Please give us a brief summary on your career to date
I started in the industry back in 1995 as a trainee on a construction site at Savage & Lovemore - Natal that later became part of Group Five - Roads Division. The company executed some of the construction projects that later became a biggest contributor to the national road network in South Africa and Southern Africa. This was a founding experience that built my career to what it is today. I later left Group Five and worked in consulting space in various provinces though this lasted hardly 2 years following which I joined Umso Construction as a Manager in 2001.
The journey of Umso Construction has been a true test of resilience and this is attributed to the founders of the company whom themselves were entrepreneurs in their own right who fought for a place in a market that was a special reserve of white South Africa pre-1994. These are the unsung heroes who paved the way for later generations to find a home in the construction industry, I am one of such later generations. I became Operations Director in 2004, a position I held until 2014 when I became Chief Operations Officer and later Chief Executive Officer in 2016.
Umso Construction at the time was a small entity whose presence only existed in Port Elizabeth region in 1996. The company later expanded to East London and that became the main office in order to access the former Ciskei and Transkei construction market as these regions were booming with provision of basic services be it roads, water supply, sanitation and housing. This is during the time that I for the first time laid eyes on the beautiful luring landscapes of Eastern Cape.
During my early days at Umso Construction I moved from project to project covering the length and breadth of the entire province i.e. Mthatha, Port St Johns, Lusikisiki, Bizana, Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Queenstown, East London, Lady Frere, Alice, Fort-Hare, Indwe and many many more, the list is endless. In this journey that last no less than 8 years traversing the Eastern Cape province and other provinces, we sort to entrench Umso as a formidable player in the construction market. Towards mid-2000s we had begun to pursue work in new territories i.e. Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng as the 2010 FIFA World Cup and other related infrastructure began to take shape. As a result, Umso became part of the contractors who participated in the construction of the Gautrain project and later participated in Gauteng Freeway Improvement Projects.
This expansion was to set a stage for further expansion into other provinces farther North and during 2009 we for the first time opened an office in Johannesburg - Midrand which I headed at the time as Operations Director. In this period Umso had become a local brand in the construction industry with a national presence.
Give us details of a project that made an impact in your career.
There many many projects that would qualify as such given my 25 year span in the industry however I am always drawn towards construction of bridges and the impactful nature of bridges especially in rural communities wherein immediate mobility is the very essence of such bridges.
The following are some of the bridge projects come to mind,
- Mankele Bridge - Penge, Limpopo
- Nyakana Bridge - Stanger, Kwazulu-Natal
- Mabhobhane Bridge -Stanger, Kwazulu-Natal
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| Map of the bridges |
What was your position and duties on these projects?
Mankele Bridge was completed in 2012 while the other two bridges, Nyakana and Mabhobhane were completed in 2018. My position during construction was Operations Director and Chief Operations Officer respectively.
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| "Old" Mankele Crossing Contraption - Penge, Limpopo |
Why does this this project/incident/situation stand out to you?
The story of no access to facilities namely; education, healthcare, basic shopping and work opportunities of communities affected by lack of bridges and roads is unimaginable in that every time a new bridge is built it eradicates a history of many decades if not centuries without normal life as we know it today. The importance and impact of these projects on adults, children and the future always find resonance with my enthusiasm to participate and I believe these are always most fulfilling. |
Mankele Bridge "Under Construction" - Penge, Limpopo
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What were the important lessons you learnt from these projects?
These bridges were built along some of the largest rivers in South Africa, i.e. Olifants River (Limpopo) and Tugela River (Kwazulu-Natal). These rivers are known for their violent nature of flooding during summer months and their very length with several minor and large other contributor-rivers makes them extremely unpredictable.
It soon becomes apparent that planning temporary and permanent construction work cannot be taken lightly in that flooding is common occurrence, worse in that in many instances, flooding is caused by overflowing dams upstream lasting for days if not weeks. Construction becomes an art of weather predictions that will ensure work continues despite constant flooding under rainy conditions.
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| Nyakana Bridge ``Under Construction``- Stanger, Kwazulu-Natal |
What were mistakes you experienced on these projects?
Major mistakes made on these projects is assuming we've planned enough for the ever- changing climate patterns in the region. Historic data that is usually available from weather bureaus is often exceeded by a huge margin thereby rendering any planning totally inadequate. Importantly, the warnings from local weather stations cannot be taken lightly hence a need to develop consistent communication particularly with weather stations up-stream in that sudden flooding is often caused by heavy rains elsewhere upstream thereby risking safety of workers, machinery and the project.
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| Mabhobhane Bridge ``Under Construction``- Stanger, Kwazulu-Natal |
How did you overcome your mistakes?
Mistakes and failures in these circumstances are always overcome by learning from previous occurrences and using those to improve always.
Also read: This is my story - Kibiti Ntshumaelo
What has been the most satisfying thing for you personally about these projects?
These projects create mobility and change lives forever. Upon completion of such projects, communities are instantly joined with the rest of the world. A typical daily commute to school that would take hours of travel by foot and risking flooding waters or hours of a round trip by road in the opposite direction where possible is reduced to mere minutes. A time only unimaginable for older local residents whose childhood and adulthood saw the extreme nature of these rivers at their worst and many many lives lost over decades as a result.
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Mabhobhane Bridge ``Completed``- Stanger, Kwazulu-Natal
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This industry is said to be one of the toughest industries, how did you manage to stay in for so long?
I am often confronted with this question as a reminder that the work we do is that of pioneers and explorers who could never quit for the world would not be what it is today without them. I associate this career to a calling in that once the construction bug bites there's no turning back. The industry is equally rewarding for those who are able to remain in it while it is also extremely challenging for families who often stay long periods without loved ones who seek career and project opportunities in far flung areas across the landscape.
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| Nyakana Bridge ``Completed`` - Stanger, Kwazulu - Natal |
In your opinion what are the biggest challenges facing the industry currently and how can they be overcome?
The biggest challenge facing the industry is absolute lack of project opportunities and this has been much spoken about from all quarters. The following in my opinion will be the legacy of such downturn;
1. Lack of training opportunities for younger professionals entering the market the resultant being a generation that will be sparsely skilled therefore undependable.2. Depletion of skilled labour as many continue to emigrate seeking opportunities elsewhere and those exiting the industry completely. 3. Soon the industry will be forced to import skills at a very high cost while local labour will pay the price for being poorly skilled.
Astonishingly, South Africa is clear of what needs to be done therefore there is no amount of any more workshops, training clinics, conferences and symposiums that can fix the problem. Projects must be implemented today, not tomorrow. We find ourselves where cancellation of tenders has become the order of the day for reasons that cannot be explained except for bureaucracy and poor management by client bodies particularly government. It often takes up to 18 months to conclude and award tenders that could easily be done in a few months.
Unfortunately implementing bodies are to blame for this phenomenon that has clearly engulfed the entire country thereby failing service delivery, expansion of infrastructure and general maintenance. All stakeholders must come to a realisation that any more delays will cost the industry and country to a point that future construction will rely solely on imported skills as evidenced in large parts of the African continent where almost all construction projects are implemented through Chinese and European nationals/companies while local economies are obliterated with citizen languishing in poverty.
South Africa is not short of drastic examples to learn from and the evidence is there for all to see. Infrastructure at local government requires urgent attention by those with capable minds and will. Anything worse will result in the situation becoming untenable. The time to rebuild the industry is NOW and NOT tomorrow.
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