CALL TO GOVERNMENT BY THE CC19RRTT FOR THE IMMEDIATE REACTIVATION OF
CONSTRUCTION SITES
Dear Members
As was mentioned in a previous bulletin, the Construction COVID-19 Rapid Response Task Team
(
CC19RRTT
) was convened by Master Builders' South Africa in order to represent the views of the major parties in the construction industry and consists of individuals representing suppliers, manufacturers, built environment professionals/consultants and contractors (main contractors and subcontractors).
The mandate of this task team has been, among others, to assess the impact that COVID-19 is having on the already ailing construction sector and to charter the recovery thereof. This is now being spearheaded through a submission which was presented to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, this morning, 19th April 2020.
As you will see in the submission, the CC19RRTT is calling for the immediate reactivation of the construction sites that were at varying stages of completion at the time of the lockdown on 27th March 2020. The reactivation would clearly be subject to the adherence of strict safety guidelines in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and these guidelines are outlined in the document.
In addition, the task team are appealing for government to consider the construction sector (and supporting entities within the sector) as an essential service. This is vital in order to facilitate the immediate completion of current projects and to further urgently propose, plan, design and fund a suite of new projects aimed at providing the necessary economic stimulus necessary for providing traction within our economy.
We will keep you posted of any developments which occur in this regard.
In the meantime, we reiterate that we are here to assist you with any issues or concerns that you may have.
Keep safe and well.
Allen Bodill
Executive Director
