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E-NEWSLETTERISSUE 01 - OCTOBER 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

concreteIssue 1,

July 20

14

CONCRETE

CONCRETE IN THIS ISSUE:Note from the Editor

Efficient Systems for Government Infrastructure Delivery

Introducing the New CEO

State of Empowerment and Transformation

Construction Industry Needs Mentors

Construction Sector Transparency; the cidb Summit

Low Compliance to the cidb Register of Projects

Focus on Collusion

8th cidb Post Graduate Conference

Employment and Skills Development Agency Pilot

News in Brief

Issue 1,

July 20

14

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PAGE 1


PAGE 2 CONCRETE

Editor’s noteWith R827 billion budgeted for infrastructure

development over the next three years

infrastructure is set to play a key role in

stimulating the SA economy. The Construction

Industry Development Board (cidb) has the

important task to lead the construction industry

towards efficient infrastructure delivery and a

better contribution to the economy and society.

We wish to keep our stakeholders informed

about developments within the industry,

and this newsletter is an important part of

that process. It is intended to share with

our readers, information about regulatory

developments that affect the industry; progress

on transformation; development initiatives,

successes as well as challenges.

As we celebrate 20 years of democracy the

cidb wishes to welcome and congratulate all

the newly appointed Ministers, particularly in

departments that roll out infrastructure. We

look forward to their continued support and

are confident that they will play a critical role

in shaping the contribution of the construction

industry to society and the economy.

Special congratulations to our Minister, Thulas

Nxesi, who retains his position as Minister of

Public Works and our executive authority as the

cidb. His return to the Public Works portfolio

ensures continuity for the important work he

has started at Public Works, but also for entities

such as the cidb.

We welcome Mzwandile Sokupa who took

up office as cidb CEO in December 2013 and

welcome the appointment of the new cidb

Board. Ten years into operation the foundation

has been laid for cidb to lead construction

industry development. We look forward to

their leadership as the cidb takes steps into the

next decade of regulation in the construction

industry.

EditorKotli Molise

[email protected]

As we celebrate 20 years of democracy the cidb wishes to welcome and congratulate all the newly appointed Ministers, particularly in the infrastructure departments.

Department of Public Works Minister, T. W. Nxesi


PAGE 3 CONCRETE

With Government striving hard to increase service delivery, many departments and municipalities are trying to improve their track record for spending budgets, particularly on infrastructure.

The cidb best practice processes,

procedures and systems are the toolkit

for accelerated infrastructure delivery

in the public sector, and underpin the

Infrastructure Delivery Improvement

Programme (IDIP), a partnership

programme of the cidb, National Treasury,

Department of Public Works and the

DBSA. IDIP is devised to address capacity

problems, including the planning and

management of public sector infrastructure

delivery and it currently supports the

provincial departments of Public Works,

Education and Health by equipping

them with the skills to plan and manage

infrastructure optimally.

With lessons of IDIP firmly in the ground

the cidb has developed the IDMS

(Infrastructure Delivery Management

System) as a blueprint for infrastructure

delivery. The IDMS provides a standard

approach for infrastructure delivery from

needs identification, planning and budget

through to procurement, construction,

hand-over and the maintenance of

infrastructure. By standardising processes

and procedures, there is greater certainty

and greater transparency. Standardisation

also reduces opportunities for fraud and

corruption.

Last year the cidb partnered with the

University of Pretoria to deliver a Pilot

NQF Level 6 Infrastructure Delivery System

Training Programme Foundation Course

to capacitate public sector employees

involved in the delivery of infrastructure in

the application of the IDMS.

One-hundred and twenty-eight delegates

identified from national and provincial

departments of Treasury, Higher Education,

Basic Education, Health, Public Works,

DBSA, cidb, Sports, Arts & Culture

attended the pilot programme.

By making the IDMS mandatory for

infrastructure delivery in all tiers of

Standardised systems critical to efficient Government

infrastructure delivery

government, and ensuring that public

sector employees receive training on the

IDM System, additional capacity could be

provided to assist government to roll out

its National Infrastructure Development

Plan and to deliver on its social

development agenda.


PAGE 4 CONCRETE

Introducing the CEO

Mzwandile Sokupa has taken over the reigns as CEO of the cidb. The former University of Cape Town lecturer talked to Concrete about his experiences in the construction industry, plans ahead and the cidb.

