Construction World July 2018

COMMENT

The recent announcement that South Africa’s GDP contracted by 2,2% in the first quarter of the year, came as a shock to most. After the political euphoria that was created by the election of Cyril Ramaphosa, it is a huge disappointment. However, thinking that political change will bring about GDP growth in a short time, is highly naïve: positive sentiment alone cannot drive an economy. • An audited magazine that has been tuned in to our readers for the past 36 years. • A website with more than 11 000 unique monthly visitors. • A weekly electronic newsletter that reaches 10 000. • A social media presence (for example, we have almost 5 000 Twitter followers). • The annual Best Projects awards that recognises excellence in the entire built industry – the only award of its kind in South Africa. Wilhelm du Plessis Editor

Highlights in this issue

Even though many saw the political change as a positive step, it is by no means a quick fix. The contraction is indicative of the serious economic problems that South Africa has experienced in the last 10 years, including the highly constricting policy environment and a serious infrastructural deficit. The ruling party has a difficult choice to make: allow the private sector to grow the economy by creating a competitive best practice economy or maintain the status quo’s ideologically- infused developmentalism. If they choose the latter, South Africa’s GDP will most likely continue to flatline – or contract further – and the President, widely hailed as the saviour of South Africa’s economy, will then have to deal with being the successive leader of a country with a dwindling economy. For most economists the ANC faces three major issues that can potentially stand in the way of getting the country’s GDP on an upward curve: its labour policy, privatisation and deregulation. Achieving a workable solution for each of these will be no small feat. However, the positive is the realisation that GDP growth requires both political and economic reality … and not just mere sentiment. Serving the construction industry I was honoured to receive the 2 nd runner-up award in the Media and Communications Excellence category of the Africa Construction Awards. Even though it is an award for individuals, Construction World , and its publisher, Crown Publications, have made it possible to create various platforms with which to serve the construction industry so that it can better inform and recognise achievement. Here is what we offer the industry:

@ConstWorldSA

www.facebook.com/construction-worldmagazinesa

EDITOR & DEPUTY PUBLISHER Wilhelm du Plessis constr@crown.co.za ADVERTISING MANAGER Erna Oosthuizen ernao@crown.co.za LAYOUT & DESIGN Lesley Testa CIRCULATION Karen Smith

PUBLISHER Karen Grant PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY Crown Publications cc P O Box 140 BEDFORDVIEW, 2008 Tel: 27 11-622-4770 • Fax: 27 11-615-6108

TOTAL CIRCULATION: (First Quarter '18) 5 470

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. PRINTED BY Tandym Cape

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JULY 2018