...separates the project into three major components: the boiler, the generator and the remaining power works. Once the foundation is set, he says, “it all follows off the boiler schedule. We have to stay on track with the ductwork, the generator stator, the air-cooled condenser, the ductwork and the tunnel for the mechanical and controls. It’s an exercise in scheduling.”

Since the last South African powerplant was completed in the late 1980s, the owner faced a shortage of experienced trades workers. As one of the country’s major construction firms, Johannesburg-based prime contractor Murray & Roberts fully subscribes to the AGISA guideline, says Coenie Vermaak, project director. The contractor set up training schools in Lephale. General laborers go through a four-week training cycle—with a special emphasis placed on safe work practices—before they set foot on the jobsite.

Ambitious workers can boost their pay rate by taking additional seven- to nine-week modules in skilled trades, such as plastering, tiling, bricklaying, concrete placement and steel fixing. The owner matches project needs with the training school’s curriculum. “We’ve trained over 2,000 people since March 2008,” Vermaak says.

Finding harmony

The system went through some birthing pains, he admits. “We had some social issues. Many of these folks had never had a steady job before. They were used to a family of eight surviving on 400 rand [$55] a month. Now they’re making 5,300 to 8,000 rand [$723 to $1,091] a month.” In the early stages of construction, Vermaak says, workers would draw their first paycheck “and many would figure they had it made, so they’d just disappear.”

The absenteeism rate was running about 18%, threatening the schedule and the quality of work. In spring 2009, employers took a tougher stance, dismissing some 300 workers. A four-week strike ensued. Subsequent negotiations resulted in job restoration, clarified work rules and a no-strike project labor agreement. Since then, absenteeism has dropped below 4%, and the job is back on track.

Crookes is optimistic that if the remaining funding is secured, the first unit will come online on schedule in 2012, with the remainder to follow at eight-month intervals. “We’re definitely on the path to improvement,” he says. “Our people are like dry sponges—you can see them growing and expanding” as they sit next to the international consultants. The workforce at Medupi is “not “traditional,” he adds, and it doesn’t have a wealth of practical experience. “We’ve got people with theoretical knowledge but no practical experience. [It’s] never easy to get it right the first time … It’s kind of like lassoing smoke. But as time goes by, we’re getting it right.”