EDITOR’ S COLUMN
Change is constant
Every day we are faced with change – weather, traffic conditions, legislations and so on – change is the only constant thing we can ever be sure of. As I’ m writing this( in early June), a huge debate rages about changing the name of the Cape Town International Airport and three other airports that need to be renamed.
Another announcement is that petrol is increasing to a whopping 82 cents a litre, pushing the price up in the Gauteng hub to R15.79 a litre for the first time in the history of South Africa. The price of diesel is up by 85 cents.
Unfortunately this will have a ripple effect on costs in the building industry, transporting goods to and from site will be more expensive, which will result in price increases for building materials and eventually it will filter down to home buyers who will have to apply for larger bonds. We are facing some tough times, but South Africans always rise above these situations.
A change that is long overdue, and a very positive one, is that women in construction are taking their place at the boardroom table. As South Africans we celebrate women’ s month in August, and we spoke to some of these formidable entrepreneurs who received awards at the African Construction and Totally Concrete expo that recently took place at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Read more about this on page 17.
IMD
The editorship of South African Affordable Housing has also changed hands. From now on, I will be at the helm of this exciting magazine. I have more than three decades of experience in the journalism sector and – with the majority of my time spent in the construction, building and plant hire industry – I am no stranger to business-to-business journals. This is your journal, your input is extremely important to us; please do not hesitate to contact me with any news, events, new developments and letters to the editor.
Stepping away from the doom and gloom( petrol increase), we report on a very exciting development in this issue. The Tirong Affordable Housing Estate, just outside Fourways, Gauteng. Although this is earmarked for the affordable market, this development has the look and feel of an upmarket estate. See more on page 26.
Cherry Ellis: Editor
We value your input; contact me at: cherry @ interactmedia. co. za.