PERFORMANCE
Prevailing economic conditions
resulted in a general slow-down in
the construction sector with high
interest rates reducing demand for housing
and limited credit was available for building
projects. The high prices of raw materials
also had a negative effect. This is in line
with projections that this sector would
decline in the short term and that
Government’s investment in infrastructure
would be its cornerstone for the immediate
future.
Housing
The Sectional Title Deed Bill was passed
during 2004 and came into effect in 2007.
This legislation provides for the freehold
purchase of apartments and townhouses,
enabling people of lower income groups to
own homes. Previously, a shortage of
affordable quality housing coupled with high
prices meant that owning a property was
out of reach for many Swazis.
Despite the slowdown, a number of private
housing developments are being developed
and the National Housing Board provides
accommodation at affordable rentals.
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
Significant development of
commercial and industrial buildings
has taken place in recent years,
particularly in Mbabane, Manzini and
Matsapha. The partly completed Swaziland
Association of Savings and Credit Cooperatives
building and Corporate Place in
Mbabane, on which work was curtailed for
various reasons, continued to be an eyesore
in the city.
SHOPPING CENTRES
Swaziland offers a high standard of
shopping facilities at its main centres
and there are also good facilities in
other towns. The oldest centre is the Swazi
Plaza in Mbabane which has frequently
been extended to meet growing needs and
today plentiful parking is available there in
the multi-storey car park. Opposite is the
twin Mall complex and Manzini also has
two large modern shopping complexes, The
Hub and The Bhunu Mall. The Gables in
Ezulwini was completed in 2001. A further
major shopping centre is scheduled to be
constructed at Manzini on the site of the
old Trade Fair grounds.
GOVERNMENT PROJECTS
The Millennium Programme This is a suite of strategic projects,
mainly in infrastructure and tourism.
A number of these were mooted
during the National Development Strategy
preparation process, which is a 25 year
vision crafted by the people of Swaziland.
The program provides an opportunity for
the country to strengthen its position as a
destination for tourism, investment and
commerce. Although the projects appear to
stand alone, functionally they are highly
interrelated, hence the decision to establish
the Millennium Projects Unit for their
coordination.
The Program is also a catalyst for building
national pride and identity by developing
economic confidence and creating jobs in
both the large (macro) and SME (micro)
sectors. It also seeks to change the role that
Swaziland can play in both the regional and
continental landscapes. The specific projects
are:
New Sikhuphe International Airport
This is located 30 minutes drive from
Manzini (the hub of Swaziland) and is
already under construction. A 3.6 km
runway, sufficient to land any size of aircraft,
is almost complete. The target is for the
airport to be complete and operational in
time to receive aircraft arriving for to the
2010 FIFA World Cup.
Factory Shells
Several first grade, custom-built factory
shells with a combined floor area of 248,565
sq. m. are mainly located at Matsapha, the
country’s industrial capital, but also at other
strategic locations such as Nhlangano,
Ngwenya, Hlatikulu, Matsangeni, Mpaka
and Ebuhleni. Employment created by
companies leasing these facilities is
estimated at 15,000 people (having reached
a peak of 30,000 in the past). Theses
employees comprise mainly women, with
total earnings of about E200 million a year.
This is against total Government investment
of over E700 million.
Ezulwini Development
The rejuvenation of the Ezulwini Valley –
the country’s main tourist centre – is another
component of the Millennium Program.
This will include a new convention centre,
a five star hotel and a theme park, all of
which will be constructed on the prime site
of the old Yen Saan Hotel.
Mavuso Development
The historic town of Manzini, known as the
hub of Swaziland, is also receiving a facelift.
The Helimisi site, now known as the Mavuso
International Exhibition and Trade Centre,
has been operational since 2004. It has
hosted a number of key national events,
such as the annual International Trade Fair,
the Job Summit, the National Agricultural
Summit and the Smart Partnership
Dialogue. A sports centre with a football
stadium and facilities for indoor activities,
such as volleyball, basketball, netball,
squash and swimming was recently
completed and has been officially opened
by His Majesty King Mswati III. An
adventure playground offering entertainment
for the whole family, while also creating
jobs, is planned at the same site, as well as
a football stadium built to FIFA standards.
Government encourages
the private sector to
participate in all these
ventures in mutually
beneficial partnerships.
People living in the areas
earmarked for the
Millennium Program are
being relocated and
fairly compensated using
the internationally
accepted principle of
leaving them better off
than they were
previously.
Airports
The imminent opening of Sikhupe
International Airport in the north-east
lowveld means that Swaziland will have a
facility of global standard located on flat
terrain with good visibility throughout the
year. This is a new and strategic gateway to
Swaziland and the region. It was unclear
what would become of Matsapha, the small
international airport that previously served
Swaziland.
