FEATURES
NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING The succession of businesses closing their doors in the face of the most treacherous conditions in living memory was at once a major loss to our economy and a personal loss to many. The building sector was hard hit and is faced with the challenge and the opportunity to realise a central role in an economy which is unusually malleable. The tools to build back a better model, fit for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, include working out why some businesses survived – and even thrived – through this period. While the South African GDP has seen some growth in the past four quarters, the construction industry remains key to expediting the recovery and creating jobs, according to CFO of privately-owned construction company GVK-Siya Zama, John de Sousa.
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De Sousa, who has been at GVK-Siya Zama for more than two decades, playing a pivotal role in its growth, says that over the past five years, the company has seen annual turnover grow 20% year on year, despite the global pandemic. This was achieved while many of its competitors, including several listed companies, went out of business. SOME LUCK, A LOT OF MITIGATION AND AN EXTREMELY WIDE NET De Sousa says the initial stages of the pandemic did not have the dire impact initially expected, as projects were already on the company’s books, but investor sentiment declined rapidly during the hard lockdown, leading to a downturn for GVK-Siya
SOUTH AFRICAN BUILDER DECEMBER 2021
