South Africa's construction regulator has removed Moriel Infrastructure Group, the company linked to Zimbabwean businessman Lawrence Mudzinganyama, from its national register of contractors. The minister says the decision is about grading applications, not the viral restaurant video.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson announced on Tuesday 27 October that 13 companies, including Moriel Infrastructure Group (Pty) Ltd, had been removed from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) National Register of Contractors. According to the government news agency SAnews, the removals followed findings of misrepresentation in the companies' applications to upgrade their contractor grades.

SAnews reports that the CIDB board resolved the removals on 15 October 2026 under sections 19(1) and 19(2) of the Construction Industry Development Board Act, 2000. Those provisions let the board remove contractors that breach registration conditions or obtain grading designations improperly.

What the CIDB found

Macpherson told a media briefing that the CIDB had looked into concerns that Moriel misrepresented its financial and technical capabilities to obtain higher gradings, IOL reported. The finding belongs to the CIDB and the minister. Moriel had held several high grades, including 8 CE, 8 SB and 8 SK, according to IOL. In South Africa's system, grades decide the type and value of public construction work a firm can bid for.

The minister said the process started well before the company was in the headlines. "The CIDB commenced its investigation into the company in 2025 and served its first formal notice that year. Following further investigation, an additional notice was served on 11th September 2026," SABC News quoted him as saying. He said Moriel was given a chance to respond before the board made its decision, according to IOL.

"The subsequent decision to remove Moriel from the National Register of Contractors by the board on the 15th of October thus demonstrates our approach is based on investigation, evidence and due process rather than speculation," Macpherson said, as quoted by IOL.

Separate from the Sandton allegations

Moriel came under public scrutiny in September 2026 after a video circulated that allegedly showed Mudzinganyama threatening women at a restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg. IOL reported that he later apologised for his language, and that Moriel issued a statement saying he had been removed as its director and executive chairman.

Macpherson said the removal was a regulatory decision, separate from the allegations of criminal conduct against Mudzinganyama, Inside Politics reported. "While allegations of criminal conduct, including violence and intimidation, fall within the jurisdiction of law enforcement, I have been clear that threats against women cannot be tolerated," he said. Those allegations have not been tested in court, and nothing in the CIDB decision is a finding on them.

A sharp rise in removals

According to SAnews, the latest round brings the number of contractors removed and blacklisted to 75 in about two and a half years. Only one was removed between 2002 and 2024. "This represents a significant shift in how accountability is enforced in our construction industry," the minister said.

Why it matters

Mudzinganyama is one of the best-known Zimbabwean business figures in South Africa, and the story has spread widely on Zimbabwean social media. For Zimbabweans in South Africa, the case shows how hard Pretoria is now policing the rules for firms that want state contracts: a contractor can lose access to public work over what it puts in a grading application, whatever happens in any criminal process. It also shows that a regulatory decision and a criminal allegation are separate things, and both deserve careful reporting.

Sources: SAnews (primary): https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/construction-companies-removed-cidb-register · SABC News: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/macpherson-defends-decision-to-remove-non-performing-contractors/ · IOL: https://iol.co.za/business/2026-10-27-zimbabwean-businessman-lawrence-mudzinganyamas-moriel-group-removed-from-cidb-register/ · Inside Politics: https://insidepolitic.co.za/moriel-infrastructure-group-blacklisted-from-state-contracts/

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