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS The new Mbabane Inter-ministerial
Office block, which was started in
2000 is now complete and houses
several Government Ministries. Blocks 1 to
6 were completed in 2004/05 and blocks 7
and 8 were finished in 2008/09. The
conglomeration of Government ministries
within a zone allows for improved service
delivery as it reduces the time the public
takes moving between departments for
services.
Government is also continuing with her
rehabilitation programme and the current
phase involves the Swaziland Broadcasting
and Information Service (SBIS), Hlatikulu
Government Hospital, Income Tax Building
and Bhalegane Prison. Previous phases of
the same programme rehabilitated the
Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT),
Swaziland Institute for Management and
Public Administration (SIMPA), the
Mbabane and Manzini Magistrates Courts
and the Deeds Office, all of which were
completed by 2008. Other Government
buildings will be constructed in future years
but it is worth noting that the programme is
not keeping up with the demand.
ROADS
Swaziland has a well-developed road
network linking different parts of the
country. There is currently a total
proclaimed network of 3,180 km, including
district and main roads. The categorisation
of a road into main or district depends on
its significance in the network, its design
standard and the traffic levels.
In addition to the proclaimed network is a
further 1,478 km of feeder roads, bringing
the total network to about 4,658 km. The
feeder roads are unpaved and most are not
in good condition. Recent assessment shows
that major rehabilitation has to be
undertaken in order to bring feeder roads
into maintainable standards at an estimated
cost of E45,000/km in 2005 prices.
The Roads Department in the Ministry of Pubic
Works and Transport is responsible for the
planning, design, construction and
maintenance of the proclaimed network.
Full responsibility for maintaining the feeder
roads was only given to the Ministry in 2000.
Previously, feeder roads were not gazetted
and responsibility fell between Ministries of
Public Works and Transport and the then
Agriculture and Co-operatives.
The 1990s saw a turnaround in Government
investment in road infrastructure as
substantial amounts of public funds have
been consistently put into road construction
such that today the network ranks amongst
the best in Africa. The late 1990s saw the
first dual carriageway (i.e. Manzini-
Mbabane) being opened to traffic and work
immediately began on the Ngwenya-
Nkoyoyo section of the MR3 which was
opened to traffic in 2003. The Nkoyoyo-
Mbabane section, including the bypass was
opened to traffic in middle of 2009. This
has reduced the travel time between
Manzini/Matsapha (the biggest and busiest
industrial towns located in central
Swaziland) and Ngwenya (the busiest
border with RSA located in western part of
the country) to less than one hour.
The new Siteki-Mhlumeni road links the
country with the port of Maputo in
Mozambique, the only other country
bordering Swaziland other than RSA. This
Siteki-Mhlumeni route also serves the
Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative
area, a corridor project involving Swaziland,
RSA and Mozambique. The Northern Main
Road (MR5 and MR6) was also opened to
traffic in 2007/08. This road links central
Swaziland with the northern agriculture
region of the country. It benefits the citrus
growing areas of Ngonini and Tshaneni, the
timber growing areas of Piggs Peak and
Bulembu, the sugar growing areas of
Mhlume, Vuvulane, Tabankulu and recently
the SME dominated Maguga Irrigation
Development Area and the maize growing
areas of Ntfonjeni.
In total the road covers
a distance of about 100km and actually
forms an important link with South Africa
and Mozambique. From two border posts,
Mananga and Matsamo, the MR5 and MR6
ultimately link the country with the N4 mega
highway of the Maputo Development
Corridor.
Swaziland is conscious of the importance
of ensuring that the road network is properly
maintained so that the investment benefits
the country over a longer period. Applying
the “user pays principle” through tolling is
one of the options being pursued. A tolling
project is therefore underway and will start
with the MR3 and toll plazas will be
constructed at Motshane and Mvutshini.
These are part of a partial cost recovery
plan and the funds collected will be
channelled towards road maintenance.
Government is also implementing a small
Public Works Programme, on a pilot basis,
for the rehabilitation of feeder roads. This
has been ongoing since 2004 and to date a
total of 200km of rural feeder road has been
upgraded using local people and labourintensive
methods of construction. Other
agencies, such as the then EU co-financed
Microprojects Scheme, have also been active
in assisting communities with rural access
roads.
URBAN ROADS
These are the responsibility of the
various city and town councils and
vary from modest gravel roads to a
high standard of tarred surface. In Manzini
and Mbabane residential roads are
continuing to be upgraded, and the areas
served by dirt and gravel roads are gradually
reducing. The City Council of Mbabane
plans to eventually construct two new bypass
roads - one to the south-west and one to the east of the city.
