When the builders fall silent: How South Africa’s engineering soul began to fray

EVERY nation has its builders. When they fall silent, a country not only loses its scaffolding; it loses part of itsimagination.

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When a 123-year-old engineering house closes its doors, it is more than a business story; it is a mirror held up to a nation. According to Statistics South Africa, the construction industry contracted by 0.4% in the final quarter of 2024, even as the broader economy managed 0.6% growth for the same period, a numerical reflection of an industry under strain.

Independent reviews by the Auditor-General, the Competition Commission and industry bodies point to a pattern of slow payments, procurement inefficiencies and governance weaknesses that have compounded overtime. In 2013, the Competition Commission reported that 15 firms paid R1.46 billion in penalties for collusive tendering on projects largely executed between 2006 and 2011, a moment that damaged trust across the sector. These realities are well documented, yet they tell only part of the story.

The deeper causes lie both inside and around the institutions that once built South Africa's physical backbone. The great builders of the twentieth century were more than contractors; they were national assets. They trained thousands of artisans and engineers, and by 2008, construction accounted for nearly 4% of GDP and over one million jobs, according to Stats SA. Together with networks such as the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa, these firms created an ecosystem that translated policy into progress.

Over time, the rhythm changed.

RISK GOVERNANCE