Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has urged small contractors and developers to stop selling government housing tenders to big construction companies for quick money for short-term luxuries.
“Government wants to develop you from being Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) 1 to CIDB 4.
Selling tenders to advanced contractors does not help us in developing contractors for tomorrow. We want hard workers, not those who want short-term luxuries,” she said on Monday.
Minister Sisulu and Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality, Danny Jordaan, met with small and medium contractors and developers of the metro to present a package of support to develop small and medium contractors.
The package responds to the need for training, developing and mentoring of contractors, developing a credible and fair database of suppliers and fast-tracking of quality human settlements delivery.
“We have developed a package of support programmes to be implemented by Human Settlements agencies, National Home Builders Regulatory Council (NHBRC), Housing Development Agency (HDA) and all layers of government to help you with finances and skills development,” Minister Sisulu told contractors, adding that government is here to help small contractors.
Mayor Jordaan said: “The Metro will work hard to pay on time. Contractors must ensure that they also do their part, they must meet all our regulations to ensure quality. We are about quality human settlements and fast-tracked delivery.”
More than 400 contractors registered in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro database of builders, who attended the workshop, committed to the training and support programme and emphasised their commitment to building quality houses.
