imiesa june 2012

MERCEDES-BENZ

IMESAIMESAThe official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

Winner of the 2011 PICA Non-professional writer of the year

EngineeringJob losses

JohannesburgFlood alleviation

InsightEngineeringprosperity

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 7 N o . 6 • J u n e 2 0 1 2 • R 4 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )

Peter Newmarch, president of SAGI: “There is huge scope for rapid turnaround times and cost-effective solutions in infrastructure mapping” p18

MEDIA

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Introduces TruckMobility

IMIESA JUNE 2012 1

VOLUME 37 NO 6 JUNE 2012CONTENTS

9Project Project

problemsproblems

45Flood Flood

alleviationalleviation

In a constant pursuit of adding value to customers, Mercedes-Benz South Africa has introduced TruckMobility, a product offering that gives operators additional peace of mind for choosing Mercedes-Benz products.

4841Mobile Mobile

mappingmappingIntegrated Integrated

housing housing

Regulars3 Editor’s comment5 President’s comment

Cover article6 Mercedes-Benz introduces

TruckMobility

Opinion9 South Africa is no longer

Africa’s big brother

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Government perspective11 Labour Department assists

struggling sectors

Industry perspective12 Civil engineering job losses

Insight14 Engineering civil prosperity

Hot seat18 Surveying for municipalities

Sanral21 KZN DOT goes green25 Municipalities benefit

from innovation

Roads29 SABITA Awards34 Precision hammering35 Bell extends

product offering

SAGI37 GIS and remote sensing39 Asset management and

data collection41 3D mobile mapping42 Changing the rules of

municipal mapping

Johannesburg45 Flood alleviation measures46 New stations for Rea Vaya

Geotechnical47 Sinkhole database

Project news48 Integrated housing project

49 Precast solutions speed up construction

Panel discussion51 Introduction: consulting to local

government

53 Kinight Piesold Consulting: Iain Watson

55 BVi Consulting Engineering: JJ Grobler and M Marole

57 BKS: Siyanda Ngebulana

58 Arup: Richard Deh

61 PH Bagale

63 SRK Consulting: Matt Braune

65 Transport Telematics Africa: Wehan Wessels

66 UWP Consulting: Craig Northwood

IMESA68 A journey through IMESA

Equipment71 Trench compactor launched

73 Maintenance management for trucks

75 A recipe for disaster

76 Retaining wall system for large applications

Domestic and Commercial

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IMIESA JUNE 2012 3

EDITOR'S COMMENT

Richard Jansen Van Vuuren

Mapping the way forwardPUBLISHER Elizabeth ShortenEDITOR Richard Jansen van VuurenASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ferdie PieterseCREATIVE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Frédérick DantonSENIOR DESIGNER Hayley MendelowSENIOR SUB-EDITOR Claire NozaicSUB-EDITOR Patience GumboCONTRIBUTORS Tony Stone, Candice Landie, Francois van Zyl, Alex Fortescue, S RichardsonPRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh BotmaPRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jaqueline ModiseFINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban (ACIS, FCIBM)ADMINISTRATION Tonya HebentonDISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa MasinaDISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha PursothamPRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571___________________________________________________

ADVERTISING SALESJenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223___________________________________________________

PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: [email protected] www.3smedia.co.za

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R480.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR.© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.___________________________________________________

IMESA CONTACTSIMESA Administration Officer: Ingrid BottonP O Box 2190, Westville, 3630Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094Email: [email protected]: www.imesa.org.za

BORDER BRANCHSecretary: Melanie MatroosTel: +27 (0)43 705 2401Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266E-mail: [email protected]

EAST CAPE BRANCHElsabé KoenTel: +27 (0)41 505 8005Fax: +27 (0)41 581 2300E-mail: [email protected]

KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCHSecretary: Rita ZaaymanTel: +27(0)31 311 6382

NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCHSecretary: Cornel TaljaardTel: +27 (0)82 899 8341Fax: +27 (0)11 675 1324E-mail: [email protected]

SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCHSecretary: Henrietta OliverTel: +27(0)79 390 7536Fax: 086 536 3725E-mail: [email protected]

WESTERN CAPE BRANCHSecretary: Erica van JaarsveldTel: +27 (0)21 938 8455Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457E-mail: [email protected]

FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCHSecretary: Wilma Van Der WaltTel: +27(0)83 457 4362Fax: 086 628 0468E-mail: [email protected]

REST OF SOUTHERN AFRICARepresentative: Andre MullerE-mail: [email protected]

All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

Cover opportunity In each issue, IMIESA offers advertisers the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the journal. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story on pages and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223.

Water storage

solutions for Africa

The official magazine of the Institute

of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa


Winner of the 2011 PICA

Non-professional writer of the year

WaterLooming

crisis

Ekurhuleni

Urban

infrastructure

LitterLurking

danger

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 7 N o . 5 • M a y 2 0 1 2 • R 4 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )

Dirk Meyer, managing director of Corobrik: “Municipal infrastructure

construction has always been an important market for Corobrik.”p18n the iinnni

oot

oorrrraraaaaagaggggtoot e

ffoooo friAffAAArrr AArr ca

VELIVVVE RYYYEERREELIVVE YYERRRYEE Y

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LitterLurking

danger

a yy 2 00 1 22 •• RR 44 00 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )“Municipal infrastructure

rtant market for Corobrik.”

rtant market for Corobrik.”

rtant market for Corobrik.p18p18p

MERCEDES-BENZ









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ALL THOSE WONDERFUL feelings and

memories of the Soccer World Cup

seem so distant lately. In the almost

two years since the event, the con-

struction industry and government have been

in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. How

did it all fall apart so easily?

The construction effort leading up to the

event may be our ‘golden moment’ for years to

come as it seems the camaraderie, the amaz-

ing feats and cohesion we achieved to complete

the stadiums and the associated infrastructure

might never be repeated.

Last year, government raised issues with the

construction industry with regards to its con-

cerns about collusion and fraudulent activities.

In addition, certain cement manufacturers have

been fined by the Competition Commission for

price fixing. One of the issues surrounding this

controversial project is the construction costs

that have seemingly spiralled out of control.

Who would have that thought that a government

agency such as Sanral could rack up a bad

reputation as a bad debtor thanks to Moody’s

Investor Service? Who would have ever thought

that the Treasury would accuse the public of

economic saboteurs due to the outcry over the

expensive GFIP e-toll tariffs?

As things now stand between the public

and private sector, South Africa runs a real

risk of not completing ambitious infrastructure

projects in years to come. Private business

is still seething after the Minister of Human

Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, announced that he

intends to explore the possibility of creating of a

state-owned construction company. This state-

ment ran concurrently that of Minister of Water

Affairs, Edna Molewa, who outlined the need

to raise to R530 billion over the next decade

to address water infrastructure maintenance

backlogs. Molewa indicated that the funding will

be sought from the private sector.

Kuben Naidoo, head of the secretariat to the

National Planning Commission under Minister

Trevor Manuel, stated last week that govern-

ment spend in the construction industry basi-

cally collapsed after

the World Cup. The

hundreds of billions of rands

mentioned in each year’s

Budget Vote is sitting idle and

not being spent.

Treasury has identified three

reasons for the collapse in

infrastructure spending:

1. bad procurement planning

in government

2. lack of proper infrastruc-

ture programme planning

3. the difficulty of structuring constructive rela-

tionships with the private sector.

It is with all these factors in mind that 3S Media

will be hosting an event on 21 and 22 June

titled: ‘Public Private Infrastructure Forum: gov-

ernment and industry meet to plan the way for-

ward’. The keynote speaker will be the Minister

of Public Works, Thembelani Nxesi. Other con-

firmed speakers from the following industry

organisations will be making presentations:

• Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern

Africa (IMESA)

• Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)

• The South African Institution of Civil

Engineering (SAICE)

• South African Federation of Civil Engineering

Contractors (SAFCEC)

• Master Builders South Africa (MBSA)

• Construction Industry Development Board

(CIDB)

• Black Business Practitioners in the Built

Environment (BBPBE) .

Visit our new website www.infrastructurene.ws for more information.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

Erratum: apologyIn our April edition I proudly discussed the design changes made in IMIESA. As the saying goes, fate it would seem is not without a sense of irony, as we made an error on the SprayPave article on pages 6 and 7 of that edition. Unfortunately, the last two lines of the article were cut off – resulting in an important quote being printed incorrectly. The IMIESA team apologises profusely to SprayPave for this error. Please see the full quote below:

“We are very proud of SprayPave’s growth, as well as extremely impressed with the innovative approach they have taken to get to where they are today”, says Marius Heyns, CEO of Basil Read.

Theme: Engineering for Change

REGISTER & PAY BEFORE 31 JULY TO QUALIFY FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

2012 IMESACONFERENCE

24 - 26 October 2012

G E O R G E

031 2663263

[email protected]

Choose your Technical Tour from a selection of Award Winning projects or the rare opportunity to visit PetroSA:

Eco Project: Touw River

Re-use of Waste Water: George Ultra-Filtration Plant

New Water Sources: Mossel Bay Desalination Plant

Safety / Acquisitions:PetroSA

Share ideas and experiences with over 650 municipal engineers & stakeholders.

Discover the latest in technology with over 60 confirmed exhibitors!

Submit a paper extract for consideration to [email protected] to share knowledge, and gain exposure and recognition for your contribution to engineering.

Acknowledge the best in the industry by attending the Excellence Awards & Opening Function!

Network and socialise with suppliers and customers during the conference and at the informal Gala Function at De Vette Mossel.

Enjoy an extended weekend in the beautiful Garden Route with your partner– see website for details of the spectacular Companions Tour on offer!

To register or for comprehensive information visit www.imesa.org.za

IMIESA JUNE 2012 5

These can be listed as follows:

• morals and ethics

• asset management

• skills

• political stability

• sound governance

• financial stability

• freedom from corruption.

I recently read a report in The Mercury newspaper that

stated: “The auditor general, Terence Nombembe, has

criticised the government and public servants for a

weakening of the pillars of governance protecting South

Africa’s democracy.”

In the ar ticle, Nombembe was fur ther quoted as say-

ing: “Things are serious and they are even more seri-

ous than we thought they were. They are more serious

because the people who are employed by government

to do work are the least prepared and equipped to do

it – the situation is dire.”

The ar ticle also stated Nombembe’s office would soon

release the audit results for local municipalities, and he

expressed his dismay about them.

The pillars mentioned above are interlinked and are an

important par t of the employer/employee relationship

in municipalities. This same relationship should exist

between a municipality and its ratepayers and residents

– an important fact that is all too often forgotten. A

council is elected to serve the interests of its electors

and in order to implement the policies on which it has

been elected, it employs officials and workers. It is the

duty of both the politicians and the officials to imple-

ment policy and to provide services in the most efficient

manner possible, using the resources the ratepayers

have provided. That fact that this is a relationship of

trust, dependant on a moral and ethical attitude from all

role players, is obvious. That this trust is often abused

in present-day South Africa is equally clear; hardly a

day goes by without a report in the press of corruption,

incompetence, failures in capacity and other betrayals

of the ratepayers’ trust.

We have to ask what it says to the population when our

largest city routinely receives a qualified audit report,

and the capital of our most populous province cannot

manage and maintain some of its infrastructure.

More importantly, what can we as a professional body

do to move our municipalities to a position of financial

probity and, fur thermore, to earn the faith and trust of

the public? I think we need to look at the pillars that I

have listed and acknowledge that all of them flow from

the first: morals and ethics.

I believe that for IMESA, as with all professional

organisations, morals and ethics are fundamental core

values. I also believe that as a body of professionals,

we are well-positioned to exercise influence in this

area. As an organisation and as individuals, we need to

demand from our members, our municipalities and all

the officials and suppliers with whom we have contact,

nothing short of total honesty in the areas of govern-

ance, asset management and accounting; only then can

we hope to approach the goals of freedom from corrup-

tion and financial stability. We need to be courageous

and rigorous in monitoring and, if necessary, reporting

– all areas where corruption is suspected or conduct

falls short of accepted standards.

In short, I believe that we can make a difference.

At last year’s 75th IMESA Conference, when addressing the topic of the future of municipal engineering in South Africa, I identified what I referred to as the ‘Seven Pillars of Sustainability’.

PRESIDENT'S COMMENT

What can we as a professional body do to move our municipalities to a position of fi nancial probity?

The seven pillars of sustainability

by Jannie Pietersen, president of IMESA

6 IMIESA JUNE 2012

COVER STORY

In a constant pursuit of adding value for its customers, Mercedes-Benz South Africa has introduced TruckMobility, a product offering that gives operators additional peace of mind when choosing Mercedes-Benz products.

Mercedes-Benz introduces

TruckMobility

AVAILABLE TO NEW or demo

Mercedes-Benz Actros 6X4 truck

tractor customers that have

bought into a new Char terWay

Service Complete package, TruckMobility

guarantees customers that their vehicles

will be repaired within two days following the

report of a mechanical failure. In the event

that the repairs take longer than two days,

customers will either receive a replacement

vehicle or be reimbursed R2 500 a day for a

maximum of five days with a limit of R12 500

per instance.

Introduced in 2010, Char terWay is an

offering that combines Mercedes-Benz South

Africa’s (MBSA’s) exceptional financial servic-

es and fleet management products, delivered

through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services,

with affordable service and/or maintenance

contracts. CharterWay can be customised

to meet each customer’s business needs.

“A notable benefit of TruckMobility is that

it has the FleetBoard telematic tracking

system bundled with a CharterWay service

and maintenance package. FleetBoard has

other benefits that include vehicle manage-

ment system, a 30-second interval vehicle

tracking, driver management, driver training

and fleet reporting,” says Clinton Savage,

divisional manager at Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

It is also worth mentioning that TruckMobility

has a driver training component. The pro-

fessional driver training offered by

Tr u c kMob i l i t y

teaches good driving behaviour that not only

results in a reduced risk of breakdowns, but

also reduced fuel consumption. Good driving

behaviour has resulted in a 5% to 15% fuel

consumption reduction, which augurs well

with MBSA’s effor ts to reduce the carbon

footprint of its products.

TruckMobility has the competitive

edge as it enables operators to have

a professionally and regularly main-

tained fleet of vehicles that will retain

the highest level of reliability.

TruckStore launchedTruckStore, the used commercial

vehicle specialist from MBSA, is ready to

commence construction of a brand new

facility for the Southern African market.

The TruckStore team is to begin business

in a few weeks at Highway Business Park

in Centurion.

TruckStore is a first for MBSA and will

become one of the largest used-vehicle

dealers for commercial vehicles – vans,

TruckMobility guarantees customers that their vehicles will be repaired within two days following the report of a mechanical failure

IMIESA JUNE 2012 7

COVER STORY

IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27(0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.

trucks, buses and trailers. TruckStore sells

vehicles of all brands, body configurations

and ages. Conveniently situated off the N1,

on 30 000 m2 of prime real estate, the facil-

ity will have ample parking for large vehicles

and is well-situated in Gauteng, between the

two major airpor ts (OR Tambo and Lanseria)

for the convenience of its clients.

TruckStore is one of the largest used com-

mercial dealer networks in Europe and has

now officially been launched to the Southern

African. In the Daimler Group, TruckStore is

responsible for the professional, internation-

al used truck business, involving trucks of

all brands and ages, and with all body types.

TruckStore in Europe is growing constantly

and already has 30 locations in 14 European

countries, and has a rolling stock of around

4 000 vehicles, selling more than 20 000

vehicles annually.

TruckStore is a Daimler initiative, which

began operations in 2002. This proven model

concept has been adapted to suit the

Southern African

market. TruckStore also accepts commercial

vehicles of any vehicle type or brand in par t

exchange. The condition of every vehicle is

thoroughly checked and assessed on the

basis of uniform standards. Vehicles are then

subdivided into the product categories gold,

silver and bronze. This ensures that every

vehicle delivers what is promised.

TruckStore will also have a dedicated recon-

ditioning centre based at Zandfontein, which

will also serve as the national return centre

for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. The

preparation of the used commercial vehicles

by dedicated technicians and service staff,

to bring them up to set standards, will be

undertaken at the Zandfontein facility, ensur-

ing that these vehicles meet TruckStore

benchmark standards.

As par t of the MBSA commercial vehicle

value chain, TruckStore customers will benefit

from a range of services specifically for

used commercial

vehicles, such as finance, insurance

and warranties.

This TruckStore initiative will ensure sig-

nificant growth in the used commercial

vehicle segments and the close collabora-

tion with the MBSA dealer network will be

strengthened.

The TruckStore website at www.truckstore.

co.za has full details for customers to famil-

iarise themselves with the new and exciting

TruckStore concept. Once the TruckStore

facility is officially opened, the website will

be upgraded to an internet platform that will

enable used-commercial vehicle customers

to find their ideal vehicle even faster – a

vehicle suited to their needs – thanks to easy

navigation functions. The new functionality

will be user-friendly with its clearly structured

sections, simple controls and optimised con-

tact functions. In addition to the new design,

users will also benefit from a photographic

gallery of the used commercial vehicles as

well as full specifications.

TruckStore is able to meet increasingly

demanding customer requirements and con-

tinue to extend its lead at the very forefront

of innovation.

