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OPINION: I have low expectations of these upcoming national elections

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Construction Professional Zuko Peter does not think the upcoming elections are likely to bring significant changes., but he believes it is crucial for the Construction and Built Environment (CBE) industry to voice its expectations because active participation in the elections is essential to address systemic issues. In my opinion, the upcoming national elections will not bring about significant changes compared to previous ones. Things are likely to remain the same or even worsen after the elections. Despite my low expectations, I believe it is crucial for the Construction and Built Environment (CBE) industry to voice its expectations. As industry professionals, we are being exploited by companies owned by politicians who prioritize self-enrichment. It is detrimental to our industry to be infiltrated by incompetent and unqualified individuals. The government must ensure that these individuals, at the very least, possess an educational background comparable to other sectors. Furthermor
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CAREERTIPS: An investment in soft skills is required for a succesfull hardhatPROFESSIONAL career.

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Construction Professional Melusi Bhungane shares a hardhatCAREERTIP he would give to his younger self

When I was a Site Agent on the construction of a 21km bulk water, associated connections and toilets project we had a local community disrupting the project and my initial approach to resolving the impasse was not yielding the required results.

I then took some time out to think things through and I realized that my approach was not yielding the required results because it was founded on impatience. As a technical person I was only focused on the technical aspects of the project and I thought the community was unreasonable in their demands.

Notwithstanding the unreasonableness of the communities demands I changed my approach and tried to see this from their point of view to understand the root source of their issues. When I changed my approach to rectify the situation it yielded the required results and we achieved the milestones we set ourselves to achieve on the project with the community on board.

So if I had to give my younger self one advice it would be to avoid being impatient when dealing with outside stakeholders. A successful journey as a hardhatPROFESSIONAL not only requires an investment in upgrading technical skills, it also requires a good investment in upgrading soft skills like patience and empathy.


Melusi Bhungane is a BTech Civil Engineering graduate with 14 years extensive working experience in both established construction and consulting companies on Infrastructure Projects. He is currently employed as a Senior Site Agent with Inkanyeli Construction

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