According to BDlive, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said that the government’s massive infrastructure development plan will change the fortunes of South Africa’s ailing construction sector. Profits in the building and construction industry have fallen and thousands of workers have been laid off due to the weakening economy since the global recession in 2008.
Nxesi spoke in Durban at a function of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal, an association representing 670 building and construction companies in the province. He said the government and the private sector had to prepare for the start of the government’s capital expenditure plans, or “we will lament the loss of skills and experience” that would be required. The Department of Public Works embarked on a turnaround strategy that focused on fighting corruption and building a sustainable business unit. The government has outlined a multi-trillion-rand capital expenditure programme over the next few decades with projects to upgrade sectors such as transport and logistics, municipal infrastructure, green energy, health facilities and schools, and water and sanitation, BDlive reports. Nxesi said the department would in future engage all its contractors to support the development of young professionals, because it was “unacceptable that only one-third of all the built-environment professionals registered are black”.Source: http://www.bizcommunity.com
