Deputy President Cyril Rampahosa has lauded the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) for partnering with government to transform the country’s built environment.

“I applaud the forum for leading the voluntary rebuilding programme, which led to a landmark agreement with our government exactly a year ago,” he said at the Safcec gala dinner last week.

The initiative has earmarked R1.5-billion for supporting emerging contractors and will support black engineers and artisans and provide social upliftment programmes in poor and needy communities.

Ramaphosa encouraged other established businesses to follow in the footsteps of the forum to develop the capabilities of this diverse nation and to support emerging black businesses in the sector.

“Infrastructure is critical to the growth of our economy, the expansion of our economic potential, the creation of jobs and the improvement of people’s lives,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that this required effective collaboration between government and the private sector, efficient deployment of national resources and the effective marshalling of the country’s engineering and other skills.

Through the significant investments made by the public and private sectors, the apartheid landscape was progressively changing, he said.

“We are aware of the challenges that the sector faces as it is presented with technologies and innovations that could potentially replace the jobs that are so badly needed in our economy,” he noted, adding that to grow and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth, more black and female participants were needed in the infrastructure sector.

It was in infrastructure development and spatial planning that the public and private sectors were inextricably linked, he said.

“This means recognising that our progress as a nation is linked to this relationship.”

In a developmental State, the private sector should not see its role in this relationship as only making huge profits at all costs.

Collusion and anticompetitive behaviour, he said, were a form of corruption that undermined the proper management of public resources, as well as social cohesion.