The KwaZulu-Natal department of public works and infrastructure spends more than R25 million on privately sourcing critical artisanship services such as plumbers and electricians.
At one stage, the department forked out R10 000 to pay a contractor to unblock a toilet.
The misdemeanour prompted MEC Martin Meyer, the political head of the department, to rethink outsourcing.
“We are recruiting our own artisans to cut the high outsourcing costs of maintaining our 10 000 properties. We are disrupting the status quo. We have recruited 25 new artisans which will assist various government departments. These new disruptions will mean that this department no longer continues to pay exorbitant amounts to outsource artisans.”
Meyer said that in the upcoming financial year, the department had allocated R2.5 million towards training initiatives, including continuous professional development in the built environment, artisan training and digital skills development. The department of public works has been allocated R2.4 billion for the 2026/27 financial year.
Although the department has 65 artisans covering the various regions, Meyer said they were too few to cover the entire province. The department had penned a memorandum of understanding with various TVET colleges in order to address the backlog.
“We do have quite a shortage in plumbers and carpenters as well as electricians. Interestingly we’re also struggling to get engineers to apply for various posts we advertise. But we have engaged engineering bodies to get a sense of what could be the problem,” he said.
In some districts such as the far-flung uMkhanyakude, only one electrician and a plumber serve the entire district.
Mfundo Zuma, an electrical artisan, encouraged other young people to consider enrolling for artisanship, saying that there were vast opportunities in the sector.
“We are now in the skills revolution era. The country is in dire need of artisans and this is where future employment is. Young people should not shy away from TVET colleges. They should study to become artisans or take up any skills course. You study for a short period of time and get employed quicker,” he said.
Thembani Mhlongo, a carpenter dispatched in the district of King Cetshwayo, lamented the shortage of skilled professionals in the region. She also called for working conditions to be improved
“There are only five artisans in the district and that is a huge challenge because we deal with high volumes of work. We are calling for a danger allowance because most of us work under dangerous conditions. Sometimes we attend to plumbing work deep inside forests where there are dangerous snakes. We hope the MEC can also think about improving our remuneration,” Mhlongo said.