South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, is in East London today, engaging directly with emerging contractors as part of a targeted effort to unlock growth in the construction sector.

The Contractor Development Roadshow, led by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure in partnership with the Construction Industry Development Board, aims to address long‑standing barriers that have prevented many small contractors from scaling up and accessing larger projects.

The initiative is expected to close the gap between available infrastructure funding and the capacity of local contractors to deliver, particularly those rooted in the very communities they serve.

Minister Zikalala joined Thami Ngubeni on the line to discuss this further.