As construction for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa draws to a close, all eyes in the industry move to Brazil. In this article, we briefly consider the advantages of using either the F้d้ration Internationale des Ing้nieurs-Conseils (FIDIC) Red Book, and the New Engineering Contract (NEC3) Engineering and Construction Contract.

An adaptation of the phrase appears apt when searching for South African examples of efficient and well-managed delivery of municipal infrastructure. Time and again, fingers point toward an innovative pilot project undertaken by eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS). It appears that from the very beginning, the model has ticked all the right boxes: budget, quality, timely delivery, and skills development.

Historical ties between Africa and Brazil date back many centuries, through the years of the African Diaspora and the Atlantic slave trade. From the 16th century, slaves were spirited away from Central and Western Africa across to North and South America to work as unpaid labour on sugar, coffee, cocoa and cotton plantations, as well as gold and silver mines.

The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is a state-owned organisation whose mission is to fund and develop bulk raw water infrastructure in a sustainable manner that is cost-effective and benefits the consumer. TCTA also provides an advisory service within the water sector.

The events of the past week or so bring to mind the words of an old comrade from the Eastern Cape who made the seemingly obvious observation that while the ANC has been given the honour of leading the nation at this point in our history, it is not the nation – only the nation is the nation. During the struggle there were two competing versions of the nation battling for supremacy but since 1994 we have seen the emergence of a national consciousness that transcends the old divisions. It began appropriately on April 27th in the queues where South Africans discovered that they share a certain dry sense of humour. This is most fortunate because a good sense of humour is an essential precondition for survival in the beloved country. Then, at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, we discovered a shared passion for sport. The nation expected the Springboks to win and when they did there was dancing in the streets.

Since the introduction of social housing in South Africa, there is no record of a private sector for-profit company having engaged in the initiation, development and management of a social housing project. This stark fact prompts two suggestions, either the private sector is not well informed about the social housing programme or, the private sector is informed, but does not consider the incentives being offered attractive enough to want to participate.

There is a place where Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa unite, along the banks of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. Its name was once the Kingdom of Mapungubwe.

In Part One we looked at the challenges faced, such as prohibitive transport costs (much of it owing to the time it takes to travel), red tape and poor regulations, decaying infrastructure, lack of incentive for the private sector and the shallow, isolated approach taken by so many decision makers.

A summary of the paper: How has South African construction been insulated from the global financial crisis? Authored by Reamogetje Ngoepe, Mbongeni Simelane and Ian Kennedy – School of Construction, Economics and Management (University of the Witwatersrand) The paper argues that five factors acted towards insulating South Africa from the cold chill of the Global Financial Crisis.

The skills challenge facing South Africa needs no introduction, but what demands attention is the way in which performance quality and leadership will be developed in order to drive the construction industry forward.