The government’s pledge to pick up infrastructure spending in the wake of Covid-19 is already beginning to have an effect on the recovery of SA’s construction industry, which could be set for a bumper year in 2021, according to building materials and minerals group Afrimat.

Major state infrastructure spending, a major growth driver in SA, had been largely absent for about 10 years, said economist Roelof Botha on Thursday, but the recent stimulus measures are “undoubtedly” playing a role in returning construction activity to pre-pandemic levels...