South Africa: Committee on Public Works Notes Announcement on Telkom Towers Redevelopment

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has noted the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure's announcement of plans to issue a Request for Information for the redevelopment of the Telkom Towers complex through a public-private partnership model, including a rehabilitate-operate-transfer approach. The committee acknowledged the importance of turning dormant state assets into productive public infrastructure but stressed that any proposal involving public funds must be handled with full fiscal discipline. Committee Chairperson Ms Carol Phiri said the Minister must ensure that every rand spent under the proposed arrangement falls strictly within the approved budgeted allocation for Public Works and Infrastructure over the current Medium Term Expenditure Framework period. The estimated cost of the redevelopment is stated to be between R1.8 billion and R2.2 billion.

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