Rudi Dicks in conversation with Ann Bernstein
- CDE’s executive director spoke with Rudi Dicks, the head of the Project Management Office in the Private Office of the President, about Operation Vulindlela, reform and how to accelerate inclusive growth.
- Rudi Dicks highlighted the reforms to enable private sector investment in the electricity sector as a major achievement. In the first half of 2025, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa registered approximately 4 100 MW of large generation facilities, a 208 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
- He expressed concern about numerous aspects of Operation Vulindlela’s phase one reforms, which have not been completed or have stalled and indicated that taking on the additional priorities contained in phase two of the reform programme would be challenging. In his view, historically, government has not been good at prioritising, and CDE’s statements highlighting the importance of priorities and trade-offs had influenced Operation Vulindlela’s approach.
- He argued that South Africans have underestimated the extent to which state capture hollowed out the state by hounding honest, capable and hardworking senior public servants out of the system and replacing them with individuals who mostly sat around doing nothing.
- As a way to improve the performance of the state, he wondered whether senior public servants ought to enjoy the same labour law protections as lower-level officials. He felt that there must be a better way than the current system to deal with senior managers who lack capacity.
- He supported a move towards better integrated cities with greater levels of densification through a demand-side model, like a rental subsidy. He commended the work CDE has done in this regard, showing the importance of building houses closer to places of work. In addition, the system needs to be integrated: while housing and a demand-side subsidy are one component, public transport (including rail) is equally important.
