Monitoring the condition of public sector fixed infrastructure in South Africa

Abstract

Infrastructure is designed and built to deliver a service, but how well the infrastructure is operated and maintained is a major determinant of how effectively it is able to deliver that service. Despite this, much of the South African infrastructure owned by the public sector is not kept in a good condition. The article describes 25 years of high-level effort – including the conducting of research, the compilation of guidelines, and the passing of legislation – to improve the condition of public sector infrastructure. Inter alia, it introduces and describes the ‘infrastructure report card’ concept and how that has been applied in South Africa. It also highlights current texts on infrastructure asset management and suggests some examples of infrastructure asset management planning.