A South African SUCCESS STORY

Despite operating in a difficult construction industry backdrop, Enza is making headway with a number of landmark projects, all the while contributing to black empowerment and social upliftment

South Africa, it seems, is starting to emerge from a turbulent period as far as its construction industry is concerned.

While the numbers both in terms of GDP and building sector forecasts may not appear game-changing on first glance, they are at least beginning to point in the right direction.

According to consultancy firm Mace, the country’s gross domestic product will grow by 1.5 percent in 2020, growth which will support South African constructors. The World Bank is less optimistic, cutting back its forecast to just under one percent because of ongoing electricity supply problems.

In terms of construction output, growth in South Africa is set to accelerate to 1.6 percent this year, up from the 0.9 percent seen in 2019.

Although this is still sluggish compared with the Sub-Saharan Africa regional average growth forecast of seven percent over the next two years, the figures still suggest that the sector is moving, albeit slowly, towards a healthier future.

Key to this, according to Mace’s report, is what the government does next. It identifies three priorities as central to any improvement being facilitated – rooting out corruption, modernising state-owned enterprises and convincing investors that the country is stable.

One company which has been and continues to be stable through a turbulent period is Enza Construction.

Headquartered in Sandton and with roots stretching back four decades, the company has been something of a stalwart for the industry, becoming known as Enza in 2003 when infrastructure opportunities were in abundant supply.

Its founder, Barry Crowie, started the enterprise in 1971 as a renovation specialist operating in and around Durban, before Rowan and Clinton Crowie joined the firm as trainees having graduated in construction management – it was their vision to build a company that would become renowned across the wider building industry for quality and integrity.