imiesa january 2015

ESAIMESA

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 4 0 N o . 1 • J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 • R 5 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l VAT )

The official magazine

of the Institute of Municipal Engineering

of Southern Africa

IMIM

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www.infrastructurene.ws

TTHHEE HHOOTT SSEEAATT IIINNN TTNow that we are operating in a trusted supplier space again, it really is in our capacity to deliver for today’s market conditions.”

Deon Pagel, Managing Director, Tosas

THE BITUMEN AND ASPHALT EDITION

Quality through partnerships

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HUMAN SETTLEMENTS Realigning for real delivery

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IMIESA January 2015 1

VOLUME 40 NO 01 JANUARY 2015CONTENTS

09 MUNICIPAL FEATUREInfrastructure development in the City of Cape Town

32 GOVERNMENT VOICETackling housing delivery on a mega scaleESAIMESA


The official

magazine

of the Institute

of Municipal

Engineering

of Southern Africa

IMIM

TTT


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INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY


THE HOT SEAT IIINNN TNow that we are operating in a trusted supplier space again, it

really is in our capacity to deliver for today’s market conditions.”


THE BITUMEN AND

ASPHALT EDITION



THE BITUMEN ANDTHE BITUMEN AND

The Roads We BuildBetter with soil-

stabilisation solutions


INININNIININININNN

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Realigning for

real delivery


Ammann SA is walking a path of serious commitment to all market players, viewing the sale of a machine as the beginning of a lifelong partnership. With a reputation for quality, Amman’s compaction equipment sales have exceeded traditional ranges for ELB Equipment. P6

Deon Pagel, managing director of Tosas, takes IMIESA’s Hot Seat to discuss the bitumen supplier’s return to its trusted position in the industry. P14

RegularsEditor’s comment 3

President’s comment 5

Africa round-up 12

Index to advertisers 72

Cover Story Ammann SA & ELB Equipment 6

Municipal FocusInfrastructure development in the

City of Cape Town 9

Hot SeatTosas – Turning the corner on the road

to recovery 14

IMESAIMESA conference review 16

Bitumen & AsphaltCOVER STORY: National Asphalt 20

Global technologies to bridge

Africa’s road infrastructure gap 22

George Airport – Major

runway rehabilitation 25

Much Asphalt thrives in adversity 27

OT SSEATTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOO

Partnering for InfrastructureBanking on infrastructure – The DBSA’s

Financing Operations Division 29

Government VoiceTackling housing delivery on a

mega scale 32

Human SettlementsEPWP Phase 3 – Balancing

service delivery 34

Bringing Cornubia to the community 38

Capacity-building guidelines 39

Trenchless TechnologiesTunnelling a trenchless

municipal future 45

PipesFiberpipe announces BBBEE deal 51

Water StorageStructa Technology supports mines

with water infrastructure 53

Water & WastewaterChemical construction solutions 55

Unlocking South Africa’s future

water sources 57

Cement & ConcreteConcrete industry gets tough 62

School of Concrete Technology

prepares for busy 2015 63

Transparent materials 64

Accelerated housing 66

Construction Vehicles & EquipmentJeffreys Bay Wind Farm gets a lift 68

Technology in InfrastructureGeotextile drainage solution 70

Measuring up 71

64 CEMENT & CONCRETETransparent materials

Aveng Manufacturing Infraset produces a diverse range of precast concrete products

to world-class quality standards and actively contributes to SADC

infrastructure development. Our range includes concrete pipes, culverts,

manholes, special precast products, various types of pre-stressed

railway sleepers, turnouts, maintenance-free railway

electrification masts and poles, paving blocks, retaining wall

systems and roof tiles.

Aveng Manufacturing Infraset’s admired

heritage is founded on innovation, technical

and serviceexcellence.

