Dear Members and Readers

During the month of February 2021, both the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the Budget speech were delivered. These were underpinned by priorities such as structural economic reforms, sustainable jobs, inclusive growth and lowering the cost of doing business. In the SONA, we noted that the R100 billion Infrastructure Fund is now in full operation.

The Budget speech has injected renewed hope into the industry as the Minister announced that R791.2 billion has been committed to an infrastructure investment drive and that infrastructure development will be rolled out in partnership with the private sector and others through initiatives such as the blended finance Infrastructure Fund.

It was further noted that the South African economy is expected to rebound by 3.3% in 2021, following a contraction of 7.2% in the prior year. The corporate tax rate of 28% will decrease to 27% for companies with years of assessment commencing 01 April 2022.

On COVID-19 matters, as we approach the one-year mark since the first reported case in South Africa, it was noted that more than R10 billion will be allocated for vaccines over the next two years with an increased contingency for vaccines and other emergencies. Last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an easing of COVID-19 restrictions from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 1, which allows for a wider opening of the economy.

The Association has entered a new medium-term strategy effective 01 March 2021, with focus on the following key strategic objectives:

• Strengthen the position of the Association as a strategic industry leader.
• Develop growth strategies to ensure the sustainability of the Association.
• Facilitate work opportunities for our members in an increasingly challenging and volatile economy.
• Advance skills development and promote economic transformation in the construction industry.

Members are reminded that the closing date for entries for the Excellence in Construction Competition is 20 April 2021. It should also be noted that entries from 2020 will be considered in the 2021 competition. Click here to download entry form. The Health and Safety Competition will also be held in 2021 and members are urged to look out for the entry forms.

Please join me in congratulating our 2020 Vuka Makhi matriculants for their outstanding results. In what was a challenging year of hybrid learning, a 100 % pass rate with 36 distinctions amongst the class of 20 learners was achieved. Nomfundo Slondile Bhukosini of JG Zuma Secondary school was the top performing learner having obtained 7 distinctions. We wish all our learners every success in their future endeavours. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela)

In our recap of membership news, we outline hot topics covered at online member engagements such as Preferential Procurement Regulations, common law vs contractual stipulations, the debtor/creditor lien and the improvement lien. The featured health and safety article provides evidence of long-haul COVID-19 and its impact on worker productivity and medical capacity in the workplace.

This month’s edition provides insight into the implementation of labour intensive construction systems and why these skills are vital to those engaged in the construction industry. Changes to retirement benefits for provident fund members are discussed in detail in the relevant article. In our human resources article, we note ways to create a better working environment for employees to cultivate a culture of continual growth and success as well as goal attainment.

We must continue to protect our workplaces and adhere to the relevant COVID-19 protocols.

Stay safe!