Remarks by Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa 2026 (SIDSSA), Ministerial panel discussion: Reimagining municipal trading services – building financially sustainable cities through infrastructure investment, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town 25 August 2026 Programme Director, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Distinguished government leaders from South Africa and across the world, Representatives of Infrastructure South Africa, Mayors and municipal leaders, International development partners, Investors and development finance institutions, Industry leaders, Infrastructure experts, Organised business and labour, Professional bodies, Civil society, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen. Good day. It is a privilege to participate in this important discussion at SIDSSA 2026, particularly in the presence of government leaders, investors, infrastructure specialists and industry partners from South Africa and beyond. The diversity of this audience is important because the challenge before us cannot be addressed by government alone. The infrastructure challenges and opportunities facing our cities and municipalities require government, businesses, investors, development finance institutions, technical experts, and communities to work together around a common objective: building infrastructure that enables sustainable economic growth and improves the lives of our people. Our discussion on reimagining municipal trading services and building financially sustainable cities through infrastructure investment speaks directly to that challenge. It calls on us to look beyond the traditional understanding of municipal water, electricity, sanitation, waste management and related services as simply functions that municipalities must perform. We must understand these services as economic foundations upon which our cities and towns are built. When municipal services are consistently reliable, businesses can operate with greater certainty, industries can expand, investors can make long-term decisions and communities can participate more meaningfully in the economy. When municipal services are unreliable, the consequences extend far beyond the municipal balance sheet. They affect investment decisions, business confidence, productivity, employment, property values and the