Bi-Annual Infrastructure Trends Report: December 2025

Description

South Africa’s latest Bi-Annual Infrastructure Trends Report highlights a mixed but cautiously improving picture for the infrastructure and construction landscape. While overall infrastructure investment continued to decline in the first three quarters of 2025—still well below the National Development Plan target—there are early signs of recovery. The report notes an uptick in gross fixed capital formation, modest growth in construction sector output, and a significant increase in employment, with 131,000 jobs added in the third quarter alone

Key insights include persistently high construction costs, the dominance of the private sector in fixed investment, and continued pressure on the investment pipeline due to weak building plan approvals. The report also sheds light on the broader public infrastructure agenda, detailing reforms that aim to unlock private sector participation and strengthen the delivery of high-quality infrastructure including the amended PPP Regulations, the introduction of Unsolicited Bid Proposal Guidelines, and the launch of a new Sovereign Infrastructure Bond.

Together, these developments signal important momentum—making this edition essential reading for practitioners, policymakers, and anyone tracking infrastructure reform and performance.