Mercedes-Benz

Tel: +27 (0)12 677 1500

Web: www.mercedes-benz.co.za

ABOVE LEFT TruckStore is one of the largest used commercial dealer networks in Europe and has now been officially launched in South Africa

ABOVE RIGHT TruckMobility includes a driver training component

IME

SA

AFF

ILIA

TE M

EM

BE

RS

ABS [email protected]

Afri-Infra [email protected]

AJ Broom Road Products [email protected]

Arup SA [email protected]

Aurecon [email protected]

Bigen Group Africa [email protected]

BKS Consulting Engineers [email protected]

BMK Consulting [email protected]

Bosch Stemele [email protected]

Bosch Munitech [email protected]

BVI Consulting Engineers [email protected]

CBI Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Civilconsult Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Civil & Blasting Solutions [email protected]

Concrete Manufacturers [email protected]

CSIR Built Environment [email protected]

Davies Lynn & Partners [email protected]

Development Bank of SA [email protected]

DPI Plastics [email protected]

EFG Engineers [email protected]

Elster Kent Metering [email protected]

EnviroServ Waste Management [email protected]

Geotechnologies [email protected]

GLS Consulting [email protected]

Goba [email protected]

Hidrostal SA [email protected]

Huber Technology [email protected]

Hydro-comp Enterprises [email protected]

I@Consulting [email protected]

Iliso Consulting [email protected]

Infraset [email protected]

Jeffares and Green [email protected]

Johannesburg Water [email protected]

Kgatelopele Consulting [email protected]

Knowledge Base [email protected]

KV3 Engineers [email protected]

Lektratek Water [email protected]

Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates [email protected]

Maragela Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Much Asphalt [email protected]

Nyeleti Consulting [email protected]

Odour Engineering Systems [email protected]

PD Naidoo & Associates

Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Power Construction [email protected]

Pumptron [email protected]

Pragma Africa [email protected]

Rocla [email protected]

SBS Water Systems [email protected]

Sektor Consulting [email protected]

Sight Lines [email protected]

SiVEST SA [email protected]

SNA Inc [email protected]

Siza Water Company [email protected]

SRK Consulting [email protected]

SSI [email protected]

Syntell [email protected]

Thm Engineers East London [email protected]

TPA Consulting [email protected]

UWP Consulting [email protected]

Vela VKE [email protected]

WSP Group Africa [email protected]

WSSA [email protected]

WRP [email protected]

Zebra Surfacing [email protected]

IMESAIMESA

IMIESA JUNE 2012 9

OPINION

South Africa is no longer Africa’s big brotherSouth Africa’s reputation concerning the delivery of infrastructure is not great. This is evident by the number of service delivery protests held over the last couple of years. by Richard Jansen van Vuuren

THE REASON BEHIND the ongoing fail-

ure to launch is that when it comes to

project implementation, South Africa

is nowhere near where it likes to

think it is. Last September, government formed

the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating

Commission (PICC) to deal with implementation

blockages, but not much can be reported in

terms of government releasing the approximate

R900 billion destined for ‘great things’ in infra-

structure delivery.

Despite the formation of PICC and its much

publicised presence – as well as the ambitiously

bold statements made in the State of the Nation

Address and National Budget – the fact remains:

actual implementation of infrastructure projects

continues to be a significant challenge.

One of South Africa’s great infrastructure

achievements is our national road network.

While potholes and broken traffic lights may

be the bane of suburban commuting, travelling

long distance on the national routes is mostly

a pleasure – tolled or not. With this in mind, it

is incredibly sad that the agency that has deliv-

ered this national treasure, the South African

National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), has

fallen victim to poor implementation.

With the postponement of e-tolling in

Gauteng, which was intended to raise revenue

to pay for Sanral’s R20 billion spend on road

upgrading, government currently finds itself in

an uncomfortable position of being account-

able for a massive debt that has no revenue

stream. The reasons for this will surely sur-

face in the weeks to come as government

addresses its plummeting credit rating. While

government remains adamant that the ‘user

pays’ principle will prevail, there are underlying

questions regarding the poor workmanship of

sections of the upgraded highways that were

to be tolled. The poor workmanship has been

completely overshadowed by the furore sur-

rounding the tolls themselves.

Alli, speaking at a recent Barometer SA

event, has maintained that the questions sur-

rounding South Africa’s ability to implement

infrastructure projects are basically unfounded.

“We pulled ourselves together for the Soccer

World Cup. We have the funding and the will

to implement and make sure that we follow

policy through. We cannot turn around and sit

in a group that agrees on a particular decision

and then go and bad-mouth that decision,” he

pointed out.

“There are policies in place and we must

learn to respect them,” he continued. “We

cannot afford to turn around and change policy

midstream while it is being implemented.”

Speaking at the same event, Terry Armstrong,

procurement director of WBHO, stated that

tender processes for government-driven infra-

structure projects remain problematic for the

private sector.

“Billions of rands have been committed to

the delivery of infrastructure in the budget,

which points to a significant pipeline of work for

contractors, but the track record of implemen-

tation and public-private partnerships (PPPs)

is very poor. It can take up to three years

from the time a bid is advertised to the time

it is finalised,” he pointed out. There is a

realisation from government that the bidding

process and documentation required for PPPs

need streamlining.”

At a recent event celebrating Africa Day,

which focused on infrastructure development

in Africa, it was stated that South Africa is no

longer a serious competitor on the rest of the

continent as far as infrastructure construction

is concerned. Chinese contractors and suppli-

ers offer reduced rates as a trump card while

Portuguese and Brazilian contractors have

long-standing relationships in the countries in

which they operate. There is a perception that

South Africa has a tendency to grandstand and

puff out its chest to the rest of the continent,

but the fact that’s its house is not in order has

become a real issue. This has not gone unno-

ticed in the international community and in a

time when everyone is working 24/7 in a global

market, South Africa risks disappointing not

only itself, but its neighbours near and far.

ABOVE The bad workmanship on the N1 north, between the Beyers Naude and Rivonia Road off-ramps, was very apparent weeks before the scheduled commencement of e-tolling

BELOW Completed repair work – was it a quick fix? Photographs by Tony Stone

IMIESA JUNE 2012 11

GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE

OLIFANT ANNOUNCED this action

during a meeting in the North West

– the last of a series of pub-

lic briefings on proposed labour

law amendments that saw officials of the

Department of Labour (DOL) criss-crossing

the country.

Addressing a public briefing session in

Rustenburg that was attended by business,

labour federations and other stakeholders,

DOL chief director: collective bargaining,

Thembinkosi Mkalipi, said the move was part

of a drive to protect vulnerable workers.

Mkalipi said this was a privilege that would

be enjoyed by vulnerable workers – those who

earn below R172 000 per annum.

He said amendments to labour

laws would make it possible to

cover any workers not covered by

other sector determinations or not

covered by agreements entered

into by statutory councils. He

added that proposed amendments

to the labour bills also make it

easier for workers to join a union

and unions to organise, as part

of exercising organisational rights.

The national public briefings were

focused on the amendments to the

Labour Relations Bills and to the

Basic Conditions of Employment

Bills. The purpose of the pub-

lic briefings by the DOL, which

were being held nationally, was to

report back and inform the public

about changes made to labour

law amendments.

The bills are currently with parlia-

ment for consideration after having

been accepted by cabinet.

The two sets of bills being amended seek to

regulate the role of labour brokers and deal

with casualisation in the labour market, the

protection of vulnerable workers and enhanc-

ing the effectiveness of the labour market dis-

pute resolution institutions such as the Labour

Court, Commission for Conciliation Mediation

and Arbitration (CCMA), the Essential Services

Committee, the labour inspectorate and

bargaining and statutory councils; the billd

address current problems in industrial dis-

putes and dispute resolution.

Mkalipi said as part of a drive to deal with

violent strikes and disputes, the CCMA would

now be expected to play a proactive role to

intervene in the public interest. He said the

balloting process that was done away with in

1995 was expected to make a comeback to

deal with violence associated with strikes that

do not enjoy mass support.

The purpose of the public briefings by the

DOL, which were being held nationally, was to

report back and inform the public about the

implication of changes made to labour laws.

He said, in summary, the laws have struck

a balance between diagonally opposed view

points between labour and business.

Labour minister assists diffi cult sectorsThe Minister of Labour, Mildred Olifant, may soon be able to determine levels of representation for the purposes of organisational rights for the vulnerable workers in sectors that are difficult to organise.

The Minister of Labour, Mildred Olifant

LABOUR LAW AMENDMENT

BELOW People earning less than R172 000 per year are considered to be vulnerable workers

12 IMIESA JUNE 2012

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

ACCORDING TO Manglin Pillay,

chief executive officer of the

South African Institution of Civil

Engineering (SAICE), the number

of civil engineering professionals frequenting

the country’s golf courses is an an excellent

barometer of what is happening in the industry

– the more there are, the better the state of

the industry.

However, the golf courses are star ting

to appear abandoned and forlorn with the

scarcity of visitors. Principal engineers from

well-established engineering firms in South

Africa are hardly on the golf course these

days; they are too busy scouring the local and

international marketplaces in search of work.

“This is not a good sign – not for improving

handicap and most certainly not for the infra-

structure engineering economy,” says Pillay.

Many senior engineers and heads of depart-

ments appear to share the same sentiment.

Some companies with excellent management

and administrative skills had the foresight

or opportunity to plan for lean times and

are able to sustain their people despite the

lack of work. How long they will be able to

maintain this situation is uncertain. Small-

and medium-sized businesses, however, have

insufficient economic depth to apply the

same liberalities that their larger and more

established counterparts are able to.

With the lack of sustainable project work,

firms are forced to release engineers back

SAICE regularly receives requests from civil engineering professionals for assistance in finding jobs – this in a country where civil engineering is high on government’s priority scarce skills list.

Civil engineering job losses

into the market. Some are exploring inter-

national pastures and others are reluctantly

looking into alternative work options. The

heads of civil engineering departments from

four of the leading universities of technology

in the country all chorus that their students

are unable to secure sustainable work for in-

service training, nor are they able to secure

post-graduation employment. South African

engineers are experiencing unemployment.

LACK OF PROJECTS

With the lack of sustainable project work, fi rms are forced to release engineers back into the market

IMIESA JUNE 2012 13

and cynics said we would fall flat, we raised

magnificent stadiums. Not only did we rise

to the occasion and deliver on demand, but

encouragingly we proved to ourselves, and to

the rest of the world, that the people of this

nation and South African civil engineering are

not to be trifled with.”

If this was possible for a sporting event,

why can’t South Africa do the same for reach-

ing South Africa’s development goals (and

the Millennium Development Goals), including

healthcare, education, water and sanitation,

housing and elec-

tricity for alleviat-

ing pover ty, that

were promised

during a number of election campaigns? The

lack of service delivery is now resulting in

violent demonstrations, which terrify South

Africans and foreign investors alike.

The solution to overcome the current

infrastructure development challenges is

for national government to apply the same

approach adopted for the World Cup. The

current challenges are certainly not due to

insufficient funding or deficient engineering

resources. It is a matter of political will and

the re-capacitating of the technical echelons

within all three government structures.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Despite living in South Africa where ‘job crea-

tion’ and ‘unemployment’ appear in everyday

conversation, it is uncommon to hear the

words ‘engineer’ and ‘unemployment’ in the

same sentence. In fact, it leaves a frustrating

void akin to worry.

According to Pillay: “The South African gov-

ernment has the audacity to bring engineers

and other professionals from Cuba en masse,

with full and comprehensive packages, to

work in South Africa on South African govern-

ment-funded projects.” He continues: “What

confuses me is why we have unemployed

engineers when it is very evident that there

is a genuine need for engineering capacity to

pursue the national demands of social and

economic development. And why is there

inadequate project roll-out from the biggest

civil engineering client – government – when

the development goals have been announced

from the highest points of administration in

the country, to the tune of some R800 billion

over the next three years?

“It appears the weakness is a lack of

knowledge on how to identify projects and

how to spend the allocated money. This is

evident in the lack of structures, processes

and systems in government to manage infra-

structure spend. Then there is the cauldron

of unsuitably qualified individuals who are

ineffectually occupying technical engineer-

ing posts, nervously managing engineering

projects and second-guessing the allocation

of funds.”

Pillay says that despite the incapacities

and inabilities, South Africa’s world-class

stadiums for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World

Cup confirmed that South Africans can dream

with deadlines. “When first-world sceptics

The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup confi rmed that South Africans can

dream with deadlines.Manglin Pillay, chief executive offi cer of SAICE

14 IMIESA JUNE 2012

INSIGHT

IT IS GENERALLY understood that there

is a relationship between infrastructure

development and economic performance,

and/or vice versa. However, empirical

research is always better than anecdotal

research, which in many cases is based on

amateur supposition.

In Peter Perkins, Johann Fedderke and John

Luiz’s paper titled ‘An analysis of economic

infrastructure investment in South Africa’,

they state that the results of their economic

analysis points to the fact that, in South

Africa, growth in GDP tends to drive growth in

individual physical measures of infrastructure-

related goods and services, rather than vice

versa. Roads are an exception, since there is

evidence that they have a strong effect on GDP

growth: the correlation coefficient between

paved roads and real GDP is 0.996 for the peri-

od 1938-2001, and the PSS F-tests indicate a

long-run forcing relationship from roads to GDP.

An analysis of national accounting figures

suggests that infrastructure investment seems

to drive GDP growth. These patterns suggest

two forms of constraint that infrastructure

may exercise on economic growth. Firstly, if

policy makers fail to provide additional infra-

structure in response to the greater demand

for infrastructure generated by GDP growth,

further GDP growth could be hampered by bot-

tlenecks, such as congestion at some of South

Africa’s ports, and unreliable railway services.

Secondly, underinvestment in certain types of

infrastructure, like roads, may leave potential

areas of economic growth unexploited.

Their analysis suggests three main findings

with regard to economic infrastructure and

economic growth in South Africa. These are

as follows:

1. The relationship between economic infra-

structure and economic growth appears to

run in both directions. Economic growth pro-

vides both the need for, and the resources

Engineering civil prosperityCivil engineers have a crucial role to play in preventing social instability, a dangerous situation that threatens South Africa today. But, this will only happen if government is appropriately decisive. by Tony Stone

SERVING SOCIETY

to fund, various types of infrastructure.

Provided that infrastructure projects take

place in response to appropriate cost-bene-

fit analyses, they are more likely to promote

GDP growth than hinder it. Alternatively, the

failure to provide appropriate infrastructure

services may hamper GDP growth.

2. South Africa’s stock

of economic infra-

structure has devel-

oped in phases.

The growth rates of

individual measures

of infrastructure

fluctuated substan-

tially over time, in some cases even turning

negative, and the historical pattern of infra-

structure development differed substantially

between sectors. Providing the right type of

infrastructure at the right time will be an

important dimension of South Africa’s con-

tinued economic development.

3. The need for investment in economic infra-

structure never goes away. Until such a

time when existing infrastructure becomes

obsolete, it needs to be maintained; and

as certain infrastructure programmes reach

maturity, new ones should

be implemented – always

in response to the econ-

omy’s changing needs

and cost-benefit analyses.

The continued need for

appropriate infrastructure

investment should be rec-

ognised in public-sector budgets from the

national level to the municipal level, and

public-sector agents need to be accountable

for spending their capital allocations effec-

tively. While some degree of fluctuation in

FIGURE 1: Casual relationships between economic growth and infrastructure development

China spends 11% of GDP on infrastructure, South Africa 6%

IMIESA JUNE 2012 15

INSIGHT

Social stability, vital to normalising society, is

crucial to South Africa’s ongoing sustainability,

given our apartheid history and its remnant

problems, which still need redress and will

take time, patience and teamwork.

As Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, said

during his 2012 Budget Speech in Parliament:

“Our new story, our period of transition, is

about building modern infrastructure, a vibrant

economy, a decent quality of life for all, reduced

poverty and decent employment opportunities.

It is a story that must be written by all of us.

Not just by government. Not just by business.

Not just by unions. But by South Africans from

every corner of this country.”

But, it is not the ‘what’ but the ‘how’ of it all.

And, herein is the complication. One certainly

does not cut one’s nose off to spite one’s

face, and certainly there is no perfect ideology

– as history has taught us. More importantly,

the level of infrastructure investment may

be harmless or even appropriate, a long-

term decline in infrastructure investment in

relation to GDP, such as that experienced

by South Africa between the mid-1970s and

2002, would probably be undesirable.

However, there are bigger socioeconomic and

sociopolitical impacts to consider, the rela-

tionships of which are reflected in Figure 1.

Government infrastructure and private sector

construction projects create employment, drive

education and training in relative fields, and

deliver much needed services to communi-

ties, all of which alleviate poverty that, in turn,

realises economic growth and establishes

social stability.

Social stability, vital to normalising society, is crucial to South Africa’s ongoing sustainability

Photo credit Seeff Properties

16 IMIESA JUNE 2012

INSIGHT

the honesty and sincerity by which something

is done is always preferential. Hidden agendas,

collusion or corruption will always come to pub-

lic’s attention, eventually, be it in the public or

private sectors.

Construction sector unemploymentBetween the fourth quarter of 2011 and the

first quarter of 2012, the majority of formal

sector job losses was in construction (71 000),

manufacturing (67 000) and

transport (5 000) indus-

tries. The majority of these

were craftsmen, plant and

machine operators – and to

a lesser extent managers.

Year-on-year, men account-

ed for more than 135 000 or

83.3% of the increase in total

unemployment of 162 000.

Women increased by 28 000

or 16.7%. Across all indus-

tries, the biggest losers were

the Eastern Cape (47 000),

KwaZulu-Natal (43 000), the

Free State (16 000) and

Mpumalanga (10 000).

By Statistics South Africa’s

definition, discouraged work-

seekers, are not unemployed [really!?]; in real

terms, however, they are unemployed, and

accounted for 15.7% of the not economically

active (0.2 of a percentage point higher than

in the previous quarter). This gives a total

of 40.7% unemployed, which is an absolute

crisis. A total of 71% of the unemployed fall

between the ages 15 to 34.

In general, lower unemployment rates are

associated with higher levels of education.

Among South Africa’s unemployed population,

60.2% have less than a matric (Grade 12),

33.6% have a matric and 6.2% have some form

of tertiary education.

Of the unemployed, 59.7% are supposed to

be breadwinners. In the construction indus-

try alone, at an estimated average wage

of R2 800 per month, R200 million per

month is lost to the economy and more than

290 000 people comprising spouse, children

and extended families go hungry, besides other

negative financial impacts.

The unemployment trend, since the first quar-

ter of 2008, is strongly upward.

Education and trainingIn the knowledge society we are – and no more

the industrial society we were – the 60.2% of

unemployed workers with less than a matric

have a greatly diminished chance of finding a job,

especially with the manufacturing sector down as

it is. And, there is only so much that mining and

agriculture can absorb – at this stage.

Nonetheless, the Construction Industry

Development Board (CIBD), a Schedule 3A

public entity, was established by an Act of

Parliament (Act 38 of 2000) to promote a

regulatory and developmental framework

that builds:

• the countr y’s construction deliver y

capability, for South Africa’s social and

economic growth

• a proudly South African construction indus-

try that delivers against globally competi-

tive standards.

To this end the CIBD’s focus is on sustainable

growth, capacity development, empowerment,

improved industry performance and best prac-

tice, a transformed industry underpinned by

consistent and ethical procurement practices

and enhanced value deliverables to clients

and society.

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)

recently reported that, among its members,

training expenses averaged 32% of the total

estimated salary bill, compared to 18% in the

June 2011 survey, 22,6% in the December

2010 survey and 23,6% in the June 2010

survey. Firms are spending less on bursaries,

in relation to the growing salary and wage

bill. The industry spent on average 0.3% of

the salary and wage bill on bursaries, down

from between 0.4% and 0.8% in recent sur-

veys. They do say, however, that this may be

due to the cyclic nature of bursary allocation

and decline in infrastructure spend. This is,

of course, not ideal and diverges from the

CIBD’s objectives.

