Underpinning our strategy for economic recovery and growth is our capital investment programme. Over the next three years government will spend R846 billion on public infrastructure.

Well, that didn’t take very long. No sooner have the international guests departed the house than the neighbours are rolling their eyes at the sound of raised voices and breaking crockery as South Africans indulge in their favourite pastime: accusing each other of being ‘bloody agents’.

The Namib fog beetle is a feisty little creature. Every morning he makes an arduous journey to the top of a sand dune, where he turns his body into the wind, straightens out his rear legs and lowers his head. The fog rolling in from the sea gradually collects on his back, forming droplets of water, which glide downwards and hang from the insect's mouthparts.

I do not believe there is, or will ever be, one magic model for contractor development. Khuthaza’s Contractor Development Programmes have been growing and evolving over the past several years and serve as one contribution to the industry’s needs.

After an adrenalin-fuelled cycle of work, under unsustainable pressure, South Africa’s construction industry is heading into troubled waters. ISIZA looks to a few of the industry’s leading minds for their opinions on today’s most pertinent issues.

Throughout history, every strategic stronghold has a story to tell, often involving tugs of wars between power hungry nations. Being so ideally positioned beside the tip of Africa, Walvis Bay is no exception.

The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) records in the local construction industry speak for themselves; there is a lot work to be done. After releasing its Health and Safety Report in June last year, the cidb stated that the H&S numbers were not improving in tandem with the industry. Furthermore, the statistics available to measure fatalities and injuries were severely lacking, which made it very difficult to paint an accurate picture of industry trends.

South Africa’s built environment is earmarked as a sector with a significant role to play in becoming more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. But with a low-income housing backlog of more that two million units, the sector has a potentially important role to play in creating employment and manufacturing opportunities as well.

The World Cup was something of a clairvoyant. It gave South Africa a glimpse into what could be, into a parallel world to the top of which rose a cream of the finest racial blends. It was an achievement that deserves its place in history beside Nelson Mandela’s release and the New Democracy. Each was an occasion that should never be forgotten, for within them are the essential ingredients of growth and progress.