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INFRASTUCTURE

KERBS

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PAVING

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RETAINING WALLS

ROOF TILES

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INFR SET

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POLES & MASTSPOLES & MASTS

RETAINING WALLS

ROOF TILES

RAILWAY

Pipes • Culverts • Manholes: GautengTel: +27 (0)11 876 5100

Cape TownTel: +27 (0)21 908 1156

Kwazulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg)Tel: +27 (0)33 387 2236

Aveng Manufacturing House

Tel: +27 (0)11 876 5500Fax: +27 (0)11 872 1713

email: [email protected]

www.infraset.com

Railway Sleepers • Poles & MastsNationalTel: +27 (0)11 813 2340

Paving • Retaining Walls • Roof TilesRossway (Midrand) Tel: +27 (0)12 652 0000

Kwazulu Natal (Effingham) Tel: +27 (0)31 569 6900

International BranchesSwazilandTel: +2682 518 4236

ZambiaTel: +260 21 131 1838


To our avid readers, check out what we are talking about on our website, Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and have your say.

@infrastructure4 Infrastructure News

PUBLISHER Elizabeth ShortenEDITOR Nicholas McDiarmidEDITORIAL ASSISTANT Liesl FranksonHEAD OF DESIGN Hayley MendelowDESIGNER Kirsty GallowayCHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan SnijdersSUB-EDITOR Beatrix KnopjesCONTRIBUTORS A Bowers, R Janse van Vuuren, N Mannie, H Muller & K van RijswijkCLIENT SERVICES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh BotmaPRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline ModiseFINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew LobbanMARKETING & DIGITAL MANAGER Esther Le RouxMARKETING SPECIALIST Philip RosenbergADMINISTRATION Tonya HebentonDISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa MasinaDISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha PursothamSUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] 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: R550.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR.© Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.___________________________________________________

IMESA CONTACTSIMESA Administration Officer: Narisha SoganP 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 BRANCHClarine ColtmanTel: +27 (0)41 505 8019Fax: +27 (0)41 585 3437E-mail: [email protected]

KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCHSecretary: Rita MatthewsTel: +27 (0)31 311 6382Fax: +27 (0)31 701 2935

NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCHSecretary: Rona FourieTel: +27 (0)82 742 6364Fax: +27 (0)86 634 5644E-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]

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 and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223.

WELCOME TO 2015. We are now

halfway through a significant dec-

ade for the country; a decade in

which we come of age – we are

now 21 – a decade in which we said goodbye

to the father of our nation; and one in which

the flavour of the country is changing. If

2015 should be about anything, it should be

about change.

Engineering in the public sector has been

embracing its own changes for some time now.

Our institute, IMESA, has been actively making

significant inroads in establishing a cohesive

and usable asset register as a basis for much-

needed asset maintenance.

The Sustainable Infrastructure Asset

Management (SIAM) programme has been

actively driven by the institute and implementa-

tion across the Free State nears completion.

It’s important to note this within a positive

context; this level of asset management is

fairly new globally and its implementation here

– assuming its support at municipal level – will

yield incalculable value.

That IMESA is taking such an important lead

in this matter speaks volumes for the contribu-

tion it is making to the country. In this issue,

we review the institute’s 2014 conference,

and touch on IMESA’s SIAM and will receive in-

depth coverage in our forthcoming editions. We

encourage all readers interested or affected by

this initiative to get in touch with the institute

for assistance and information.

While 2016 is the year of our next local elec-

tions, what happens this year is of far more

importance. Being 21 years old, our democracy

is indeed coming of age and no more so than in

terms of actual service delivery. If 2014 dem-

onstrated anything, it was that the real impact

of not prioritising the country’s infrastructure is

profoundly damaging and tends to drive short-

term, unstainable solutions.

Housing has become a hot topic again, and

Lindiwe Sisulu is actively driving the mega

housing projects and has been calling on the

private sector to participate in planning and

building public housing more efficiently and to

standard. Civil engineering contractors with mul-

tidisciplinary expertise are essential to these

programmes, as is innovation in providing and

maintaining effective services, especially on

the sanitation front.

