Big 5 Construct South Africa 2024: The gateway to the country’s construction sector

South Africa's construction sector is projected to grow thanks to government’s National Development Plan 2023, with numerous mega projects happening in all nine provinces; projects such as Mtentu Bridge, which is set to be Africa’s tallest bridge, the High-Speed Rail (HSR) framework and many others.

The South African construction market is valued at $25.5 billion and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 3% from 2024 to 2027, signifying a rapid increase in demand for manufacturers and suppliers. South Africa is the 3rd largest economy in Africa, commanding a GDP of $406 billion.

Big 5 Construct South Africa is the leading conduit for regional and international companies to showcase their expertise and knowledge to the South African construction industry. The event connects manufacturers, suppliers and service providers with construction professionals, architects, project managers, civil engineers, consultants, designers, urban planners, procurement managers and other professionals, all looking to source new suppliers and products.

International pavilions showcasing at this year’s event are India, Italy, Greece, Germany, Türkiye and China. Some of the participating countries include Jordan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom, among others.

“Last year, the South African construction sector made a significant impact, contributing approximately R109.5 billion (roughly $5.79 billion) to the country's GDP, marking a notable increase from the previous year ," highlights Ben Greenish, Executive Vice President at dmg events.

“Recognizing this growth and potential, Big 5 Construct South Africa has been instrumental for over a decade in bringing together key figures from the construction sector, facilitating opportunities for collaboration and partnership between global and local enterprises to develop the extensive construction prospects in the country. Big 5 Construct South Africa nurtures networking, commercial interactions, and knowledge exchange among influential decision makers and professionals, accelerating the advancement of South Africa's construction industry.”

The event will feature innovative products and services under construction sectors such as Building Interiors and Finishes; Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing; Concrete and Cement; Digital Construction; Windows, Doors and Facades; HVAC R; Construction Tools and Personal Protection Equipment; Urban Design and Landscape, Heavy Construction Equipment, Machinery and Vehicles; Solar Products, Technologies and Services.

“Once again we are proud to welcome a number of first time exhibitors this year,” said Greenish.

Saudi Arabia’s Almunif Pipes, a leading producer of plastic pipes and fittings; Turkey’s Parget Makina, which provides complete solutions and equipment for gypsum, plasterboard, cement, dry mortars, calcite, and perlite; and SA’s own, Rigifoam a leading supplier of high-quality polyurethane products.

Other new exhibitors include roof sheeting producers Clotan Steel, Fritz J SA, which supplies commercial and industrial roller doors and generators, and Alif Doors and Bolwa Securities from South Africa. From the USA, Lintech, which manufactures mechanical positioning components and systems will be exhibiting along with India’s Surie Polex, a manufacturer of floor polishing machines.

The event will feature 20 speakers and 20+ CPD-certified Big 5 Talks sessions. This year’s free-to-attend talks streams focus on the themes of Architecture, Smart Buildings, Contractors, Green Construction and Concrete.

The Stakeholders Engagement Forum marks the commencement of Big 5 Construct South Africa on the 4th of June and this year’s theme is Building Tomorrow’s Cities. The Forum will delve into crucial facets of construction such as the transformative approaches needed for sustainable urban development. The diverse sessions will cover a range of critical topics, such as water infrastructure, and strategic developments in road, rail and port expansions.

The African Smart Cities Summit is an exclusive gathering of private and public industry leaders, and Africa’s only dedicated conference that explores and tackles the continent’s readiness to adopt smart methodologies, technology, and creative thinking for implementation on current infrastructure.

Finally, Big 5 South Africa Impact Awards, which celebrates impact in construction by recognizing innovation and project excellence, will honour winners under 10 distinctive categories.

• Architecture Firm of the Year
• Community Project of the Year
• Contractor of the Year
• Excellence in Leadership
• Rising Star
• Sustainable Initiative of the Year
• Woman of the Year
• Residential Project of the Year
• Commercial Project of the Year
• Retrofit Project of the Year

The awards ceremony will be held on 4 June. Last year’s winner of the Excellence in Leadership Award, Sandile Mbatha, who was the Senior Manager: Data, Research and Policy Advocacy, Ethekwini Municipality said: “The award means a lot. It means the work I’ve put in is vindicated and I’m excited to have been recognized in this manner. It gives hope in terms of the work that people are doing for this country.”

“Big 5 Construct South Africa brings together the industry to do business and network providing ample opportunities to share ideas and ultimately realize the full potential of South Africa’s thriving construction sector,” Greenish concludes.

Big 5 Construct South Africa is supported by a host of sponsors including Rubber Roofs as the Registration Sponsor, Talk Sponsors include Zutari, Modena, Building Point, CIDB, Cad4All, Mapei and other participating sponsors. African Smart Cities Summit is sponsored by Kwikot Water Care, Uxene Smart City and Kapsch TrafficCom and supported by Knowledge Partner, Frost & Sullivan.

Confirmed associations and organizations endorsing the event include BimCommunityAfrica, the Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa (CorriSA), the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA), the South African Institute of Building Design (SAIBD), the South African Capital Equipment Export Council and the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE). The event is co-located with Totally Concrete, Woodex and Deck & Flooring Africa.