In this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), the theme of which was Following up on our commitments: making your future work better, President Cyril Ramaphosa provided a ray of hope to the construction industry by sharing several shovel-ready projects that are coming on stream thanks to the Infrastructure Fund implementation team. “The cranes and yellow equipment that we have longed to see across the landscape of our country will once again soon be an everyday sight.” Added to this, he noted that the digital economy will increasingly become a driver of growth and a creator of employment. This was a re-emphasis of last year’s SONA in which he stressed the urgency of equipping the nation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the necessity to adapt to and embrace the various opportunities it presents.

At this year’s State of the Nation address (SONA), President Ramaphosa once again emphasised the need to shift state expenditure from debt servicing to infrastructure and other forms of productive activity likely to create growth and jobs. He also announced that the funding available for infrastructure had ballooned from R100 billion to R700 billion. But, says Mohau Mphomela, Executive Director, Master Builders Association (MBA) North, these plans are not translating into projects with sufficient rapidity.

Employment contracts always include a notice period should an individual decide to resign. Typically, South African workers must give a calendar months’ notice when they decide to part ways with their employer, but what happens in the case of resignation with immediate effect, especially when there are pending disciplinary actions? Nicol Myburgh, Head of the HR Business Unit at CRS Technologies, navigates the complexities in this regard.

Construction group Grinaker-LTA welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcements relating to the various economic and social infrastructure initiatives and the special task force to fight construction site disruptions.

By Anthony Keal, group skills facilitator at Master Builders Association Western Cape (MBAWC).

According to the recently released Quarterly Labour Force Survey by Statistics SA, 40.1% of people between the ages of 15-34 were not in employment, education or training in Q4 2019, highlighting the fact that skills development is more important than ever.  Amid positive job creation news, it is now especially vital for the construction industry to adapt to advancing standards and adequately train the emerging workforce.