Exploring the effectiveness of partnership between private property developers and the city of Johannesburg on the growth and development of the construction sector: the case of Johannesburg Inner City.

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of partnerships between the City of Johannesburg Municipality and private property developers in the inner city districts of the municipality, with a view to offer possible suggestions and recommendations on how to promote its successes. In order to achieve this, the following objectives were set; to establish the impact of the private property developers on how they drive the growth and development of small contractors and supply chain management in the Inner City of Johannesburg, to make an assessment of how private property developers have impacted on the growth and development of the local construction industry in the Inner City, to establish the challenges that has hindered the effectiveness and efficiency of private property developers in ensuring growth and development in the construction area in the Inner City Development Project, and to learn from past experience from the project to optimize the involvement of small contractors and suppliers in inner city regeneration. Due to the nature of this research, qualitative research methodology was used. The research population was derived from several private property construction projects in the city of Johannesburg. Data were collected through the use of focus groups. The major findings were that private property developers complement the efforts of the municipality by reducing costs on projects, provision of quality end products that are beneficial and sustainable to the end user. They also ensure the provision of security to the beneficiaries of the project. On the relationship between private property developers and the city of Johannesburg, the researcher found out that, there is a distant relationship between the city of Johannesburg and private property developers with regard to the situation in the inner city. This study recommends that private property developers should ensure that every project is transparent to all stakeholders and have representatives with clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability, both in the failure or success of any project. Monitoring and evaluation should be implemented during every project process and levels. There is also need to properly budget for projects in order to reduce the possibility of half-baked projects.