200 new engineers, technicians and artisans to alleviate Gauteng backlog

Allafrica.com reports that it emerged on Sunday that the Gauteng provincial government is employing more than 200 new people with the necessary technical skills to deal with infrastructure backlogs in the province. Infrastructure Development MEC Qedani Mahlangu said the new recruits include engineers, technicians and artisans, who were hired following intense advertising in newspapers and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"Some of these people will be deployed to our hospitals in the province," Mahlangu said, adding that others "will be on the road, some will be at the construction of the new schools - whether in regional, district or provincial projects." She told reporters in Johannesburg that with that capacity, "all our projects - without any shadow of doubt - will be delivered."

Earlier this year, Gauteng set aside R30.6 billion of its total budget of R69.311 billion for infrastructure development, including the building of new health facilities. According to Allafrica.com, Mahlangu emphasised that accessible and reliable infrastructure is critical if Gauteng wants to continue attracting investment -- both locally and internationally.

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