Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
24 March 2025 | 14:15 CAT
3 min read

The focus for South Africans this Human Rights weekend has been on the threats faced by human rights activists and the country’s progress over thirty years of democracy. Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson spoke on the ongoing battle against corruption and the rampant extortion within the construction sector, highlighting how these issues directly impact human rights and economic growth.

Minister Macpherson described corruption as a “cancer” that continues to plague the country despite numerous attempts to address it. “The only way that you can deal with cancer is through chemotherapy. And while it may make you very, very sick initially, and it may even get close to taking your life, it is, in fact, necessary to go through that sort of treatment in order to maintain a long and healthy life,” he said.

He criticised the lack of urgency from previous administrations in addressing corruption. “Government has just for a very long time not been prepared to take that dose of chemotherapy in order to right itself and to get better. So that is why it is absolutely critical that this Seventh Administration does absolutely everything necessary in order to curb the unacceptable levels of corruption and, in fact, eliminate it,” he said.

The minister emphasised that corruption has real-world consequences for South Africans, as every rand stolen denies people access to essential services. “We certainly in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure have adopted an absolute zero-tolerance approach. We should not be even entertaining anyone that does wrongdoing, and they will be summarily dismissed if they are caught doing so,” he stated.

To address this, the department has implemented 400 lifestyle audits to root out those who have benefited from corrupt dealings. “People that do not meet those lifestyle audits will be shown the door because we just cannot have people working in government and working for the people of South Africa that are unable to prove how they live and how they have obtained the wealth that they may have at this present time,” Macpherson said.

He also addressed the issue of the construction mafia, which has long hindered public works projects across the country. “It is actually our communities that feel these disruptions the most because it is services that they require through infrastructure that they are not able to obtain,” he explained.

The department has been working closely with law enforcement agencies and industry stakeholders to tackle the issue. “We said, look, we cannot have a differentiated approach to dealing with these people. They are not benevolent community organisations that are trying to access opportunities. They are criminals, syndicates, thugs, gangsters, and murderers. And so we must treat them as that,” he said.

Macpherson stressed that he refuses to negotiate with these criminal groups. “Many people have tried to pressure me to do so and said, no, minister, you must negotiate with them. No! We will not do that. We will meet them head-on, and we will tackle them there and then,” he added.

He noted that the strategy is beginning to show results, with disruptions in the sector declining. “Our strategy of working with the police, of being more intelligence-driven and not reactive to these problems, as well as having a strong partnership with construction businesses, is working,” he said.

Looking ahead, Macpherson outlined his department’s key objectives for the coming months. “Now we are really positioning ourselves into one of delivery and to make sure that the stuff that we have spoken about is starting to be seen by the country. So we have established a special project unit, a delivery unit, if you will, in the ministry that will now start fast-tracking projects to make sure that they take place,” he stated.

The department also plans to move ahead with property disposals to attract investment and create jobs. “We have got some really, really exciting stuff that is coming up. And I think one that South Africa will be able to point to and say we can see the progress, we can see the restoration of our rights,” Macpherson said.

Minister Macpherson emphasised the importance of restoring dignity through economic growth. “If you do not have a job, if you do not have a growing economy, in fact, your dignity is not being upheld. And that is one of the fundamental duties of any government,” he said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Minister Dean Macpherson, (Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure of South Africa), here.