Outcome of Public Debate: Building Contractors in Betty’s Bay

OPENING STATEMENT

 

This subject matter was provoked due to a constant stream of emails and phone calls about people being defrauded and left with very bad workmanship after the fact.

 

It is also clear that we have well qualified and extremely competent builders and sub-contractors working in Betty’s Bay.

 

AIM

 

The aim of this correspondence is to inform home-owners and residents of how to protect yourself from being done in by ‘fly by night’ individuals and less than honest contractors.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Vulnerable and trusting members of the Betty’s Bay community have been ripped off by a few unscrupulous contractors and individuals claiming to be able to do the job.

 

PROBLEM STATEMENT

 

1. Shoddy work
2. Unprofessional work
3. Running off with deposits
4. Demanding more money during the project
5. Incomplete work and abandoned after full payment were paid
6. Using inferior products
7. Using bought materials on other sites
8. Working sporadically on the site with extended time frames between site visits
9. Quoting for qualified brick layers and plasterers and using people off the street to do the job
10. Allowing unqualified people to work on the site without supervision
11. Bullying of clients by builder
12. Stealing material from the site at night to be used elsewhere

 

There are so many more scenarios one could put up for scrutiny. A mechanism must be sought to assist Betty’s Bay ratepayers and residents from having to spend more time and money on a project due to some of the above.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We must acknowledge the honest and professional contractors, sub-contractors and artisans working here in Betty’s Bay. We applaud you and would like to make sure you are acknowledged because of our appreciation of you and your staff.

 

We also acknowledge that we have many community members that are sometimes too trusting and are easily conned.

 

We acknowledge that there is no mechanism of knowing who is trustworthy or not.

 

COMMUNITY VISION

 

• To be a community where there is a culture of honest free enterprise.
• To be a community where people may be rewarded for good work.

SOLUTIONS

 

The ratepayers and residents have proposed the following.

 

• That the BBRA establish a database of contractors and individuals that work in Betty’s Bay.
• The ratepayers and residents will rate their work during and after the project is complete.
• The database will only have recommended contractors and artisans entered.
• Members may consult the BBRA before choosing a contractor or individual.
• The BBRA have agreed to establish a database only by information gathered by the community and will remain neutral to its inputs.
• The database entry must have the least three most recent references to which confirmation of work may be established.
• The BBRA will only display contractors and artisans that are recommended by the community. If a contractor or artisan is not on the database, it is up to him/her to seek recommendations from their most recent clients.
• The BBRA will not disclose any information as to why someone is not on the database.

 

CHALLENGES

 

The challenge is to manage this database over and above all else the BBRA are currently engaged with. It will be up to the community to provide inputs to the effect that a contractor or person is good or bad. This information will only be accepted if there are at least same or similar complaints or is established by the Chairman.

 

SO, WHAT DO I DO BEFORE ACCEPTING SOMEONE TO DO ANY WORK AT MY HOME

 

1. Consult the database held by the BBRA or do your checks first as indicated below.
2. Make sure a contractor is registered with the correct building association and the people he/she uses are qualified. In South Africa, builders must be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). The NHBRC is a regulatory body of the home building industry in South Africa. It was established in 1998 in accordance with the provisions of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act (Act No. 95 of 1998). The NHBRC is responsible for the protection of housing consumers and to regulate the home building industry.        

 

 

 

 

3. Gas: In South Africa, gas installers must be registered with the South African Qualification and Certification Committee for Gas (SAQCC Gas). The SAQCC Gas has been officially appointed and mandated by the Department of Employment and Labour to register gas practitioners within the following gas industries: Natural Gas; Liquefied Petroleum Gas; Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Gas; Compressed Industrial and Medical Gases

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Electricians: In South Africa, electricians must be registered with the Electrical Conformance Board of South Africa (ECB). The ECB was established in 1983 as the national umbrella body and customer champion within the electrical and electronic sector. It is an unbiased organisation where the public, manufacturers, importers, designers, installers, and the regulator use the ECB as their partner and interface.

You can visit their website at https://ecb.org.za/ for more information.

 

 

 

 

5. Plumbers: In South Africa, plumbers must be licensed with the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB) to practice their trade legally and issue plumbing certificates of compliance (COC). To register with the PIRB, you will need to submit proof of your qualifications and experience, as well as pass the SANS 10254 examination. You can visit their website at https://pirb.co.za/faq for more information.

 

 

6. Carpenters, Brick layers, Plasterers, Tilers, Roof setters, Painters and Appliance repair & maintenance are not required to register with any specific board in South Africa. However, businesses must be registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in order to operate legally.

 

 

 

 

7. Solar system installers must be registered with the Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa (ECASA) and comply with the Electrical Installation Regulations of 2009. These regulations include requirements for designing, installing, and maintaining electrical installations, including solar power systems.

 

 

 

THE ALL-IMPORTANT HANDY MAN

 

This is an informal jack of all trades and is competent to do a range of tasks. It is suggested that these people are useds strictly by recommendation to the BBRA for entry onto the database. It is suggested that these people are not used for major building work or even complex work unless the handy man has prior experience and knowledge of the task.

 

CONCLUSION

 

This can be seen as a positive way forward and may be used as a model for other villages. Besides providing for all these requirements we also need to keep the peace between us all while protecting ourselves against fraud.

 

No matter which route you use to determine your contractor or individual to do work for you, the BBRA will not and may not take responsibility for any negative eventuality. Legal advice must be sought and reported to the BBRA for info.

 

Considering all the correspondence I have received about the scope of this subject matter the cheap way is not the right way. This is where most of us come unstuck. We seek cheap and not necessary the registered and qualified contractor or person.

 

GRATITUDE BY BBRA CHAIRMAN

 

I thank each person that contributed to our email debate and all the details and pictures were a bit overwhelming to say the least. It all helps us to understand our situation better. It is because of this interaction that we can appreciate the good and upstanding workers and exclude shoddy workers in the future. This is not the end of it but the beginning of a process for better quality and ethics in this environment.

Date: 27 June 2023

(WR JACKSON)

BETTY’S BAY RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION: CHAIRMAN