Cape Town is buzzing with builders, financiers and problem-solvers this week as the 5th Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) gets underway, and this year’s edition is the biggest and most African yet.
Hosted by Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) and convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the symposium brings together investors, financial institutions, policymakers and technical experts under the theme Shaping the future of municipal infrastructure, with a sharp focus on building future-ready, resilient and sustainable municipal services, SAnews reports.
A Record Continental Gathering
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson revealed that more than 1 200 delegates will attend over the coming days, including seven African ministers from countries such as Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and nine African mayors from cities including Nairobi, Maputo and Douala, the most in the conference’s six-year history.
For the first time ever, 13 mayors from South Africa’s metropolitan and regional centres are also taking part in the City to City Connect conversations, alongside the Premier of Gauteng and seven provincial executive council members.
Over 1 200 delegates will enter our doors over the upcoming days as we work to turn South Africa into a construction site, Macpherson said.
New Partnership Signed to Get Projects Moving
The symposium opened with action, not just talk. ISA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Building Institute, the Infrastructure Technical Assistance Facility and engineering firm Zutari to enhance collaboration and support infrastructure projects across the country.
Head of Infrastructure South Africa Mameetse Masemola explained that ISA’s mandate is to identify and prioritise strategic infrastructure and to package projects so they move from concept to bankability, attracting both public funding and private sector financing.
Learning From a Water Success Story
Delegates also visited the award-winning Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Project, a municipal water treatment plant born out of Cape Town’s water crisis that recharges the aquifer through four linear filtration buildings, a shining example of the innovative municipal infrastructure the symposium wants to replicate countrywide.
Since its inception in 2020, SIDSSA has strengthened the national infrastructure pipeline and mobilised funding across energy, water and sanitation, transport, digital infrastructure, agriculture and human settlements. With the continent’s builders now gathered in one room, the 2026 edition aims to convert commitments into completed projects, and communities into winners.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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