Wellington Thwala

An Appraisal of Housing Satisfaction in South Africa Low Income Housing Scheme

Abstract Post-occupancy evaluation techniques have been developed to provide a means for evaluating occupant responses to changes in an environment and linking this response to physical measures of that environment. POE has been used to evaluate the performance of buildings after they have been built and occupied for some time. This paper presents findings on the social and physical factors which influence residential satisfaction in four different government Housing Subsidy locations in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data obtained from the occupant survey were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics. Findings arising from the survey revealed that the respondents were satisfied with their overall housing situation, but had complaints about certain aspects of the housing unit. However, the respondents informed that most of their housing needs were not being met. Also, a comparison is also made of the perceived factors of dissatisfaction amongst the housing subsidy occupants. It is recommended that a wider systematic coverage of the subject through investigation and diagnostic POE and occupants’ need assessment should be carried out in housing subsidy schemes in South Africa.

A rework probability model: a quantitative assessment of rework occurrence in construction projects

Statistical methods for eliciting probability distributions were used to analyse the data collected from 78 construction professionals. The empirical distributions for rework costs were found to be non-Gaussian. Theoretical probability distributions were fitted to the rework data. Non-parametric tests were used to determine the goodness-of-fit of the selected probability distributions. The results of the goodness-of-fit tests revealed that generalized Pareto distribution provided the best fit for the dataset. Single probability points for rework from 1% to 10% were calculated. It was established that rework can make a significant contribution to a projects cost overrun. The mean total rework cost as a percentage of the original contract value was found to be 5.12%. For a mean total rework cost of 5.12% the likelihood that a project exceeds is 76%. The anticipation that rework will occur, using the probabilities that are derived, can enable a quantitative risk assessment to be undertaken, which will ultimately lead to identifying alternative solutions so as to avoid rework prior to the commencement of construction work.

Lessons learned from in situ upgrading and eradication of informal settlement in Gauteng Province in South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to give an insight into lessons learned so far on the in situ upgrading and eradication of informal settlements in South Africa. This is with a view to accessing progress made to date, the line of focus and to ascertain whether in situ upgrading or eradication of informal settlement is the best option in solving the problem of informal settlement integration into the large society.Design/methodology/approach – The research is conducted with reference to existing theoretical literature, published and unpublished South Africa research. The study is mainly a literature survey/review and looks at challenges that have been overcome to bring about the success made to date, thus striving to achieve the goals and objectives of a city without slums. The research ties up the identified challenges with recommendations to the problems to enhance the reality of having a city without slums.Findings – One of the primary findings that emanated from the study revealed that all develo...

Skills development in South Africa: Group Five's social investment project

The boom in the construction industry in South Africa has drawn attention to the need for skills development. This article reports on an evaluation of the ‘People at the Gate’ training programme initiated by Group Five in Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces. The programme aims to empower unemployed local community members in areas where the company operates. The programme targets women and men who come to the companys sites looking for possible employment and are unable to be accommodated due to their lack of skills. The study evaluated the difficulties that trainees are faced with during and after the project; employment opportunities that are created; and the skills most needed in different trades and provinces.

Human Factor Related Challenges of Marketing Construction Business Enterprise

Marketing is acknowledged as a necessary business management function but its application in construction is intensely hindered by some human factors in the construction industry. The paper is aimed at identifying the specific human factors in the construction industry that hinder marketing adoption and implementation in construction and to initiate further debate on this important but Cinderella subject. It uses literature review as a method to identify, summarize, synthesize and show the gaps in the existing research knowledge on human factors affecting Marketing Performance (MP) of Construction Businesses (CB). Factors such as marketing skills, manpower, attitude towards and conception of marketing hinders greatly on MP of CB. Construction marketing researchers must focus attention on the human factors that affect construction marketing. Educational consultants, curriculum developers and training institutions will find the paper useful in revising existing curriculum to reflect current trends in the management of construction business enterprise.

Homeownership and Effectiveness of the South Africa government Housing Subsidy Scheme

This paper presents finding on the effectiveness of the South Africa government housing subsidy scheme in the delivery of houses to its citizens, thus providing homeownership especially to the low-income group and the disadvantaged poor. The paper also evaluates the usage of the houses by the occupants. The result from the post-occupancy survey of the provided houses revealed that the progressive realization of housing for the low-income and disadvantaged groups is being met as all beneficiaries were South African citizens. The survey also revealed that the beneficiaries living in the subsidized houses were originally allocated the houses by the Gauteng Department of Housing (GDOH), which overseas housing allocation in the province adopted as the site for the study. However, from the originally allocated, it was indicated that some of the beneficiaries were previously living in shacks, while some were homeless (absolute homelessness). Further findings from the survey showed that the original intended use of the houses by the government (private residential use) is what the subsidized houses are being used for as revealed by the respondents. The paper starts with an overview of the literature on this topic and the importance of homeownership, and then presents the results of the analysis and findings of the research. Finally, the paper draws some conclusions and recommendation. The originality of this paper is based on the fact that there have been issues surrounding the South Africa government financial commitment of 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to overcome its huge housing backlog is grossly inadequate. Due to the limited study to substantiate if the little devoted GDP is making any impact on the disadvantaged group, the current research contributes to this body of knowledge.