In learning from China’s phenomenal

economic growth,

infrastructure devel-

opments, along with

massive human capital

development, were the

key drivers behind its

success. South Africa

has a serious deficit

in human capital and

where it has these ele-

ments they are disre-

garded for discrimina-

tory political reasons.

A serious mistake and

one that contradicts

South Africa’s constitu-

tion and what Gordhan

said in parliament.

Service delivery While housing is at the forefront of the national

agenda for delivery, government is taking over-

all responsibility for roads, railways, harbours,

water, wastewater, electricity and solid waste

management. However, even though govern-

ment has built three million subsidised houses

since 1994, South Africa still faces a housing

backlog of about 2.3 million houses and it

has to fork out R50 billion to rectify shoddy

construction of some of the subsidised hous-

ing already built.

Add to this the maintenance backlogs that

have accrued since 1994, such as roads

(R149 billion), railways (R168 billion), electrici-

ty distribution (R32 billion), ports and harbours

(at least R9.8 billion), as well as new develop-

ment costs, which are all crucial to economic

development and pose an enormously chal-

lenging position and demand on the fiscus.

Meanwhile priorities are driven by people

and political need, which in South Africa is

driven by the accelerated rate of urbanisation

– exacerbated by political promises of free

FIGURE 2: Protests by province: February 2007 to May 2012

TABLE 1: QUARTERLY LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, QUARTER 1, 2012 – UNEMPLOYMENTIndustry Jan–Mar 2011 Oct–Dec 2011 Jan–Mar 2012 Change

Q-to-QChangeY-on-Y

% Change Q-to-Q

% ChangeY-on-Y

Construction 1 031 000 1 057 000 986 000 -71 000 -45 000 -6.7% -4.4%

IMIESA JUNE 2012 17

INSIGHT

housing basic services. These promises, at an

average cost of R55 000 per house, will cost

R127 billion (at today’s prices) to fulfil. Add

to this the costs of land and bulk and reticu-

lated support infrastructure, and the figure

increases astronomically.

In the process, people become impatient

when they see other people getting houses

and basic services and they don’t. In 2007, on

average, there were 8.73 protests per month.

In 2008 this went up to 9.83 and in 2009

service delivery protests peaked at an average

of 17.75 per month. Then, because of election-

eering, the figure dropped down to an average

of 11.08 per month in 2010 and 8.8 in 2011.

In their paper ‘Community Protests in South

Africa: Trends, Analysis and Explanations’,

Jelani Karamoko and Hirsh Jain state that gov-

ernment officials should

be cognisant of the fact

that electoral goodwill

nurtured during election-

eering will eventually dis-

sipate, while the poten-

tial for long-standing

complaints to boil over

into increasingly violent protests persists.

Helen Zille points out that it is crucial for

infrastructure to be provided at local level

because this is where the majority of people,

rich and poor, experience the value of the

infrastructure in their daily lives. It is only when

people have reliable water, sanitation, electric-

ity and transport that they are able to function

adequately in a modern economy. If they have

none or an inadequate supply of these ser-

vices, they have less time available to study or

work, and economic production suffers.

But solving the housing challenge will take

time. As such the sustained commitment of

local government officials to engage and com-

municate with residents on a regular basis

remains critically important. Otherwise, as

research shows, protest activity is likely to

increase if communities believe government

officials are neglecting the service delivery

promises made during election campaigns –

and waste taxpayers’ hard-earned money by

burning down government facilities.

Poverty alleviation Almost half of South Africa’s population is

living below the poverty line, surviving on

just over R500 a month. While this is an

improvement over 1993, when this was the

case for the majority of the population, it

remains unacceptable.

Gordhan, in his 2012 budget speech,

said that reducing unemployment is the

centrepiece of the government’s approach to

reducing poverty. “But it is not the only meas-

ure,” he said. Social spending comprises 58%

of government expenditure in the 2012/13

year, up from 49% a decade ago. The budget

provides social grants to almost a third of the

population. It pays for free services at public

health facilities and no-fee schools for 60% of

learners, and it pays for housing, water and

electricity in poor communities. The average

value of the “social wage” for a family of

four in the 2012/13 year is about R3 940 a

month. This represents a substantial invest-

ment in household living conditions, financed

through a broadly progressive tax structure.

It also places a huge strain on the economy

where taxpayers constitute only 10% of the

total population, which is not sustainable.

Creating jobs,

a vision for a

better future

through ef fec-

tive employment

and increasing

productivity are

critical factors in

poverty alleviation. Teaching a person to fish is

better than just feeding that person every day.

Economic growthEmpirical research carried out over the last

five years finds the magnitude of infrastruc-

ture contribution to economic growth, across

the board, to be a smaller and more plausible

effect than those reported in the earlier stud-

ies (Romp and De Haan 2007). This find-

ing is the result of improved methodologi-

cal approaches (Calderón, Moral-Benito and

Servén 2009). Thus, in a production-function

setting, the mid-point estimate from these

recent studies – of the elasticity of GDP with

respect to infrastructure capital – lies around

0.15 for developed countries (Bom and

Ligthart 2009). This means that a doubling

of infrastructure capital raises GDP by roughly

10%. Estimates from recent studies using

broader country samples are not very differ-

ent. However, this captures only the direct

effect of infrastructure on output. There may

be additional indirect effects accruing through

changes in the usage of the other inputs due

to complementarities (such as, human capital

development) with infrastructure.

In turn, the findings from reduced-form

growth regressions are somewhat harder to

summarise, because of different studies’

condition on very different sets of non-infra-

structure variables. Nevertheless, estimates

from recent studies based on panel data

combining industrial and developing coun-

tries suggest that a 1% increase in physical

infrastructure stocks, given other variables,

temporarily raises GDP growth by as much as

1 to 2 percentage points, although the growth

acceleration gradually tapers off as the econo-

my approaches its long-run per capita income.

Moreover, a number of empirical studies

using various approaches also find that the

output contribution of infrastructure exceeds

that of conventional capital, which sug-

gests the presence of externalities associ-

ated with infrastructure services, in line with

theoretical presumptions.

From this empirical research, it is clear that

South Africa needs to kick off its infrastructure

development initiative, as soon as possible,

and that in doing so it should draw from the

existing pool of human intellectual and expe-

riential capital to develop new human capi-

tal and leave unconstitutional discrimination

where it belongs – on the waste dump.

Industry frustrationsGraham Pirie, CEO of CESA, recently lamented

the lack of public sector expenditure on infra-

structure. The construction industry was wait-

ing, and had been waiting for some time, with

baited breath, for the promised R844 billion

earmarked for infrastructure development.

“Unlocking greater private sector participa-

tion is seen as a critical element to fast-

track service delivery, especially at municipal

level, which remains a burning issue. The

involvement of non-CESA members in govern-

ment tenders and procurement continues to

threaten the standard and performance of

the industry. Lack of attention to maintain

infrastructure poses a serious problem to the

industry. A further challenge is to find a way

to standardise the procurement procedures

applied by the different government depart-

ments,” Pirie said.

ConclusionWithout infrastructure, life as we know it will

not exist. Civil engineers, like medical doctors,

facilitate life.

However, with the melting pot of massive

unemployment, poor education, ill-considered

political ideologies (which exploit the ignorant)

and popular expectations, infrastructure devel-

opment and human capital development, if

not addressed and effectively managed, could

lead to the foolish revolution advocated by

Julius Malema and his ilk.

And, as Pravin Gordhan said in his speech,

we must, one and all, as a united nation,

engineer civil prosperity.

The real advantage of infrastructure development is economic competitiveness

18 IMIESA JUNE 2012

HOT SEAT

SOUTH AFRICAN GEOMATICS INSTITUTE

Surveying for municipalities

Please explain the background to the formation of SAGIThe South African Geomatics Institute (SAGI)

is a voluntary public benefit organisation of

statutory registered persons working in the

domain of land surveying, engineering survey-

ing, photogrammetry and geographical infor-

mation systems (GIS), and land management,

including the associated aspects of planning

and remote sensing. SAGI was formed in 2004;

however, its foundations are built on much

older institutes such as the various provincial

land survey institutes and ITESSA (Institute

of Topographical and Engineering Surveyors of

Richard Jansen van Vuuren speaks to the SAGI president, Peter Newmarch, about the institute, its members and the services they render.

South Africa), which represented the technical

surveyors. Over the decades, various changes

have developed at an organisational level so

that today we have (through the amalgamation

of the above institutes) one body that repre-

sents the interests of all geomaticians – the

modern term for surveyors.

Please outline the structure of the instituteSAGI is represented in South Africa through a

system of five branches that cover the nine prov-

inces. This is necessary so that members, cli-

ents and the public can have the best possible

service and access to SAGI members at a rela-

tively local level. Surveying is a very specialised

field and there are not many surveyors in South

Africa – our branches thus reflect an equilibrium

between surveyors in all provinces.

Our structure is such that these regional

branches are administered by committees,

which are elected by the local members. Our

national council is drawn from representatives

from these branch committees.

What are the main industries that SAGI members supply products and services to?Everybody needs a surveyor at some point, so

it’s hard to distinguish the main entities since

we service a wide sector of the economy. From

a public spend perspective, the main industries

for surveyors are municipalities, provincial and

national government departments, engineers,

architects and construction companies. From a

private sector perspective, it would be develop-

ers, home owners, mines and private business.

What reputation does the local geomatics industry have?South African surveyors (geomaticians) are

recognised the world over as being among

the best, a trait we continue through our SAGI

activities and membership requirements. SAGI

only admits persons registered in terms of

the PLATO Act (Professional and Technical

Surveyors Act 40 of 1984), which covers

students, newly qualified candidates and fully

registered technical and professional survey-

ors. The latter two categories being the only

categories of surveyor entitled to work for their

own account. As in most professions, we are

facing challenges with this aspect as well as

from people operating outside of the provisions

of the PLATO Act.

ABOVE A 3D mobile scan with Point Cloud

LEFT A 10 megapixel photograph of the same stretch of road

IMIESA JUNE 2012 19

HOT SEAT

In addition to this we have very strict con-

duct rules and only attract members that

are passionate about geomatics; through

this we ensure that the public is protected

and we further enhance the reputation of a

SAGI surveyor.

What are the current trends and new technologies being adopted in the geomatics sector at the moment?Advanced GPS systems, sophisticated robotic

laser total stations and terrestrial lidar scan-

ners are becoming mainstream equipment for

surveyors. Likewise, sophisticated software

developments have made image recognition

and point cloud processing available to the

average surveyor. Surveyors are constantly on

the lookout for better solutions and the cur-

rent technological environment offers a range

of future technologies that are almost at the

market place. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

are on our doorstep and will allow members

to supply additional services such as environ-

mental monitoring services, rapid response

photography in disaster management, docu-

mentation of informal settlement growth (on a

daily basis if need be), aerial accident scene

photography, mapping, land use monitoring

and planning enforcement, among others – all

at a remarkably cheap cost in comparison to

traditional methods.

What does SAGI do to further the advent of these in the marketplace?SAGI will run workshops from time to time

on these new technologies. We also have

Facebook and LinkedIn accounts in which

information is debated and disseminated for

the public at large. We are also embarking

on a program of having articles placed in the

CESA newsletter to better inform engineers

on advances in processes, best practice and

technology. While UAV technology is available,

there are some regulatory issues still to be

finalised, which SAGI is addressing. Some

technologies are extremely expensive (such as

aerial and mobile lidar mapping systems) and

in this regard we encourage networking among

members so that they can offer the most appro-

priate solution to their clients.

How can the services of SAGI and its members benefit municipalities?As mentioned earlier, SAGI is a voluntary

organisation and as such attracts surveyors

who are passionate about geomatics – people

who want to stay abreast of the latest technol-

ogy, legal issues and best practice. SAGI only

grants membership to people registered with

PLATO, our statutory governing council, and

thus municipalities can have peace of mind

that they are dealing with competent persons.

With these new technologies, what additional services can be offered to municipalities?Using these new technologies and advance-

ments, there is still huge scope for rapid

turnaround times and cost-effective

solutions in infrastructure map-

ping, asset registers and road

condition surveys. UAVs, when

they become available, will offer

additional possibilities.

Can the local geomatics market expand and develop in the short to medium term?There are massive prospects for

growth in both the private and public sectors,

but corruption is a large factor in this. Such

growth is also dependant on SAGI informing

officials and the public at large on what’s

technologically possible – it’s amazing how

many people don’t see the benefits of getting

a registered surveyor to recommend the best

method and solution.

Why should municipalities use registered surveyors?As organs of state, they have a duty to ensure

that where the government has established

statutory bodies to oversee excellence and

expertise in any particular domain, that they

use those registered people.

South African Geomatics Institute

Tel: +27 (0)31 261 4044

Web: www.sagi.co.za

South African surveyors (geomaticians) are recognised the world over as being among the best – Peter Newmarch

BELOW An example of a mobile scan

BELOW A 2D or 3D computer-aided design road model

BOTTOM A typical computer-aided design drawing

IMIESA JUNE 2012 21

SANRAL

ON A RECENTLY completed project

on the North Coast, the reclaimed

asphalt (RA) from a 5 km section

of road was imported to create

a foamed bitumen stabilised material (BSM)

base course on an adjacent 5 km section,

at massively reduced heat generation and

transport distances travelled and at a third

of the cost of a conventional black base.

In addition, its own asphalt surfacing was

The KZN Department of Transport goes green

ROAD RECYCLING

With the COP17 Conference on Climate Change fresh in our minds, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport is stepping up a gear and playing its part in reducing its carbon footprint.

recycled in situ to generate a foamed bitumen

stabilised sub-base layer below, thus adding

even more to the savings being achieved.

“The heart of the process is the state-of-the-

art Wirtgen KMA 220 cold recycling mobile mix-

ing plant which the c ontractor recently imported

from Germany,” explains Naidu Consulting’s

project director, Mahendren Manicum.

The compact unit, with its own power plant,

is towed to the site, where it is opened out ABOVE Milling of existing asphalt base and wearing course

BELOW Screening of recycled asphaltOld asphalt, which was often of just nuisance value, can now be put to good use

22 IMIESA JUNE 2012

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SANRAL

and connected to a cement silo and water

and bitumen tankers. A temporary ramp is

constructed up to the hopper section, where

the RA is tipped in and fed via a conveyer belt

to the pug-mill. A nominal amount of cement is

added before the foaming process takes place.

This is achieved by injecting a small amount of

water into hot bitumen, causing it to expand

by up to 20 times. The pug mill is continually

throwing the RA into the air, allowing the foam

to be sprayed into it to ‘spot-weld’ the particles

together. The mixed BSM is fed directly up a

conveyor belt, into the waiting trucks and onto

the road.

Manicum is full of praise for the various

contractors involved in the two separate con-

tracts, who all played their part in ensuring the

success of the project. For maximum efficiency,

the various operations were all coordinated,

including milling out the RA on the one con-

tract and delivering it to the power screen,

checking for consistency before processing it

in the recycler and then hauling it to the road

to the conventional asphalt paver and com-

pacted. If there was a breakdown of one opera-

tion, the others had to slow down accordingly.

Training of every member of both the consulting

ABOVE The Wirtgen KMA 220 cold recycling mobile mixing plant

IMIESA JUNE 2012 23

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and contracting staff was vital, as was the

drawing up of method statements and agree-

ing on roles and responsibilities and lines of

communication. Heavy reliance was placed

on the Asphalt Academy’s TG2 (2009) guide-

lines and reporting schedules and this project

has been highlighted as a model for future

BSM applications.

With proven cost savings and significant

reductions in greenhouse emissions, the

SANRAL

department is now very keen to repeat

the exercise.

Manicum himself cannot hide his enthusiasm

for this technology, stating that “old asphalt,

which was often of just nuisance value, can

now be put to good use”.

ABOVE Paving of bitumen stabilised material

RIGHT KMA plant highlighting the loading hopper

102 Ouklipmuur Avenue, Willow Glen, 0041Gauteng, South Africa

Tel: (012) 807 1680Fax: (012) 807 1682

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IMIESA JUNE 2012 25

SANRAL

THE TEKFLO BRAND has long been

recognised as one of the interna-

tional leaders in quality engineer-

ing material brand names. Incledon

national product manager for civils, Kelly

Wilson, points out that the new range of duc-

tile iron manhole covers and frames meet of

a number of key requirements for the South

African market.

“The Tekflo range is compliant with the

SANS 50124:1994 specification, which

Municipalities to benefi t from innovation

MATERIAL INNOVATION

Municipalities across South Africa can benefit from an innovative new range of ductile iron manhole covers and frames, introduced to the local market by Incledon.

carries more comprehensive design require-

ments, type testing, marking, quality control

and loading classes than the older and

more commonly-used SANS 558:1973 speci-

fication. Compliance with this specification

ABOVE A Tekflo manhole cover installed on a Rea Vaya route in Johannesburg

RIGHT A Tekflo manhole cover installed on a pavement

SANRAL

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ultimately ensures that the end user is being provided with a better

standard of product,” he says.

With an elasticity of 270 MPa and a tensile strength 420 MPa,

Wilson explains that the high strength-to-weight ratio of ductile iron

allows for the production of lightweight castings that provide up to a

60% weight saving over industry-standard cast iron.

“The heavy-duty loading on traditional cast iron items is 135 kN

(13,5 t), compared to 400 kN (40 t) in the D400 class of the new

ductile iron cover and frames,” he continues.

“The construction and engineering sectors of South Africa have

favoured cast iron for decades, due to its stability. International

markets have, however, shifted to ductile iron, which is more durable,

reliable and flexible.”

Wilson adds that the high strength-to-weight ratio of ductile iron also

helps municipalities to eliminate the dangerous and persistent risk of

manhole cover theft nationwide.

“The Tekflo range of ductile iron manhole covers is up to 60% lighter

than traditional cast iron manhole covers, making them far less valu-

able to thieves,” he notes.

“An average cast iron lid weighs approximately 70 kg, compared to

just 20 kg of Tekflo ductile iron.”

Wilson notes that the Tekflo range comes standard with patented

locking mechanisms as a fur ther deterrent to theft. “Manhole cover

theft is not a unique challenge to South Africa, and other developing

countries such as India and China have been able to significantly

Ductile iron manhole covers are up to 60% lighter than traditional cast iron manhole covers

The high strength-to-weight ratio of ductile iron allows for the production of lightweight castings

IMIESA JUNE 2012 27

We specialise in road construction and repairsWe specialise in road construction and repairs

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SANRAL

reduce the number of deaths and serious

injuries caused by manhole cover theft by

replacing heavier cast iron covers with the

Tekflo range of ductile iron manhole covers.”

