A family business conquers construction

While it may not be that all roads are paved with gold, the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) goes beyond roads to ensure that the lives of ordinary South Africans are transformed through the many projects the agency rolls out each year.

Eastern Cape-based Damian’s Contractors is one beneficiary that makes the case for seizing golden opportunities from SANRAL – and paying it forward to change the lives of its employees and subcontractors.

What began as a small family-run business in Qonce (formerly King William’s Town) in 2006 has burgeoned into a thriving Construction Industry Development Board (CIBD) level 7-certified operation. Its reputation for outstanding road repair now extends beyond the borders of the province.

While most South Africans will not recall March 2020 with any great affection, given the implementation of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown, for Damian’s Contractors it marked a positive turning point. This was the moment the company transitioned from a small-time player to a major force in the routine road maintenance space, having been appointed as main contractor on a SANRAL project for the first time.

For managing director and Qonce native, Theo Lewis, being awarded the tender in the Northern Cape was the culmination of SANRAL’s commitment to helping the contractor realise its ambitions.

“SANRAL is the largest contributor to the growth of Damian’s Contractors,” he notes. “Only last week we were awarded another 10 projects in the Western Region. It’s incredible and best of all is that we’ve seen our staff grow with the company. We have people who started out with us now in supervisory roles. It’s helping to build up communities.”

By providing extensive training and mentorship programmes, SANRAL has equipped the business with the necessary know-how and skills to improve the country’s roads in both the short and long term.

Lewis’s wife, Sandra, is herself a beneficiary of the skills programmes, with a number of industry-relevant qualifications now under her belt. These have enabled her to apply surveying techniques on a construction contract, manage construction resources and tender for construction contracts – among other skills that are crucial to the running of a successful operation.

Initially, Damian’s Contractors performed only minor work for the state. As the business became increasingly proficient in the finer points of roadwork and the tendering process under SANRAL’s guidance, so its star began to rise and gain the attention of bid adjudication committees.

Understandably, the Aliwal North project is the contractor’s crowning achievement to date. “We currently have 27 employees on the project, but we expect this number to rise to 80 as more subcontractors come on board,” Lewis explains. “Not only will all our employees benefit, but our subcontractors’ employees as well. These workers are acquiring skills like first aid, basic firefighting, traffic accommodation, guardrail erection, road sign installation, concrete work and fencing.”

Payment for this training is ultimately claimed back from SANRAL as part of the agency’s skills development budget.

What pleases the Lewis family and their team is that each of the projects carries the potential to make a real difference in people’s lives, whether it is furnishing them with new skills or providing households with a steady source of income.

“It’s definitely hard work but when you see what’s happened, it’s definitely worth it,” Lewis notes.

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