CONSTRUCTION SECTOR BODY BATES THEIR BREATH AS MINISTER BLADE NZIMANDE LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION INTO FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT AT THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING AUTHORITY (CETA)

The
country’s body of construction contractors Master Builders South Africa (MBSA),
has called for an urgent meeting with the Minister of Higher Education, Science
and Technology. The meeting is meant to provide clarity on the standing of
thousands of learners who are in training programmes supported by the CETA.

The
Construction Education and Training Authority was placed under administration
by Minister Nzimande on the 29 January 2020 to facilitate an investigation into
allegations of financial mismanagement and maladministration.

“We
have thousands of learners placed with building contractors on learnerships,
apprenticeships and candidacy programmes and the immediate concern is to ensure
that placing the CETA under administration does not result in unintended
consequences for these programmes and for skills development in the
construction sector.” said MBSA President Mr John Matthews.

Matthews
confirmed that MBSA was aware of ongoing challenges at the CETA, which were
causing significant delays in late payments of training grants, bursaries and
stipends to employers and learners. At just below 10% of the total labour force
of the country, the construction industry remains one of the largest employers
in the country.

However,
the lack of qualified and experienced workers has been cited as one of the
biggest threats facing the industry. To improve delivery of skills programmes
in the country, Minister Nzimande made an undertaking to implement a Contract
Management System to keep track of the flow of funds, so that financial
management becomes more transparent within the Department. He also indicated
that there would be consequences for individuals who fail to comply.

“As
an industry body, maintaining a steady supply of the required building skills
for the country is at the core of what we do for our members, and we remain
committed to working with the Minister to ensure that the CETA is more
effective and delivers the skills needs of the industry. We also support any
action aimed at entrenching good corporate governance and better performance,
but we are concerned that this development may jeopardise current skills
programmes and those that are planned for the near future” said Matthews.

Master
Builders South Africa (MBSA) is a Federation of registered employer
Associations representing contractors and employers in the construction
industry, and is regulated in terms of Section 107 of the Labour Relations Act
66 of 1995. The Federation’s nine Master Builders Associations, and three
Affiliate Associations represent more than 3500 contractors and employers in
the industry.

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About
Master Builders South Africa:

Master
Builders South Africa is the leading national representative body in the
building and construction industry in South Africa. It is a voluntary membership
based organisation whose primary role is to promote the viewpoints and
interests of the industry, to promote the highest quality and standards through
excellence in service to our members, engaging government and legislative
bodies on national policies that affect the industry, for the purpose of
creating a sustainable building industry in South Africa.