The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting global recession handed a severe blow to South African Small to Medium Businesses (SMEs). According to a Mckinsey SME Financial Pulse survey published in July, 70% of SMEs were already cutting back on expenditure and retrenching staff. By the end of the second quarter, StatsSA reported 2.2 million job […]
Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are the lifeblood of South Africa’s economy. They make up 98 percent of businesses and employ between 50 and 60 percent of the country’s workforce according to a post-covid report by McKinsey & Company dated July 2020. Liphu January, site agent for GVK-Siya Zama says that in the construction […]
On 27 March, the WCPDF informed members that Minister Anton Bredell – Western Cape Provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning – issued his decision to extend all timeframes regarding NEMA and EIA regulations, for actions and processes affected by the 21-day lockdown, by two months effective from 27 March to 26 May 2020. […]
SMME Contractors Step Up As Big Construction Companies Collapse By Janine Espin, Managing Director at Economic Development Solutions The ground has shifted significantly under big construction players as market dynamics change and small and medium-sized (SMME) contractors step up to contribute more to the sector. These SMMEs represent the future of the industry. As sector […]
Big opportunities for young entrepreneurs in construction Despite current challenges, there is still plenty of opportunity for dynamic young people in the construction industry. One might be forgiven for thinking that young people would be well advised to steer clear of construction when choosing a career. But with Youth Month still fresh in our minds, […]
Building sector confidence falls further in 1Q2019 Confidence in South Africa’s building sector fell in the first quarter of 2019, with the building confidence index sponsored and compiled by First National Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research (FNB/BER) losing seven points to an almost eight-year low of 25. The current level of the index […]
Building a Sustainable Construction Company Over the past two years Sbenz Construction, a member of KwaZulu-Natal Master Builders Association, has matured into a vibrant construction business which specialises in the repair of properties on behalf of insurance companies. In 2017, Sherwyn Esbend’s office in North Coast Road was an empty space. Today, it has been […]
Steven Motha: a success story of note By Tasveera Singh, Marketing and Membership Assistant, Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal Rising from humble beginnings, Steven Siyabonga Motha was born and raised in Madadeni, a township in Newcastle. After attending Phendukani High School and matriculating in 2004, Steven went on to complete his certificate in Construction Management and then […]
CIDB mulls end-to-end driving of Contractor Development Programme In December South African Builder spoke to Mr German Mphahlele, Acting Programme Manager: Provincial Offices and Contractor Development (PCD) of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) about the current role of the CIDB in the support and development of Emerging Contractors – and the Board’s vision for […]
Emerging contractors set to benefit from SANRAL-Wirtgen MoU The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and Wirtgen Group South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will give small enterprises better access to the road construction machinery they need to execute major SANRAL-owned projects. The agreement will afford small to medium construction contractors […]