We take a look at Sisulu’s plans, and profile

the highly successful Amanz’ abantu social

franchising approach to sanitation. Again, it

is to the policy maker that we turn, to provide

legislation that is fit for purpose and supports

this type of innovation. It is only through an

integrated approach, which aligns from the top

down, that critical nation-building initiatives,

such as enterprise development and job crea-

tion, can be optimally realised.

Sustainability is now firmly entrenched in

South Africa, and is a central theme in all the

articles that comprise our bitumen and asphalt

section. It is certain that as far as expertise

and equipment are concerned, our engineers

and suppliers are up to the job; it is now essen-

tial that public sector projects are properly

specified from a life-cycle perspective, both in

terms of cost and maintenance. To all our read-

ers and stakeholders, IMIESA wishes you well

for 2015 and promises to keep providing the

critical information you need. I invite you to con-

tact me at [email protected] if you have

any comments or suggestions for improvement.

Nicholas McDiarmid

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 Vo l u m e 3 9 N o . 1 1 • N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 • R 5 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l VAT )

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

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Sinazo Sibisi,

group executive of

Infrastructure Delivery,

Development Bank of

Southern Africa


IN THE HOT SEAT IIII

Together with Minister Pravin Gordhan, we have agreed that there

is a need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to

municipal solutions.” Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane

iSiSiSiSiSinananananazozozozozo SSSSSibibibibibibiisisisisisiiii,i,i,

R 5 0 0 0 ( i n c l VAT )

The future of asphalt

Right here, right now

PARTNERING FOR

INFRASTRUCTURE

Panel Discussion

Specialised consulting

for public infrastructure

Consulting

Engineering

State of the industry

The Projects

IMESA CESA

Excellence Awards

Cosac

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ESAIMESA


The official magazine

of the Institute of Municipal Engineering

of Southern Africa

IMIM

TTT


ououuththth

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THE HOT SEAT IIINNN TNow that we are operating in a trusted supplier space again, it really is in our capacity to deliver for today’s market conditions.”


THE BITUMEN AND ASPHALT EDITION



THE BITUMEN ANDTHE BITUMEN AND

The Roads We BuildBetter with soil-stabilisation solutions


INININNIININININNN

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS Realigning for real delivery


Paying attention to Paying attention to the municipal engineerthe municipal engineer

EDITOR’S COMMENT


THE ANNUAL IMESA

conference continues

to be a flagship event

on the municipal engi-

neering calendar driven by a

committed and passionate core

of membership who do the insti-

tute proud. The theme of the

conference, ‘Balancing Service

Delivery’, was appropriately

reflected through the range of

topics presented. Issues around

governance, asset manage-

ment, sustainability, decision-

making tools, new technology

and environmental engineering

were covered.

The keynote addresses by

the Deputy Minister of CoGTA

(Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs), Andries Nel,

and Neil McLeod set the scene

at the start of the conference.

IMESA has set itself a goal to

forge partnerships with national

departments (CoGTA, Treasury

etc.), SALGA and sister volun-

tary institutions active in the

built environment. The institute,

through its membership, has

a wealth of knowledge that it

wants to share and thereby con-

tribute towards improved infra-

structure service delivery for the

people of South Africa. With this

in mind, I want to reiterate the

gist of Deputy Minister Andries

Nel’s address:

• Presidential Local Government

Summit 2014 was recently

held at Gallagher’s Estate. It

is recognised that a national

collaborative effort is required

to address the issues that

give rise to protests.

• Minister Pravin Gordhan

presented the findings of a

performance assessment of

municipalities. Of the 278

municipalities, roughly a third

were meeting and exceeding

basic required services.

• Another third were doing the

basics but ran the risk of fall-

ing behind if not assisted to

maintain this performance.

• The last third reflected munici-

palities where basic ser-

vices had actually collapsed.

