Next month Cape Town will showcase at the 7th Cape Construction Expo why it is a global investment and tourism destination with great potential for further economic development through which to increase employment, income and overcome the major socio-economic challenges facing our city, province and country.

“Cape Town is renowned for being a world-class tourism destination, however, I am pleased to confirm that increasingly more businesses identify Cape Town as a forward-looking globally competitive city ready for investment. As the City, we know that our work goes beyond providing basic services and we are committed to working with all sectors to promote and retain investment.

It is my priority to work with industry partners to make it easier for individuals, professionals, sector bodies and businesses to become part of this dynamic economy.

 We understand the barriers for the industry and professional bodies and the concerns of the industry regarding sector economic pressures. We will do all we can to ensure that we continue to be the go-to city on the African continent and globally for business and trade,” says Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management.

Servicing the entire value chain of the Western Cape’s construction industry

The exhibition element of 7th Cape Construction Expo, that is taking place on 11 and 12 September at Sun Exhibits GrandWest, will showcase the full construction cycle over eight dedicated product zones including building interiors & finishes, construction tools & building materials, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plant machinery & vehicles, smart construction, concrete, windows, doors & facades, pumps, valves & pipes.

Collaborating to overcome construction industry challenges

Mr Jeremy Wiley, a past president of Cape Chamber of Commerce says: “In the South African context Cape Town is the most expensive metropolitan region in which to live, own commercial property and develop businesses. Municipal and provincial authorities could consider making surplus public land available for affordable housing by the private sector, reducing property rates and municipal development levies to stimulate commercial and industrial property development particularly in previously disadvantaged areas and various inner city commercial and industrial corridors.”

Mr Wiley will be joined by Ms Jacqueline Samson, Chief Director of Planning and Ms Phila Mayisela, Chief Director of Implementation at the Department of Human Settlements of the Western Cape Government, amongst others, on an interactive Stakeholder Engagement Forum panel discussion that is running alongside the expo on 12 September. The discussion will highlight inner city transformation, provincial investment and development initiatives, overcoming industry challenges and how public and private sector can better collaborate to unlock construction bottlenecks.

The importance of professional development cannot be overstated

Continuous professional development is the secret to separating yourself from the pack. Alongside the 7th Cape Construction Expo attendees can benefit from the complimentary CPD accredited skills development training workshops.

The ‘Contractors Corner’ workshop area will include talks on health and safety; arbitration & legal compliance; knowing your rights when it comes to ensuring timeous payment, avoiding disputes and preventing damages being claimed; what to look out for when dealing with the specification, testing and disputing of ready-mixed concrete and more.

The ‘Architectural Talks’ workshop area will cover the relevance of CPD including the conditions and validation: SACAP's and the voluntary association’s roles; understanding what to expect from the National Building Regulations and SANS revisions; understanding timber preservation and more.