N Kganyago: National Construction Week

2 August 2006

Salutations:

Let me take this opportunity to thank everybody who has been part of
co-ordinating this visit today. It is indeed an extra ordinary occasion because
the event marks the celebration of the maiden campaign to highlight the role of
the construction industry in reconstruction and development.

The National Construction Week is the brainchild of the Department of Public
Works (DPW) and was conceived on behalf of government in recognition of the
value the industry was adding to the social and economic life of the country.
It is a co-ordinated campaign designed to mobilise the awareness of the civil
society at large behind the construction industry and its products and
services.

To appreciate how important this industry is, I invite all of you to close
your eyes and imagine the world without any buildings, structures or roads. The
house you live in, the school you attend, the road you travel on, the shopping
mall you frequently visit, the hospitals, libraries, prisons, churches,
clinics, sports fields, hotels, bridges, dams, bus and taxi terminals,
airports, railways, military bases and even dance halls are all the products of
the construction industry.

In reality it is difficult to imagine the world without the influence of the
construction industry no matter how rural the place might be. Even the simple
African huts that are dotting the rural landscape and other hinterlands are
full of symbolism and historical significance because they denote nationality
and point to a certain historical epoch in the evolution of the African built
environment. Did you know that a kraal for most African people is more than
just a structure? It is also a shrine, a divine place from where community
safeguarding rituals are performed in high awe and respect and yet the
structure of the kraal is the product of the construction activity.

Since time primordial human beings as organisms of evolution have had the
inherent need for shelter. Endowed with the best brains, they developed ideas
around what type of dwellings were appropriate to shield them from natural
elements such as the weather patterns and other hazards including wild animals,
enemies and vagrants. Even then the activity was labour intensive and depended
on the availability of whatever scanty resources. The presence of forests,
rocks, animal skins, water and other necessities determined the permanence of
the human settlements. Over time these settlements became sophisticated and
their built environment standards developed and the construction industry
became part of the civilisation as evidenced by the pyramids of ancient Egypt,
the shrines of the Central American Inca people, the stone buildings of the
African kingdoms of Mali and Zimbabwe.

In modern world construction and its branches such as engineering,
architecture, quantity surveying, project management, town planning have become
specialised and adapted for global competitiveness. And South Africa as a
developing country caught in the unfolding global forces has had to learn to
compete by developing its own construction capacities and competencies because
if we did not the world around us would and we would become indebted to the
outsiders at the expense of developing our own pride, identity and style. As a
result we are today appealing to our learners to primarily appreciate the value
of this industry but importantly try to identify career opportunities in the
industry. There are professional choices such as the fields listed above or one
could choose to follow artisan trades such as carpentry, plumbing, joinery and
others. Even better with the trade background you can pursue business
management training to become entrepreneurs and manage own companies where you
employ others instead of being employed yourself. The sky is indeed the limit
as opportunities are endless.

The South African government has been working very closely with the business
world to grow the economy and create a better life for all. The construction
industry was identified as one of the foremost industries in helping government
achieve its goals of providing the people with houses, roads, water, sanitation
but also other essential public infrastructure including police stations,
justice courts, multi-purpose community centres (MPCC) etc. With the 2010
approaching and South Africa entrusted the opportunity to host a Soccer World
Cup tournament the county will require stadiums, hotels, more and improved
roads. With 2010 gone these facilities will remain as an investment in the
country for the continued use by yourself and your children once you have
finished education to join the communities as professionals and other
specialists.

We believe that with all the experiences this morning, your mind is already
racing to identify a niche for yourself in this sector. As government we
appreciate your determination and call on our youth to take interest in the
building of their country. One way to help government fight poverty is for many
of you to vow not to fall into the same poverty trap that our parents find
themselves in mainly due to no fault of their own. This country was once
ravaged by the demon of apartheid where your parents despite their ambitions
were not allowed to rise above certain degree in life. Apartheid decided that
they should stay in poor areas and attend poor schools where they were given
poor education.

Many parents resisted and were jailed or killed by the apartheid police.
Those who survived became dedicated working class and literally helped build
the foundations for the prosperity of this country. Do not disappoint your
parents. Avoid letting your country down by failing to finish your education.
Stay away from drugs, crime and premarital sex. Again this industry working
with government has launched the HIV/AIDS strategy for the industry to promote
healthy and responsible lifestyle among the participants. On the subject of
drugs I want to recall the words of one African American civil right champion,
Reverend Jesse Jackson, who said that as leaders we ought to be “putting hope
in your brains instead of injecting dope in your veins.”

I hope you learnt something from this campaign and want to see you as the
National Construction Week ambassadors in the coming years. Go out and show the
world that you are literally laying foundations for the building of a
prosperous South Africa. Repeat this message to yourself that “come 2010, I
want to be there making a difference.”

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Public Works
2 August 2006