Construction World August 2021

many feel they have no option because if they do not, they will lose the job as another contractor will accept the new terms. A related issue is that guarantees are often drafted in such a way that they can be 'cashed' without the contractor or subcontractor being afforded the opportunity to defend their position or make good on any outstanding issues (these are often known as on-demand guarantees). As a result, many contractors go out of business when guarantees are called in precipitately. The point was made that the competitive environment and low margins affected the whole construction value chain and predisposed all players to accede to unethically altered contracts. A further major issue for members was the deterioration of transparency and professional ethics in the industry. This impacts the whole project life cycle. A particular challenge is that main contractor and selected subcontractor tenders are no longer opened in public, and the main contractor is now routinely excluded from the adjudication of selected subcontract tenders. Some possible solutions were put on the table: • The JBCC contracts were originally created by the industry – why not get the industry to come together again to refine them, if necessary, and recommit to them? • Obtain a directive to adhere to the standard JBCC® and MBSA® construction guarantee formats, which at least have conditions that have to be met before guarantees can be called. • Reduce the ongoing contractual issues by moving away from the adversarial element that is implicit in current contracts by restructuring

activity, Lesedi la Batho aims to have a larger and sustainable impact on the Mabopane community. Those who partake in the programme will be able to help other women and youth benefit from better employment opportunities that are created by entrepreneurs. Ceenex recently donated three sewing machines to the new Entrepreneurship Hub that Lesedi la Batho will be establishing in the community. The Entrepreneurship Hub will be used to support the GBV programme, as well as other initiatives at the community centre. Kedibone Moatshe, who oversees the firm’s many CSI projects, says that Ceenex intends donating a further two sewing machines to Lesedi La Batho in the next financial year. “We continue to support many impoverished communities in the greater Gauteng area, and recently also turned our attention to Mabopane. We were particularly impressed by the way in which Lesedi la Batho was acting as a catalyst for social entrepreneurship in the community. This is in addition to its focus on empowering girls and women of all ages. We, therefore, approached Centre Manager, Thapelo Mokwena, and his team to see how we were able to help make an even larger impact on the community,” Moatshe says. Kgomotso Sekgobela, a Ceenex Director, says that he is especially proud of Ceenex’s association with Lesedi la Batho Community Centre. “This is a CSI initiative both Kedibone and I hold dear to our heart, considering that we both grew up in Mabopane and attended primary school at the very same facility before it was converted into a community centre. It is also our own way of giving back to a community that played such a large part in who we are today,” Sekgobela concludes.  them as vehicles for joint risk, so that everybody is on the same team. • Lobby banks and finance houses to fund only those projects which use unamended contracts. • Increase efforts to educate industry players about the contracts and the risk implications of signing amended contracts. • Find ways to get principal agents and professional quantity surveyors to maintain a high level of transparency and ethics. Mohau Mphomela, MBA North CEO, says that the organisation will be prioritising the issue of the illegal amendment of JBCC contracts. “MBA North will be engaging with all stakeholders, including the JBCC and the Competition Commission, among others, to find ways of reducing the increased risks that contractors have had to assume for quite some time.”  ABOUT THE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION NORTH The Master Builders Association North is the amalgamation of the former Master Builders Associations of Johannesburg (founded in 1894) and Pretoria (founded in 1903). The organisations merged to form the Gauteng Master Builders Association in 1996, and was renamed Master Builders Association North, representing four regions: Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It is a chapter of the Master Builders Association South Africa. Based in Halfway House, the Master Builders Association North represents the interests of employers in the building and allied trade industries in the abovementioned four regions. It aims to serve its members by facilitating best practice within its membership and the building industry as a whole.

CEENEX CSI PARTNER IS A GLOBALGIVING ACCELERATOR GRADUATE them start their own businesses so that they can become financially independent. By focusing on cultivating women as leaders and fostering economic

L esedi la Batho, one of Ceenex’s corporate social-investment (CSI) partners, recently achieved its goal of earning a permanent position on the GlobalGiving platform by raising more than R80 000 from over 60 donors in only 19 days. These funds will be used to support the not-for-profit organisation’s new Ikemele women empowerment programme, which aims to support victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in the underserved Mabopane community. A tradition of patriarchy and financial dependence on men continues to fuel GBV and femicide in the Mabopane community. The situation has gone from bad to tragic since the hard lockdown was first implemented in March 2020 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus as joblessness and poverty levels reach new highs in this community. Through one-on-one counselling sessions, Lesedi la Batho aims to provide victims of GBV a sustainable support network. It will give them a sense of hope and help restore their confidence. Moreover, the programme will focus on equipping abused women with the skills they need to secure employment. This is in addition to helping

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