Presenting his policy speech, Martin told the Bhisho legislature that the department would develop appropriate systems to ensure greater compliance, participation and reporting.
Martin said the department considered its role as being “key” in the government‘s efforts “to alter property relations” and had resolved to increase its strategic focus on the property portfolio.
He said a property management turnaround strategy had been developed that would consolidate all previous and current initiatives into a “comprehensive provincial property management strategy”.
This, he added, was being done to enable government to use this strategic resource to “leverage and maximise economic spin-offs ... for the benefit of the broader society, especially the poor.
Martin announced that a provincial property summit would be held in May, affording everyone involved an opportunity to make a contribution to resolving challenges facing the government and the property industry.
He said as a response to the shortage of office space for government departments, a number of initiatives had been started, including the development of a Bhisho office park project that was part of a bigger programme to revitalise Bhisho within the context of the King William‘s Town-Bhisho development corridor.
Martin said a public-private partnership had since been registered and a transactional adviser and project manager for the PPP projects appointed. The PPP would be responsible for the development of the Bhisho office park, the Mount Ayliff office complex and other similar projects.
The MEC said his department had started implementing the Government-Wide Immovable Asset Management Act by providing assistance and support to client departments in developing user asset management plans.
The upcoming year will see the continuation of this work and the development of a custodian asset management plan.
Martin said the department would still implement the infrastructure delivery improvement programme although this was happening on a small scale.