Wilson points out that market response has

been positive to date. “A number of munici-

palities have displayed a keen interest in the

products, including the City of Cape Town

and Oostenburg Municipality in the Western

Cape, and eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-

Natal, which have already installed the Tekflo

manhole covers onto their respective streets.

What’s more, the City of Johannesburg has a

number of items currently being tested, and

Incledon will be tendering for more projects in

this municipality.”

Despite a strong market response, Wilson

does admit that Incledon still faces a number

of challenges in marketing the Tekflo range

of ductile iron manhole covers. “Ductile iron

is a relatively new concept and, as a result,

engineers and municipalities are wary of

replacing an established technology with a

newer one.”

Wilson also points out

that this challenge can

be overcome through

market education and

product displays. “It is

vitally impor tant that

the relevant authorities

are educated and kept up to date on the

latest technologies and advances in materi-

als, in order to ensure that the tax payer

is not footing the bill for the replacement

of cheaper and substandard materials on a

regular basis.”

Looking to the future, Wilson believes that

new and updated specifications will play

a major role in ensuring the improvement

of South Africa’s infrastructure networks.

“Without the correct specifications and moni-

toring on all engineering materials, quality

will continue to be compromised because of

price. Through market education and product

displays, however, I do believe that the Tekflo

range has the potential to gain significant

market share across South Africa in the

short-term future,” he maintains.

BELOW The high strength-to-weight ratio of ductile iron allows for the production of lightweight castings that provide up to a 60% weight saving over industry-standard cast iron

“Without the correct specifi cations and monitoring on all engineering materials, quality will continue to be compromised”

Choosing a concrete road is choosing a sustainable solution

marketing sustainable concrete through advice, education & information

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IMIESA JUNE 2012 29

ROADS

THE ORGANISATION PRESENTED

its prestigious Sabita Award for

Outstanding Achievement to an

organisation rather than an indi-

vidual, and also introduced a new award: the

CEO Merit Award for the introduction of sound

health, safety and environmental (HSE) prac-

tices in the workplace.

Sabita’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

in Bituminous Product Technology is tradition-

ally directed at individuals who have made

notable contributions to the development

and/or implementation of innovative technol-

ogy. This award for 2011, however, was pre-

sented to eThekwini Municipality, acknowledg-

ing the pioneering actions and wide-ranging

leadership of that organisation in spearhead-

ing the use of innovative and sustainable

technologies in its roads programme.

Presenting the award, Sabita chairman,

Phillip Hechter, said that eThekwini’s innova-

tions included:

Sabita awards for 2011 take a new directionIn its annual awards ceremony, the Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita) broke tradition on two fronts.

• The development of warm mix asphalt

(WMA) technology, which began in 2008

and continued into 2011. This undertaking

resulted in a protocol of procedures that

will serve as a national template for the

introduction of a wide range of innovative

bituminous products, and also for a com-

prehensive guideline and specification that

was launched at the Conference on Asphalt

Pavement for Southern Africa (CAPSA’11)

in KwaZulu-Natal in September 2011. This

ratification of warm mix asphalt as a viable

alternative to hot mix asphalt, resulting

in significant reductions in energy usage,

was fur ther enhanced by the confirmation

that considerable proportions of reclaimed

asphalt can be successfully incorporated

BELOW Sabita chairman, Phillip Hechter (centre), presents the Sabita Award for Outstanding Achievement in Bituminous Products Technology to Roy Gooden (left) and Krishna Naidoo

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IMIESA JUNE 2012 31

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The group’s commitment to invest and allocate resources and skills aims to improve the quality of life of the communities in which we operate. This ranges from sophisticated, high-tech solutions to the provision of basic services in rural areas. Aurecon also fosters job creation by focusing on core infrastructure development in roads, water, electricity, sanitation, and housing, which are aimed at revitalising and sustaining cities and towns.

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into warm mix asphalt. During this pro-

cess, eThekwini also established a broad

base of cooperation between the asphalt

industry, clients and consultants.

• The first full-scale high modulus asphalt

(HiMA) trials were undertaken on a sec-

tion of the heavily trafficked old South

Coast Road near Durban’s harbour.

The project was based on the Sabita-

sponsored research project, carried out

by the CSIR, to develop locally appropri-

ate specifications for HiMA to ensure

long-term serviceability of roads carry-

ing high volumes of very heavy traffic.

Completed late in 2010, the per for-

mance of the trial sections conducted

by eThekwini municipality cannot yet be

gauged, but early results are encouraging

and provide evidence that HiMA can be

successfully designed, manufactured and

paved in South Africa. The trial section is

undergoing per formance testing on core

and beam samples of the HiMA used, and

a comprehensive long-term pavement per-

formance testing programme has been set

in motion.

• The municipality also enabled a research

programme, in conjunction with the

University of KwaZulu-Natal, into the use

of construction and demolition ‘waste’ in

the construction of roads. Industry par-

ticipation was kick-star ted with a one-day

workshop (in Durban) on road recycling

with presentations from practitioners, aca-

demia and equipment suppliers.

These techniques, which conserve both ener-

gy and natural resources while extending the

life and per formance of bituminous layers,

have and will continue to make a significant

contribution to sustainable practice in South

Africa’s roads sector.

In addition, eThekwini piloted a pro-

gramme that will result in the cer tifica-

tion of workers at operational level (usually

described as NQF1-4) in the asphalt and road

construction industry.

The objective of this programme is twofold:

1. Certification of operators, which demonstrates

competence in specific paving operations.

2. Improve the quality of the asphalt end-

product, which we all use every day.

The award was presented jointly to Roy

Gooden and to Krishna Naidoo, head of

eThekwini’s Road Rehabilitation Branch. In

accepting the award, Gooden said that as

local government, eThekwini Municipality was

required to work “in a hugely constrained

environment that has more than enough

legislation and regulations to govern the

way we are able to do business. We also

have to keep reminding ourselves that we

are dealing with public money and that it is

a finite resource. With tight budgets, we are

The fi rst full-scale high modulus asphalt (HiMA) trials were undertaken on a section of the heavily traffi cked old South Coast Road near Durban’s harbour

ROADS

IMIESA JUNE 2012 33

continuously asked and pushed to do more with

less, so any innovations that will help us achieve

such objectives in respect of roads – be it WMA,

HiMA or recycling – cannot be ignored.”

He added that as a department in the organisa-

tion, “we are for tunate to still have a fair amount of

flexibility in how we roll out our road rehabilitation

programme, which is something we try and fiercely

defend. This has enabled us to get involved with

new technologies and to undertake trials such as

the WMA and HiMA.

“We are now at a point where products such as

WMA should no longer be considered a trial and we

need to be rolling this out as a normal way of doing

business. My hope is that eThekwini Municipality

can continue to play a part in taking the industry

forward, and I sincerely thank Sabita for the honour

of this award.”

Thanking Sabita for their acknowledgement and

the award, co-recipient Krishna Naidoo said thanks really needed

to go “to those who supported and encouraged us in turning our

thoughts into action. We are also grateful for the partnership with

the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the Construction Demolition

Waste Research project. In all of these ground-breaking projects

we have partnered with and had the support of many in the private

sector. We look forward to their continued support in both these and

new projects.”

In presenting the 2011 HSE Award, created to acknowledge

organisations and individuals that have made great stride in inte-

grating sound HSE practices into the workplace, Sabita CEO, Saied

Solomons, noted that “getting to the hearts and minds of staff mem-

bers in implementing HSE protocols is a slow process that requires

immense courage, patience and passion.”

Adelaide Martin and Colin Brooks, both of Much Asphalt’s

Eersterivier plant, were the recipients of this award.

Solomons added that the HSE Award “is aligned to Sabita’s

Bitumen Certification (Bitcer t) and Bitumen Incident Reporting

(BitInRep) schemes, which cover legal compliance with HSE require-

ments in terms of the various Acts, and the reporting of HSE inci-

dents and events.”

Sites that have been cer tified to date include Much Asphalt

(Por t Elizabeth), Much Asphalt (Eersteriver), Colas SA (Epping),

Much Asphalt (Contermanskloof), Colas SA (Durban) and Zebra

Bituminous Sur facing.

Accepting the award was Adelaide Martin, Much Asphalt’s safety

and training coordinator, who praised the Sabita Council “for this

brilliant initiative to develop people even fur ther and beyond their

expectation, to enhance safety in the workplace and to reward

people in such a unique and special way. We will continue to fly this

banner very high, promoting HSE as a lifestyle in which we not only

strive to avoid accidents, but to live and work safely.”

ABOVE Colin Brooks (left) and Adelaide Martin receive Sabita’s inaugural HSE Award from Saied Solomons, Sabita CEO

“Implementing HSE protocols is a slow process that requires immense courage, patience and passion”

Colin Brooks, Much Asphalt’s regional manager for the Eastern

Cape, said: “I have worked in this field for 17 years, and I am con-

stantly amazed that we have survived given the standards of HSE 10

years ago. The improvements have been dramatic and have changed

the HSE landscape forever.”

34 IMIESA JUNE 2012

ROADS

CAT HAMMERS CLAIM the highest

oil flow input in the industry for

their weight class and are the best

match for Cat carriers, achieving

a high rate of blows per minute,” explains

Barloworld Equipment product application spe-

cialist, Craig Christie.

“Additionally, due to their wide oil flow

acceptance range, these hammers can be

used across a wide range of carrier brands

for maximum utilisation within a mixed fleet.”

Using Caterpillar’s comprehensive matching

guide will ensure that hammer and machine

are matched for stability, application and

optimum per formance. All units are fully

enclosed, a distinctive feature of Cat ham-

mer designs, with no exposed cross bolts,

and silenced as standard for operation in

residential and noise-sensitive applications.

A field replaceable dust seal on the bush-

ing assembly prevents debris and dust from

entering the power cell and contaminating the

hammer paste.

Precision hammering Caterpillar’s large and small hydraulic hammer series are designed to work seamlessly, providing a versatile work tool option for a wide range of machine classes, from excavators to skid steer loaders, for both impact and penetrative tasks.

“ “Using the correct hammer paste is essen-

tial to prevent tool breakage,” Christie points

out. Cat hammer paste (which includes cop-

per, aluminium and graphite elements in its

composition) has a melting point of around

1 100°C. This compares with the low average

melting point for general purpose grease at

between 150 and 200°C. The average Cat tool

operating temperature is around 600°C.

As with the larger units in the range,

Caterpillar’s small D-Series hammers have

been designed with a focus on reliability and

ease of serviceability. For example, the lower

bushing, upper bushing and thrust ring have

all been incorporated in a three-in-one service

part, which allows easy access and visibil-

ity of the entire tool guidance system. This

enables quick inspection in the field without

the need to send the hammer to a specialist

repair centre.

Cat small D-Series hammers have a six-

piece isolation system to isolate the power

cell and hammer housing and prevent mechan-

ical vibrations being transmitted to the carrier.

Large hammer models, for carrier weights up

to 80 tonnes, come equipped with a heavy-duty

suspension system that protects the carrier

from mechanical vibrations. At the top end

of the large hammer range, models H65D S

to H180D S deliver most of their power from

the nitrogen charge in their low-pressure accu-

mulator. This nitrogen charge is sealed with a

diaphragm, eliminating the need for recharging

between 1 000 hour service intervals.

The slip fit lower bushing on larger hammers

can be rotated once in the field without the

need for special tools. This doubles its life and

reduces owning and operating costs.

THE NORDBERG NW PORTABLE PLANT SERIES

Keeping site establishment costs to a minimum and optimising equipment operating expenditure assist in providing each customer with the lowest sustainable cost per tonne.

Metso Mobile’s electrically driven Nordberg NW wheel-mounted crushing and screening plants provide key advantages in terms of production output, process flexibility and mobility. Their value is particularly evident on medium- to longer-term process projects that require a semi-fixed installation that can easily be relocated without compromising the reliability of Metso’s crushers and screens. When it’s time to move to the next site, the NW’s trailer-mounted chassis is designed so that it can be towed in both on- and off-highway applications.

BELOW NW Series portable plants can be operated as independent units or as multi-stage crushing and screening process plants

BELOW For optimum performance, the hammer should be operated at a 90 degree angle to the rock face

ROADS

IMIESA JUNE 2012 35

BELL EQUIPMENT HELD two Road Recycling Open Days outside

Port Shepstone, on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast, at the end of

2011. These open days included a practical demonstration of

the machines’ capabilities while working on a 13 km length of

road between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone. The project provided an ideal

opportunity to show the Bomag product range to its full potential as the pro-

ject required the skimming of the top surface, recycling with foam bitumen

and, after compaction, resurfacing with an asphalt pavement.

The MPH 125, coupled to a bitumen tanker and a water tanker, started

the road recycling process by pulverising the old, damaged road surface into

uniform rubble. This machine can cut through the asphalt layer and sub-base

Bell extends Bomag product offeringBell Equipment’s road construction customers have been introduced to two new Bomag products: the MPH 125 Soil Stabiliser/Asphalt Recycler and the Bomag BF 600 paver/finisher.

to a depth of 550 mm as a recycler. This material can then be reused to con-

struct a new base course by adding cement and/or foam bitumen or a bitu-

men emulsion. Due to the machine’s powerful 440 kW Deutz water-cooled

turbocharged diesel engine, it makes light work of the recycling process.

ABOVE Bomag specialists from Germany were on hand during the practical demonstrations to provide technical information about the various Bomag products at work on the N2

IMIESA JUNE 2012 37

SAGI

SOUTHERN MAPPING COMPANY specialises in data acquisi-

tion (airborne and satellite) and GIS data integration, and has

been involved in an assessment of how accessible health

services (hospitals and clinics) are to communities in and

around Gauteng.

This typical GIS application required a number of digital spatial com-

ponents, including hospital and clinic locations, location of individual

households and some indication of general population demographics.

Using satellite derived imagery, the location of each individual dwelling

point was captured spatially to represent the distribution of the popula-

tion. Census data, available spatially at a suburb level, was integrated

into the dwelling points to enrich each point with an income, age, and

race and sex profile. Hospitals and clinics were then geocoded (placed

in their correct location on a digital map). Buffers with a radius of

5 km from the centroid of each hospital and clinic were then created

to determine the effective service reach of each facility. In this way it

was possible to determine not only the communities which fell outside

of this service reach, but also to prioritise these communities on the

basis of demographic information. For example it was possible to show

the poorest communities with the highest number of children that did

not have access to health services.

In addition to satellite imagery, Southern Mapping Company also

acquires aerial imagery with one of its two dedicated aircraft. “What is

unique about our aerial imagery is that we have a very unique technology

called lidar (light detection and ranging) coupled with the camera,” says

Alex Fortescue. The lidar system allows very accurate and detailed point

data to be captured on the ground. Each point has a spatial coordinate

and highly accurate elevation reading. Since the points are so dense,

Southern Mapping Company is able to create very accurate Digital

Elevation Models (graphic representations of the surface of the earth

in three dimensions). In this way, it is possible to assist the emergency

service sector or the disaster management part anywhere in disaster

mitigation. Consider, for example, a recent study which the company

undertook to determine communities and individual households at

risk from flooding. Using the airborne photography and laser data, a

detailed 3D map of the terrain was created (so detailed that a height

value is possible for each square meter on the ground with absolute

accuracy to within 15 cm – this is as accurate as traditional surveying).

This allowed for detailed hydrological analysis to determine floodlines.

Individual dwellings captured from the imagery and within the GIS were

then superimposed on the 3D model to determine which houses were

within the floodlines and therefore at high risk. In this way, the potential

effect of a flood disaster could be mitigated proactively.

GIS and remote sensingIn the context of emergency services, geographic information systems (GIS) have emerged as a very important tool for effective planning and resource allocation. by Alex Fortescue

ABOVE Image showing ‘buffer analysis’ within a GIS, which allows for the creation of 5 km buffers around each hospital and clinic. Households which fall outside of the red circles are all further than 5 km from hospitals and clinics

ABOVE Image showing households in and around Gauteng. The density of household points shown in pink is so high that they are not individually distinguishable at this scale. The map of Gauteng shows the major highways

ABOVE Image showing the process of capturing dwelling points off satellite imagery. Green points indicate dwellings apparent on the landscape in 2008 while those in blue depict new dwellings captured off fresh imagery in 2009

The lidar system allows very accurate and detailed point data to be captured

Terrestrial Scanning Services Detection

3D Mobile Mapping

SURVEYS, MAPPING, GIS www.geoinfo.co.za

Tel: +27 11 763 7173 E-mail: [email protected]

AREA OF OPERATION

SERVICES

Project Management: Large survey, mapping and GIS contracts

Asset Management Capturing and docum ng of

all services and ed assets

3D Laser Imaging: High D n on Mobile Mapping

Terrestrial scanning

Surveys: GPS, Engineering, Mining

Underground Services Detec on:

Ground Penetra ng Radar (GPR), Pipe Loca-tor, Sonde

Bathymetric: Rivers, Dams, Shallow coastal

GIS Data capture, Implementa on

High Resolution Photography with Zoom

Bathymetric Survey

Conventional Survey

Bathymetric & Mobile Survey

2 or 3D Plan Volumetric Survey

Detail Scan

Detail Photograph

3D Mobile Scan with Point Cloud

Detail Bridge Site Scan Services Detection Plan

High Resolution Photograph

IMIESA JUNE 2012 39

SAGI

IN ORDER TO manage, collect rates and taxes, and maintain these

assets, it is necessary to know:

• that the asset register is correct and up to date

• where the assets are located.

The present situation is that most municipalities do not have the neces-

sary information to take effective decisions and to manage their data.

This is not a unique problem and has already been defined by TOR

Bernardsen (Geographic Information Systems, 1992) as follows:

“Information is one of the most important factors influencing develop-

ment. Modern political and economic systems cannot function without a

continuous interchange of reliable information. Worldwide, the informa-

tion sector is large and rapidly growing. Geographic information plays

an increasingly important role, both nationally and internationally; it is

decisive in the environmental monitoring and management essential to

the survival of future generations.

“In many cases, data is compiled for project purposes with no regard

to other uses. The qualities of these data collections and the acquisition

methods employed are frequently unknown. The result is that the data

available is unwieldy and difficult to collate in productive ways.”

Municipal and asset managers, engineers and planners need accurate

and up-to-date information before they can effectively fulfil their duties.

