Webster Mfebe, CEO of the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec), says there is “not a shred of evidence” justifying a decision by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) to cancel construction tenders, which he warns will create a crisis for the industry and hold back the country's economic recovery.

“There is empirical evidence that for every rand invested in infrastructure there is a multiplier effect of four in the broader economy. So the cancellation of Sanral tenders to the value of R17.5bn translates to a missed opportunity of R70bn in the South African  economy,” he says...