So it is encouraging to be told by Aveng, SA's largest construction group, that it is in the final stages of an empowerment deal.

If Aveng is the first in its sector to conclude an empowerment deal it would probably have an advantage over its rivals, and a large contract would be welcome for Aveng, whose order book has dipped in the past year or so.

Yet it should be noted that government has been awarding construction contracts to companies that are not empowered none of SA's big construction groups has a significant black shareholding at group level. Perhaps the practice will continue.

The issue, meanwhile, raises questions over government's own performance on empowerment when it comes to procurement policy.

More progress on empowerment deals in the sector is expected after a construction sector meeting, where a sector charter will be a central agenda item. But a date has not yet been set for the meeting, which was expected to have taken place early this year.