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IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Construction industry sees green shoots of growth off a low base - BER's Lemboe
South Africa's construction sector, long mired in stagnation and underperformance, is beginning to show green shoots of recovery off a low base, South Africa's construction sector, long mired in stagnation and underperformance, is beginning to show green shoots of recovery off a low base, according to Craig Lemboe, the deputy director at the Bureau for economic Research (BER) speaking at Construction Industry Business Breakfast held on Wednesday. While the industry remains well below pre-pandemic output levels and continues to suffer from weak capital investment and low business confidence, recent survey data suggests that "green shoots" may be taking root. Lemboe said for most of last year, saw the non residential sector was starting to show a little bit more growth and more potential than the residential sector. However, this was from a more eroded base as it's 50% smaller than what than what it was 10 years ago. "We also see from our civil contractors survey that activity, particularly among large contractors, is doing quite well. So there is this idea that we are starting to see some larger infrastructure projects to come on board, and that the contractors are starting to see this, both in terms of the current activity, but also in terms of the activity going forward," he said. South Africa was starting to see some larger infrastructure projects to come on board. Despite these promising indicators, Lemboe cautioned that systemic barriers persist. Long delays in municipal approvals, chronic late payments by public entities, and uncertainty around infrastructure funding continue to hamper sustained recovery. The Western Cape province stood out as a bright spot, with above-average construction activity and stronger investor sentiment. Still, nationally, overall building sector confidence remains low, with 75% of residential builders expressing dissatisfaction with prevailing conditions. Another positive to support growth ahead, was the Budget 3.0 announcement of R1.03 billion allocated for infrastructure. However, Lemboe said while it "is a welcome announcement, there are a number of caveats that we are very weary of at the BER." A large chunk of this spend is being filtered through state-owned enterprises, but there isn't a lot of clarity on where the income is going to come from, where the capital is going to come from, in order to find these projects. Also a portion of the funds comes through provinces and municipalities, and municipalities are known to be weak on capital expenditure. Ramokgopa Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, also speaking at the event, said South Africa is accelerating plans to transform the country into a "construction site" through a sweeping infrastructure drive that aims to tackle unemployment, stimulate inclusive growth, and reduce the high cost of living, . Ramokgopa pointed to the government's Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 2024–2029, which commits to deliver n the established investment pipeline. "Increasing public infrastructure spending requires stimulating private sector investment that will enable industrialisation and supporting job creating in the country," she said. The government has committed over R943.8 billion to public infrastructure over the medium term, with a strong emphasis on crowding in private investment through public-private partnerships. However, public infrastructure spending currently accounts for just 3.8% of GDP, well below the 10% target set. Ramokgopa said South Africa's national development was linked to that of the African continent. "Infrastructure must drive regional integration, promote and support industrialisation across Africa as a region. We are advancing collaboration and partnership in accelerating regional infrastructure projects through an African Union's presidential infrastructure champion initiative," she said BUSINESS REPORT
Saba Yemen
08-06-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
Social Affairs Minister inspects displaced persons, homeless, beggar care centers for Eid al-Adha
Sana'a – Saba: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Samir Baja'alah on Sunday conducted visits to several centers caring for displaced persons, the homeless (unaccompanied mentally ill), and beggars in Sana'a Governorate and the capital, Sana'a. During his visit to a center for displaced persons in Bani Hashish, accompanied by Undersecretary for Social Welfare Sector Yasser Sharaf al-Din and Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Mohammed al-Razza', Minister Baja'alah exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings with the displaced individuals. He directed that their needs be met and Eid gifts distributed to the children, emphasizing the Ministry's focus on displaced persons, with future plans for rehabilitation and empowerment projects to improve their livelihoods and self-reliance. Minister Baja'alah and Undersecretary Sharaf also reviewed the services provided by the National Program for the Care and Shelter of the Homeless (Unaccompanied Mentally Ill) at its main center in Sana'a. They distributed gifts to patients and inspected the facilities, including shelter, treatment, and nutrition services. The Minister commended the efforts of the center's staff and affirmed the Ministry's commitment to supporting the center's needs and humanitarian