AFTER some forty years at the same address in Umbilo Road on the fringes of downtown Durban, GVK-Siya Zama’s KZN operation is moving from this location to a new 900m2 office in Westville.
The elegant yet faded buildings of the Umbilo Road area suggest a former time of commerce and vibrance, which have sadly made way for neglect, dereliction and crime. This is one of the main reasons for the move to the new premises.
Former long-serving managing director of the business in the region, Johan de la Querra, commends his successors on the move and recalls the company’s early days in the province when it established a foothold after buying the contracting division of G C Shave, a then well-known painting company, in 1969.
“We became a well-established restoration business, taking on notable projects such as Durban City Hall, Addington Hospital and the Durban Country Club. We were the only company who restored stonework, particularly the Pietermaritzburg ‘pink brick’,” De la Querra says. In the 1980s, the company branched out to more specialist building repairs and added tenant fitouts to its repertoire, in the process embedding its reputation as a specialist painting and restoration outfit.
The subsequent launch of GVK-Siya Zama in 1994 set the business on a different trajectory as bigger greenfield builds started to dominate its order book. Fast forward to 2022 and the group’s modern-day reputation as one of the biggest privately owned construction companies in the country.
Says Chairman Dumisani Madi, “These new premises support our growth strategy in the region, will provide a shot in the arm for the team, and will ensure that we are more accessible and better positioned to support and welcome our clients in the region.”
