COVID-19 | UPDATE
Dear Members
We find ourselves at the close of Day 55 of the COVID-19 Lockdown, with reports of 312 deaths and over 17,000 infections across the country. In addition, reports coming in from across the board indicate that our industry is facing catastrophic losses and that our people are having to deal with extremely adverse situations due to various factors including lack of food, running water and other basic needs.
In a press release which was distributed this morning, Minister David Maynier reconfirmed the Western Cape Government's support to that of ours and the rest of the industry when he wrote a letter to Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (see article below), urgently requesting that Construction be allowed to expand operations under Level 4, to include commercial, industrial and private residential construction, together with construction by public entities, and to permit the upscaling of manufacturing of construction supplies beyond 50 per cent sector employment.
This was indeed heartening and provided a glimmer of hope during some of the darkest days our industry (and country) has faced in many years.
As the MBAWC we commend the Western Cape Government for their support of our industry and we will keep our members informed of any developments which may arise as a result of this submission.
In addition to this, the Construction Industry Rapid Response Task Team (CC19RRTT) has been consulting with Government departments in a further attempt to allow the construction industry to reopen in it's entirety under Level 3 and possibly Level 4. As the MBAWC, we have submitted our own commentary on this consultation process and we will continue to lobby in this regard in support of our members.
We remain available to assist you with any support you may need from a Health & Safety, Legal & Compliance, Training or any other industry related matter. Please contact our MBA office at 021 685 2625 should you need assistance.
Stay safe and stay well!
Kind regards,
Allen Bodill
Executive Director
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Opening private sector construction critical to saving over 100 000 jobs
An urgent review of the restrictions on the private sector construction is required if we are to avoid a collapse of the construction sector in South Africa.
And so, today (19 May 2020), I have
written a
letter to Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, with
an attached submission, requesting that under Alert Level 4 restrictions, construction be allowed to expand operations beyond public sector engineering and construction, to include commercial, industrial and private residential construction, together with construction by public entities, and to permit the upscaling of manufacturing of construction supplies beyond 50 per cent sector employment. These proposals incorporate aspects of the draft Alert Level 3 and 2 provisions - all of which we believe can safely be implemented immediately.
It is estimated the impact on the construction sector of the Covid-19 pandemic could cost the Western Cape 111 416 direct and indirect jobs in 2020, and a loss of R14.9 billion in income to people employed in this sector. Opening up private construction as soon as possible, which we believe can safely be done under Alert Level 4, will help prevent these job losses.
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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
