The building industry should not be excluded from discussions with the government and Eskom regarding the current electricity crisis, Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) said on Wednesday.
”MBSA had clearly indicated that it was willing to participate in these important discussions,” MBSA president Eunice Forbes said.
MBSA met Eskom and key role-players in Midrand on Wednesday and it was decided that a forum would be established to open the communication channels.
”The new forum will be a mechanism in which all these players can exchange ideas and reveal their intentions, protocols or practices, so that any measures taken are harmonious with — and complementary to — those of fellow role-players,” MBSA chief executive Pierre Fourie said.
He said the challenges facing the building industry needed an integrated approach by the role-players in the supply chain.
The forum would consist of representatives of Eskom, industry associations, the property development industry, materials manufacturers and suppliers, designers and specifiers, builders, constructors and installers.
Fourie said the building sector, for its part, would analyse the electrical requirements of construction activity and strive to optimise this usage.
He said the building industry planned to use new design principles for future projects.
”But to do this, we need more accurate information and input regarding the short-medium and long-term electricity supply scenario. This is why the new forum is so important for all connected to the construction industry in South Africa,” he said. – Sapa