“No amount of experience can prepare one

fully for the challenges of the construction

industry. However, my situation is better

than someone who comes from a different

discipline altogether. I am blessed to have

insight into a range of sectors within the

industry, including academia, community

development, construction works, consulting

and housing. My experience and difficulties

have indeed moulded me to some extent”

says cidb CEO, Mzwandile Sokupa.

Sokupa was appointed CEO, effective 2 December 2013.

Priorities for the next three to five years

include bringing stability to the organisation;

ensuring strategic focus to the cidb’s

mandate of regulation, development and

transformation; recognising stakeholders

as partners in the development of the

construction industry; raising the cidb’s

profile and demonstrating to industry that

the cidb exists to benefit both small and big

construction firms.

Sokupa concedes that the current

challenges in the construction industry make construction a very challenging industry to

work in: “Ours, together with agriculture, is

one of the slowest transforming industries,

particularly in terms of racial and gender

representivity at cidb grades 7-9. Other

industries such as mining, technology and

banking have made significant strides by

comparison. There is also a lot of reported

fraud and corruption both in public and

private sectors, linked to construction

activity. We have seen champions of our

industry admitting to collusion through the

Competition Commission process. The cidb

has activated its processes of bringing to

book all who transgressed its prescripts and

Code of Conduct. In terms of our mandate,

we will deal with all violations that are

admitted and denied in the Competition

Commission, in terms of our mandate.”

Government’s National Infrastructure Plan,

will see government spending R827 billion

building new infrastructure and refurbishing

existing infrastructure. Sokupa cautions:

“In creating infrastructure and enabling

economic growth, the construction industry

should never lose sight of the country’s

(social) service delivery needs; the provision

of basic services is a human rights issue.

Critically important too, is the need to

ensure that infrastructure development

creates jobs and also provides opportunities

for entrepreneurship.”

Turning to his leadership style, Sokupa

describes himself as a team leader and a

team player.

“I recognise my own strengths and weaknesses. I also recognise the role of the entire team that I work with. I acknowledge the role of others and always seek to obtain buy-in and strive to forge meaningful partnerships in development.”

cidb CEO, Mzwandile Sokupa

CONCRETE<< PREVIOUS | CONTENTS | NEXT >>

PAGE 5

The cidb Act 38 of 2000 mandates the cidb to establish a National Stakeholder Forum (NSF) to advise the Minister of Public Works on matters affecting development of the construction sector. In line with this mandate, the cidb hosted its ninth annual National Stakeholder Forum at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park earlier in 2014.

The construction sector is one of the least

transformed sectors in the South African

economy. It is not surprising therefore,

that the need for transformation was a

central theme running through much of the

discussions. Specifically, focus was on contractor

development, the review of the cidb registration

criteria, integrity management, public sector 175 Large Contractors participated in study for 2013 (60% sample)

Mr Thabo Masombuka, CEO of Construction Sector Charter Council

infrastructure delivery, the Construction Charter and implementation of the BBBEE Scorecard.

The Construction Sector Charter Council (CSCC) which is responsible for overseeing and monitoring the progress of empowerment and transformation within the construction sector has since released its Baseline Report on the state of transformation within the construction industry in April 2014.

Key findings of the CSCC Baseline Report

The report focuses on the state of transformation and empowerment within the construction industry since the implementation

of the Construction Sector Codes in June 2009.It confirms that the B-BBEE ratings of large companies, Qualifying Small Enterprises (QESs) and Exempt Micro Enterprises (EMEs) has improved. This is a very positive development.

In 2013, 65% of large entities achieved a B-BBEE contributor status of between Level 1 to Level 4 compared to 60% in 2012. Particularly commendable is the fact that two large entities achieved a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor status in 2013. Level 1 represents the highest level of B-BBEE contributor on the B-BBEE scorecard.

QSEs have acquitted themselves particularly well. In 2013, 91% of scorecards achieved a contributor status of between Level 1 to Level 4, compared to 88% in 2012.

EMEs have made considerable inroads. In 2013, 81% achieved a Contributor Level Status of 3, compared to 71% in 2012.

Turning to individual indicators on the B-BBEE scorecard, the average scores have improved on five of the seven elements of the scorecard.

Ratings for achieving Black Ownership exceeding 50% are particularly interesting. In 2013, 59% of entities confirmed Black Ownership exceeding 50%, compared to 47% in the previous year. However, unlike other industries where the trend indicates greater Black Ownership compliance closer to industry targets, the construction industry demonstrates polarisation at the extreme ends of Black Ownership. In 2013, 48% of scorecards achieved Black Ownership of between 90-100%, whereas 26% of scorecards achieved Black Ownership of between 0-10%.

Scorecards reflect improvements in the area of Black Women Ownership. In 2013, 24% of scorecards confirmed Black Women Ownership exceeding 30%, compared to 19% in 2012.The highest scores over a five-year period were achieved for Socio-economic Development Initiatives and Preferential Procurement, with average scores of 85% and 82% respectively in 2013, from 75% and 70%, respectively in 2009.

The research revealed that Black Ownership has improved over the five-year period from an average score of 50% in 2009 to 55% in 2013.

cidb Grading Number of Companies CSC Category Public Sector Awards

2 to 4 6061 (64%) EMEs 6%

5 to 7 3199 (33%) QSEs 34%

8 and 9 291 (3%) Large 60%

Status of cidb registered enterprises:

National Stakeholder Forum focuses on empowerment and

transformation


PAGE 6 CONCRETE

Management Control scores have also improved

from an average score of 42% in 2009 to 60% in 2013. Commendable

too, are the improvements in Employment Equity scores. These have improved from an

average score of 44% in 2009 to 59% in 2013.

Skills Development and Enterprise Development are areas of concern on the score card. The average score for Skills Development in 2013 was 50%, only 4% higher than the average score of 46% in 2009. Enterprise Development, although much higher, shows no improvement. The average score for Enterprise Development was 70% in 201 3 compared to 71% in 2009.

Who the study targeted

The report is based on a relatively low representative sample of 3 530 verified score

cards and certificates of entities operating within the construction sector. Only 1 770 companies (14% of the commercially active construction population of 12 500) participated in the study. The sample included 1 068 EMEs, 1 251 QSEs and 959 large companies.

Among the challenges of the study is that companies only submitted one scorecard during the period, making trend analysis difficult and many score cards (378) were incorrectly classified. Despite these challenges, it is gratifying to see that the number of scorecard submissions has increased from 186 submissions in 2009 to 1 246 in 2012. Levels of compliance with the Construction Sector Charter are clearly improving.

Scorecard assessment criteria entities were assessed on all seven elements of the B-BBEE scorecard: • Ownership (equity held by black people);

• Management Control (black participation at Board and Senior Management positions);

• Employment Equity (percentage of black staff employed in the business);

• Skills Development (designed to improve the skills set of black employees);

• Preferential Procurement (measures the empowerment levels of suppliers);

• Enterprise Development (contribute to the development, sustainability and financial and operational independence of Enterprise Development Beneficiaries); and

• Socio-economic Development (enhance the ability of black people who remain non-participants in the economic mainstream).

President Zuma signed the BBBEE Amendment Bill into law of on 27th January 2014. The Construction Sector Codes are now mandatory for all infrastructure and construction-related projects at all levels of government. This will hopefully, provide further impetus for transformation within the construction industry.

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

level 1 level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5 level 6 level 7 level 8 non-compliant

Number of Scorecards that achieve relevant Level Contributor status

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Average performance per element: Contractor large enterprises

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 Average

ownership score

Average management

score

Average employment equity score

Average development

score

Average preferential

procurement score

Average enterprise

development score

Average social-economic

development score

50% 42% 44% 46% 70% 71% 75%

45% 52% 53% 48% 75% 60% 77%

56% 50% 57% 48% 82% 64% 83%

58% 53% 55% 46% 81% 65% 82%

55% 60% 59% 50% 82% 70% 85%

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013


PAGE 7 CONCRETE

Emerging contractor success is critical for the achievement of South Africa’s transformation agenda and more needs to be done to build the skills of emerging contractors. These are contractors typically in Grades 1 to 6 on the cidb grading system.

Mentors are required to provide emerging

contractors with support on site to bridge

skills gaps, and to guide the contractor from

the start of the project to its completion.

At the most basic level, the mentor’s role

is to ensure that the product is delivered

according to the required quality and

standards. Mentors also play a critical risk

management role.

The fact that there are currently only

around fourteen mentors registered with

the South African Council for the Project

and Construction Management Professions

(SACPCMP) in South Africa is a very

sobering thought. If we are serious about

creating a sustainable pipeline of emerging

contractors we need to increase the number

of qualified mentors in the construction

industry exponentially within the shortest

possible time frame. The cidb estimates that

at least 50 SACPCMP registered mentors per

province need to be registered within the

next five years.

So far, requirements for the registration of

mentors has been unattainably high and

made it difficult for candidates without

formal tertiary qualifications and professional

registration to qualify. “Having identified this

constraint, the SACPCMP in partnership with

the University of Pretoria has developed a

training course for mentors. Once candidates

pass the course and meet the necessary

requirements, they are able to register.”

remarked the SACPCMP Registrar Ms.

Nomvula Rakolote .

The SACPCMP registers mentors in

different fields based on their experience.

A construction mentor may only provide

mentorship in the construction discipline

for which they are registered. Mentors are

required to adhere to the SACPCMP’s Code

of Conduct.

The formalisation of a construction industry-

specific mentor qualification is a very

positive development, as is the inclusion of

mentorship programmes in the cidb National

Contractor Development Programme

(NCDP), which is the national framework for

sustainable contractor development.

The question is, will the construction sector

in South Africa rise to the challenge and

encourage experienced professionals to

formalise their qualifications as mentors? By

so doing, in partnership with government

and the cidb, we will be able to build a

strong, sustainable cadre of emerging

contractors in South Africa.

There is a dire need for qualified mentors in the

construction industry


PAGE 8 CONCRETE

The cidb continues to wage a relentless

war against fraud and corruption in the

construction industry in South Africa. Fraud

and corruption is a scourge not only in

South Africa, but in Africa as a whole. It is

not surprising, therefore that countries in

Africa fared very poorly in the Transparency

International Corruption Perceptions Index

2013. Somalia was rated 175th, together

with Korea and Afghanistan; Zimbabwe

was rated 157th, Angola 153rd, Kenya

136th, Malawi 91st, Zambia 83rd and South

Africa was rated 42nd out of 175 countries

surveyed.

The cidb continues to explore measures

and ways in which to enhance transparency

and accountability in the construction

industry in South Africa. Transparency and

accountability are of paramount importance

given government’s intention to spend

R847bn on capital works over the next three

years. Government and tax payers alike need

to see value for money; the country cannot

afford to see taxpayers money wasted as a

result of collusion or corruption.

One of the initiatives that the cidb is looking

at very closely is the Construction Sector

Transparency (CoST) initiative, which has

been successfully piloted in eight countries

over a two and a half year period. Simply

stated, CoST is about achieving transparency

through the disclosure of information, which

is material to the project in a format that

can be easily understood. Material issues

include factors such as the process followed

in awarding contracts and concerns around

project feasibility and design.

It is fortuitous from a cidb perspective, that

the CoST project was piloted in four African

countries. Since African countries share

very similar challenges, it was appropriate

that Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia, share

their experiences with the cidb and its

stakeholders at the cidb CoST summit in

October 2013. Delegates learnt first-hand

about the processes followed; the benefits,

the learnings and the challenges experienced

by each of these countries.

What was very clear from the presentations

was that disclosure enhanced transparency;

it also identified problems around the

evaluation of bids, project feasibility issues

and design issues. Without the transparency

required by the CoST process, these

challenges and issues may not have been

identified. What is very important about this

process is that having identified challenges,

areas of concern, or fraudulent practices,

measures can be implemented to improve

the governance in each of these areas,

thereby reducing the likelihood of these

issues recurring.

The CoST Summit left the cidb and industry

stakeholders with food for thought. If

implemented in South Africa, CoST could

strengthen the public sector procurement

system in the construction sector. It could

also mitigate against corrupt activities in

construction projects, and avoid duplication

of functions and duties of other legal

entities. The assurance process could be used

for future planning and to identify gaps and

challenges within the procurement system.

