The construction market in Southern Africa demonstrates a strong resilience, paving the way for industry growth amidst a range of opportunities and challenges. Notably, infrastructure investment in South Africa is witnessing favorable developments with a substantial allocation of R2.6 billion being made for human settlement development over the upcoming three years in the Western Cape, along with an additional R100 million dedicated to enhancing the City's strategic economic assets and informal trading infrastructure. These noteworthy initiatives represent a glimpse into the multitude of ongoing projects and innovative ideas across the region.

To discover more about these opportunities and the trends that could boost the industry, Big 5 Construct Southern Africa, now in its tenth year, continues to promote progress towards growing a strong, transparent, and transformed construction sector. “The event unites industry professionals, experts, and stakeholders in the built environment to exchange knowledge, showcase innovative solutions, and foster collaboration,” says Tracy-Lee Behr, Portfolio Director: Built Environment at dmg events.  

Taking place from 27-29 June 2023, Big 5 Construct Southern Africa offers contractors, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, designers, and property developers free and easy access to over 6000 products and technologies and 30 CPD accredited workshops, through partnership with the South African Institute of Building Design (SAIBD) and South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE).  

A broad selection of topics will be available covering key themes from architecture to real estate, concrete to green and smart construction and trends relevant to contractors. From reducing carbon in geotechnical construction, to learning about the benefits of quality assurance through product testing, there will be a lot of insight available. Discover how best to encourage the youth to join the industry, boosting job creation and innovation as bright minds bring about bright ideas.

Andiswa Xozwa, Managing Director of Okuhle Project Management says women deserve better representation in the industry and will be sharing practical solutions such as investing in women-owned businesses and creating a positive and diverse working environment across construction. 

New to the programme this year is the Real Estate Talks. Broll Property Group CEO, Malcolm Horne will open discussions, setting the scene on real estate alongside Sean Berowsky, Broll’s Head of Capital Markets. Included in panel discussion topics, the intersection of opportunities in real estate, construction and technology, where PropTech solutions will be debated.  Surviving an (alleged) property crisis also gives rise to opportunities, which will be explored and moderated by Broll Integrated Facilities Management Chief Operations Officer, Batabile Sibaca. “The difficult economic realities require creating thinking and looking ahead with a sustainable lens, and real estate allows for plenty of green innovation,” Sibaca says. 

Also on the agenda are African Smart Homes.  In the age of smart cities, the internet of things, big data and inter-connectivity, a smart home should be much more accessible, and has great potential on a continent like Africa[1]. Exploring this in greater detail, Dave Britany of Switch Smart will uncover the options available from quick improvements to entirely controlling a property remotely through a secure app. 

Sustainability and growth are high on the agenda across this and co-located events this year. The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa Stakeholders Engagement Forum, hosted in partnership with NAFBI returns alongside Totally Concrete, the African Smart Cities Summit and the Big 5 Southern Africa Construction Impact Awards. 

According to Frost & Sullivan Africa Partner and CEO, Hendrik Malan, who will be on the judging panel of the Awards, the South African construction industry is on an upwards trajectory. As of January, projects worth R232 billion were under construction, amidst activity by SANRAL awarding 323 tenders to the value of R59 billion by the close of its 2022/2023 financial year. SMMEs and communities stand to benefit through large-scale job creation, skills development, and poverty relief, and to counter a lack of technical- and project management resources, Infrastructure South Africa has allocated R600 million towards project preparation, specifically for rural and under-resourced areas.

“These are all excellent developments that filter through to the industry at large, inspiring further growth and innovation,” Malan says. 

“These events provide a platform to explore issues, solutions and new opportunities across Southern Africa's construction market, while recognising the resilience, adaptability and possibilities ahead,” Behr concludes.