South Africa could find itself short of skilled construction workers in the next decade, unless retention and skills transfer are prioritised.

This according to Njombo Lekula, Southern African managing director of Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC). 

Lekula, who was speaking at a PPC roundtable on localisation, explained that although the South African construction industry had highly skilled people, it was losing these workers to other countries.

“A once very highly sought-out construction country is not going to have skills and it’s going to be a shame if, in 15 years’ time, we have to import the skills to actually build our own country,” he said. 

He added that there needs to be a skills transfer from older, more experienced construction industry employees to younger people. 

Skills retention and transfer are two of the many issues the industry is hoping its construction masterplan – that it has begun engaging the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC) on – will resolve.

Lekula said the plan will also look at the inclusion of universities to ensure skills delivery and conduct research on how to unlock the industry.

The plan is similar to the automotive and poultry masterplans that are being implemented and will also look at resolving structural issues in the industry and other challenges like so-called “construction mafias” – where some construction sites in South Africa have been the target of gangs that demand a cut from companies and developers, or take over projects illegally. 

The plan will alos clarify the role of small and medium enterprises in construction.

Cement Imports

The construction industry is eagerly waiting for the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) to impose tariffs on cement imports from Vietnam. 

The industry has been grappling with cheap imports that have flooded South Africa, which began rising between 2013 and 2015, undercutting local suppliers and raising concerns about the future of the country’s companies.

The industry is also asking for local content designation for government infrastructure, hoping that this will help with the fight against the cheap non-South African cement.