Challenges Facing Labour-Intensive Public Works Programmes and Projects in South Africa

Abstract History has shown that labour-intensive methods of works have long been used in creating remarkable infrastructure works. Labour-intensive programmes generate more direct and indirect local employment opportunities and income by using locally available input and thus creating a greater demand for local products and services than high-technology programmes reliant on imported technology and equipment. Investment in infrastructure has a huge potential to redress the high unemployment and poverty levels in South Africa and also to correct the skill deficits in disadvantaged communities. From a theoretical perspective supported by experience elsewhere in Africa, there are reasons for considering that properly formulated labour-intensive public works programmes and projects could be established to construct and maintain the required physical infrastructure, thus creating employment, skills and institutional capacities. This paper will look at past African experiences in implementing labour-intensive programmes and projects with regard to their successes and problems. The paper will then critically look at the experiences and problems encountered in the implementation of labour-intensive public works programmes and projects in South Africa. The paper closes with some recommendations for the future.

Human Resource Management and Effects of Mentoring on Retention of Employees in the Construction Sector: A Literature Review

The business world has long known and relied upon mentoring as a proven technique for developing in house talent, mentoring is experiencing resurgence because business leaders not only recognize the benefits of transferring knowledge among employees. The purpose of this paper is to examine past theory, research and practice on mentoring through the lens of (HRD), within the construction industry, in order to identify gaps in what is known about mentoring that are relevant to HRD professionals and furthermore the study describes better practices that organizations can use to address the threat of lost knowledge caused by changing workforce demographics. The study adopted a literature review method of data collection, with a special focus on mentoring. The data used in the report was mainly qualitative, based on the content analysis, and historical data. After reviewing core aspect of mentoring central, to all domains of HRD, the authors summarize the key issues that had been studied regarding mentoring and career development, organization development, and training and development. The study also, indicated knowledge transfer assists employees in improving their skill sets which increases their marketability and the potential for them to pursue career opportunities elsewhere. The early success of the initiatives described provide useful lessons for the construction industry and executives who recognize that knowledge retention and mentoring of employees are critical for sustaining future organizational performance, furthermore mentoring relationships may assist organizations in simultaneously promoting effective knowledge transfer and commitment that assist in the retention of key knowledge workers. The authors conclude with a research agenda that identifies where researchers need to go with mentoring research and HRD to better inform the practice of mentoring in organizations.

Human Factor Based Conceptual Framework for Construction Business Marketing

The absence of human related factors in extant construction marketing frameworks appears to have limited their applicability to construction marketing management. This paper identifies and examines human related factors relevant to construction marketing to shows why they are critical success factors for marketing in construction. This paper seeks to bridge the human factor gaps in extant construction marketing frameworks by merging human related factors which are marketing acceptance and behaviour toward marketing to existing frameworks which are predominantly strategic management factors as a compliment. The paper adopts a descriptive research design which is supplemented with literature review as the method to identify and summarize the factors to show the gaps in existing knowledge on the subject. It was found that the resultant framework is a conglomerate of factors that contribute to existing frameworks to improve upon the gaps inherent in construction marketing. This amalgamated framework is adequate in addressing challenges with existing construction marketing frameworks. Construction marketing researchers will find this framework useful in examining human factor related aspects of construction marketing.

Construction Projects' Key Performance Indicators: A Case of the South African Construction Industry

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are one of the factors that constitute construction project success criteria which is the reason while performance measurement on construction projects are usually carried out by establishing KPIs which offer objective criteria to measure project success. An assumption is made that if a project is completed on time, within the agreed budget and set quality, also referred to as the ‘golden/iron triangle’, then the project is deemed successful. Evidence suggests that this is far from the truth. Hence, the construction industry needs to pay attention to critical success factors, besides the golden/iron triangle. Hence, this paper explores the most significant construction projects’ KPIs in the Gauteng province of South Africa. A questionnaire survey was used to collect the data for this study as a primary source in order to establish the most significant key performance indicators for construction projects in Gauteng, South Africa. Professionals such as architects, quantity surveyors, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, structural engineers, civil engineers, construction managers, project managers and construction project manager, were randomly selected as the target population for the survey. The secondary data was collected from a thorough review of related literature; it is through this thorough literature review that the key performance indicators for construction projects in Gauteng, South Africa, were identified which were further tested via the questionnaire survey. Findings from the questionnaire survey revealed that the most significant construction projects KPIs are: construction time, profitability, project management, material ordering, handling and management, risk management, quality assurance, client satisfaction (product), safety, time predictability (project, design, construction), productivity, client satisfaction (service). The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the subject of construction projects’ key performance indicators in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.