SASFA

SASFA

SUPPLEMENT

2017

SASFA:

10 YEARS ON …

It feels like yesterday when

Dr Hennie de Clercq, then CEO of

the South African Institute of Steel

Construction (SAISC), and myself

returned from a fact finding visit

to Australia on Light Steel Frame

Building. We were absolutely

convinced that this building

technology had to be introduced

to Southern Africa.

Two years later, in 2006, meetings were arranged

with interested parties from industry, and it was

decided that an association needed to be established

to coordinate the development of this industry, to

set industry standards and to facilitate acceptance of

this new building method by local building authorities

and the banks.

We started out by formulating mission and vision

statements and preparing marketing and business

plans, to enable us to approach the major material sup-

pliers to this industry – steel (ArcelorMittal), fibre-ce-

ment board (Everite), gypsum board (Saint-Gobain

and Lafarge) and insulation (Saint-Gobain) – for basic

funding. SASFA was established as a division of the

South African Institute of Steel Construction to limit

administration costs. SASFA invited applications for

different categories of membership, in order to form

a coherent industry, and during the next few years

membership numbers grew to exceed 80 companies.

SASFA reports to an Exco, consisting of elected light

steel frame industry executives, and arranges regular

meetings of the Technical and Training Committees,

consisting of industry specialists.

Codes and standards

A draft building code was compiled, making use of

the SANS timber frame standard, and the acceptance

and support of the NHBRC was obtained for light steel

frame building. Work was immediately started on a

comprehensive building standard, referred to as the

SASFA Building Code. We decided not to reinvent the

wheel, and got support from NASH, the National As-

sociation of Steel Housing in Australia, and the Steel

Framing Alliance from the USA. The SASFA Code was

published in November 2007, and handed over to the

SABS to turn it into an official national standard. SANS

517 was published two years later.

In the meantime, meetings were held with the

banks to get support for bond applications – ABSA was

the first on board, followed by the other major banks.

“I believe that the process of the establishment of

light steel frame building in South Africa would be

an exceptional business school case study.

It demonstrates howmany things have to be done

and howmany issues have to be addressed if you

want to establish a technology in a newmarket.

And if it is a disruptive technology, enemies and

detractors can be expected, and they did mate-

rialise. SASFA is a living demonstration of how a

good strategy, vigorously executed by a strong

association and an industry standing together, can

achieve success despite the difficulties.”

Dr Hennie de Clercq, former CEO of South African

Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC)