In July 2025, South Africa’s civil tender market showed its first significant recovery in over a year, with estimated values surging 53 percent year-on-year to R8.2 billion after 14 months of steep declines. Mpumalanga led with R1.6 billion, up 147 percent, followed by strong gains in Gauteng, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. The rebound was…
Construction liquidations increased by 9 percent y-y during the first six months of 2025, with 35 companies liquidated. Although majority were voluntary liquidations, there was a two-fold increase in the number of compulsory liquidations, as the construction sector continues to face challenging working conditions. By comparison total liquidations across all sectors fell by 1 percent…
The July 2025 Preferred Supplier and Competitor Survey (PSS) report provides insights into construction activity and material supplier dynamics across South Africa. It is based on a sample of 13 projects worth approximately R1.2 billion, mostly awarded in late 2024, with a focus on education, housing, and road infrastructure. Key observations highlight delays due to…
Please find the Q2 2025 update of the quarterly Construction Activity Profile (CAP) for the South African construction industry. It includes quarterly updates of construction project awards, tenders, postponements and cancellations by province and CIDB Grade for the building and civil sectors. Click here to download the full provincial dataset as at 2025Q2
South Africa’s civil tender market remained under significant strain in the first half of 2025, with total estimated tender values falling by 32% year-on-year to R33.7 billion—a sharp R15.6 billion contraction compared to the same period in 2024. June 2025 reflected this trend, with tender values dropping 37% month-on-month to R4.7 billion and 26% below…
Wholesale sales of construction materials declined 7.7 percent y-y in May to R14.1 billion, a slight improvement from April’s revised 9.8 percent drop — underscoring persistent weakness in the trade sector. Over the same period, total wholesale trade also fell, but by a somewhat smaller margin of 6.3 percent y-y, down to R286 billion, reflecting a broadly…
South Africa’s building industry showed signs of recovery in May 2025, driven by a strong rebound in private sector building approvals, which rose 13% y-y in value and 16% in square meters, with the Western Cape leading across residential, office, industrial, and retail segments. However, growth remains highly uneven across provinces, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal…
A recent analysis of Stats SA’s Building Statistics Surveys reveals significant underreporting in the Monthly Building Statistics Survey at the provincial level. While 66% of municipalities are excluded nationally—accounting for only 14% of building completion values—the distortion is far more pronounced in provinces like Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape, where large portions of building…
While the 30% US import tariff may not directly target construction materials, its broader economic and trade impacts could significantly disrupt South Africa’s construction sector. From weakened export competitiveness and higher import costs to reduced investment and fiscal strain, the ripple effects threaten to delay projects, increase prices, and undermine long-term infrastructure delivery unless mitigated…
South Africa’s economy remained deeply fragile in June 2025, with weak growth, deteriorating business confidence, and persistent structural constraints undermining recovery prospects. Sharp contractions in manufacturing (-6.3% y/y) and mining (-7.7% y/y), particularly in platinum group metals (-24.1%), weighed heavily on output. Retail trade showed selective resilience, but hardware and building materials sales stayed deeply…
