Civil Engineering December 2022 | Vol 30 No 11

There remain sectors that escape grading simply because relevant data is insufficient or inaccessible for SAICE to do so credibly. UNDERSTANDING THE GRADING The IRC scorecard is based on a simple five-point scale ranging from A (world class) to E (unfit for pur- pose). Although it is a snapshot of the current condi- tion and performance of infrastructure, it reflects the impact of past policy and management decisions, both good and bad. With a few exceptions (pipelines and ICT), only infrastructure that is owned by the public sector is included. This includes state-owned companies like Eskom and concessions like toll roads. At one extreme of the grading scale (A) is infra- structure comparable to the best in the world and capable of enduring pressure from unusual events, e.g. an influx of visitors for an international event or the ability to withstand a lengthy drought. At the other end (E) lies infrastructure in a state of disrepair or failure, exposing the public to possible health and safety hazards. The middle point, a C grade, repre- sents a condition in which performance is satisfactory except during times of peak operating pressure when a slight drop in performance might occur. In some instances, a + or - symbol is used to suggest that the score is robust (+) or fragile (-) within that condition. In the pages that follow, assessments are presented for 32 subsectors of infrastructure (up from 29 in 2017). Each grade is plotted in a coloured bar that represents the full range of possible scores. If a grade has changed since it was first reported upon in 2006 (or later), a lighter zone represents these shifts in score. These changes in condition over time send a powerful message because they signal the direction in which we are heading. THE CONDITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE Sixteen years ago, the first IRC gave South Africa’s infrastructure an overall grade of D+. The next IRC (2011) noted that the heavy investments in new infra- structure for the 2010 Soccer World Cup had elevated the overall grade to C-. SAICE cautioned that this apparent improvement was not cause for compla- cency. In the following years, it became evident that the poor attitude to maintenance had continued, and this was reflected in the downturn in the subsequent grade to D+ in 2017. In 2022, the overall grade for South Africa’s public infrastructure declines further to D, the lowest grade ever recorded by SAICE, which is of great concern. From the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa made great strides in improving the quality and distribution of both economic and social infrastructure. However, these gains have not been effectively sustained. Since the first IRC in 2006, the condition of infrastructure has been in steady decline. For the current period, only three subsec- tors show improvement while 12 have deteriorated. Of the 13 subsector grades that remain unchanged, 10 were already at risk of failure or worse. When examined in the aggregate, much of our infrastructure is edging closer to failure. Of course, there are pockets of excellent and well-managed infrastructure of every type. But these are no longer the norm. The grades awarded to South Africa’s infrastructure, and the downward trend in its condition, reveal a failure to manage and maintain existing assets. It must be noted that no single sector of infrastructure operates in isolation – all of them are interconnected. Energy genera- tion requires water for cooling and ports require roads and rail connec- tivity to serve the economy. So, while sectors are graded separately, there is a tightly woven interdependency between all these facilities. When rail services are inadequate, commerce shifts to the roads, even at a cost premium. When taps run dry, entrepreneurs will supply water in tankers. And some will resist a return to the previous modes of operation, even though the replacement modes are inefficient or inappro- priate. Consequently, when public infrastructure is inadequate or unreliable, the resulting disrup- tions occur at a net cost to the fiscus and weaken the developmental role of the State. Broadly speaking, it is evident that, with the exception of energy generation, economic infra- structure remains in a satisfactory condition – even those assets that have deteriorated, such as heavy freight rail and airports, maintain grades of B or C. However, the further degradation of social infra- structure paints a dismal picture of the plight that ordinary people face to access the basic services of water, sanitation, health, education, public transport and electricity. Altogether, the situation cries out for urgent and sustained attention. ENGAGEMENT The IRC is based on the best information available to SAICE at the time of writing, and the views expressed are those of SAICE alone. The Institution welcomes engagement on the findings.  The full 2022 IRC can be accessed at saice.org.za/irc . Civil Engineering December 2022 9