A review of recent legislative developments in South Africa and Turkey

Abstract

Both the South African and Turkish construction industries like elsewhere in the world play pivotal roles in national economic growth and development. Since the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, the government and the construction industry have engaged in a vigorous process to redirect this growth and performance in support of the social and economic agenda of the nation. Consequently, many laws have been overhauled and/or amended with more than 30 laws having direct bearing on construction and the development of the industry. These legislative developments have significantly changed the environment in which construction activities occur. On the other hand, in Turkey many changes to the legislative framework have been effected in recent times to comply with standards of the European Union to which it seeks membership. These include amendments to the Construction Control Law (2001), Civil Invitation Law (2003), Labor Law (2003), and Turkish Penalty Code (2004). In both countries these laws and regulations have potential negative and positive impacts on the construction sector. The paper discusses briefly the impacts of some of the recent legislation as well as the findings of recent relevant research.