What does a civil contractor do?
Civil work is the groundwork: earthworks, excavation, trenching, stormwater, kerbing, paving and surfacing. It is the layer between the raw site and the building or road that goes on top. iLifa does the civils and the building, which is unusual — most firms do one and sub-let the other.
Are you registered for municipal and government work?
Yes. We are CIDB registered and a Level 1 BBBEE contributor, we carry public liability cover on every contract, and we maintain a full safety file with inductions and letters of good standing. We do reinstatement work to City of Cape Town standard.
Do you work as a sub-contractor for other contractors?
Often. A large part of our civils work comes from principal contractors, developers and network owners who need a trenching, kerbing or reinstatement crew that will turn up and finish. We are equally happy as principal contractor on the whole package.
Can you reinstate after someone else's excavation?
Yes, and it is a common call. Tar, paving, concrete, kerbing and grass reinstated to municipal standard after a trench or a service connection, whoever dug it.
How do you price civil work?
On measured quantities — cubic metres excavated, square metres surfaced, linear metres of kerb. We come out, measure, and give you a rate schedule in writing so it can be remeasured on completion. We will flag anything in the bill of quantities that does not reconcile before you commit.
What is your response time in Cape Town?
Two to three working days to site for an assessment in the metro, and the same day for anything urgent — a collapse, a burst, an exposed service. Our yard is in Airport Industria, which keeps most of the metro within half an hour.
Do you handle wayleaves and permits?
We will tell you what is needed and can assist with the applications, but the wayleave is normally held by the client or the network owner. We will not break ground without one.
What areas do you cover for civils work?
The whole Cape Town metro and the wider Western Cape — Northern Suburbs, Southern Suburbs, Atlantic Seaboard, West Coast, Helderberg and the Winelands. For contract work we travel to Gauteng.
Where we work
Cape Town CBDParowBellvilleDurbanvilleBrackenfellKuils RiverGoodwoodMilnertonTable ViewBloubergMelkbosstrandCentury CityPinelandsRondeboschClaremontConstantiaTokaiMuizenbergSomerset WestStrandStellenboschPaarlYzerfonteinAtlantis
Plus the rest of the Western Cape and Gauteng. If your area isn’t listed, ask — we travel for the right job.