These municipalities were

characterised by:

- lack of sound leadership and

political instability

- fighting over tenders

- no proper techni-

cal staff in place or in

decision-making positions

- no maintenance

- no proper allocation

of finances.

With this background, CoGTA

has set the following five pillars

in dealing with local municipali-

ties’ lack of performance:

• Putting people first – elected

officials are not there to

serve themselves, but the

broader community.

• Delivery of basic ser-

vices – address broken

services speedily.

• Good governance – well-run,

financially clean municipalities

with regular council meetings.

• Sound financial management

– it is the people’s money and

someone must account for it.

• Build capacity of institutions –

employ the right people, with

the right experience and quali-

fications, in the right position.

CoGTA will monitor the progress

of municipalities and ensure

that regulations are enforced.

Those municipalities who are

performing adequately will

be encouraged to do better.

Support from CoGTA will how-

ever be required. Here, Deputy

Minister Nel appealed to IMESA

to provide support as well.

The municipalities presently

performing well will be given

greater latitude and scope to

do even better. There will be

zero tolerance to fraud and

corruption, and procurement

practices are to be scrutinised.

The criminal justice system will

be imposed and civil claims pur-

sued together with asset forfei-

ture. Corruption is a group activ-

ity as confirmed by the recent

uncovering of an extensive fraud

syndicate in Johannesburg.

The deputy minister reiterated

the need to maintain existing

infrastructure. While politicians

find it nice to cut ribbons at

the opening of new infrastruc-

ture assets, we are sitting on

a time bomb of infrastructural

collapse. Proper budget alloca-

tion and technical expertise are

necessities. The deputy min-

ister also touched on disaster

risk management and pointed

out the role of crucial minor

maintenance activities that can

avert disasters such as major

flooding, road collapses and

water supply breakdown. Copper

cable theft, and lately theft of

rail infrastructure, is resulting

in service delivery interruptions

and protests. CoGTA is looking

into responding effectively.

The deputy minister has

extended an invitation to

IMESA to meet and explore

the areas where the institute

can be of assistance. To this

end, IMESA has brought the

deputy minister up to date on

the Asset Management Project

presently undertaken by IMESA,

on behalf of CoGTA in the Free

State, where 71 of the 78 local

municipality’s asset manage-

ment plans are housed on the

IMESA asset management

database. This represents

approximately R100 billion in

infrastructure assets.

IMESA is presently in a posi-

tion to provide information

about the highest-risk assets in

the Free State where interven-

tions should occur.

The deputy minister was also

informed of the asset manage-

ment training that was being

undertaken by IMESA on behalf

of MISA. We look forward to a

continued, fruitful partnership

with CoGTA, MISA and SALGA

in support of enhanced ser-

vice delivery.

Having just completed a successful annual IMESA conference in Durban, I hereby

congratulate the local organising committee on a job well done.

Supporting service delivery

PRESIDENT’S COMMENT

Duncan Daries, IMESA president

1 2

4

COVER STORY

Accessing quality Since entering the South African market, Ammann has achieved a significant

market share for their quality machines that has exceeded all expectations.

UNDER THE stewardship of Rocco

Lehman, managing director, the

Swiss-based equipment and

asphalt plant manufacturer is walk-

ing a path of serious commitment to all market

players, from the emerging contractor to the

most established construction companies.

Ammann manufactures not only asphalt-

mixing, concrete-mixing and mineral-

processing plants together with the respec-

tive control systems, but also compaction

machines and pavers, and these have been

making a big impression on the Southern

African market over the last year, thanks in

part to the company’s strategic partnership

with ELB Equipment.

Championing the little guy“I feel strongly about supporting new contrac-

tors,” explains Lehman. “This is a segment of

a market that doesn’t always enjoy the kind

of attention from suppliers that would really

benefit them

when they are starting out.” Ammann has a

unique appreciation of the challenges smaller

contractors face. “While we are in the busi-

ness of developing the market for Ammann

in Africa, we are very much a South African

company in terms of the experience, techni-

cal expertise, market knowledge and support

we provide.”

