‘Success of Minister Macpherson’s construction sector recovery plan hinges on implementation’ - Master Builders SA

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has unveiled South Africa’s new Construction Action Plan, a framework aimed at restoring accountability in public projects and ending what he described as the era of doing business with government without delivering.

The plan includes procurement war rooms staffed by engineers, supply chain experts and legal advisers to monitor large tenders and ensure projects stay on track.

Among the key innovations is the digital tracking of construction projects, a system that would allow public visibility of progress and spending, enhancing transparency.

"We all know that we have seen many failures by the government due to a lack of implementation," says Roy Mnisi, executive director of Master Builders South Africa. "We hope that this time around, we are going to see this plan effectively implemented."

Mnisi stressed the importance of blacklisting fraudulent or incompetent contractors and ensuring that contractors are paid on time, saying these measures could help revive the sector’s performance to pre-pandemic levels.

Macpherson also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling the so-called construction mafia (criminal groups that use intimidation to extort shares of projects), highlighting progress made under the Durban Declaration, which has seen over 850 arrests and 240 convictions in the past year.

"These construction disruptions by what I'll call criminals have been our worst challenge as a sector. The problem with it is that it is very much deep-rooted and requires concerted effort. The police services and private security will need communities to join forces to fight this scourge of economic destruction. We are beginning to see those efforts made last year. But given the depth of this problem, it will take some time to actually arrest this," added Mnisi.

To listen to Mnisi in conversation with 702 and CapeTalk's Africa Melane, click the audio below: