Mfikoe reaches out to builders at African Construction Expo

12 May 2016

 

The City of Johannesburg is committed to working with the private sector to boost the economy, create jobs and fulfil its mandate of making Johannesburg a world-class African city.

 

Speaking at the fourth annual African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday May 10, the City’s Member of the Mayoral Committee on Environment and Infrastructure Services, Councillor Matshidiso Mfikoe, who was standing in for Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau, said the City viewed the construction industry as an important partner in the development of infrastructure.

The African Construction Expo is a one-stop shop that gives exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their latest building and construction methods, products, tools and technologies. The three-day conference attracted more than 180 exhibitors, 6 000 visitors and 600 delegates from Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Italy, Nigeria, Britain, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Kenya, Norway, Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates.

MMC Mfikoe said the City had since 2011 introduced a number of programmes, including the Green Economy and the Corridors of Freedom, to improve the quality of life of its citizens. She said the Corridors of Freedom would, for example, ensure that people lived and worked in the same place.

She said Mayor Tau had in his State of the City Address last week committed the City to partnering with the private sector to improve the lives of people in places such as Kliptown, Jabulani and Orlando through the Corridors of Freedom programme.

Jan Pierre Labuschagne of Deloitte and head of PPP & Capital Projects said the government did not build infrastructure but the private sector did. He said the government’s role was to develop a policy framework and put effective institutions and resources in place. He said the shortage of skills had contributed to the lack of development in the country. The high unemployment rate was also a cause for concern, he said.

The conference, facilitated and chaired by Nedbank senior economist Nicky Weimar, was later opened to a panel discussion featuring MMC Mfikoe, Labuschagne, PPC Cement SA Chief Executive Darryl Castle and Sephaku Cement General Manager Steve Swanepoel. Areas identified by the panellists as requiring attention included the flight of highly skilled people from the public sector to the private sector, shortage of highly technical people in the public sector, the need for rural development and changes to the procurement of goods and services.