“The road-building industry has to be one

of the most varied industries in the world.

From the smallest contractor doing repairs

and maintenance, to a major civil engineer-

ing contractor building major highways, each

has very specific needs.” The intrinsic value

of Ammann’s equipment and asphalt speaks

for itself; however, the company’s broader

value lies in the integrity of its relationships

with its dealers and customers. “One size

does not fit all,” notes Lehman. “We invest

equal energy and time in all our clients, and

although we can’t always know how the newer

and emerging contractors will fare in the

longer term, we walk with them,

and offer them support, guidance and options

that ultimately put them in a better position

than they would have been in without us,”

he explains. This kind of support and market

guidance may not result in a short-term trans-

action for the company but, as Lehman sees

it, supporting the emerging end of the market

now will contribute to a more robust market

in the future.

Ammann does not view the sale of a

machine as the end of a transaction, but

as the beginning of a lifelong partnership.

“Proper end-user training, with ongoing sup-

port and guidance, is as important to Ammann

as the sale of machines. It is important to us

because the ultimate success of our products

6 IMIESA January 2015

1 AV 70X Tier 3 tandem roller2 ASC 110 T4i single-drum roller3 Rammax 1575 trench roller4 ARX 20 tandem roller5 ARW 65 pedestrian roller6 APH 5020 hydrostatic plate compactor7 APR 3520 Hatz reversible

plate compactor8 APF 1850 Honda forward

plate compactor9 ACA 1000 add-on compactor

3

5

6

7

8

9

reputation for the high quality of their equip-

ment, and pragmatic approach to design and

product support, was already well known

within ELB Equipment. “When the possibility

of entering into a dealer partnership arose,

we chose to fast-track the technical assess-

ments. The range of equipment Ammann has

to offer was as appealing as their reputa-

tion for ruggedness, reliability and simplicity

of design.”

Innovative, rugged and reliableAmmann’s reputation for high-quality, reliable

machines was also something ELB Equipment

was well aware of. “They have a very strong

global presence and, we have found that as

a brand name, they are already well known

in our markets,” says Van Heerden. “This

has allowed us to get rapid traction in the

market place, and we have sold a significant

volume since March 2014, with an impres-

sive number of forward orders,” he contin-

ues. Testament to this is the fact that ELB

Equipment’s sales of Ammann’s compaction

equipment have already outstripped their

traditional range.

Partners in support and training“We have also been incredibly well sup-

ported by Ammann since the inception of

the partnership,” explains Van Heerden. “Its

COVER STORY

is down to a positive market experience over-

all,” he says. Ammann’s leadership team is

home to a profound level of collective experi-

ence and expertise, and this, coupled with its

dedication to the smaller contractor, makes it

a rather unique market participant.

ELB Equipment – an ideal dealership partnershipThis particular focus on training and support

was a significant part of the reasoning behind

ELB Equipment’s decision to partner with

Ammann SA as a partner dealer, over and

above the reputation of Ammann’s products.

The benefits of the partnership to both par-

ties were clear from the outset: “Ammann

and ELB Equipment share a very similar

culture,” explains Desmond van

Heerden of ELB Equipment.

“Although the two companies

have reached a ‘corporate’

level, they started out and

developed as family-run com-

panies, and this is reflect-

ed today in their stability

and their general approach

to business.”

Van Heerden empha-

sises that Ammann’s

Germiston office is home to technical and

sales support that is second to none and the

response time is first class.” Ammann SA

also ensured that ELB Equipment’s techni-

cal manager received hands-on training at

Ammann’s factory in Prague, and all the com-

pany’s technicians have been trained across

the entire product range.

Reaching outFor Ammann, ELB Equipment’s geographic

footprint is also a great advantage. The com-

pany has six branches across South Africa,

including Cape Town, Durban, Middelburg,

George, Kimberley and East London, with fur-

ther dealers in Port Elizabeth and Polokwane.

