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October/November 2016
A
ccording to Deryck Spence, Ex-
ecutive Director of the SA Paint
Manufacturing Association
(SAPMA), for the past two decades
almost 20 million litres per year.
“Last year, almost R1,2 billion was
imported representing 10% of the
South Africanmarket. Around 65%of
the paint was supplied from Europe.
Customs and Trade Agreements with
the EUand theUSA incurs 10% import
duties. There are strong indications
that India will target South Africa, as
a lucrative export.”
Call for raise in paint import duties
The government needs to take urgent steps toprotect the South
African paint industry fromthe unacceptably high level of paint
imports flooding the local market.
Spence said the import dumping
situation, if not controlled or re-
stricted, could have major negative
repercussions for the SA coatings
sector. “Not the least of these is job
losses – something a country such as
ours with its soaring unemployment,
can ill afford. Then there is the ques-
tion of quality. Although the paint
now imported from Europe and the
USA are generally of an acceptable
standard, there is no guarantee that
the same could be said of future im-
ports from new sources.”
SAPMA believes that the current
10% import duties applying to all
imported paints (other than the
duty-free paints fromEurope) should
be raised to at least 25% to level the
playing field for the SA coatings sec-
tor and to restrict rampant dumping
of paints.
The SAPMA Technical Committee
recently raised the matter with the
International Trade Administration
Commission (ITAC) of South Africa.
Nkulana Phenya of ITAC told SAP-
MA that ITAC usually raises customs
duties to afford relief for domestic
producers facing threatening import
pressures. But for his committee to
protect the local coatings market
from foreign imports - and particu-
larly dumping - any ITAC investiga-
tion into the increase of tariffs would
have to be generated by a specific
manufacturer and not just from an
association body such as SAPMA.
“SAPMA intends acting on the
ITAC directive and will now ap-
proach a suitable producer member
to urgently lodge an appeal for ITAC
to investigate the matter of raising
import duties as soon as possible,”
concluded Spence.
■
B
afikile Bonke Simelane has
been elected as the first black
president of Master Builders
South Africa (MBSA). His appoint-
ment was announced at the annual
MBSA Congress in Durban. Simelane
says, “It is a significant personal and
professional milestone for me, but
more importantly it is a clear and
unequivocal indication that MBSA
is serious about transformation at
all levels. I hope that my election
advances ‘meritocracy’, dispels some
negative perceptions of the industry
and breaks down barriers preventing
black professionals and executives
from being elected into such leader-
ship positions.”
He hopes that his appointment
will serve as an inspiration to aspi-
rant black students, graduates and
professionals that this is also pos-
sible for them. “They need to know
that all you have to do is dream,
believe in yourself, be resilient and
surround yourself with people who
affirm and validate you irrespective
of your socio-economic profile or
circumstances. I hope this milestone
can find resonance amongst young
black youths, both male and female,
from all of South Africa’s townships
so that they can be attracted to a ca-
reer in construction management in
particular and the built environment
in general. I also would like them to
believe that they too can achieve
whatever it is they set their minds to
with hard work, dedication and com-
mitment. As one of the speakers at
our Congress said, overnight success
takes about 20 years.”
Simelane started his career at Mur-
ray and Roberts in 1995 followed by
a short stint at Abcon Construction.
In 2001, he joined Development &
Engineering Consultants (DEC) as
a Project Manager and eventually
become a Director. In 2009 hewas ap-
pointed as a Director of Focus Project
Management. Today he is the Group
Corporate Services Director for the
NMC Construction Group which he
joined in 2012.
Simelane is a member of the Con-
structionManagement Development
Committee of the SouthAfricanCoun-
cil for the Project and Construction
Management Professions (SACPCMP)
and chairs the Registration and Edu-
cation Committee of the SACPCMP.
He is also activewithin other industry
bodies such as the Chartered Institute
of Building (CIOB) and served as the
Vice-President of the Association
of Construction Project Managers
(ACPM).
■
MBSA elects new President
Bafikile Bonke Simelane
Industry Buzz