Dear Readers
We are often asked the question, what can the Association do for my business. The long answer to that question can be found on the Join Now page of our website. The short answer is that we are here to promote and protect our members.
To this end, we are very excited to announce a project which will not only promote the Association and its Members, but will also create work. You will find the Tender Notice below, for the "greening alterations to the Master Builders Centre" at 40 Essex Terrace, Westville. This tender is open to Members of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal only.
We also feature a follow up article on the recent Health & Safety competition, which also serves to promote our Members and the Association.
The articles on Tenders and the CIDB, are both a call to our Members to contact the Association so that we can protect you. We are aware of the problems and obstacles that you face and can engage the various stakeholders at a regional and national level. What we need from you is as much information as possible. This enables us to identify trends, priorities and bottlenecks and we can then collate the information and engage the various players on the broader issues.
Finally, our training manager Victor Smith, has an urgent appeal to Members who are interested in sitting on a Training Committee. This feedback from this committee will enable us to tailor the courses that we will be offering to Members and their staff next year, so it is important that you get involved.
Brandon Abdinor | Executive Director
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TENDER NOTICE AND INVITATION TO Association MEMBERS
An invitation is hereby extended, but limited to, contractors who are members of the Master Builders Association to submit bids for the "greening" alterations to the Master Builders Association offices in Essex Terrace, Westville.
The Master Builders Association is committed to both its members and the policies of the country and therefore strongly recommends that contractors are registered with the CIDB with a contractor grading of 6GB (5GBPE) or higher.
Preferences are offered to the bids that include for the transfer of skills and training policy as described in the tender documents.
The bid returnable documents are described in the tender documents and will form a part of the contract between the parties.
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Troubles with Tenders?
Many of our members, particularly those involved in undertaking work for various organs of state, are reporting a range of problems relating to tendering processes and activities. These problems range from confusion and lack of clarity, all the way through to irregular and possibly even illegal practices. The Association has the ability to engage with various government departments to try and resolve these issues and even challenge certain practices should this be appropriate. We are currently focussing on the following organs of state and development agencies in particular:
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2009 Regional Health and Safety Competition
In 2009 the standards were again extremely high, keeping in mind that sites were audited on more than 20 different elements consisting of over 1000 items ranging from administrative and legal requirements, training, public safety, protective equipment, housekeeping, scaffolding, electrical safeguarding, plant and machinery, excavation, transport and material handling, to name but a few.
Our members again came through with flying colours this year; no less than 5 sites attained a mark of more than 95% and will therefore be receiving the presidential award for this remarkable achievement. The majority of the sites that entered scored in excess of 90 percent. The disabling injury frequency rate (DIFR) was also extremely favourable; with the majority of the sites operating at a DIFR of zero.
For competition results and to view images taken on the night, follow the Read More Link provided.
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the CIDB AND YOU
Photo Credit: Josh Reid - 082 521 3372
The Association maintains a constructive relationship with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and has been relatively successful in addressing some of the challenges faced by members in this regard.
This is an ongoing process and we request you, our member to register any significant concerns or problems with us so that we can follow them up. Possible issues can include problems with grading and registration, as well as the awareness of the fraudulent or inappropriate gradings of other contactors.
Concerns and problems will be handled confidentiality. For more information please contact Brandon Abdinor or Bruce Lyle at the Association.
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Congress 2009 (Part 3) Best practice and Consumer Protection
Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) recently held it's Annual Congress at the Sandton Convention Centre. One of the highlights was a panel discussion around the issue of Consumer Protection and Quality Assurance. Present on the panel were:
Dr Rodney Milford of the CIDB
Cas Coovadia of the Banking Association
Fred Wagenaar of the NHBRC
John Mathews from Garden Cities Incorporated, a Contractor involved in building of homes
Adrian Goslett from Remax, a leading Estate Agency.
The Challenges
The discussion accepted the fundamental premise that the industry experiences a large number of complaints around quality, time, cost and the scope of building projects. It was accepted that these issues would not go away and that all roleplayers in the industry needed to apply themselves to ensuring increased customer satisfaction.
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Congress 2009 (Part 4) Bobby Godsell
One of the keynote speakers at the recent Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) Congress in Johannesburg was Bobby Godsell, the current Chairperson of Eskom. Godsell was the Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold for nine years and held a number of very senior positions in the gold mining industry over the last three decades. He currently sits on a number of bodies and is widely acclaimed to be one of the more visionary business leaders in South Africa.
Godsell is therefore well placed to hold a persuasive opinion as to the state of South Africa and he touched on this in his address at the Congress.
Godsell believes that South Africa, and indeed the rest of Africa, requires three key elements to survive and prosper in a rapidly changing world. The first of these is a Green Revolution. Environmental resources are dwindling and abusive practices are rapidly bringing the state of the planet to a crisis. The appropriate use of energy, water and food production capacity are going to be essential to see us safely into the future. Not only will a so called Green Revolution protect the environment, it will also form the basis of a new economy, creating jobs and improving the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people.
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Eskom's Power Strugle
While South Africans are still reeling from the effect of two enormous electricity price hikes, Eskom is planning to implement a further three (each a massive 45 percent) over the next three years.
The argument, no doubt a valid one, is that without sufficient power resources, our economic future would neither be sustainable nor secure. Healthcare, education, safety and security and, perhaps most importantly, food production, all rely heavily on energy for their implementation. Simply put, making it happen, is going take a substantial amount of funding and the consumer (those that pay), are expected to bear the bulk of the burden.
