星空传媒

CIOB has acquired the South African Institute of 星空传媒 and set up CIOB Southern Africa. The combined membership and organisation will let construction professionals in the region speak with one voice and give them more clout in the industry.

The deal also confers on the thousand-odd members of the SAIB the internationally recognised CIOB qualification.

Bob Heathfield, CIOB president, who visited South Africa to help launch CIOB Southern Africa, said construction companies in the country were particularly interested in striking exchange deals with UK firms. They saw this as the most effective way for senior and middle managers to learn UK best practice and bring it back to South Africa.

Such exchanges might also broaden the horizons and experience of UK construction managers, said Heathfield, citing the Gateway project in Durban, a retail park twice the size of Bluewater in Kent, that had been completed in 24 months without any loss of life or serious injury and to an exceptionally high standard. "A six-month pre-planning exercise between contractors, the design team and the clients made all the difference," he said.

The creation of CIOB Southern Africa also gives British ex-pat CIOB members the support of a regional office and the ability to network more effectively. Many ex-pats have worked in South Africa for 25-odd years, attracted by the lifestyle and the weather. However, the collapse of the South African rand has locked many into the country.