services, in line with leadership directives. Furthermore, Baja'alah inspected the conditions of residents at the al-Rafah Center for Social Care for the Homeless, which is part of the National Program to Address the Phenomenon of Begging in the Capital Sana'a. He presented Eid gifts to the residents and received updates from Program Executive Director Yasser Sharaf al-Din and al-Rafah Center Director Dr. Abdullah Nahshal on various aspects of care, including health, rehabilitation, and economic empowerment programs. The Minister of Social Affairs highlighted that these visits aim to check on the conditions of displaced persons, unaccompanied mentally ill individuals, and beggars in the ministry's shelters and specialized care centers, and to share the joy of the Eid holiday, thereby strengthening social solidarity, instilling principles of benevolence, and bringing smiles to their faces. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
Eyewitness News
25-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
G20 Development Working Group kicks off 3rd meeting coinciding with Africa Day
JOHANNESBURG - The G20 Development Working Group (DWG) kicked off its third meeting on Sunday at KwaZulu-Natal, coinciding with Africa Day. Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropane Ramokgopa, kicked off the meeting, calling for renewed global solidarity to tackle pressing development challenges. Over the next three days, delegates will deliberate on three key priority areas, including strengthening domestic resource mobilisation through curbing illicit financial flows, advancing social protection systems, and supporting access to global public goods. ALSO READ: Water and sanitation dept preparing to reopen the Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel Ramokgopa underscored the importance of policy coherence, welcoming the DWG's coordination with other G20 workstreams. "These are vital linkages that reinforce the G20's unique position as a platform that bridges development, finance and global governance. As we embark on this important work, I want to remind us all that what we do here matters. Our negotiations over the next few days are about the livelihoods of billions of people around the world, and the kind of future we collectively wish to shape."
Daily Maverick
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Performance management in crisis: can South Africa's governance rise to the challenge?
A few days before Mother's Day I came across a meme that encapsulates the spirit of my mom. It said: 'For Mother's Day my mom would like the activism of her youth to not be for nothing.' I let out a soft chuckle to myself as I shared the meme with my family, knowing the no-nonsense firecracker my mom was in her days as a young political activist, which she continues to be now in her sixties. She is a woman who does not suffer fools and is uncompromising in her pursuit of what is right and equitable. I hosted Mother's Day this year and had my parents and brother over for lunch. The conversation turned to the state of politics in our country and globally as we lamented the general sad state of things. Chief among the problems is the absence of visionary and accountable leadership, which is needed to guide us out of this dark chapter of political regression. Our conversation became spirited as we turned our attention to the lack of performance management and monitoring and evaluation in our country's governance. Dr John Bester, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Administration at North West University, defines performance management as a 'systematic approach for improving service delivery through evidence-based decision-making, continuous organisational learning as well as a focus on accountability for performance to achieve improved results for the public'. It is hard to believe that we have a Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to do just this, when scant evidence exists of its work and what it has achieved since its establishment in 2010. Ironically, this department was introduced by our most calamitous president, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma. According to the department, its vision is to be a catalyst in achieving national development outcomes and impact in society. Among its values it lists: being a learning organisation; being a dynamic and development-oriented organisation, which continuously strives for excellent performance standards in serving the citizens; being implementation-focused and results-oriented; creating an enabling environment for staff to grow and be innovative; promoting integrity, honesty and ethical conduct among public servants; being disciplined, professional and committed to the fight against corruption; and practising the Batho Pele principles. Although there may be glimpses of this in the work of dedicated civil servants daily battling the odds to try to keep our government functional, evidence of the consistent application of these values is missing as our country limps from crisis to crisis. Our government departments, parastatals and Chapter 9 institutions could certainly all use a shake-up in fostering a performance culture that will ferret out those not meeting their primary objectives of serving the people of South Africa according to standards of excellence and with integrity. The question remains, is our minister of monitoring and evaluation bold enough to decisively meet the imperatives of her department? DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
