The subject of delayed payment to contractors for works executed has been and is still being studied. Several recommendations have been made, yet the menace of delayed payment is increasing by the day. It may be reasonable to conclude that this challenge persists because the solutions proposed so far have been too generic and not sufficiently tailored to the specific context. Therefore, it is imperative to localise the causes, effects, and mitigation strategies. Consequently, this research focuses on contextualising the critical factors underpinning the causes and effects of delayed payments, as well as identifying actionable, context‑specific mitigation strategies to address these challenges. The mixed method of research strategy was adopted, and the mirror imaging tool was used for the quantitative analysis of participants’ responses. The research revealed that out of the ten generic causes evaluated, four were found to be relevant to the context of the research. Similarly, seven critical factors responsible for the effects and four factors as suitable mitigation strategies were identified. This research recommends that the Project Manager, as the interface between the client and the project execution team (PET), should coordinate the implementation of the identified factors to reduce the incidence of delayed payment to the barest minimum, in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa.

Keywords

Delayed payment, Causes, Effects, Mitigation strategies, Mirror imaging.