ELB Equipment also has eight dealers

in the rest of Africa, including Namibia,

Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, the DRC,

Zambia and Zimbabwe. “We also have 63

service vehicles operating in South Africa

at any one time, supported by three service

through partnerships



COVER STORY

depots in Kathu, Wolmaransstad and Brits,”

notes Van Heerden. Another benefit that ELB

Equipment brings to the partnership is its in-

house financing capacity, as well as its part-

nerships with third-party financial institutions.

Another contributor to these impressive

results has been ELB Equipment’s concen-

tration on Ammann’s range of compaction

equipment. “We have concentrated on this

part of Ammann’s range to ensure it retains

a presence in the market, and this has helped

establish the product rapidly, with a strong

support structure,” he explains.

It is clear that ELB Equipment’s partnership

with Ammann SA has been a great success,

with sales far exceeding expectations, repeat

business flourishing and technical support

ensuring market confidence. “The Ammann

product range has made a major contribution

to ELB Equipment’s growth over the last year.

The value of the partnership has exceeded

our forecasts and expectations.”

The impact of innovative designWhile smaller contractors have much to gain

in working with Ammann SA, the company has

one the biggest ranges of equipment avail-

able today, all of which carry the hallmarks

of innovative design, reliable equipment and

intelligently applied technologies. It has a

distinct design philosophy, which includes

the user experience, from mechanic to opera-

tor. “Design is often thought of in terms of

operational capabilities,” observes Lehmann.

“Ammann has made it a point to integrate

feedback from operators and mechanics into

equipment design.” Ammann’s machines

have an enviable reputation for being user-

friendly, easy to operate and convenient

to maintain.

A typical example of this is the ASC 110

single-drum roller. The bonnet opens to

almost 70 degrees and the cab itself is

able to tilt, ensuring that service technicians

have complete access to the parts they

need to work on. This element of design

is directly responsive to feedback from the

service technicians, mechanics and opera-

tors themselves. In another example of this

method of design, all service access on the

ARX range of small tandem rollers is placed

on the left side of the machine, to ensure

mechanics do not have to contend with hot

exhaust pipes.

This method of design, as it applies to

operational considerations, is demonstrated

in the smooth directional change, as well

as Ammann’s unique intelligent compaction

technology, which is now applied across its

entire range of compaction equipment.

Equipment overviewEngineers and process specialists at

Ammann incorporate this method in their

pursuit of technologies and products for

the building industry of the future. New

approaches are sought and researched in

collaboration with universities and colleges,

and this is where the foundations for innova-

tive product platforms are laid.

CompactionFrom rammers to tandem rollers, from add-

on compactors to intelligent compaction

systems, Ammann SA offers a compre-

hensive product range of state-of-the-art

machines to suit all customers.

Plate compactorsAmmann is a leading provider of hydraulically

powered vibratory plates and the company’s

focus on the user experience has produced

a range of machines that provide unparal-

leled ease of operation. Operator safety was

behind the development the APH 100TC, the

company’s remote-controlled vibratory plate,

which is ideal for excavation and canal con-

struction sites. It achieves remarkable results

even in the deepest trenches. The company’s

range of plate compactors starts at just

120 kg and stops at just under 1 t.

Drum rollersFrom 7 t single-drum rollers to 25 t single-

drum rollers, Ammann has achieved extraor-

dinary results in areas of performance,

including safety and compaction. Ammann

also leads the way in intelligent compaction,

using modern vibratory rollers equipped with

an integrated measurement system, an on-

board computer reporting system, GPS-based

mapping, and optional feedback control.

Intelligent compaction results in the most

uniform material densities possible, and sets

the industry standard.

Attachment plate compactorsThe ACA boom-mounted compactors, devel-

oped by Rammax, complement Ammann’s

range of compaction machines. The compac-

tors are easy to fit to any excavator arm by

means of fast-coupling systems, for a hydrau-

lic, form-fitting connection within seconds.

