Construction site invasions by business forums in KwaZulu-Natal have become a problem that has brought the building industry to its knees.

This is according to the Association of SA Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS).

Outgoing president Yunus Bayat told iOL that the disruptions have affected projects involving almost R37billion.

“Virtually every major development and project in KwaZulu-Natal has been affected by one or more forums,” he said.

He said projects continued to be derailed “under different forum names” and that investors had already indicated a lack of interest due these losses, relating specifically to money and time.

“It becomes difficult to forecast projected returns on investment or deliverables.”

In a bid to achieve stability and shared growth, the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs is set to launch the Business Stability Initiative in partnership with business.

Department spokesperson Nathi Olifant said the department would be taking decisive action to deal with site invasions and business disruptions.