Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille has appealed to companies to exercise extreme vigilance to ensure the health and safety of employees as more businesses open, including the construction industry.
“Today, many industries including the construction industry, will return to work to commence with operations safely in line with alert level 3 of the lockdown regulations,” said De Lille.
She acknowledged that many industries especially the construction industry, have experienced severe economic hardship since the country went into a standstill in March.
“We can, however, together overcome and rebuild the construction industry, retain and create more jobs to get the economy growing.
“The construction industry is crucial to South Africa’s economic growth as it contributes significantly to the development and South Africa’s GDP,” she said, adding that it also contributes substantially to the labour market.
She called on the industry to ensure that they continue to keep safe and minimise the spread of the virus.
“Therefore, as the construction industry returns to work today, along with many others, we are mindful that it will be difficult for the industry to adapt to a new way of working, but we are all in this together and it is up to the government and the private sector to work together to rebuild the construction industry.
“As companies have staff returning to work, I would like to wish all workers well and especially ask company owners and management to ensure that the resumption of work is done carefully and responsibly by ensuring that workers are properly protected and that companies comply with the alert level 3 regulations.”
De Lille has also wished all companies and workers returning to work well and ask that they continue to keep safe.
“Together we will overcome this trying time and rebuild our country,” she said.