Trench, hillside and slope compaction are just

a few of the many applications for the range

of add-on compactors.

ASC 110 ACE single-drum roller

Ammann Construction Machinery South Africa229 Hull road, Rynfield Benoni

t +27 (0)11 849 3939c +27 (0)78 488 2945

[email protected]

ELB Equipment – A division of ELB Equipment Holdings (Pty) Limited

Reg. No. 1954/003028/0714 Atlas Road, Anderbolt Boksburg

South Africat +27 (0)11 306 0700

www.elb.co.za

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.


MUNICIPAL FOCUS

Infrastructure developmentCape Town is well known for its natural beauty and rich cultural diversity, and the city’s official tourism website describes it as a place where the unexpected is always just around the corner.By Liesl Frankson

THIS COULDN’T BE more accurate,

as the city, which is a popular des-

tination for the rich and famous,

was thrust into the spotlight when

strange and shocking sanitation and hous-

ing issues made headlines. Some of these

issues included protests against the use of

the bucket system, which saw residents of

Khayelitsha taking to the streets and emp-

tying buckets of human waste on the steps

of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

The 2013 mass winter eviction of approxi-

mately 800 families from the Lwandle infor-

mal settlement, in Strand, is another exam-

ple of a major event, which sent shock-

waves around the country and brought the

city’s infrastructure plans into focus.

Although these incidents have cast a

negative light on the city’s role in infra-

structure development and service delivery,

this municipality remains at the forefront

of these spheres when compared to other

provinces around the country.

According to the latest census report by

Statistics South Africa, the City of Cape Town

ranks at the top of the categories for flush

toilets connected to sewage, piped water

inside a dwelling and electricity for lighting.

It ranked second for weekly refuse removal

and sixth for formal housing dwellings.

These rankings are an indicator that

although the city is leading the pack with

infrastructure development, there is still

more to be done. As part of the City of

Cape Town’s role in the five-year Integrated

Development Plan (IDP), it has set out a

social development strategy to address the

high rate of poverty, inequality and social

ills that plague its people.

The strategy is structured around five

high-level objectives, which include:

• maximising income-generating opportuni-

ties for people who are excluded or at

risk of exclusion

• building and promoting safe households

and communities

• supporting the most vulnerable through

enhancing access to infrastructure

and services

• promoting and fostering

social integration

• mobilising resources for

social development.

IMIESA takes a look at a few of the infra-

structure development projects the City of

Byy Liesl Frankson

TOP LEFT The MyCiti buses

LEFT The Potsdam Project


MUNICIPAL FOCUS

Cape Town has undertaken, in recent years,

to address some of these objectives.

City of Cape Town project round-upProject: Main Road rehabilitation project

in Muizenberg

Companies: Kayad Knight Piesold

Consulting Engineers, Martin and East

Main Road between Muizenberg and

Fish Hoek is undergoing major repairs

and improvements.

The road was not structurally designed to

carry the traffic it currently does (19 000

vehicles daily), which has resulted in the

asphalt sur face breaking up and allowing

water to seep through, causing potholes

and surface depressions. Over 80% of the

road is affected.

Some of the work on the project includes

minor modifications to the vertical and

horizontal alignment; the severe camber

will be eliminated; existing road layers will

be removed; a new asphalt sur face will be

laid; and totally new base layers (pavement

structure) will be laid. All the services such

as water mains, gravity sewers and sewer

rising mains will be replaced or re-lined,

which will limit the need for major mainte-

nance in the next 20 years.

The construction work required from

Atlantic Road, Muizenberg, to Clovelly Road,

Fish Hoek, is divided into three phases. The

project is currently in the final phase and

is expected to be completed by January

2017. All in all, approximately R304 million

will have been spent on all three phases of

this project.

