ActionSA Exposes Minister Dean Macpherson’s False Reality on Construction Sector “Growth”
Press Statement by Malebo Kobe MP
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA is once again compelled to set the record straight after Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, attempted to mislead South Africans with false claims that his department is “turning South Africa into a construction site” and driving a supposed boom in the sector. The reality could not be further from the Minister’s fairytale.
Quarterly reports from Stats SA show that the construction sector remains in crisis, with continued negative growth over multiple quarters:
2024 Q3:
2024 Q4:
2025 Q1:
2025 Q2:
2025 Q3:
-3.2%
-2.3%
-3.9%
-3.8%
-4.5%
% change year-on-year since taking office in June 2024
Compared to the previous year, the construction industry has contracted in every quarter since the new Minister has taken over. Most shockingly the construction industry has contracted by 4.1% between January and September this year.
This is not the profile of a growing, job-creating construction sector but rather the reality of a sector limping along, trapped in stagnation, corruption and contraction.
The closure of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s long-steel operations is yet another clear warning sign. When demand for steel, a fundamental construction input, collapses, it reveals a sector starved of real activity despite the Minister’s political spin.
ActionSA continues to expose the GNU’s failure to present a credible plan to revive the economy and reignite the construction industry, where South Africans can no longer afford empty promises and PR exercises. What is required now is a disciplined focus on the reforms that unlock investment, cut red tape, repair rail and port logistics and restore confidence in the state’s ability to deliver infrastructure.
ActionSA Exposes Minister Dean Macpherson’s False Reality on Construction Sector “Growth”
ActionSA is once again compelled to set the record straight after Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, attempted to mislead South Africans with false claims that his department is “turning South Africa into a construction site” and driving a supposed boom in the sector. The reality could not be further from the Minister’s fairytale.
Quarterly reports from Stats SA show that the construction sector remains in crisis, with continued negative growth over multiple quarters:
2024 Q3:
2024 Q4:
2025 Q1:
2025 Q2:
2025 Q3:
% change year-on-year since taking office in June 2024
Compared to the previous year, the construction industry has contracted in every quarter since the new Minister has taken over. Most shockingly the construction industry has contracted by 4.1% between January and September this year.
This is not the profile of a growing, job-creating construction sector but rather the reality of a sector limping along, trapped in stagnation, corruption and contraction.
The closure of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s long-steel operations is yet another clear warning sign. When demand for steel, a fundamental construction input, collapses, it reveals a sector starved of real activity despite the Minister’s political spin.
ActionSA continues to expose the GNU’s failure to present a credible plan to revive the economy and reignite the construction industry, where South Africans can no longer afford empty promises and PR exercises. What is required now is a disciplined focus on the reforms that unlock investment, cut red tape, repair rail and port logistics and restore confidence in the state’s ability to deliver infrastructure.