Companies such as Global Geomatics can fulfil the role of data provider.

An example is the municipal property register: the data provider can col-

lect, process and update the unmoveable asset register, visit site record

and position all buildings, identify and position available services such

as electricity, water and sewerage, supply plans and data in GIS format.In

terms of the Public Finance Management Act (1999), all municipal assets

need to be recorded and listed. Global Geomatics does this as follows:

One of the greatest challenges for South African municipalities is to effectively manage their bigger assets: land and infrastructure.

Asset management and data collection

• All visible assets such as power lines, roads and road furniture,

fences or any other visible features are captured through vari-

ous technologies, such as 3D mobile mapping or GPS handheld

data-capturing devices.

• All data captured complies with GRAP 17 standards and is compatible

with the IMESA IMS, IQMS and any other industry standard informa-

tion management system.

The position and data of underground services have always been a prob-

lem, but the latest technology assists with finding these services. Global

Geomatics has invested in equipment to do this, which includes ground

penetrating radar, radio detection, precision locator and leak detection

equipment. The advantage is that the company applies survey and

detection techniques to supply the municipality with a fully comprehen-

sive service, including mapping of the services. An example is 760 km

of the New Multi Products Pipeline betwenn Johannesburg and Durban

where personnel went ahead of the trenching teams to identify existing

services. In certain areas in Durban, up to 300 services per kilometre

were detected, opened and mapped.

All data captured is supplied in the GIS (geographic information sys-

tem), CAD (computer-aided design) or Information Management System

format of the client’s

choice, including

ArcInfo, Autocad 2D or

3D, Microstation 2D

or 3D, Modelmaker,

Civil Designer or

any standard indus-

try format.

IMIESA JUNE 2012 41

SAGI

TOTAL GEOSPATIAL Information

Solutions (TGIS) has since acquired

its second unit, to provide additional

capacity for large-scale projects.

The IP-S2 captures 360 degree digital pho-

tographic images so that everything, such as

potholes, water meters, house inventory and

land use, can be visually identified. Laser scan-

ners create an integrated 3D point cloud at

45 000 (XYZ) points per second, which enables

accurate positioning and measurement of fea-

tures in the image. Location is acquired from

the inertial navigation and from GPS/GLONASS

(Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite

survey systems.

The GPS positional data is post-processed to

improve accuracy, and the imagery then pro-

cessed to create measurable images.

The IP-S2 allows data acquisition in one tenth

of the time required by manual methods, with

a resultant massive reduction in costs. The

360 degree imagery ensures that all visible

infrastructure can be captured in the office,

without having to put five or six differently

skilled individuals in the field; this results in a

huge reduction in costs.

Useful information is generated when the infra-

structure location, inventory and condition are

then captured by the company’s GIS specialists

and reviewed by an appropriately qualified indi-

vidual (engineer, valuer, town planner) in each

domain, such as roads and stormwater, water

and sewers, electricity, land use and valuation.

There is also an IMIS mobile data logger solu-

tion available that augments the IP-S2 delivery

where manual data capture is required,

such as inside man-

holes, chambers

and buildings.

The system takes

the real world and

packages in an

easily accessed

form, which is then made

3D mobile mapping infrastructure solutionsTGIS was one of the first companies in South Africa to acquire and implement IP-S2, the new 3D mobile mapping system that ensures rapid acquisition of reliable infrastructure information, supporting improved municipal service delivery.

available to the specialist

engineer for assessment

and review. This enables

efficient use of scarce

skills, reducing overall

project costs. The spe-

cialists need never make

an expensive revisit to the

field to check on doubtful

information, because it is readily available.

TGIS has developed Bubble World, an innova-

tive software package capable of importing,

manipulating and visualising the large data-

sets. The features are then recognised in the

images and coordinates are extracted from the

point data. Gert Botha, the senior manager in

charge of the 3D mobile mapping units and

software development, assessed the available

mapping software and concluded that it is the

most powerful tool he has seen to date. At a

recent trade exhibition, the alpha version drew

many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. Numerous engi-

neers commented that they had acquired

3D images and points, but were unable to

adequately utilise the data. Bubble World

offers near real-world, 3D walk-

throughs in a fully measur-

able environment. The pro-

gram is the dream environ-

ment for GIS data capture,

project/plant assembly or

alterations planning.

Bubble World

has the ability to

colour the point

cloud – to provide

depth to the point data coupled

with innovative, intuitive on-screen data capture

tools, which is what sets it apart. It is capable

of easily handling extremely large data sets,

200 million points and more. The ‘capture’

tools can capture from a variety of GUIs, includ-

ing user-defined drop-down menus, tick boxes,

auto completion and full text. These capture

tools increase the efficiency and accuracy of

data capture, which in turn lowers the overall

cost of the project. This software is available

for purchase at low rates compared to foreign

software products. It provides the best function-

ality at the lowest cost and the most attractive

cost-to-performance ratio.

TGIS works with a network of strategic part-

ners that gives clients access to the required

multidisciplinary skills necessary to ensure

that service delivery failures no longer occur.

Whatever the scale of your infrastructure pro-

ject, TGIS is able to deliver on time, on budget

and with a reliable solution.

ecialist

ment

les

ce

ll

e-

ake

he

ful

project/plan

alt

h

c

clou

depth to the po

g y

a capture is required,

an-

s

d

en made

many ‘oohs’ an

neers commen

3D images and

adequately uti

offers n

th

a

g

m

ABOVE TGIS IP-S2 Stable

TGIS 1st IP-S2 unit

TGIS 2nd IP-S2 unit

SAGI

42 IMIESA JUNE 2012

3D City Models

Pictometry

www.aoc.co.za

Specialising in:Pictometry® | 3D City Models | SiteSee™ LiDAR | Digital Photography | GIS Capability

New Oblique Imaging Changing the Rules for Municipal Mapping

Above: 3 of the 12 views available with Pictometry oblique imagery

AOC HAS revolutionised urban map-

ping using the Pictometry Oblique

Aerial Imaging System, which inte-

grates multiple viewpoints and

measurement tools with user-friendly viewing

options. Unlike traditional geospatial informa-

tion systems that rely only on an orthogonal or

top-down view of an area, Pictometry captures

images obliquely, creating a more natural three-

dimensional view so that users can see fea-

tures and structures clearly and in their entirety.

A digital warehouse of oblique and nadir (ver-

tical) images with powerful and unique meas-

urement tools all form part of the solution.

With only minutes of training, a new user can

access detailed imagery of a region and learn

to navigate quickly and easily between views

of a map to images, and focus on features

of interest such as buildings, access points,

fences, poles, fire hydrants and other municipal

property and infrastructure.

The multiple, oblique images are georefer-

enced, orthorectified and the powerful and

patented, Pictometry 3D tools enable rapid

measurement of distance, height and area

directly from the oblique imagery.

PIctometry oblique imagery offers sophis-

ticated and critical visual information in 12

easy-to-navigate views,

putting information at

user finger tips and

making it possible to work remotely via a wire-

less connection or from the convenience of an

office desktop.

Pictometry’s georeferenced imagery can be

loaded into common GIS platforms such as

ESRI’s ArcGIS so that it seamlessly overlays

and interacts with existing spatial datasets.

AOC has completed the flying, image cap-

ture, processing and delivery of Pictometry

oblique imagery for most of the South

African metro areas for use in property valu-

ations and various municipal planning and

engineering applications.

Pictometry is the ideal source of oblique

imagery for the creation and rendering of 3D

city and building models for visualisations,

simulations and fly-throughs.

Changing the rules of municipal mapping

LEFT 3D city model of Cape Town: These sophisticated 3D models are readily incorporated into stunning visualisations for design and planning applications. They allow users to visualise, measure and portray both existing and planned urban space. All libraries are available on a per user subscription basis using the Pictometry® Online web-based hosted imagery service

DATES: 24 & 25 July 2012 VENUE: Gallagher Estates, Midrand, Johannesburg

Researched & Developed By:

Supporting Publications: Media Partner:

Online Partner:

OBTAIN MORE KNOWLEDGE ON THE FOLLOWING PERTINENT ISSUES:

SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

DWA SOUTH AFRICA PERSPECTIVE

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES PERSPECTIVEMariette Lieffenrink

CEO FEDERATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Pieter Gouws, Pr Eng Managing DirectorP.G CONSULTING Dr. Rudo Sanyanga Africa Program DirectorINTERNATIONAL RIVERS

J.B Nartey EPWP Project Coordinator- Infrastructure Sector OR TAMBO DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Phera Ramoeli Head: Water Division SADC

Chamu Mhuka Associate Director ARUP ZIMBABWE

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Footage On Future Dam

Design Challenges By The

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Civil Engineer Dams Engineer Environmental Manager Water Engineer Water Resources Engineer Infrastructure

Development Geotechnical EngineerPipeline Engineer Operations Director Waste Manager Water Waste Manager Project Engineer Monitoring Engineer

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Mechanical Engineer Dam Safety EngineerTailing Dams Manager Water Infrastructure

Infrastructure Manager Water Control Manager

Water Services Consulting Engineer

The New Dam Safety Regulation And Tailing Dams Legislation Achieving The Objectives Of Integrated Water Resources Management Dam Rehabilitation And Management: The Role Of Municipalities The Risks And Implications Of Climate Change

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CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

Petrus Venter Deputy Regional Director DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS

Leo van den Berg, Pr Eng

DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS

Candace Enoch

Northern Operations: HartbeespoortDEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS

FOR EASY REGISTRATION CALL AMRITA: +27 (0) 11 326 2501 OR e-mail [email protected] OR VISIT: www.intelligencetransferc.co.za

44 IMIESA JUNE 2012

PROFILE

THE COMPANY MAKES use of mod-

ern civil engineering design pack-

ages, of fering holistic solutions

to a variety of needs. Services

offered include:

• geotechnical engineering

• infrastructure engineering

• transport engineering

• infrastructure project managers

• quality and construction managers.

DBI CONSULTING

DBI Consulting boasts prominent clients

such as Sun International, Standard Bank,

Old Mutual, Peermont, Department of Public

Works, Department of Housing and the City

of Johannesburg.

The company is currently involved in the

R12.4 million Emma Flats flood alleviation

project in Newclare. Tasked with inspecting,

investigating and recommending solutions to

deal with the water log crisis at Emma Flats,

DBI Consulting is progressing successfully

on the project with the completion date set

for June 2012.

For more information on this and other ser-

vices offered by the company, contact:

Tel: +27 (0)12 940 3840

E-mail: [email protected]

Ditibane Bros Investments, trading as DBI Consulting, is an emerging, black-owned and managed engineering, construction and facilities company operating in South Africa, although most of the company’s operations are based in Gauteng.

Infrastructure that CONNECTS COMMUNITIES

IMIESA JUNE 2012 45

JOHANNESBURG

IN MARCH 2010, DBI

Consulting was appointed by

the City of Johannesburg’s

Department of Housing to

inspect, investigate and recom-

mend a solution to the flooding

crisis at Emma Flats, Newclare.

A report with recommendations

was submitted and flood allevia-

tion measures and box culvert rehabilitation are currently under way.

The community of Emma Flats has been persistent in their resolution to

get this problem sorted out and the City of Johannesburg has set aside

a budget of R12.4 million to achieve a solution to this problem.

Post project analysisAs part of the inspection process, DBI Consulting was required to

analyse the structural integrity of the flats and surrounding stormwater

measures. The discovery was as follows:

• sections of the box culvert’s floors were completely uplifted

• stormwater relief of the area was insufficient

• sinkholes were developing on the sides of the culvert

• not enough run-off management

• underground stormwater pipes were blocked and some had closed off.

Progress updateThe project commenced on 24 September 2011 and is scheduled for

completion in June 2012. Scope of works is as follows:

• Pipe jacking: The contractor has not made significant progress

on site due to the geology of the material in the area, and was

therefore advised to put more resources and

implement more feasible methods to increase

the progress.

• Passage way: The passageway has been com-

pleted and the car park rehabilitation com-

menced in May.

• Stormwater alleviation: The works are 95%

complete with the only item left being the inter-

linking of the downstream and upstream sides,

which are dependent on the completion of the

pipe jacking activity.

• Culvert repairs: Most of the zones on the floor

on sections chainage 41 to 99 did not require

rehabilitation and the section that required

Flooding at Emma Flats in Newclare resulted in severe problems of water logging and urgent solutions were needed to remedy the situation.

FLOOD ALLEVIATION MEASURES FOR NEWCLARE

The Emma Flats project

rehabilitation has been completed. Sections

chainage 0 to 15 and 173 to 265 were both

completed in May.

The roof slab between chainage 100 and

145 has been completed and the other section

has recently been rehabilitated.

With regard to the overall project programme,

the contractor progressed well and the comple-

tion of the contractual scope of works is feasi-

ble within the contract period. The pipe jacking,

however, is running about six weeks behind

schedule due to the rock face encountered on

the jacking and the delay of a permit.

PROJECT TEAMClient City of Johannesburg

Consultants DBI Consulting Engineers

Contractor Nesandla Civils (Pty) Ltd

46 IMIESA JUNE 2012

JOHANNESBURG

TWO OF THE MAIN aims of Rea Vaya

are to promote public transport and

to facilitate transit oriented develop-

ment, especially as traffic congestion

within the CBD is becoming a growing cause

for concern.

Station locationsCurrently, there is a BRT station in front of

Wits University on Empire Road, another a

few metres down the road, two adjacent to

the SABC building in Auckland Park, and

one opposite the University of Johannesburg

and Helen Joseph Hospital. Learners from

Hoërskool Vorentoe and users of the Rahima

Moosa Hospital have stations in front of their

premises too.

Phase 1B starts in Noordgesig and trav-

els through Pennyville and New Canada,

New stations for Rea VayaImplementation of the Rea Vaya BRT system was a huge step forward in transforming the face of public transport within the City of Johannesburg, and new stations are currently under construction between the CBD and Auckland Park.

BRT STATION UPDATE

Highgate, Stanley, Kingsway, Empire Road,

Parktown, Metro Centre, Rissik Street and

joins Phase 1A. The route covers the sub-

urbs of Soweto, Richmond, Melville, Westbury,

Riverlea, Bosmont, Brixton, Coronationville,

New Canada, Pennyville, Crosby, Newclare

and Noordgesig.

With regard to Empire and Waterlines roads,

74 mature trees on Empire Road (between

the Jan Smuts and Victoria avenues intersec-

tions) have been removed to widen the route.

But each of these trees will be replaced in

line with an environmental policy that states

that the equivalent number of trees must be

replaced in the suburb from where they were

cut down. The stretch of road where trees have

been cut down is approximately 0.98 km and

includes intersections with Joubert and Sam

Hancock streets. These routes will be linked

PROJECT TEAM: CONSTRUCTION OF BRT STATIONS (CITY OF JOHANNESBURG TO AUCKLAND PARK) Client JDA

Contractor Group Five Buildings

Project manager Seco Project Manager (Pty) Ltd

Source: Johannesburg Roads Agency

to the Metro Centre Rea Vaya loop, which

travels to the inner city via Braamfontein. Other

scheduled work here includes the resurfacing

of mixed traffic lanes, street lighting, construc-

tion of a station platform and repaving walking

areas. Phase 1B will add about 130 buses to

the existing fleet of 143.

Current developmentsIn addition to the rollout of Phase 1B, new BRT

bus stations will also be constructed at spe-

cific locations within the City of Johannesburg

and Auckland Park. These works were com-

missioned by the Johannesburg Development

Agency and includes covering the buildings of

four new stations with fluted metal and retrofit-

ting items to previously constructed BRT sta-

tions. Work commenced in October 2011 and

the project is valued at R45 million.

IMIESA JUNE 2012 47

GEOTECHNICAL

When it comes to mining, it’s not just about digging deep

into the earth – it’s about digging deep into your skills

and determination to make mining activities safer, more

economical and more rewarding for your business.

Call us, or visit www.twp.co.za

TWP South Africa

T 0861 TWP TWP (SA) / +27 11 218 3000

E [email protected]

Providing Flexible Mining Solutions Takes Great Skill.

Sinkhole database of South Africa

DOLOMITE IS A SOLUBLE ROCK TYPE that gives rise to

sinkholes and dolines if given sufficient time and trig-

gering mechanisms, i.e. ingress water or dewatering.

Development of sinkholes and dolines are potentially

dangerous and can even result in loss of life and damage to property.

The objective of such a project is to have a comprehensive inven-

tory/database of such events across South Africa. Sinkhole/doline

data is sourced from municipalities, consultants, government depart-

ments and the Council for Geoscience files and reports, as well as

from literature. As new events occur, they will be added to the data-

base. Much of the data is incomplete and has gaps in the information,

and improving and updating should be an ongoing process. Once such

a database is available, it will be a useful tool for future research and

investigations. The database will also serve to aid municipalities,

consultants and developers when future development is considered.

The database will be GIS based and will include XY coordinates, loca-

tion descriptions, size, depth, date of occurrence, cause and geologi-

cal formation for each sinkhole/doline event. The need for reliable

sinkhole statistics is critical for future assessment of sinkhole risk.

A notable case of utilising sinkhole statistics for design and develop-

ment is the recent Gautrain alignment, which crosses dolomitic land

on its route through Centurion.

Dolomitic rocks occur in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. by S Richardson, Council for Geoscience

A typical sinkhole

48 IMIESA JUNE 2012

PROJECT NEWS

THE DEVELOPMENT INVOLVES the

construction of 9 600 houses vary-

ing between 30 m² and 100 m².

The construction programme began in

2010 and will run to 2016. Some of the units

are being sold on the open market, others fall

under the RDP umbrella and the remainder

are being allocated for social rental and the

GAP market.

The poles are being installed by Kusokhanya

Electrical Construction (KEC) using two instal-

lation teams, one for the planting of the poles,

and the other for stringing three-phase bundle

Concrete poles for integrated housing projectOver 3 000 pre-stressed I-shaped concrete poles are being supplied by Aveng Manufacturing Infraset for the electrification of a fully-integrated housing development in Fleurhoff, Roodepoort.

conductors, installation of

metering boxes at the apex

of the poles, and mounting

of distribution boards inside

the houses.

KEC is also install-

ing 15 mini sub-stations.

Underground cabling rated

at 6.6 kVA feeds the sta-

tions and the overhead bun-

dling conductors are rated

at 400 V.

Bruce de Villiers, KEC’s

site manager, says that the

installation teams comprise

a local community labour

component of 45%.

