NEDLAC INFRASTRUCTURE DATABASE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE ASSESSMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY

The results of a major infrastructure delivery survey soon to be launched will provide a comprehensive assessmentof the extent of and people's experience of infrastructure delivery.

The survey, funded by the Departmentof Constitutional Development and managed by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), was presented to a counterpart group consisting of the four Nedlac constituencies, yesterday.

The project emanated from the Masakhane campaign and got off the ground in November 1998, when Nedlac's Development Chamber appointed a consortium of two large research organisations, CASE and FAFO, to undertake the study.

During the survey, a wide range of government officials at the "coal-face" of implementation were interviewed, and 2600 households in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Northern Province were surveyed."By giving feedback to policy-makers about the extent to which households have perceived improvements in infrastructure delivery, the survey results will provide a platform of baseline data vital to facilitating the speedy implementation of infrastructure delivery, "said Karl Gostner, Nedlac research co-ordinator.

The Nedlac counterpart group has received regular reports from the researchers. At yesterday's meeting, it was agreed thatt he researchers would address final comments from the four constituencies before presenting the report to the Development Chamber. The report will then be channeled though the Nedlac structures before being presented to the Minister of Constitutional Development.