure that we crowd in a lot of other groupings, like the private sector, to partner with us in the development of our country and the province as such.
ALEC HOGG: And the areas in particular where it would work well?
MANDLA NKOMFE: I think, firstly, the ICT space, which is your broadband capacity in the province, the connectedness of the province as such. That’s one direction and that speaks to also the issues of the green economy and that speaks also to the issue of infrastructure that is the new roads that still need to be built and infrastructure as a whole and then housing where it’s possible. But in the main, the energy issues, the ICT issues that’s where the issues of private partnerships will come in.
ALEC HOGG: I’m sure there’s some business people or entrepreneurs listening to this and thinking how can I participate? How can I partner with government? Where do they start?
MANDLA NKOMFE: Where do they start is that we have a department, which is the Department of Economic Development in Gauteng, which is spearheading the process of attracting private sector and investment in general. So, they will be going on a road show to actually expose what Gauteng is doing, what are the key projects that are there. So, the Department of Economic Development is their starting point. In some situations, the municipality themselves, the City of Johannesburg, as well as the City of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni would have key projects that are there. There is a group or an agency within the Department of Economic Development, which is GTA, which is dealing with issues of development and attracting and marketing Gauteng as a whole. That’s where also people can actually come onboard.
Bodes well for the PPP environment. There hasn't been much activity in the last few years. I am aware of a few that are coming up in the next year.
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