Today marks the first provincial activity of the fourth annual national Construction Week which started yesterday on 26 July and will end on 2 August 2009. The national Construction week campaign is about raising the profile of, and awareness about the construction industry, particularly its role and impact in economic growth and in social development. Over the past eight years a huge infrastructure drive has been at the centre of government’s expansionary measures and investment in economy.
Government investment in infrastructure development has played a key role in the boom that we have witnessed in the construction industry over the recent years. The boom in the construction industry in turn played a significant role the relatively high rates of economic growth in the recent years, until the recession last year as a result of the global meltdown. Even now during this period of economic crisis and recession, government has decided to use public investment in infrastructure development as both cushion and stimulus for reviving the economy. Billions of rands will therefore be used by both the national and provincial government, as well as municipalities, in this infrastructure drive.
The construction industry is still one of the best performing sectors in the economy despite the woes that have befallen the economy. Through the government’s infrastructure drive, the construction industry will, once more, help to revive the entire economy. To make sure that we have a sustainable growth, the industrial strategy of government will also be implemented using the infrastructure drive as a major platform. The theme for this year’s national Construction Week is therefore appropriate in wording and formulation: ‘The construction industry lays a concrete foundation for the era of renewal’.
The construction industry also has an important social development role and impact. The delivery of the much-needed social infrastructure such as schools, libraries, hospitals and clinics gives concrete expression to this social development role of the construction industry. The choice of this visit to this construction site of Nomsa Secondary School is therefore no accident. Education as one of the five important priorities of the electoral mandate has to and will benefit of from the central role of the construction industry.
This school is or was a platoon school. This new school building that is currently under construction will therefore do away with platoon. The construction industry, through government’s infrastructure delivery, is therefore playing a role in expanding access to education and improving the learning conditions for our children. The progress of the construction is also impressive as it indicates that we will conclude this project on schedule. Having started last year in (2008) June we are likely finish next year (2010) in February.
The project progress is now at 63 percent. The total number of job opportunities created during this construction project so far is 188. It is also pleasing to note that youth are 70 whilst women are 50 of those employed in this project so far. The total cost for the contract is R190 568 346,33. The school building we are going to have here is one of high tech. Our children deserve the best.
Let’s celebrate the fourth annual Construction Week because: The Construction Industry lays a concrete foundation for the era of renewal.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Public Works and Rural Development, Free State Provincial Government
27 July 2009
Source: Department of Public Works and Rural Development, Free State Provincial Government (http://www.fsworks.gov.za/)
