Business

Housing contracts for emerging builders

28 October 2009

The Eastern Cape housing department has awarded the construction of government houses worth R24-million to emerging contractors, an official said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said the 17 emerging contractors recently graduated from a construction management training course arranged by the department with the Nelson Mandela Metro University in Port Elizabeth.

The contractors included two disabled, two youth and five women-run construction companies.

"These emerging contractors will build 430 housing units in the Mount Pleasant Project in Fort Beaufort and the Transit Camp Project," Sicwetsha said.

"This represents an average of 25 housing units per emerging contractor. Work on these projects will start next month, and the building of the houses will be completed early next year."

Sicwetsha said another 220 housing units had been set aside for construction by local emerging contractors in Makana municipality.

"Plans are at an advanced stage to allocate housing units to emerging contractors in other parts of the province," he said. "Already, 398 housing units have been set aside for emerging contractors in the Alfred Nzo region."

He said a second batch of contractors would be trained in various skills through the construction sector education training authority. Further Education and Training colleges had also been approached to provide training to emerging contractors.

The department has entered into memorandums of agreement with the Department of Public Works and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation to train emerging contractors.

"This is a partnership between three parties on the implementation of skills training, coaching and mentorship programmes for emerging contractors."

Sapa