This is why you will have to pause any building projects this festive season

We are all trying to finish the year strong, having ticked off all that we had planned for the year. If you are building something which is not yet complete by mid-December and you're told it will be completed early in 2022, this is why. 

Most of South Africa's construction sector will observe the traditional builders' break in South Africa and close from mid-December until the second week of January. 

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This information comes from Databuild, a tracker of trends in South Africa's construction sector -  residential, building, and civil projects. They recently conducted a survey among contractors and professionals concerning the builders' break.

Since when do contractors have a break? 

Well, the annual builders' break, might not be mandated by legislation, but it sees contractors, suppliers, and professionals in the country's construction industry take an extended break from work. The holiday traditionally starts in the middle of December – around the Day of Reconciliation's public holiday – and lasts until the first or second week of January.

We are definitely for this kind of recognition and acknowledgement of the hard work contractors get up to in the year. 

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The results by Databuild found that 63% of contractors surveyed indicated that they would close for the upcoming builders' break, compared to 36% of respondents in 2020. 

Only 6% of contractors surveyed said they'd remain open throughout December. The rest will take the break Christmas and New Year alone. 

65% of professionals in the construction industry also said they'd close during the builders' break.  

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So, don't throw a fit or anything when they break the news to you. 

We all need the rest. 

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