Dean Macpherson says accountability key to rebuilding trust

Speaking in Cape Town ahead of presenting his Budget Vote, Macpherson stressed that restoring public confidence requires more than promises of development.

South Africa's Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, says his department is stepping up efforts to uncover wrongdoing while pushing ahead with reforms aimed at improving service delivery and protecting public resources. Speaking in Cape Town ahead of presenting his Budget Vote, Macpherson stressed that restoring public confidence requires more than promises of development. According to him, the department must confront longstanding problems that have weakened its ability to serve citizens effectively.

He said government cannot expect South Africans to trust the management of billions of rands in public assets, infrastructure projects and leases unless officials are willing to investigate failures, address irregularities and hold those responsible accountable. The minister noted that many of the challenges facing the department continue to affect the delivery of services and the efficient use of public funds.

Property management unit under growing scrutiny

A major focus of the department's reform agenda is the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE), which manages one of the country's largest portfolios of state-owned properties.

Macpherson said the entity should be helping government reduce unnecessary spending on rented buildings, improve the use of public assets and provide suitable accommodation for government departments. Instead, it has become linked to weak administration, questionable leasing arrangements, poorly managed contracts and growing financial strain.

The minister revealed that PMTE's overdraft has risen to nearly R4 billion over the past 20 months. He also pointed out that the entity has failed to secure a clean audit since its establishment in 2014.

Despite government owning thousands of buildings and vast tracts of land, South Africa continues to spend around R6 billion each year on private leases. Macpherson said some of these agreements have raised concerns over pricing, value for money and legal compliance.

Investigations have uncovered cases where lease costs appeared significantly above market rates. Officials have also found situations where leases were allowed to expire without proper planning, creating pressure to approve new agreements under urgent conditions.

Drive to improve systems and protect public money

Macpherson argued that issues such as irregular procurement, ghost employees, failed infrastructure projects and weak oversight carry serious consequences for citizens.

He said every failed project delays essential services for communities, while ghost employees take away resources that could create genuine employment opportunities. Concerns have also been raised about gatekeeping within public employment programmes, which he believes undermines opportunities for vulnerable South Africans.

The minister added that some investigations have identified what internal investigators described as "self-created emergencies", where delays and poor planning were later used to justify bypassing standard oversight processes.

While the department continues to investigate these matters, Macpherson said the broader goal remains clear: to transform Public Works and Infrastructure into a department capable of driving economic growth, unlocking infrastructure investment and ensuring that public assets deliver meaningful benefits for all South Africans.