The upgrading of the
Manzini bypass road, which serves the new
International Conference and Exhibition
Centre, newly completed Sports Centre and
the still to be constructed Football Stadium
and Adventure Playground was completed
in 2004 and now provides a route of very
high standard.
A loan in excess of E3.25 billion has
been approved to finance the Lower
Usutu Smallholder Irrigation Project.
This will benefit about 20,000 people in the
Lubombo region by supplying irrigation, while
a further 22,000 people will benefit through
job creation and business opportunities.
LUSIP is a community development initiative
with the overall goal of improving the standard
of living through participation in commercial
irrigated agriculture. The project is to be
implemented in two phases and involves the
construction of dams and canals and the
development of 5000 ha of irrigation.The E2
billion development of the Komati River basin,
a joint project with South Africa implemented
by the Komati Basin Water Authority, puts
water resources to optimum use and involved
the construction of dams in the two countries
for hydro-electric and agricultural projects. The
project was completed in 2002. On the
Swaziland side, the Maguga dam alone
involved an E350 million contract, which was
awarded to various companies. The E21
million Komati bridge was constructed under
the Maguga Dam Road Joint Venture Project.
Major dams have been constructed at
strategic points under the Soil and Water
Conservation Project, which is funded by
various bodies.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES
The construction companies operating
in Swaziland range from small local
contractors to major companies,which are capable of carrying out highly
specialised, multi-million Emalageni
projects. With about 12,000 people
employed, excluding foreign labour, this
industry is a key source of employment and
income in the kingdom. The range of work
undertaken covers small buildings, multilevel
projects, roads, dams and
infrastructure. The larger operations have
substantial investments in the country,
including sophisticated plant and machinery
as well as advanced infrastructure.
S&B Group Swaziland
S&B Civils Roads and S&B Buildings are
wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Stefanutti
Stocks Group, a major competitor in
southern Africa’s construction sector with
a turnover of almost E5 billion, 8,000
employees, and the ability to manage all
major projects. This came about in July
2008 when the JSE-listed civil engineering
and construction group, Stefanutti & Bresson, merged with the international
construction group, Stocks Limited, to form
Stefanutti Stocks.
A strong team of people, long-standing
relationships with clients and commitment
to service excellence are the components
that drive the group’s success.
The spectrum of construction work within
the Building Division includes industrial and
petrochemical plants, cooling towers for
power stations, institutional buildings
including hospitals, top class hotels, all levels
of residential developments, factories and
airports.
Civils and Roads projects include mining
infrastructure, dams, roads, bridges, water
and effluent treatment plants, as well as
township infrastructure and piling and
geotechnical services, plus golf courses and
municipal services.
The client base covers governments,
parastatals, local authorities, corporategroups, financial institutions and property
developers.
These clients are based in
Swaziland, Angola, Zambia, Botswana and
Mozambique, as well as the Gulf region,
among other areas.
The S&B Group has a Grade 9 rating from
the Construction Industry Development
Board, providing unlimited tender capability.
It is also ISO 9001:2000 accredited and
has achieved numerous industry awards in
recognition of innovation and the pursuit
of excellence, including four Fulton awards.
Extensive development and training
programs are implemented in an effort to
always raise performance and in the belief
that skill, knowledge, experience and
discipline are essential to sustainable
growth. In recent years, over 40% of training
and development expenditure has been
allocated to health and safety and the safe
operating of equipment.
The group is
committed to compliance with all safety,
health and environmental legislation that
applies in the countries where it operates.
Such legislation is regularly reviewed with
new requirements addressed as necessary,
including intensive training to ensure that
employees are fully aware of their SHE
(Safety, Health and Environmental)
obligations.
In the knowledge that the quality of deliveryis proportional to staff well-being and job
satisfaction, an Investor in People culture
has been established. This provides the
framework for personal growth and the
development of teams. The talented and
technically competent S&B workforce is
guided by highly experienced and
professional management and supervisory
teams.
SERVING THE INDUSTRY
Swaziland’s construction industry is
backed by qualified professionals,
including quantity surveyors,
architects and engineers as well as by a
diversity of manufacturers and suppliers.
Although some materials, such as glass,
ceramic tiles and metal frames are imported,
most commodities readily available and
many are produced locally. These include
building blocks, clay bricks, pavers, roof
trusses and tiles, plumbers’ brassware and
paint, as well as construction sheeting and
fencing materials. Stone crush and sand are
obtained from the local quarries and rivers,
and cement is also manufactured in the
country.