Dean Macpherson, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, has confirmed that 40 contractors have been prohibited from doing business with the department and its affiliated entities.
According to Macpherson, the number represents a notable rise in comparison to the one company that has been blacklisted since 2002.
A year later, 40 contractors had been placed on a blacklist after 22 years.
This move, he said, forms part of efforts to deal with non-performance and corruption in the construction industry.
The department’s agency, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), implements the blacklist, preventing the companies from bidding for tenders or receiving new work.
“This move to blacklist these non-performing contractors is precisely what we promised South Africans when I took office, that those who underperform or engage in corruption will be held accountable and removed from the system,” said Macpherson.
“The CIDB’s blacklisting of these contractors demonstrates our commitment to action and sends a clear message: the era of impunity is over.”
Cleaning up the industry
He emphasised that it is intolerable that only one company was placed on a blacklist between 2002 and 2024, claiming that this weakened public confidence in the government’s capacity to take decisive action.
According to him, the measures are an attempt to clean up the industry, restore accountability, and invest taxpayer funds in dependable, high-quality infrastructure.
To ensure quicker blacklisting of non-performing contractors and, if feasible, recover public funds, the department is improving its internal procedures, according to Macpherson.
“Over the last year, we have worked to strengthen the department by filling key vacancies, introducing new accountability mechanisms, and tightening our procurement processes.
“These 40 blacklistings demonstrate the effectiveness of our reforms, yet our work remains unfinished.
“We are expediting our work to clean up the department and its entities to ensure that we can play a key role in building a better country for all South Africans,” he said.