Better informed about CoST, the cidb Task

Team has drafted a Framework for an

Integrity Management System for client

departments, seeking where possible, to

identify areas of synergy between CoST

and the Infrastructure Delivery Management

System (IDMS).

African countries share their experiences at the cidb

CoST Summit


PAGE 9 CONCRETE

Levels of compliance with the i-tender / Register of

Projects are too low

The Construction Industry Development Regulations of 2004, as amended, require public sector entities to advertise construction projects on cidb i-tender and to register the award of projects, and project closure on the cidb Register of Projects.

This is a requirement for public sector

infrastructure projects above R200 000.

Private sector clients and state owned

entities are required to register projects

above R10 million.

The i-tender/ Register of Projects should

provide the cidb, Government and the

construction industry with a wealth of

information on the nature, value and

distribution of projects. This is not only vital

to informed policy decision making, it is

essential for advancement of transformation.

Government should be able to monitor

trends in infrastructure spending by public

sector clients as well as who is accessing

work on construction projects. Ultimately

i-tender must also ensure a transparent

tendering advertisement process.

Unfortunately, many public sector entities

have low levels of compliance to the cidb

prescripts in terms of i-tender and the

Register of Projects, although at 67%

compliance to i-tender has improved

significantly. Others do not comply at all. In

some instances compliance levels are as low

as 10% for certain clients!

Without full compliance it is impossible

to obtain a true picture of the supply of

contractors and the demand for goods

and services by government entities in the

construction industry. It also means that

Government may not have a comprehensive

picture of the level of expenditure through

main contracts on black, women and youth-

owned construction enterprises.

i-tender/ Register of Projects also provides

the basis for implementing the cidb Best

Practice Fee, which is key to the cidb’s

alternative income stream and therefore the

ability to drive change.

The state of public sector compliance with

i-tender/ Register of Projects is published

quarterly in the cidb Compliance Monitor

and can be downloaded from the cidb

website under recent publications

(www. cidb.org.za). Information in the cidb

Compliance Monitor is discussed with client

departments, and compliance is a standing

item on the agenda of the Construction

Procurement Officials Forum meetings

organised by the cidb Provincial Offices.

The cidb is also working with bodies such as

the Auditor-General to enforce compliance.

Whilst punitive measures are an option,

cooperation with state bodies is also

promoted through awareness, training and

capacitation, which the cidb provides at no

cost to public sector clients. But ultimately

persistent non-compliance will be met with

fines which in turn, must be reported to the

Auditor General.


PAGE 10 CONCRETE

The cidb has initiated its own process of investigation into the conduct of construction firms implicated in collusion. This follows the admission to collusion by 15 of the more than 20 companies implicated in the Competition Commission investigation in 2013.

The cidb has appointed an Investigation Officer to conduct the probe in terms of Section 28 of the Construction Industry Development (CID) Regulations of 2004, as amended and the Code of Conduct for all parties engaged in construction procurement. The Investigation Officer must submit recommendations within 30 days of being commissioned by the cidb. Should the Investigation Officer recommend a formal enquiry, the cidb must appoint an Investigation Committee to hear the case, in terms of the CID Regulations.

The law currently provides for nine possible sanctions for transgression of the cidb Code of Conduct, including a warning, a fine which does not exceed R100 000, downgrading the contractor’s grading designation or de-registration from the cidb Register of Contractors.

Public sector work accounts for approximately 40-50% of domestic construction expenditure in South Africa. The Competition Commission has unearthed collusion in around 300 projects valued at approximately R37bn. It is understood that this may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Neither government, nor the cidb, nor the public at large will tolerate any form of collusion in the construction industry. Government, together with all South Africans, want to see value for money and absolute transparency in terms of how the R827bn that has been allocated to building new infrastructure and upgrading existing infrastructure is spent.

The cidb acts on collusion in the

construction industry


PAGE 11 CONCRETE

The cidb and the Wits School of Construction

Economics and Management jointly hosted

the 8th Postgraduate Conference earlier in

2014. Themed, “Advancing construction

industry development through innovative

research and new thinking,” the conference

was well-supported.

Addressing delegates, Wits Vice-chancellor

and Principal, Professor Adam Habib said

national, international, higher education

and industry partnerships were essential.