Investigative journalist Bongani Bingwa of the Carte Blanche team, recently reported the existence of an internal confidential document, a business report of almost 300 pages, giving an overview of Eskom's performance up to June this year. It purportedly indicates that if Eskom were to clean up their act, as much as half the sum needed could be accounted for.
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READ THE FINE PRINT
The simplest task can expose one to huge liability, and nowhere more so than when it comes to motor cars. There are simply so many of them on the road that accidents are bound to happen.
Or thefts, or hijackings.
Sipho's father had an accident and his car was in the garage for repairs for 7 days. Luckily for his father, his motor vehicle accident policy granted a benefit under such circumstances. He could have a replacement car of the same size for the 7 day period. At least he could get around and wouldn't have to use public transport!
His insurance broker phoned to say that the replacement car was ready to be collected at the car hire company. It was all totally free, except for the insurance excess. Sipho's father knew about the excess, since he had recently had to pay it for the accident he had been involved in.
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Wanted: Training Committee
It is the mandate of the Master Builders Association to provide a menu of benefits and services to its members.
Training is one of the services offered on this menu.
The Association continually strives for excellence in both the general association activities, as well as the products and services offered by the commercial divisions.
In order to provide an effectual training service to our members, we recognise that we need the invaluable input of our stakeholders.
It is against this background that we conclude that there is a need to put together a committee consisting of interested and affected parties.
We therefore appeal to all interested and affected parties to get in touch with the training manager, Victor Smith, to convey their interest in participating in such a forum.
The contact number is 031 266 7070.
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Closing comments
We trust that the information provided in this letter has been informative and useful.
We also sincerely hope that these challenging times are being good to you as far as possible. If you are experiencing difficulties with the general lack of work, we hope that these challenges provide you with the opportunity to adapt for your long term prosperity.
Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal
40 Essex Terrace
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 3630
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Durban Golf Day
 The Association's annual Durban Golf Day first took place in 1934. Players compete for a host of prizes and the coveted Dulux Cup, which is finely wrought in Hallmarked Sterling Silver and measures 800mm in height. This year the event is scheduled for Tuesday 24 November 2009, Tee-Off time still to be confirmed. Remember - Space is limited so to avoid disappointment, please call our Westville office to book your slot, the number is 031 266 7070. To book a team, Lynda will happily assist you. For more information on becoming a marketing partner for the event, Tanya will gladly provide you with all the necessary details. |
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Upcoming Functions, Meetings and Events
South Coast Region year end function
Fri - 20 Nov 2009
Midlands Race Day
Sun 22 Nov 2009
Durban Annual Golf Day
Tues 24 November 2009
Zululand Year End Function
Fri 27 Nov 2009
For more information about forthcoming meetings, events and functions visit the Networking page on our website.
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Master Builders online discussion Forum
Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal General Forum was recently implemented to create a platform for open exchange of Industry relevant information, as well as to encourage healthy debate. The forum is open to anyone who has a vested interest in the construction industry.
Latest Threads:
Eskom's Dirty Laundry
Key Elements To Survive and Prosper
Best Practices & Consumer Protection
Who's At Fault Here ?
To go directly to the forum click on this link http://forum2.masterbuilders.co.za or copy and paste the link into your browser.
Discuss | Contribute | Learn
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OHS Online forum
Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal recently launched an online forum dedicated to Health and Safety. The forum is open to anyone in the Health and Safety profession and is geared specifically to all matters relating to Construction Health and Safety.
Latest Threads:
New Construction Regulation: Formwork and Support work CR 10
Labour broking set to be banned in 2010
New Construction Regulation: Structure CR9
Cause of oil fire unknown
Major Hazard Installation Regulations
To go directly to the forum click on this link http://safety.masterbuilders.co.za or copy and paste the link into your browser.
Discuss | Contribute | Learn
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Archived Newsletters
 We have started archiving copies of our bi-monthly newsletter on our website. Should you be looking for something that appeared in a previous edition, navigate to the News and Information page. Tip - if you are looking for information from our website and are not sure where to find it, use the Google Site Search facility on the top right of every page (under the contact telephone number).
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Meet the Team
 Did You Know.....Chervon Van Zyl according to Home Affairs isn't married, her and her husband are disputing it. Michelle Govender's favourite pastime is to cook. Elishya Abbu once entered a competition called Sisters Of Spin and had to DJ to a club full of people. Kim Durward - NHBRC Assistant was driven to tears by the movie "Brother Bear" Hazel Stevens is in her third year studying for a B Compt Degree. Winnie Ngubane listens to RMB and Fusion ...... and Tanya Leeuw enjoys traveling on motorbikes at outrageously high Speeds. For these and many other wacky and wonderful facts about those whom you deal with, visit Focus on Staff, now featuring on the Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal Blog. |
Advertise Here!
If you would like to advertise your product/service here and reach over 600 Members of the Master Builders Association, contact Tanya on
031 266 7070.
For more information visit the advertising section of our website.
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contact us
Tel: 0861 001 106
Health and Safety
Neels Nortje
Financial Services
Clive Hill
Benefits Office
Rob Pengelly
Contractual & Legal
Bruce Lyle
Training
Victor Smith
Customer Care
Shelly Kupferman
South Coast Regional Manager
Hans Stols
North Coast Regional Manager
Paula Ferraris
Midlands Regional Manager
Gareth Roberts
Finance Manager
Greg Beykirch
Commercial & Online Manager
Gary Amstutz
Executive Director
Brandon Abdinor
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