“Many of them were

unskilled and we have trained them in all

aspects of the work including the stringing

of bundle conductors and installation of the

metering boxes,” says De Villiers.

An average of 30 poles a day are being

planted by KEC in three pole models: a 7 m

(4 kN) unit, a 7.2 m (10 kN) straining pole

and a 7.5 m (20 kN) end unit. A tractor loader

backhoe is being used to excavate the founda-

tion holes, which in the case of the 7 m poles

were 1.5 m deep. Both the 7.2 m and the

7.5 m poles are being sunk in pits at a depth

of 1.8 m.

“We are also using compressors and explo-

sives where we encounter rock which we often

do,” says De Villiers.

After the poles are lowered into position

they are aligned vertically. Lintels, usually

two, but sometimes three and even four,

are being used with cement

to reinforce the 7.2 m and

7.5 m poles and maintain

their vertical alignment.

Each meter box feeds indi-

vidual keyboards in two to

six houses. To activate the

system the consumer simply

keys in a code purchased

from the nearest prepaid

electricity outlet.

De Villiers says I-shape

poles are ideal for this type

of installation.

“Their excellent weight-

to-strength ratios and their

reduced weight mean they

are easy to offload and han-

dle. It also makes the mounting of the prepaid

meter boxes easy and secure.”

Aveng Manufacturing Infraset poles and

masts product manager, Mothemane Makhura,

says all the I-poles for the Fleurhoff project

were manufactured with earthing bars to pro-

tect them against lightning.

“The I-poles were cast at our Brakpan factory

in high-strength, high-density concrete with a

smooth finish. They are functional yet relatively

light, which makes them easy to handle. The

high strength-to-weight ratio of the I-shaped

poles puts them in a class of their own. The

resilience of prestressed concrete poles ena-

bles them to recover from the effects of a

greater degree of overload than any other type

of structural material. It has been demonstrat-

ed worldwide that the prestressed concrete

poles are maintenance-free for life. Unlike

other materials, concrete suffers no long-term

loss of strength, insect, fire, rot, and corrosion

resistant,” explains De Villiers.

All Aveng Manufacturing Infraset factories

have ISO 9002 accreditation and comply

with Eskom DTC 0106 and other SABS and

Transnet specifications.

LEFT One of 3 000 prestressed I-shaped concrete end-poles thst are being used for the electrification of a fully-integrated housing development in Fleurhoff, Roodepoort. Besides carrying a 400 V bundling conductor, this pole also supports a street lamp

A worm’s eye view of one of the prestressed I-shaped concrete poles

IMIESA JUNE 2012 49

PROJECT NEWS

FUNDED BY THE Gauteng Department

of Local Government and Housing

(Tshwane Region) and situated in the

North West province, this is a cross-

border project that entails the construction of

1 516 houses for the Tshwane Metropolitan

Municipality. Concrete Manufacturers

Association (CMA) director, Hamish Laing,

comments that properly selected and deployed

precast concrete building materials form an

extremely effective combination, especially

when used for the construction of housing.

“This project is an excellent example of how

precast concrete products can transform dull

uniformity into the visually appealing. These

precast concrete materials each contribute

to the overall effect, providing affordable

yet aesthetically pleasing accommodation in

which the owner can take considerable pride,”

says Laing.

The 40 m² houses comprise two bedrooms,

a combined kitchen and living area, and a

room containing a shower and toilet. As yet

there is no electricity supply to the develop-

ment. This and the installation of solar water

heating will take place at a later date.

“Because the bricks being used on this pro-

ject have an attractive diamond-face finish, the

walls don’t require plastering, only painting,

and the inner walls are bag-washed – both

Precast concrete provides a solution for housingDiamond-Maxi concrete bricks, concrete roof tiles and bevelled concrete pavers are providing durable, productive and very attractive building materials for the Ga-Rankuwa Extension 24 – a fully government-subsidised housing project.

processes saving on costs,”

observes Laing.

Measuring 140 x 90 x

290 mm, the bricks are being

supplied by Delta Bricks and

Eckraal Quarries and are

used in a single-skin applica-

tion. The roof tiles are being

manufactured by West End

Claybrick and Coverland.

They are being laid on gal-

vanised steel trusses sup-

plied by Vela Steel Building

Systems. The paving blocks,

50 mm thick and rated at

25 MPa, are being produced

by Technicrete. Laing says

that concrete pavers are

superior to in situ concrete

for paved surrounds thanks to their superior

durability and visual appeal.

Construction work commenced in January

this year under the control of the main contrac-

tor, Jade Africa Developments. The project is

being built in three phases, the first compris-

ing 516 houses, and at the end of May, close

on 150 units had been completed.

During this period three subcontractors

employed 207 labourers on site, of which 70%

were recruited in Ga-Rankuwa. Of that total,

82 were skilled and 115

unskilled and approximately

10% were women.

Jade Africa Developments’s

chief executive officer,

Lawrence Esterhuizen, says

that by the beginning of June

a further three subcontract-

ing teams had been brought

on board to speed up the

construction process and that

at least 70% of the core build-

ing skills for the new teams

had been recruited locally in

Ga-Rankuwa.

This means that the antici-

pated completion date has

been brought forward from

early 2013 to the first quar-

ter of 2012.

1 Housing units nearing completion at the Ga-Rankuwa Extension 24 development

2 An example of the masonry work using single-skinned and economical diamond-faced concrete bricks

3 Aesthetically pleasing concrete roof tiles are being used to cover the houses

4 Some of the completed houses at the Ga-Rankuwa Extension 24 development

1

2

4

3

IMIESA JUNE 2012 51

CONSULTING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Private sector drives project delivery by Candice Landie

WITH ALL the issues surrounding

tenders, SMEs and job creation,

getting a foot in the door with

government can be challenging.

But to ensure the success of South Africa’s

infrastructure development, the services of pri-

vate sector consulting engineers are imperative.

To win favour with government, consultants have

to be professional and possess expertise in the

fields of local government legislation, munici-

pal service delivery, strategic leadership and

management, project management, research

and investigation and executive development,

among others. South Africa is one of the

fortunate countries as it has a number skilled,

professional consultants, who have been instru-

mental in shaping the country’s beautiful infra-

structure. But what does it take to be a success-

ful consulting engineering firm? Candice Landie

facilitates this panel discussion, which looks at

consulting to local government.

Consulting engineers play a crucial role in the development of infrastructure in South Africa, offering skilled advice and services to local government.

PANEL INTRO

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IMIESA JUNE 2012 53


Q. What is Knight Piésold’s core business function and when was the company founded?IW: Knight Piésold, founded

in South Africa in 1921, has

expanded over the decades to

operate internationally and offers

comprehensive specialist engi-

neering and scientific services

in water resources, renewable

energy, roads and transportation,

environmental solutions, mining

and project management.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives Knight Piésold an edge over its competitors?Knight Piésold focuses on build-

ing close working relationships

with clients through understand-

ing their project requirements

and their business. An important

factor in today’s global environ-

ment is our access to specialists

on all five continents, which ena-

bles us to provide innovative and

cost-effective solutions without

having to compromise on the all-

important quality standards. Our

engineers, earth scientists and

technical support staff offer com-

prehensive consulting engineering

and environmental services to

our clients. All stages of project

development are undertaken and

include engineering feasibility

studies, environmental impact

assessments, full engineering

design (including specialist struc-

tural design), tender documenta-

tion and evaluation, contract

administration, site supervision

and project management.

What have been your achievements and awards over the years?Knight Piésold has received

numerous accolades over

the past 91 years, but our

PANEL DISCUSSION

IAIN WATSON – director – KNIGHT PIÉSOLD CONSULTING

involvement in the Lesotho

Highlands project was significant.

More recently, the following larger

projects come to mind:

• The Berg River Project (Western

Cape), comprising the Berg

river dam, a concrete faced

rockfill dam 70 m high, a pump-

ing station and the associated

distribution system.

• Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme

(Drakensberg),

a 1 330 MW

pumped storage

hydroelectric

project currently

under construc-

tion for Eskom.

• Gauteng Freeway Improvement

Project (GFIP), we were

responsible for module

E1 – the N3 section 12

from Heidelberg Road to

Geldenhuis interchange.

All of the above projects have

been undertaken in joint ven-

tures with like-minded competent

consulting practices.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the past five years?• Western Aqueduct phases

1 and 2 – eThekwini Water

and Sanitation: The Western

Aqueduct is a thin-walled, con-

tinuously welded steel pipeline

that will supply potable water

under gravity to the greater

Durban region.

• Northern Sewage Purification

Works Unit 5 – Johannesburg

Water: Increased capacity was

required to meet the anticipat-

ed increase in wastewater flow

from the Northern Drainage

System of Johannesburg.

Knight Piésold was appointed

as lead consultant and

project manager for the

required 150 Mℓ/d increase in

treatment capacity.

• Western Aqueduct

Environmental Approval

– eThekwini Water and

Sanitation: The 30 m wide

pipeline corridor traverses a

variety of bio-physical and socio-

economic environments. We

have made significant progress

in filling the gap between the

Environmental Management Plan

(EMP) and the construction pro-

cess by developing rehabilitation

drawings, specifications and a

Bill of Quantity for incorporation

into the tender documentation.

The EMP identifies what must be

done and the specifications tell

you how it must be done.

What is Knight Piésold’s outlook for the next 10 years? Besides South Africa, we

also have offices in Namibia,

Swaziland, Botswana and Ghana.

Over the coming months and

years we aim to extend our pres-

ence into more African countries.

We are currently either bidding

or negotiating for a number of

renewable energy, water resource,

mining and transportation appoint-

ments outside of South Africa. We

are confident that we will secure

a number of these initiatives.

We are, of course, continuing to

bid for work within South Africa.

However, current procurement

legislation

is making it

increasingly

difficult for

the consulting

industry; we

are either seen

as suppliers of commodities or

as contractors and not as profes-

sional service providers. We need

to work hard at explaining the dif-

ferences to our clients.

Knight Piésold is proud of its

BBBEE Level 2 contributor rating.

A big factor in this success has

been the development of our men-

torship and training programmes.

This initiative is being rolled out

to include some of our client’s

staff being seconded into the

project design and supervision

teams, and in this way we ensure

that meaningful exposure to on-

the-job training is achieved and,

more importantly, taken back to

their home base on completion of

the project.

Our engineers, earth scientists and technical support staff offer

comprehensive consulting engineering and environmental services to our clients

RIGHT Western Aqueduct, KwaZulu-Natal

O f f i c e s : Ts w a n e , P o l o k w a n e , C a p e To w n , U p i n g t o n , S p r i n g b o k , D u r b a n , P o r t E l i z a b e t h , M o z a m b i q u e , N a m i b i a , A n g o l a , D R C

MDP

HEAD OFFICE: BLOCK C - Menlyn Corporate ParkC/O Garsfontein Road & Corobay Ave.MENLYN - PRETORIATel: +27 (0) 12 940 1111

FAX: +27 (0) 86 743 3100E-mail: [email protected]

Infrastructure developmentCivil EngineeringStructural EngineeringElectrical EngineeringMechanical EngineeringProject ManagementTown Planning

MDP

IMIESA JUNE 2012 55

PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is BVi Group's core business function and when was the company founded?A. BVi is a multidisciplinary engi-

neering firm that was established

in 1967 and is registered with

CESA. BVi offers professional

services in the fields of civil,

structural, electrical and mechan-

ical engineering, as well as pro-

ject management, town planning

and EPCM services. The compa-

ny has 15 offices across South

Africa and four international

offices. BVi is a Level 2 BBBEE

contributor and focuses on com-

munity involvement where skill

transfer and job creation plays a

major role in the projects through

the accredited emerging contrac-

tor development programme.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives BVi an edge over its competitors?We specialise in providing a full

range of professional engineer-

ing services to local government

and the community. Our labour-

intensive approach does not only

create employment, but also

involves the community from

inception, design, implementation

and final handover of the project.

BVi is an ISO accredited ser-

vice provider and our value engi-

neering and quality assessment

processes ensure the delivery of

projects of exceptional quality.

Our focus throughout the project

life cycle remains on our clients,

the community and quality engi-

neering work.

Through our highly competent

staff component, BVi can con-

sistently provide our clients with

professional services in terms

of quality, timelines and cost-

effective solutions to service

delivery. BVi staff is familiar

CONSULTING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTJJ GROBLER – managing director; M MAROLE – chairperson – BVi CONSULTING ENGINEERS

with and act in accordance with

the Public Finance Management

Act, the Municipality Finance

Management Act and our own

Business Integrity Management

System. We also assist local gov-

ernment in the drafting of lnte-

grated Development Plans and

are actively involved in assisting

council to source funding where

possible. Our wide spread cli-

ent base is testimony to the BVi

team's is skill in executing pro-

jects of any size and magnitude.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the past five years? • Turnkey housing project

for the City of Tshwane:

we provided project

management services.

• Kenhardt bulk water supply

pipeline: a project was initi-

ated to bring surface water

from the Orange River over a

distance of 70 km to provide

for current and future demand.

The project consists of a raw

water pump station and ris-

ing main that discharges to

a water treatment plant and

reservoir complex.

• eThekweni housing project –

OhlangeDube Village Housing

Development: provision of pro-

ject management services, site

supervision and monitoring.

What is BVi’s outlook for the next 10 years? Currently we have a very reli-

able footprint across the country

which enables us to service

almost all the district and local

councils countrywide. We intend

to increase our commitment and

focus on local government by

making use of an innovative pro-

ject approach, including project

finance models, PPPs and other

asset management options. We

are constantly improving our

green building department as

well as our renewable energy

delivery resources. The future

is renewable energy and we are

positioning ourselves accordingly.

Furthermore, we are expanding

across the borders to service our

fellow SADC members with much-

needed engineering skills and

infrastructure requirements.

With regards to South Africa

specifically, we believe the BVi

Group has a huge role to play in

assisting government in reach-

ing its service delivery goals

and aspirations.

BELOW LEFT Kenhardt rising main

BELOW RIGHT Tshwane housing project

IMIESA JUNE 2012 57


Q. What is BKS’s core business function and when was the company founded?SN: BKS is a dynamic multi-dis-

ciplinary empowered consulting

engineering and project manage-

ment firm that provides profes-

sional services in the areas

of infrastructure development

– encompassing, design and

planning, construction supervi-

sion, monitoring and project

management. The company was

established in 1965.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives BKS an edge over its competitors?Services offered by BKS include:

water and wastewater treatment

plants; water reservoirs and

dams; strategic water resources,

water services planning and

feasibility studies; water sup-

ply, distribution and metering

systems; water quality, leakage

and demand management; Blue

Drop and Green Drop services;

geotechnical engineering; solid

waste handling, disposal landfills

and rehabilitation of borrow pits;

integrated environmental certifi-

cation and environmental man-

agement services; green build-

ing and sustainability; roads,

stormwater and attenuation;

electricity supply, distribution and

pre-pay systems; vehicle test-

ing stations and taxi ranks; BRT

systems, traffic and transporta-

tion engineering; housing, build-

ings, clinics, sports facilities

and stadiums; condition surveys

PANEL DISCUSSION

SIYANDA NGEBULANA – group marketing and business development manager – BKS

Our goal is to be an international company that operates in Africa and the Middle East, with headquarters in

South Africa

and asset management; project

office and funding management;

and labour intensive construction

and management.

What gives us an advantage

over our competitors is the

quality of service, which is

made possible by our technical

expertise, our track record in

the industry and our new service

delivery approach and innovative

and sustainable designs that are

cost effective.

What have been your greatest achievements and awards over the years?BKS has had many highlights of

projects delivered successfully

over the last five decades. Some

of these achievements include

our involvement on various 2010

FIFA World Cup stadiums, King

Shaka International Airport,

Hospital Bend pre-selection

lanes in Cape Town and the Van

der Kloof Dam Spillway Bridge.

BKS was also involved in the

Gautrain and Ben Schoeman

Freeway upgrade projects.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the past five years? • Durban Beachfront upgrade

and post-World Cup infrastruc-

ture works in eThekweni

• replacement of asbestos

cement secondary water

mains for eThekweni Water

and Sanitation

• provision of water and sewer

connections to toilet blocks

in informal settlements

in eThekwini.

What is BKS’s outlook for the next 10 years?• to maintain our core business

through current relationships

and established footprint,

as well as expand our

business areas

• to maintain a strong com-

ponent of mega projects in

our business

• to grow skills and the number

of our skilled staff

• to increase our market

share in international busi-

ness as well as our global

competitiveness, through

strategic alliances.

Our goal is to be an interna-

tional company that operates

in Africa and the Middle East,

with headquarters in South

Africa. We also recently opened

an office in Qatar. We have

numerous small projects in the

pipeline, but the significant one

is a turnaround strategy that

involves provision of techni-

cal support for Gert Sibande

District Municipality. There is

also an extension to the Durban

Beachfront upgrade project

involving the construction of the

promenade from Country Club

Beach to the Blue Lagoon.

RIGHT View from Ushaka Marine World looking north

58 IMIESA JUNE 2012


PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is Arup’s core business function and when was the company founded?RD: Arup was founded in 1946

with an initial focus on structural

engineering. It has since grown

into a truly multidisciplinary organi-

sation offering an innovative and

fully integrated approach, which

brings a full complement of skills

and knowledge to bear on any

given design problem and exerts

a significant influence on the built

environment. Arup has been pre-

sent in Africa for almost 60 years

and has offices in Botswana,

Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa

and Zimbabwe. Arup has worked

on more than 20 000 projects

and developments in Africa,

including commercial buildings,

mixed-use developments, airports,

sports venues, bridges, highways,

railways, industrial development

zones and oil, gas and energy

projects, as well as hospitals, pris-

ons, arts and cultural venues, sci-

ence and technology parks, water

and waste projects.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives Arup an edge over its competitors?We offer services to local gov-

ernment in the areas of civil,

structural, mechanical, electrical

and traffic engineering, as well

as project management, urban

planning, transport planning, eco-

nomic and development planning,

environmental and sustainability

consulting, and transaction advice.

Some of the qualities that give

Arup its competitive edge are the

fact that, through our innovative

and fully integrated approach, we

bring unique solutions to create

sustainable communities and use

our breadth of expertise across

various disciplines, including those

RICHARD DEH – associate director: marketing and business development – ARUP

from our global offices. We listen

to our client’s requirements and

ensure that we deliver over and

above what is required. We place

stringent standards on the work

we do and believe in developing

and empowering our people as

well as our clients in the process.