The challenge for the construction industry

is to create an urban landscape, which is

inclusionary. Unfortunately in the past, the

urban landscape was created to racially

divide.

cidb CEO, Mzwandile Sokupa explained

that conferences such as these play a

very important role in the professional

development of South Africa’s skills base.

Sokupa expressed the hope that the

conference would provide an

The cidb and Wits UNIVERSITY jointly host the 8th

Post- Graduate Conference

on-going platform for interaction between

the academic community and industry

stakeholders.

Keynote speakers included Professor Will

Hughes and Dr Libby Schebwer from the

University of Redding, Professor Chimay

Anumba from the Pennsylvania State

University, Carillion Construction Services,

UK, BIM Development Manager,

Mr Alex Lubbock, Dr Ron Watermeyer from

Infrastructure Options (Pty) Ltd, and Professor

Chrisna du Plessis from the Department of

Construction Economics and Management

University of Pretoria.

Topics included:

“Advancing construction industry

development, innovative research and

Front row (L-R), Mr. Mzwandile Sokupa, Prof David Root, Prof Adam Habib, Prof Chimay Anumba, Prof RN Nkando, Ms. Ntebo Ngozwana.

Back row (L-R), Prof Samuel Laryea, Dr Ron Watermeyer, Prof Will Hughes, Prof Ian Jandrell, Alex Lubbock, Dr Eziyi Ibem, Dr. Rodney Milford.

new thinking;” “Realising value for money

through procurement strategy in the delivery

of public infrastructure;” “Putting theory

to work: the use of theory in construction

research.”

More destails on:

www.cidb.org.za

Wits Vice-chancellor, Prof. Adam Habib


PAGE 12 CONCRETE

Government has ambitious plans to implement huge infrastructure projects and Cabinet has allocated over R1 trillion over the next five years for investment in infrastructure.

The National Infrastructure Plan released in

2012 provides a blueprint for infrastructure

development and covers social and economic

infrastructure across all nine provinces.

Its successful roll-out requires a huge pipeline

of unskilled, artisanal and professional skills

to ensure delivery of strategic infrastructure

projects such as schools, universities,

harbours and power stations on time, on

budget and to the required standard.

Skills shortages could however pose a

challenge to the construction industry.

The fact that many of the professional skills

required in the construction industry are

listed in Government’s 2014 Critical Skills List

raises a red flag. These include: architects,

construction project managers, quantity

surveyors, urban and regional planners, civil

engineers, electrical engineers, land and

engineering surveyors, and draughtsmen.

Current shortages of artisanal skills are

estimated at 40 000.

Two recent cidb initiatives to promote

training and skills development should help

to inculcate a training culture within the

sector. These are the introduction of new

construction standards - the Standard for

Developing Skills through Infrastructure

Contracts released in November 2013, and

the Employment and Skills Development

Agency (ESDA) Pilot Project.

The Standard for Developing Skills through Infrastructure Contracts

The Standard for Developing Skills through

Infrastructure Contracts is a collaborative

effort between the cidb, the Department

of Public Works, the Department of Higher

Education and Training and the Department

of Economic Development. It requires

contractors to allocate a portion of the

construction contract value to training.

Currently the goal is set at 0.5% of the

contract value in general building contracts

and 0.25% in civil engineering contracts

work at cidb Grades 7 to 9.

Although the Standard is voluntary,

currently, the cidb is working closely with the

Department of Public Works to introduce

regulations to make the Standard mandatory

for public sector projects.

Given the size of public sector infrastructure

spend the Standard will play an important

role in developing the skills pipeline within

the construction sector.

Building construction industry skills through the

cidb ESDA

Front row (L-R), Ramahlale Bright Mogane; Sebola Phindulo; Bani Selebalo Mokone; Thapelo Given Madube; Edwin Smaemae

Back row (L-R), Phomelelo Jacob Mashala; Mulalo Mukhuba; Thato Cecil Mogapi; Wangi Trevor Booi; Solomon Karabo Mojela; Pranveer Harriparsadh; Kgoboko Solomon Mabelebele; Sello Leonard Ntsewa (infront); Koketso Molefe Mathabathe (Behind); Minister; Ngwako Clement Mampeule; Ntoa Lizzer Mutapa; Lethamaga Daphney Komape; Phumzile Meander Chiloane; Mittah Lefoka


PAGE 13 CONCRETE

Employment and Skills Development Agency Pilot Project

The cidb piloted its Employment and Skills

Development Agency (ESDA) model in

partnership with the Tshwane South FET.

