The construction sector has swung from shedding jobs to creating nearly 250,000 jobs in Q3— one of the strongest gains of any industry in SA.
Since the industry’s 2024 Durban summit and Durban declaration, 770 incidents of site disruption have been recorded, 240 court orders obtained and 176 convictions secured against perpetrators.
The 2025 National Construction Summit declaration is designed to lock in and accelerate that shift.
It sets out five priorities:
-a unified performance improvement framework;
-an accelerated Build programme and associated skills development;
-full implementation of the integrated social facilitation framework to stabilise sites;
-a push on sustainability and innovation, including building information modelling (BIM) and digital project management; and
-a clearer, stronger public works infrastructure mandate.
Single performance framework
The most important change is the move to a single performance framework for the industry.
The declaration commits to publishing a unified performance improvement framework for the construction industry by end-June 2026.
The framework will monitor and report on performance across infrastructure clients, contractors and professional service providers, flag nonperforming clients, enable fair blacklisting of nonperforming contractors and professionals, and introduce cost norms for key infrastructure types so that budgets and timelines can be benchmarked more reliably.
Skills development
The second commitment is to treat enterprise and skills development as core to performance, not an add-on.
Small and emerging contractors, particularly those in CIBD grades 1-4, sit closest to communities and are often the first to hire local labour.
The declaration therefore elevates the Build programme, committing the sector to training at least 1,000 contractors on construction management systems in 2026 and 3,000 beneficiaries through the CIBD skills development standard on live projects in the same year.
It also calls for a digital skills interventions map across CIDB, the Construction Education & Training Authority, the Council for the Built Environment and other development entities so that training is co-ordinated rather than fragmented and aligned with real project needs.
Community participation
The third commitment tackles social stability and community participation in a structured way.
A major focus of this year’s summit was the integrated social facilitation framework, developed by the department of public works & infrastructure as a direct outcome of the Durban summit.
The declaration commits government and industry to implementing this framework across infrastructure clients by end-June 2026, with support to departments, municipalities and state entities on how to apply it.
Done properly, this will change the character of construction sites: communities will see transparent rules for localisation and subcontracting, clear channels for grievances.
Enhanced sustainability
A fourth line of work is to enhance sustainability and drive innovation. In a country facing tight budgets and climate risk, inefficient and outdated project practices are a luxury we cannot afford.
The declaration commits to publishing a National Building Information Modelling Framework for the construction industry by end-September 2026; standardising and digitalising project management processes in the public works sector; updating building codes and procurement policies to reflect sustainability and innovation; and strengthening collaboration to fast-track and digitalise plan approvals for private sector projects.
The National Construction Summit Declaration gives us tools, targets and timelines.
Finally, the declaration seeks to enhance the public works infrastructure mandate. Fragmented legislation and scattered responsibilities have made it harder to enforce consistent standards and to hold anyone accountable.
The declaration proposes that all legislation and regulation governing the built environment should reside under the department and its entities, and calls for centralising the budget for infrastructure projects.
The National Construction Summit Declaration gives us tools, targets and timelines.
It builds on work already under way — from the Durban declaration to the arrests and convictions over the past year — and it sharpens our focus for the next phase. It cannot provide discipline; that must come from us.
Public clients, contractors, professionals, labour and communities will all need to play their part: accept measurement, pay on time, invest in skills, embrace transparency and use the new frameworks in place — the integrated social facilitation framework, the Build programme, hotlines and performance dashboards — instead of resorting to disruption or informal gatekeeping.
Suppose we treat the declaration as a binding contract with South Africans, rather than a ceremonial document for the archives.
In that case, we can move from a stop-start, crisis-prone industry to one that consistently builds the roads, schools, clinics and public spaces this country deserves — and the jobs and enterprises that must come with them. That is the accountability we owe.
• Dladla is CEO of the Construction Industry Development Board.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.