Mr Schulz, a great loss to construction industry
President of the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) and co-owner of Namibia Construction, Karl-Heinz Schulz, on 14 May died unexpectedly at the age of 55. The funeral service took place on 21 May.
Prior independence Karl-Heinz Schulz was associated with the previously called Master Building Association, which after 1993 changed to the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia. For many years, he was also an active executive committee member of the federation and since 2010 he was the president of the CIF.
Karl-Heinz Schulz fought for what he believed was right for the Namibian construction industry. Leading the federation of 480 member companies, he raised the voice of Namibia’s construction industry and in particular emphasised the need for supporting and empowering Namibian companies.
He called for greater transparency in public procurement practices. He felt that the Namibian industry needed to be supported to ensure continuity, to further develop skills and capacity, and for continued decent employment in the Namibian construction sector.
Mr Schulz always advocated and stood for quality and standards. He wanted to see the establishment of a Namibian construction council for greater regulation and monitoring of the industry.
Bärbel Kirchner, consulting general manager of the CIF said: “Leading our industry, Karl-Heinz Schulz always called for greater support for real Namibian companies. Although he welcomed competition, he did argue for a level playing field in the conduct of business and was weary of growing number of foreign companies most likely sponsored by their governments being allowed to operate in Namibia, which he felt undermines the development of our industry.
A book of condolence for Karl-Heinz Schulz remains open at the CIF offices in Klein Windhoek (corner of Stein and Schwabe Street) until Friday afternoon, 27 May 2016. CIF has also set up an e-mail address [email protected] for anyone that would like to say something about Karl-Heinz.
