In pursuit of growing the Gauteng economy through public infrastructure projects, Public Transport and Road Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo says Transnet’s Tambo Springs inland terminal forms part of the province’s drive to accelerate provincial and national economic growth.

Speaking at a stakeholders forum at Africa Construction Expo 2019, Mamabolo said the project, for which the preferred bidder was announced earlier this month, would raise the province’s economic growth by 1% and the country’s economic growth by 12% over 15 years.

It would also have a R20-billion multiplier impact in the economy over 20 years.

Site handover and construction of the Tambo Springs project would start in November.

The terminal would be built around the N3 highway, making transport more efficient and effective, and lowering the cost of transport and, subsequently, also the cost of transported goods.

Mamabolo estimated the terminal’s value at R10-billion, including road infrastructure to support the logistics

the government was still planning to expand the Gautrain to more areas in a multibillion-rand public–private partnership transaction that would further contribute to the province’s economic growth.

He added that the expansion would be accompanied by the roll-out of massive commuter transport networks in the province.

“The Gauteng economy used to boom on the back of gold mining. That economy is gone. To grow the economy, we need to move above ground; we need to link sectors and move people around, for which transport is key.”

The theme of the seventh Africa Construction Expo in 2019 was ‘transformation through education’.

National African Federation for the Building Industry president Aubrey Tshalata remarked that 70% of the work in the construction industry continued to go to nonblack entities, which highlighted the need for greater transformation in the sector.

The expo, co-located with the Totally Concrete Expo, brought together more than 9 000 construction experts and professionals from all over the African continent. The expo was part of the ‘big five’ construction events, where international, local and continental exhibitors showcased their products and services.

Tshalata said the industry had put more than 6 000 young people through training in the form of apprenticeships, learnerships and short skills programmes. “Education is key to transforming the construction industry, since, currently, many engineers are leaving the country and graduates roam the streets without employment.”

Tshalata emphasised theimportance of considering the Fourth Industrial Revolution when designing training programmes. “It requires new skill sets and brings in new methods of construction, including modular construction methods, as well as green construction methods.

“These skills need to be taught to make the construction sector futureproof.”

To achieve recovery in the construction sector, Tshalata recommended that more organisations and industry bodies consolidated in an effort to rescue the industry from decline.

However, South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors CEO Webster Mfebe questioned how transformation in the sector could take place while it was losing jobs.

The sector shed 142 000 jobs in the first quarter of this year.

“Nearly 100 000 businesses are still at the Construction Industry Development Board’s entry level grading – Level 1. How can this sector transform if we are trampling over each other’s feet? We are trampling each other for a piece of the construction cake.”

Meanwhile, there were ever-increasing pressures, such as climate change and the growth of the population and urbanisation, which had to be considered during construction planning.

“Cities have grown to [the extent that they] need Internet connection technologies and other [technologies] to improve the quality of life, the efficiency of urban operations and service delivery and competitiveness.

“A sustainable city ensures that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental, as well as cultural, aspects. Cities require a happy marriage between people, the planet and profit,” Mfebe stated.