What have been your greatest achievements and awards?Many people may not be

aware that Arup worked on

most of the tall buildings

on the Johannesburg sky-

line. Arup was involved in

the design and construction

of the Brixton Tower, the

Hillbrow Tower, the Carlton

Centre, the Schlesinger

Building, the Kine Centre

and the Standard Bank

Centre, to name a few. More

recently we have been or are

involved in such landmark develop-

ments as the Constitutional Court,

Melrose Arch and the Pearls of

Umhlanga. Awards include:

• A KZNIA Architecture Award

for the design of the Moses

Mabhida Commuter Station,

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (2011)

• KZNIA Architecture Award for the

Moyo uShaka Pier Bar (2011)

• CESA Mentor of the Year Award:

Ric Snowden (2011)

• Conceptual design, master plan-

ning and project management

of the Central Terminal Building

(CTB) at OR Tambo International

Airport, Johannesburg. This pro-

ject was completed on time and

on budget, and was open and

operational in time for the 2010

FIFA World Cup. OR Tambo was

voted Best Airport in Africa at

the World Airport Awards.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the past five years?

• Independent Certifier on the

Gautrain project: The Gautrain

is currently the largest public-

private partnership project

in the southern hemisphere

and probably the most ambi-

tious piece of civil engineering

in South Africa to date. As

Independent Certifier, Arup

reports to both the Gauteng

Provincial Government and the

Bombela Concession Company.

• The Polokwane Bridge: Arup

was appointed to undertake the

design, planning and construc-

tion of various infrastructure

projects within the municipal-

ity, including the design of the

Polokwane Bridge. The bridge

was built by an Arup/WBHO

joint venture. The bridge was

designed and built within 14

months, a notable achievement.

• City of Tshwane: Arup was

commissioned by the City of

Tshwane and the National

Department of Public Works to

develop a detailed Master Plan

and Management Framework for

the city’s regeneration project.

Arup’s role includes develop-

ing an integrated inner-city

development framework and

urban management plan that

will transform the capital into a

contemporary African city. The

project will be one of the first

in the country to have urban-

ism at its heart, presenting an

exciting opportunity for the firm

to be involved in the complete

transformation and regeneration

of a city into a sustainable

arena that reflects a truly urban

African city.

What is Arup’s outlook for the next 10 years?Arup is currently advising PRASA

on its National Rail Master Plan.

While this is not a local govern-

ment intervention, we hope that

our efforts will contribute to a

better commuting experience

for South Africans, as PRASA

goes through a significant pro-

gramme of capital investment

and operational improvement.

Again, although not a local gov-

ernment project, as Development

Managers on ACSA’s planned new

Midfield terminal complex at OR

Tambo International Airport, we

hope to contribute to an improved

travelling experience for South

Africans and for visitors to our

beautiful country.

We hope to bring some of our

world-leading integrated urban-

ism and sustainability skills and

experience to bear on the Large

Cities Support Programme – an

initiative to deliver integrated

urban planning for eight metros

in South Africa, which is support-

ed by National Treasury and the

World Bank. Finally, we are well

aware of the capacity constraints

at provincial and municipal level,

and as members of the recently

appointed DBSA Engineering and

Project Management Panel, we

hope to contribute to filling some

of the capacity gaps and to the

improved delivery of provincial

and municipal infrastructure pro-

jects as a result.

Arup’s outlook for the next 10

years is to continue to deliver

total excellence in complete

design, sustainability, quality and

innovative technology.

We shape a better world

www.arup.com

We believe in developing water management solutions with our clients, that will bring about a truly sustainable future.

Project Image: Botterkloof Hydropower

Johannesburg+27 11 218 [email protected]

Cape Town+27 21 409 [email protected]

Durban+27 31 328 [email protected]

Mauritius+230 206 [email protected]

Botswana+267 395 [email protected]

2012/03/19 12:33 PM

IMIESA JUNE 2012 61


PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is PH Bagale’s core business function and when was the company founded?A. PH Bagale, consulting engi-

neers and project managers,

was established in 1988. The

company specialises in road pro-

jects, project management and

civil services.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives PH Bagale an edge over its competitors?Our road expertise varies from

high-tech rehabilitation measures,

using super-modified materials,

down to labour-intensive methods.

We also design structures and

supervise infrastructure for urban

development. We have been oper-

ating for 24 years and the com-

pany has built up expertise that is

highly valuable.

What have been your achievements and awards over the years? We pride ourselves on the fact

that we have clients with which

we have had a relationship with

for as long as the company has

existed. PH Bagale has received

numerous awards for excellence

in engineering, as outlined below:

• 1995: SABITA award for out-

standing achievement in asphalt

technology for the development

of the slurry-bound Macadam

• 1995: SAICE (Wits Branch)

award for excellence in civil

engineering for the devel-

opment of the composite

Macadam pavement

• 1995: SAICE finalist for the

national award for the most

outstanding civil engineering

achievement for community-

based projects

• 1997: Masimanyane Award for

Process Enterprise Turnover

<R5 million

• 1997: Masimanyane CSIR

Technological Impact Award

• 1999: Impumelelo Innovations

Award Programme – com-

mendation for provision of

road infrastructure

• 2001: Annual branch (Lowveld

branch) award for excellence in

civil engineering for the access

road to Mashishing – widening

of the old steel bridge

• 2002: South African Institute

of Steel Construction special

commendation awarded for our

role as project manager in the

construction of the Mashishing

bridge widening project

• 2009: Award – Most innova-

tive and creative contractor/

consultant: Johannesburg

Roads Agency.

What have been your top three projects for local

government in the past five years?Our top three projects done for

local governments involved the

upgrading of gravel roads to sur-

faced standards in Johannesburg

(the Johannesburg Roads

Agency), Ekurhuleni and the City

of Tshwane. All these projects

were executed by means of a

turnkey approach. They were

executed cost effectively and

according to programme with-

out compromising on quality.

Highlights of these projects are:

• Johannesburg Roads Agency:

– introduce the turnkey approach

– invite innovative designs

– accountability legally protected.

• Ekurhuleni:

– introduce a three-year

programme

– capitalise and maintain the

successful JRA recipe.

• Tshwane:

– put a well-planned programme

and excellent models and

systems in place to achieve

their goals.

What is PH Bagale’s outlook for the next 10 years? Our five-year vision is to expand

and have at least 25 civil engi-

neering professionals employed.

We also have offices in four

provinces and we want to expand

to the other provinces in South

Africa. Our mission statement is

as follows:

• To be a leading supplier of

engineering expertise in roads,

transportation, water, sanita-

tion and related infrastructure.

• To provide total engineering

and management expertise to

our clients.

PH BAGALE

BEFORE Upgrading of gravel to surfaced roads in Soshanguve AFTER

PH Bagale directors

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have clients with which we have had a relationship with for as long as the

company has existed

IMIESA JUNE 2012 63


PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is SRK’s core business function and when was the company founded?MB: SRK Consulting is an inter-

national organisation of profes-

sional engineers and scientists,

founded in South Africa in

1974. SRK has a staff compli-

ment of over 1 400 operating

from more than 45 established

practices on six continents.

SRK provides a comprehensive

range of consulting services to

the natural resource industry

as well as to local government.

Our mission is to be Africa’s

leader in natural resource and

development solutions.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives SRK an edge over its competitors?SRK has been servicing local

government over the past 30

years. This started mainly in

the stormwater management

field and later expanded into

bulk services (water supply and

wastewater treatment), disaster

management and environmental

compliance. We believe that

SRK differentiates itself by

providing specialist services

and harnessing international

expertise on new technology

and best practice, which is then

adapted and applied to South

African conditions. SRK offers

the following main services to

local government: stormwater

management, water supply, dis-

aster and risk management, and

environmental compliance.

What have been your greatest achievements and awards?SRK has established a sig-

nificant foothold and client base

within the governmental sector.

This has mainly been due to

specialist services supplied to

all spheres of government. This

is highlighted by the number of

consultants panels that SRK

is a member of at national

and provincial levels, thereby

assisting in building capacity

and giving technical guidance

at a very high level. The great-

est highlight has been assisting

the City of Tshwane in the FIFA

World Cup with contingency

planning and evacuation plans.

Presentation of Best Technical

Paper Awards have also been

made to SRK personnel active in

the municipal field.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the last five years?• Implementation of a Regional

Flood Management Information

System (FRMIS) for the City of

Tshwane: This project included

the following main aspects:

status quo of the current major

drainage system, hydrological

modeling of the municipal area,

covering about 2 000 km²,

indicative flood mapping for all

existing natural water courses

within the city, and determina-

tion of existing flooding prob-

lems and the associated risks.

MATT BRAUNE – partner – SRK CONSULTING

Intranet-based flood manage-

ment plans were then estab-

lished to reduce the risk of

flooding thereby assisting the

client in efficiently managing

all major stormwater assets,

as well as reducing the risk of

potential liability claims.

• National Disaster Risk

Assessment for the Republic

of Botswana: This project

required the undertaking of a

national multi-hazard disaster

risk assessment of Botswana,

including risk mapping for

selected towns.

• All Towns Study – Northern

Region: SRK was appointed by

DWA to assess the future water

requirements and the avail-

ability of water to meet those

requirements for the northern

part of South Africa.

What is SRK’s outlook for the next 10 years? The demise of capacity at munici-

pal levels has been well docu-

mented over the last few years

with problems relating to lack

of skills and decision making,

underspending of budget alloca-

tions for infrastructure and the

inability to roll out crucial infra-

structure projects being closely

scrutinised and criticised. It has

also been mentioned recently by

national government that spend-

ing on infrastructure projects

will be increasing over the next

few years. Taking the above into

account, SRK sees its role in

assisting all spheres of govern-

ment in proactive planning, com-

piling of business plans, design

and implementation of critically

needed infrastructure. In line with

this, SRK’s main goal would also

be to enhance and develop skills

of young engineers and scientists

as part of its BBBEE strategy

and goals.

SRK has established a signifi cant foothold and client base within the

governmental sector

TOP A road crossing seriously damaged during flooding in Mpumalanga BELOW Storm damage to a school in Mpumalanga

IMIESA JUNE 2012 65


PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is TTA’s core business function and when was the company founded?WW: Transport Telematics Africa

(TTA) is a consulting engineering

company that was founded in

2003, and we deliver ground-

breaking electronic and project

management services in four

main fields of expertise. We

are mainly electronic engineers

consulting on various projects

for local government as well as

private sector clients.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives TTA an edge over its competitors?TTA is currently offering

consulting services in four main

areas of expertise that can be

categorised as follows: intelligent

transport systems, public safety

and security systems, information

and communication technology

systems, and electronic building

services. In addition to the

standard consulting services, we

also offer project management

and risk analysis services on

various types of projects. We

have gained valuable experience

over the past years and formed

longstanding relationships with

our existing clients, which puts

the company in a very competitive

position and has contributed

immensely to the growth the

company has seen to date.

What have been your greatest achievements and awards over the years?One of TTA’s greatest achieve-

ments is the growth the com-

pany has seen over the past few

years. Growth in our client base,

turnover and staff complement

can mostly be contributed to

our existing clients, the relation-

ships formed and the eagerness

and ability of our staff to learn

and evolve with changing times

and technology. Project-related

achievements include the suc-

cessful completion of 2010 FIFA

World Cup Surveillance projects

and being part of some of the

leading transport-related projects

in the country, namely the MyCiti

Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT)

system in Cape Town and the

controversial Gauteng Open Road

Tolling System.

What have been your top three projects for local government in the past five years? The company was established

with the core business focus of

urban surveillance in mind and

this still forms a big part of the

day-to-day business. Although

the core business focus has

expanded to the areas named

previously, the continuous phased

rollout of the City of Cape Town

Metropolitan Police Department’s

(MPD) CCTV network to various

areas remains one of our biggest

and longest running projects. The

MyCiti IRT system is being rolled

out and Phase 1 construction is

in full swing. TTA is proud to be

appointed to manage the imple-

mentation of various aspects

of the automatic fare collection

system. Although very contro-

versial at present, the Gauteng

Open Road Tolling project is

one of the country’s leading

Intelligent Transport System pro-

jects and TTA has been involved

since tender stage in various

roles ranging from risk manage-

ment through to administrative

project management.

What is TTA’s outlook for the next 10 years?We are confident that the local

and world economy will pick up,

and are in the process of posi-

tioning ourselves to benefit and

be part of the growth that lies

ahead. We have identified areas

within local governments that can

benefit from the experience and

service that we have to offer. Our

goal is to expand in both client

base and company size within

the next three years and to build

on that growth by also expanding

our geographical representation.

TTA’s mission is to continue

delivering and improving on the

quality and level of service that

we have managed to achieve to

date and to remain at the cut-

ting edge of technology in our

specialised fields. Our vision is

to expand our current footprint

by forming relationships with new

and existing clients, and also by

working in collaboration with other

consulting firms by supporting

them in delivering specialised

electronic services.

WEHAN WESSELS – director – TRANSPORT TELEMATICS AFRICA

RIGHT Proposed automated gate for the Cape Town MyCiti IRT system

BELOW Typical wireless camera installation for the City of Cape Town MPD Strategic Surveillance Unit's CCTV network

66 IMIESA JUNE 2012

PANEL DISCUSSION: ADVERTORIAL

Q. What is UWP’s core business function and when was the company founded?CN: UWP Consulting celebrates its 40th

anniversary this year. The company was

formed in March 1972, initially as a partner-

ship between the founding members: Hans

Uhlmann, Ken Withaus and Frans Prins. UWP

has developed into a respected multidisci-

plinary consulting engineering practice with

public and private sector clients across the

transportation, building, water, mining, agri-

cultural and infrastructure sectors.

More than 230 employees are based in

14 South African offices, while a focused

growth strategy beyond South Africa’s bor-

ders has resulted in the opening of offices in

Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe

with a combined staff complement of more

than 70. With a view to building capacity in

all countries where we are active, significant

time and resources are devoted to local

skills development.

UWP Consulting has successfully completed

projects in several African countries, including

Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana,

Zimbabwe, Uganda, Madagascar, Burkina

Faso and Namibia. Revenue from cross bor-

der operations currently accounts for about

25% of turnover.

In 2004, the Congress of Traditional Leaders

of South Africa (Contralesa) acquired

a 25.1% stake in UWP Consulting

through its investment arm,

Contralesa Investment Holdings.

Currently the empowerment share-

holding in UWP Consulting stands

at approximately 33%. UWP Consulting is a

Level 2 BBBEE contributor.

What services do you offer to local government and what gives UWP an edge over its competitors?UWP Consulting offers development planning at

all levels of government and shares success-

ful long-term partnerships with many South

African municipalities for the provision of roads,

townships, water and other local community

services, as well as comprehensive integrated

township development solutions.

UWP’s multi-disciplinary approach and abil-

ity to provide complete integrated civil and

structural engi-

neering solu-

tions makes the company an effective par t-

ner to local government agencies. UWP also

has significant expertise in capacity build-

ing, working alongside emerging consultants

and contractors.

What have been your greatest achievements and awards over the years?One project that stands out as a highlight is

the street upgrading and rehabilitation project

we carried out for the City of Johannesburg in

2002. Consultants were called to the office

CRAIG NORTHWOOD – managing director – UWP CONSULTING

We have forged strong links with metros, district and local municipalities over the years

BELOW A bus station on the Ellis Park BRT project, which included pioneering development work on geometric/pavement design standards


IMIESA JUNE 2012 67

PANEL DISCUSSION: ADVERTORIAL

of the then City Engineer of Johannesburg

Mavela Dlamini (subsequently City Manager

of Johannesburg), for a briefing meeting on

15 December 2001 – the day that most con-

sultants close their offices for the three week

Christmas break. We had to unpack our com-

puters and cancel leave for some of our staff.

Proposals were requested for the spending

of R20 million on the upgrading of streets in

greater Johannesburg prior to the commence-

ment of the World Summit on Sustainable

Development, which was held in Sandton

during August and September 2002. Work

was very scarce in those days and the com-

petition was fierce.

The programme was extremely tight. All

the conceptualisation, planning, design and

construction had to be carried out in a period

of five months. Special arrangements and

structures were introduced to expedite deci-

sion making, identify services and issue way

leaves expeditiously.

This project had to be carried out on a lump

sum design-and-construct basis – one, if not

the first, of many subsequent design and con-

struct projects to be let by the city to upgrade

urban and particularly township roads in

and around Johannesburg. The contract was

completed within budget and on time to the

satisfaction of our client.

This highly successful project demonstrat-

ed that the client, consultant and contrac-

tor could cooperate and function efficiently

under very tight time constraints to achieve

a common purpose. UWP Consulting received

an award from the City of Johannesburg as

its best consultant for 2005.

What have been your top three projects for local government in recent years?In addition to the above, three more high

profile projects in Gauteng are listed below:

Reconstruction of Comaro Mooi Link (completed November 2002)What star ted off as a minor project to design

a small access road grew into a new dual car-

riageway linking the N12 Freeway with Mooi

Street in downtown Johannesburg, through

built-up residential and commercial areas.

The link was constructed in four phases over

a period of more than three years and turned

out to be the single most expensive project

handled by UWP for the City of Johannesburg.

It was preceded by one of the first compre-

hensive formal public participation exercises

in South Africa, with extensive traffic studies

as well as noise studies and mitigation meas-

ures forming a substantial part of the project.

Baragwanath Public Transport Facilities – Gateway to Soweto (completed 2006)UWP was involved in the development and

upgrading of public transport facilities in

Soweto, with par ticular focus on Baragwanath

Hospital and surrounds, over a period of more

than 27 years. Our client was originally the

West Rand Administration Board, followed by

the Johannesburg Development Agency.

UWP’s work began in 1981 with a traffic

study of the taxi and bus ranks. This was

followed by upgrading of the old Potch Road

past Baragwanath Hospital to dual carriage-

way in 1982, and later the construction of

pedestrian bridges to link the public trans-

por t terminus with the hospital.

In 2006 UWP redesigned and expanded

the old bus terminus and created expanded

mode transfer facilities, as well as trader

facilities and parking areas. The old Potch

Road was also realigned.

Greater Ellis Park Development Project and BRT implementation (completed May 2010)A multi-disciplinary approach was adopted

for the first BRT (Rea Vaya) project in

Johannesburg. This project commenced as

an SPTN (Strategic Public Transport Network)

route and was then amended with bus

lanes and bus stations being moved

from the verge to the median when

the decision was taken to adopt the

BRT approach.

During the design development of

the project, substantial pioneering

development work took place with regard to

geometric/pavement design standards.

