WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRAINT
BREEDS innovation
GVK-Siya Zama
There are leaders who wait for the right conditions, and those who build them. In her first year as Managing Director of GVK-Siya Zama’ s Gauteng business, Jabu Serithi has proven that she belongs to the latter.
Stepping into the role in March 2025, Serithi inherited a business that had already come through its most difficult chapter, giving her, as she puts it, something many new leaders don’ t have: the space to build rather than rescue. She arrived with a clear agenda: nurture the culture, sharpen commercial discipline, and invest in relationships.
The market, however, had its own agenda. A constrained Gauteng pipeline brought intensified competition, margin pressure, and persistent cash-flow challenges, particularly on public-sector projects. For Serithi, this became a catalyst.“ Constraint breeds innovation,” she says.“ These challenges pushed us to look beyond mainstream construction for revenue opportunities, and that strategic shift is ultimately a healthier foundation for the future.
The MD seat also brought a shift in perspective that Serithi hadn’ t fully anticipated. A company of GVK-Siya Zama’ s size and complexity, she discovered, is truly the sum of all its parts. The support functions working behind the scenes, and the teams that close the gaps between the visible, revenue-generating departments and everything that holds the business together, earned a new level of respect.“ I don ' t think one can fully appreciate that until you’ re accountable for all of it,” she reflects.
On the ground, the year delivered a portfolio of projects that speaks directly to what the organisation is capable of, and to what Serithi ' s leadership has helped to unlock.
The picture that emerges is of a business that builds communities as much as it builds structures.
The completion of Soshanguve Mall is a defining achievement. The centre welcomed 50 000 visitors on its opening day in November 2025 and marking the first time the company delivered a retail development exceeding R1.1 billion in value, a new precedent for the organisation.
Across Johannesburg, the construction business has been shaping the city, from the restoration of 5 Hollard Street, an Art Deco landmark originally completed in 1923, to the ongoing 85 Anderson development for the Deeds Office, which recently drew a visit from Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson. He emphasised the importance of inner-city rejuvenation, a cause Serithi knows well. Under her leadership, the organisation has helped shape Johannesburg’ s built environment across multiple landmark projects, with the Transnet partnership in the CBD adding yet another chapter to that story. The picture that emerges is of a business that builds communities as much as it builds structures.
54 winter 2026 | www. tobuild. co. za