ESDAs have been established to assist

Sector Education and Training Authorities

(Setas) to achieve their National Skills

Development Strategy (NSDS) targets. Their

role is to assist learners to complete their

learnership or apprenticeship, improve

the quality of training by assessing and

managing workplaces, bring SMMEs into the

regulated training environment and provide

employment services for SMMEs who do

not have the capacity to manage their own

learnerships.

The cidb ESDA pilot placed 22 interns in

construction companies to enable them

to obtain the practical experience required

to complete the FET National Certificate

(Vocational) Level 4.

Nine interns were placed with the

Engineering and construction group,

Stefanutti and Stocks. The employer’s

feedback has been extremely positive.

Commenting on the experience Charles

Write, Enterprise Development Director of

Stefanutti and Stocks says the company

found the interns to be competent, energetic

and full of potential, adding that the

programme has led to a culture change in

the company, with every section clambering

to have interns among their staff. All nine

interns are now employed permanently.

Potlaki Sephiri and Bright Mogane are two of the nine interns placed with Stefanutti Stocks, who have now completed their practical experience requirements for the NCV4.

Sephiri was appointed as a laboratory

technician and hoped to complete a bridging

programme which will enable him to enrol

at university. The company has indicated that

they are willing to give more should I want to

study further, pipes Sephiri.

Mogane is currently employed in a quality

control position and hopes to do further

studies in town planning. “The job is helping

me get to grips with the paperwork required

for engineering. The client has to see the

paperwork confirming that the job has been

done well and is of the requisite quality. It is a

privilege for me to work in this position,”

he informs.

The cidb ESDA Pilot has demonstrated

the value of an administrative body

which sources and pre-screens learners

on the construction industry’s behalf.

Based on the lessons learnt from the pilot

project, the cidb plans to establish a Skills

Development Agency (SDA). This agency

will play a very important role in facilitating

the implementation of the Standard for

Developing Skills through infrastructure

contracts. It will play an even greater role

once the Standard becomes mandatory.

Ultimately, infrastructure development will

not only play a critical role in driving inclusive

economic growth and development in South

Africa. It also has a critical role to play in the

struggle against poverty, unemployment and

inequality.


PAGE 14 CONCRETE

Announcement of the new Board

Minister Thulas Nxesi of Public Works has

announced appointment of the new cidb

Board. The new members are Ms Lindelwa

Myataza (Chairperson), Mr Christopher

Siphiwe Jiyane (Deputy Chairperson, Ms

Nazreen Sekao Pandor, Mr Gonasagran

Maduray, Ms Nomsa Jacobs-Skweyiya,

Mr Sipho Abednego Mosai, Mr Lefadi Lucas

Makibinyane, Ms Natalie Carol Skeepers,

Mr Selaelo Michael Makhura, Ms Vuyiswa

Victoria Sidzumo, Ms Mandisa Fatyela-

Lindie, Mr Hareesh Lakha Patel and

Mr Nico Maas.

The Minister has welcomed the new Board.

He thanked the outgoing Board members

for their dedication and commitment to

the construction industry.

Relocation of the cidb Western Cape Office

The cidb Western Cape Office has relocated

to no. 4 Dorp Street and is located within

the “Government Precinct” at the Corner

of Dorp and Long Streets in Cape Town.

The new offices provide more space to

allow the cidb Provincial Office to host

different meetings, forums and workshops

within its own offices. All other contact

details have not changed. Kindly contact

the cidb Call Centre on 0860 103 353 for

assistance.

Construction Industry Indicators

The cidb has captured construction Industry

Indicators (CIIs) annually since 2003.

CIIs measure the industry’s performance,

focusing on clients, the client’s agent/

consultant and contractors. The summary

results for the 2013 survey, based on

projects completed in 2012, is available.

The document: “The cidb Construction

Indicators: Summary results,” can be

downloaded from the website:

www.cidb.org.za

News in Brief

cidb Board Chairperson,Lindelwa T Myataza

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