What is UWP’s outlook for the next 10 years?UWP has developed a ‘Growth and

Sustainability Strategy’ focused on 2015 and

beyond. This has six main pillars:

• building and growing the company in a

sustainable manner

• growing our African operations

• deepening transformation

• investing in our staff

• building the UWP brand

• continuously reviewing and improving cor-

porate governance systems.

Going forward, UWP will continue to build

capacity in our various divisions to ensure

that we can service our clients effectively.

We are also positioning ourselves to play a

far more meaningful role in the mining sector

in par ticular. There is the much talked about

public sector spend in South Africa and the

opportunities created by the rollout of these

projects. However, it is in Africa that the

greatest opportunities lie, par ticularly in the

resources sector. One only has to look at the

predicted GDP growth in Africa as compared

to South Africa to realise this.

‘Enhancing the quality of life’ is the ethos

of UWP Consulting; this necessitates apply-

ing civil and structural engineering excellence

to create a built environment that is both

appropriate for current users and sustainable

for future generations. It is on this basis that

UWP approaches municipal projects.

We have forged strong links with metros,

district and local municipalities over the years

and we look forward to maintaining and

improving these relationships in the future.

We are also positioning ourselves to play a far

more meaningful role in the mining sector

ABOVE An extensive public participation process preceded the reconstruction of the Comaro Mooi link in downtown Johannesburg

IMESA

68 IMIESA JUNE 2012

Pretoria: 012 - 810 0940 021 - 905 7943Contact www.aquadam.co.za

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WATERTIGHT SOLUTIONS

THE BOOK PROVIDES

a comprehensive his-

tory of IMESA from its

founding through to

its standing today. The author,

Prof Johannes Haarhoff, has

combined his 35 years of

experience in engineering and his passion as

A journey through IMESA: Refl ections

IMESA’s coffee table book, Reflections, was launched at last year’s conference to coincide with the institute’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. This month IMIESA features Part 3 of a series overview of the book.

a historian to outline, in great detail, various

insights into the history of municipal engineer-

ing. This article is the third of a series outlining

the content of the book.

Hosting the conferenceAfter the Johannesburg meeting in 1921, the

venue of subsequent meetings was determined

IMESA

IMIESA JUNE 2012 69

We take this opportunity to invite you to purchase this collectors item:

ORDER FORM

For Invoicing purposes:Name:_ _____________________

Address: ______________________

______________________

______________________

Postal Code: ______________________ VAT Number:_________________

Contact No:_ _____________________E mail ________:_ ______________

Number of Hard Copies @ R455.00 Including VAT _________

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Please complete and return to IMESA at fax - 0312 66-5094 or email – [email protected]

An journey through time RefelectionsContact IMESA at 0312 66-3263f or more info.

IMESAIMESA

VAT Number:

by invitation. Two or more towns would issue an invitation for the meet-

ing of the following year and the executive committee would make the

choice. The conference venues were often selected to coincide with

some other commemoration. The 1954 venue, for example, was Durban

and was chosen to coincide with its centenary celebrations, while the

1955 venue was Livingstone – the only conference ever held in Northern

Rhodesia (now Zambia) – to coincide with the 100 th anniversary of

David Livingstone’s first visit to the Victoria Falls.

The hosting municipality carried the financial burden of the annual con-

ference. When the annual conference started in 1921, the only source

of income was the voluntary contribution of the delegates who attended.

Thereafter it was agreed that individuals would pay to attend the confer-

ences. By 1950, members had to pay £1 and non-members £2. After

1950, a sliding scale was adopted where municipalities with an annual

revenue of less than £200 000 would pay £3 per delegate and larger

ones £5 per delegate. In 1959, the conference fees were increased, but

the principle of a sliding scale, based on the annual revenue of the local

authority, was retained.

The duration of the meetings varied from two to six days, but most

meetings were conducted over four days. Until 1948, the usual confer-

ence format was four days, from a Tuesday to Friday. For the 1947

conference in Salisbury the format was extended when the delegates

adjourned for the weekend and reconvened on the Monday in Victoria

Falls. The 1948 annual conference in Pietermaritzburg was held over

four days, but from the 1949 annual conference in Port Elizabeth, the

pattern permanently switched to a five-day format.

ABOVE RIGHT Prof Johannes Haarhoff, author of Reflections, signs a copy of the book for Debbie Anderson of IMESA head office at the 75th IMESA Conference and Exhibition

The Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) and Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) have pleasure in inviting local, provincial and government/semi-government authorities and / or

their engineering consultants to submit entries for the 2012 biennial Project Excellence Awards competition.

Entry forms can be downloaded at: www.imesa.org.za/2012-excellence-awards/

Completed entries must be sent to Debbie Anderson at [email protected] before 31 July 2012

C ompleted entry forms must be submitted together with the hard copy submission and CD by 31 July 2012 to:

IMESA House, 2 Derby Place, WESTVILLE, 3629Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 for more information

IMESA

IMESA/CESA Excellence AwardsCALL FOR ENTRIES

EQUIPMENT

IMIESA JUNE 2012 71

Integrated Waste Management PlansWaste Disposal StrategiesIdentification and permitting of landfill sitesDesign of General and Hazardous Waste sitesDesign of Solid Waste Transfer StationsDesign of Material Recovery FacilitiesOptimisation of Waste Collection SystemsAuditing of Waste Management FacilitiesDevelopment of Operational PlansClosure and Rehabilitation of LandfillsQuality Assurance on Synthetic LinersWaste Recycling Plans

Specialist Waste Management ConsultantsSustainable and appropriate engineering solutions with integrity and professionalism.

Jan Palm Consulting EngineersTel +27 21 982 6570 / Fax +27 21 981 0868 / E-mail [email protected] / www.jpce.co.za

Gansbaai Recycling Centre

Velddrif Transfer Station

Botrivier Drop-off

Hermanus Materials Recovery Facility

Vissershok Waste Management Facility

Stanford Drop-off

THE BOBCAT TRENCH COMPACTOR attachment is successfully

applied for compacting soil after laying power cables and water

lines in locations such as private gardens, golf courses and

parks, and finishes off any trenching job efficiently and neatly.

The large, wheel-type compactor works efficiently in trenches four

to 12 inches wide, and up to four feet deep. The compactor pow-

ers into the soil and packs it down with force using a vibratory

shaker box, featuring a built-in flow regulator to ensure proper RPM,

for optimum compaction of any type of soil. To achieve the desired

compaction in trenches more than two feet deep, it is recom-

mended to backfill and compact the soil in two or three layers.

Features include replaceable pads for easy on-site attachment mainte-

nance and the double-gear, oil-bath style vibratory shaker box designed

to deliver trouble-free operation.

Trench compactor for neatly packed trenchesThe Bobcat trench compactor attachment is an invaluable tool to pack down soil once the trench has been prepared and cables placed.

ABOVE The Bobcat trench compactor in action

A member of the ELB Group

Earthmoving, Mining, Quarrying & Construction Equipment

There is nothing easier than speaking to ELB’s inhouse specialists who can offer you customised asset finance on all ELB products. Terms and conditions apply.

H/OFFICE: 14 Atlas Road, Anderbolt, BoksburgTel: Fax: (011) 918-7208e-mail: Website: www.elbequipment.com

BRANCHES & DEALERS RSA: BLOEMFONTEIN: (051) 432-3594 • BRITS: (012) 250-1565 CAPE TOWN: (021) 933-2383 • DURBAN: (031) 464-6522 EAST LONDON: (043) 748-1469 • GEORGE: (044) 878-0874 KIMBERLEY: (053) 841-0040 • MIDDELBURG: (013) 246-2312 NELSPRUIT: (013) 755-1003 • PORT ELIZABETH: (041) 451-0232 POLOKWANE: (015) 293-1978 • WOLMARANSSTAD: (018) 596-3032 SOUTHERN AFRICA: NAMIBIA: (00264) 61-234-052 • SWAZILAND: (00268) 518-5348 ZAMBIA: (00260) 212-210-642 • ZIMBABWE: (00263) 4 485771-5

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The World’s Best from a Single SupplierCONSTRUCTION DIVISION:• Compaction Equipment• Backhoe Loaders• Motor Graders • Chain Trenchers• Trenchless Technology• Skid Steer Loaders

EARTHMOVING DIVISION:• Excavators • Front-end Loaders

MINING AND QUARRYING DIVISION:• Static & Mobile Crushers• Excavator Attachments• V.S.I. Crushers• Trommel Screens• Rock Drills• Static & Mobile Screens• Pedestal Boom Systems• Screener-crusher Buckets• Hydraulic Breakers• Telescopic Conveyor Systems• Optical Belt Scales• Minerals Processing Systems• Modular Plants• Heavy Duty Static & Mobile Rotary Barrel Screens

IMIESA JUNE 2012 73

• Armorfl ex offers environmental protection• Labour intensive and cost effective• Complete erosion protection (even when placed under water)

paving concrete masonry

retaining walls

drainage kerbs

Tel: 0861266267www.technicrete.co.za

EROSION PROTECTION SOLUTIONS

An engineered erosion solution that can withstand even the most severe climatic conditions.

erosion protection precast products

EQUIPMENT

IN TERMS OF THE maintenance and risk

management to be provided, FleetAfrica

will be responsible for the chassis cabs

of the vehicles only, and not for the com-

pactor units or mechanisms. “This support

includes all servicing and repairs, excluding

tyres and accident management, for five years

or 150 000 km per vehicle, whichever comes

first,” explains André Lambrechts, corporate

contracts manager at FleetAfrica.

The first seven compactors are currently

being built and FleetAfrica will be responsible

for their maintenance.

Maintenance management for trucks

LEFT FleetAfrica is partnering with Isuzu Truck Centre to supply the City of Cape Town with maintenance services for its fleet of refuge waste compactors. This support will include all servicing and repairs for five years or 150 000 km

FleetAfrica is partnering with Isuzu Truck Centre in Cape Town to supply maintenance

support for the latter’s refuse waste compactor contract

with the City of Cape Town.

MANUFACTURER & SUPPLIER OF MASTS, POLES & TOWERS 1

SECTION

028SECTION

028EXP

LeBlanc CTH Lighting Structures (Pty) LtdReg. No. 2005/002613/07

18 Johnson Rd, Pretoriastad, Nigel PO Box 1592, Nigel, 1490, South AfricaTel: +27 (0)11 814-1404 Fax: +27 (0)11 814-1444email: [email protected] site: www.leblancgroup.com, www.lightingstructures.edx.co.za

LeBLANC CIH Lighting Structures is a leading supplier ofMasts, Towers and associated equipment for High Mast Lightingin South Africa and other African Countries and has been inoperation since 1976.

The company designs, fabricates and erects Monople Type Mastsand Towers in seven basic product ranges

• Railow Masts• Midhinge Masts• Hydro Masts• Internal and External Access Masts• Monopole Transmission Masts• Electricity transmission Masts• Street Lighting Poles

Manufacturing FacilityThe Facility comprises of a 3500 square meter covered factorywith extensive loading facilities and stacking space as well as 500square meters of office space.The faciluty is well equiped with extensive plant and machinery forthe handling and processing of steel plate as well as all othersteel work required for the production of Monopole typestructures.The production facility employs some fifty persons includingqualified boiler makers, coded welders and machine operators.

QualityThe production facility is EN ISO 9001:2008 certified by DekraInternational

EngineeringAll monopoles and structures fabricated by the company aredesigned by a professional structural engineer, and detailing forfabrication is done by our own experienced staff, making use ofthe latest CAD drawing facilities

Track RecordLighting Structures has designed and fabricated Masts fornumerous customers in the Ligthting and Electrical sectors bothin South Africa as well as many other countries in Africa.

Services• Design and fabrication of masts from a standard range or

special design to suit client specifications• Erection of Masts• Design and construction of Mast foundation• Inspection and maintenance of existing Masts and foundations• Turnkey capabilities for full site build• Technical support and as built documentation

LIGHTING STRUCTURES

JascoLeBlanc Jasco Lighting Structures (pty)ltdLLeBLANC Jasco Lighting Structures.co.za

87 310 1000 86 699 6999

LIGHTING STRUCTURESLIGHTING STRUCTURES

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Lighting StructuresLeBLANC Jasco Lighting Structures

IMIESA JUNE 2012 75

EQUIPMENT

WHEN IT COMES TO structur-

al integrity and electrical fit-

ness of lighting and telecoms

masts and towers, there is not

enough awareness of size of the challenge we

face in South Africa. Simply put, there’s a big

gap in the market for this service.

Infrastructure build-out continues to gain

momentum in a number of sectors, which is

good. However, it’s become clear to us that

many organisations do not know the condition

of their existing and older infrastructure, which

poses a safety risk. Many of these private

companies and state-owned enterprises have

been minutely engaged in the final point of

delivery, e.g. keeping the lights on, and have

neglected to budget for ongoing maintenance

to keep the lights up.

What can go wrong?As a manufacturer and supplier of monopole-

type steel masts for lighting and of masts and

towers for the communications industry, Jasco

Carrier Infrastructure is well aware of the

vulnerabilities of these structures at various

points in their life cycles – and the dangers

they pose. Age, environmental conditions

and mechanical failure are the three chief

challenges. But theft of vital components or

accidental impact (such as a vehicle collision

in which lighting poles are struck) can also

weaken structures, encouraging corrosion and

dislodging underpinnings.

Light or telecoms mast failure does not just

affect the bottom line, although this is a big

motivator to put a maintenance schedule in

place. This infrastructure needs to be main-

tained to ensure a safe and secure environ-

ment for people, commerce and communities.

Depending on the site and the purpose of

No maintenance spells sure disaster

by Francois van Zyl, divisional managing director of Jasco Carrier Infrastructure

Like any other valuable asset, failing to maintain lighting and telecoms infrastructure will cost you more – and the price may be someone's personal safety or their life.

the structures, weakened or compromised

infrastructure poses a safety risk to the techni-

cians working on them as well as to workers in

mines or other industrials settings, travellers

on roads and highways, or people in urban

and rural communities. And it’s not just about

a rung collapsing or the mast actually falling

over – it’s the very real danger that having no

illumination or communications capabilities at

night or in difficult conditions means to travel-

lers, workers and people in communities where

personal safety is an ever-present issue.

Get it checkedThe first step is to understand the state of

existing infrastructure, deal with the criti-

cal items and then put in place the sched-

uled maintenance plan. For many organisa-

tions, this will mean finding the necessary

budget and ensuring that it is built into all

future plans.

A thorough structural integrity check should

include corrosion and weld condition checks;

checking for missing members, loose nuts

and bolts; checking the mechanical working

components and mast climbing facilities; and

auditing the foundation footing and anchor bolt

condition using ultrasonic testing. A complete

electrical operational check, which includes all

electrical switchgear components, may also

form part of the basic assessment.

Organisations should ensure they use skilled

professionals that are willing to issue a

certificate of structural integrity upon refur-

bishment. Lastly, a full service record should

be kept, by the organisation itself or by its

service provider.

Regular maintenance of infrastructure will

allow organisations in the private sector, like

mines and other industrial operations, to bet-

ter meet occupational health and safety regula-

tions. Similarly, maintenance of telecoms infra-

structure is increasingly important to meet

service level agreements with subscribers.

For state-owned enterprises – in the utilities

(Eskom), the transport sectors (ports, roads,

harbours and railways) and municipalities –

the responsibility to provide services must be

backed by accountability. Annual planning and

budget considerations are essential.

ABOVE Francois van Zyl, divisional managing director of Jasco Carrier Infrastructure

Many organisations do not know the condition of their existing and older infrastructure, which poses a safety risk

76 IMIESA JUNE 2012

EQUIPMENT

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

2nd Annual Dam Management

Conference 43

Actomphambili Roads 27

AOC 42

Aquadam 68

Armco Superlite 26

Arup 59

Aurecon 31

Barloworld Equipment 32

Bell Equipment 29

BKS 56

BVI Consulting Engineers 54

Cement & Concrete Institute 28

DBI Consulting 44

ELB Equipment 72

Elster Kent Metering 2

Fibertex 20

Gibb Engineering & Science 23

Global Geomatics 38

Jan Palm Consulting 71

Knight Piésold Consulting 52

Le Blanc Jasco 74

Mercedes-Benz SA OFC

Mercedes-Benz Western Star 30

Model Maker Systems 33

Murray & Roberts Building Products 73

Much Asphalt 22

National Asphalt 35

PD Naidoo & Associates 50

PH Bagale Consulting Civil Engineers 60

South African Geomatics

Institute (SAGI) 18 & 19

Southern Mapping 36

SRK Consulting 62

Superway Construction 24

Total Geo-Spatial Information Solutions 40

Transport Telematics Africa 64

Trenchless Technologies OBC

TWP Projects 47

UWP Consulting 66 & 67

Water & Sanitation IFC

WRP Consulting Engineers IBC

THIS IS A COUP FOR US because the retaining wall system,

which is new to South Africa but well proven abroad, opens

the way for us to provide solutions for large civil projects more

competitively and advantageously than the incremental panel

systems used for these purposes at present,” comments Silvio Ferraris,

the company’s managing member.

The maximum height attainable with retaining blocks produced locally

at present is 7 m at a slope of 86 degrees.

“The Tensartech TW1 System can be built in one structure to over

20 m in height at a slope of 86 degrees, enabling us to provide for the

construction of retaining walls for highways, railways and other public

embankment structures for which standard retaining block walls are

unsuitable,” explains Ferraris.

Retaining wall system for large civil projectsReMaCon Products has negotiated the exclusive rights for local manufacture of concrete retaining blocks, designed for construction of retaining walls to over 20 m in height.

The system comprises the specially designed TW1 blocks, combined

with Tensar uniaxial geogrids made from high-density polyethelene

(HDPE), that are attached by a special connector into the blocks and

extend horizontally to secure and reinforce the soil mass behind, there-

by turning the whole structure into a monolithic solid mass.

“ABOVE A close-up view of the new TW1 concrete retaining blocks

300 000 metres of

TRENCHLESS PIPESuccessfully Installed

RENOVATE EXISTING PIPES BY:Pipe Bursti Sliplining CIPP UV Cure CIPP Ambient CureRibloc Expanda Ribloc Ribline Ribloc Rotoloc Pipe Eating

INSTALLATION OF NEW PIPES BY:Horizontal Directional Drilling Guided Rock Drilling Bores of 1200mm

Lengths up to 400 metres Microtunnelling

Countrywide 08600 66 344

imiesa june 2012

Documents

j u n e

wehan wessels66 uwp

t peter newmarch

president of sagi

rapid turnaround times

huge scope

pica nonprofessional

d mobile mapping42