27 May 2013

Five youth construction companies have been awarded maintenance tenders worth about P8 million under the reservation policy.

Officially opening the youth in construction workshop in Palapye recently, the Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology (MIST), Mr Johnnie Swartz said since the inception of the youth programme in 2009, the cumulative value of projects executed by youth was over P80 million.

“I am pleased to say that many of such projects have been delivered in time, on budget and to acceptable quality,” said Mr Swartz.

He said the total budget provision for this year’s maintenance projects was about P342 million, and that 15 per cent  of the projects, which translates into P51 million, would be used under the youth reservation policy.

Mr Swartz, however, noted that his ministry was facing challenges  such as cost overruns, delayed completion of projects and poor quality works by some contractors.

He said they have decided to enforce some contractual measures such as levying penalties to deal with defaulters.

“In some instances we have forced contractors to redo works that were not properly done at their own cost while in some cases we have had to terminate some contracts,” said the minister.

He said his ministry no longer tolerated under-performers and that the conditions also apply to the youth in the construction industry.

“I wish to also caution that this well-intended programme should not be taken lightly by some to just fill space. It must be a vocation to improve not only you, but the industry and country as a whole.”

Mr Swartz said the aim was to build a professional, credible and responsible construction industry that could compete internationally.

He noted that his ministry participated in other forms of training the youth across the country such as the Youth Empowerment Scheme.

He said through the scheme, 47 young people had been attached to the Department of Building and Engineering Services (DBES) offices across the country to gain experience and develop competencies as technicians or artisans.

For his part, the chairperson of youth in construction, Mr Mpho Makgosa thanked MIST for the workshop.

However, he said the youth in construction were faced with various challenges that made it difficult for them to cut a niche in the industry.

He said most youth companies do not have tendering skills and fail to win tenders.

He also said some youth contractors were not competent, adding that they in the process of screening contractors as such those contractors without any training will not be registered. ENDS