NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Editor,

I would like to thank you for giving me space in your widely read newspaper. I want to direct my comments and concur with the letter to the editor that appeared in the Times of Swaziland on 17th October, titled; ‘Our construction Industry is in tatters’.

The writer could not have said it better; the construction industry is indeed in tatters. I’m also a player in the industry and have been following with keen interest the developments of late.
For a long time, the issue of fighting corruption has just been an overplayed song, but I will speak for many when I say that it was a breath of fresh air witnessing some way overdue changes within the Ministry of Works, particularly the Roads Department.

We all saw several key personnel being moved from the ministry. The unfortunate thing is that these were just relocations, which did not address the root of the problem; corruption. We cannot ignore the fact that corruption is rife within government, in particular the Ministry of Works.

We have learnt with interest the establishment of the Construction Industry Council. I am sorry to say, however, that instead of things getting better, they seem to be getting worse. Besides the fact that the composition of the Board leaves a lot to be desired, one wonders what criteria was used to select these people. It is clear that personal interest will be at play here. I was extremely puzzled how the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was appointed since we know him to be a consultant and still running a consultancy business.

This position has not been advertised but suddenly there is now a CEO calling the shots. This will discredit the noble intentions of this Council. This ‘preferred’ CEO’ has chosen to ignore key players in the industry and unilaterally called the shots. One wonders what relevance he has in the construction industry since he has no construction experience whatsoever. With such decisions and actions, the Council Board and parastatal in its entirety will fail before it even begins.

The Council cannot be a law unto itself but rather should derive its power from the stakeholders in the industry and also be totally accountable for its actions. We cannot sit back and fold our arms while selfish individuals pursue their personal interest and those they represent.

Anonymous

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