Project: Potsdam Project

Company: HHO Infrastructure Engineers

The Potsdam Project formed part of the

integrated rapid transpor t (IRT) MyCiTi

infrastructure. Work on the project com-

menced in March 2012 and was completed

in 2013. The project involved the construc-

tion of a new bus lane in red concrete from

Blaauwberg Road to Usasaza Road, which

is the access road to the MyCiTi bus depot.

The Potsdam Project was the latest edi-

tion to the Atlantis Corridor of the MyCiTi

IRT system. The corridor now links the

Stables IRT depot and the areas of Dunoon,

Killarney and Tableview to the City Bowl,

Camps Bay and Sea Point.

This section of the IRT roll-out extended

the uninterrupted non-motorised trans-

port facility between the City Bowl and

Tableview to Dunoon, and added a further

eight median-trunk bus stations, as well

as low-floor platforms at Tableview and

Wood stations.

Project: Concrete roads upgrade

Companies: Icon Civils-Secure Electronics JV

A R600 million project is underway to stand-

ardise road infrastructure in Cape Town and

its surrounding areas. The purpose of the

project is to eradicate inferior roads, par-

ticularly in previously disadvantaged areas.

Thus far, the City of Cape Town has invested

nearly R8 million in upgrading the concrete

roads in Bonteheuwel. Another R21 million

will be spent in the 2014/15 financial year

on further upgrades to the concrete roads

in the area.

The city has committed to investing in

excess of R274 million over three finan-

cial years to upgrade concrete roads

in Gugulethu, Manenberg, Heideveld

and Bonteheuwel.

The main purpose of the upgrades is

to provide quality infrastructure through

resur facing the concrete roads and, in

some instances, widening the roadway, con-

structing pedestrian walkways and installing

proper stormwater drainage systems.

The budget allocation for the concrete

roads projects is as follows:

In the current 2013/14 financial year,

R102 million is being spent in Gugulethu,

Manenberg, Heideveld and Bonteheuwel.

In the 2014/15 financial year, R107 mil-

lion will be spent in Gugulethu, Manenberg,

Bonteheuwel, Hanover Park and Heideveld.

In the 2015/16 financial year, a fur-

ther R65 million is to be spent largely

in Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel,

Manenberg, Parkwood and Retreat.

Project: Broadband infrastructure project

Companies: Neotel, State Information

Technology Agency, Project Isizwe

This project is a R1.3 billion plan to extend

broadband in Cape Town. The project is

jointly funded by the City of Cape Town and

the provincial government of the Western

Cape, and is expected to roll-out over a

period of seven years.

Cape Town has set aside R222 million

over three years for the roll-out of broad-

band infrastructure throughout the met-

ropolitan area, and this forms part of the

R1.3 billion programme.

In June 2014, the State Information

Technology Agency and Neotel signed a

deal to provide broadband services to

2 000 government sites, including schools,

libraries and health facilities. The first

phase of the city’s broadband project has

been completed.

A total of 350 km of fibre-optic cable has

been installed in the city’s own duct net-

work, which has more than 980 manholes.

Part of the project also involves provid-

ing free Wi-Fi services to communities in

Cape Town. With the help of Project Isizwe,

the city launched this initiative in Atlantis

on 27 August 2014 and in Robertson on

29 August 2014.

Project: MyCiTi (the Cape Town integrated

rapid transit system)

Companies: HHO Infrastructure Engineers,

GIBB Engineering and Architecture, Martin

& East, Civils 200, Group Five

The IRT system in Cape Town is aimed at

significantly improving public transport in

the city.

Work on the project started in 2007. The

first network was launched in May 2011,

focusing on the city centre. The system will

be rolled out in four phases. The full system

is expected to take about 15 to 20 years to

implement, with each phase being built as

funds become available. Most of the fund-

ing comes from the National Department of

Transport’s Public Transport Infrastructure

Main Road rehabilitation


MUNICIPAL FOCUS

and Systems Grant, with the balance funded by the city. Bus

rapid transit costs four to twenty times less than light rail and

is the best-known way to transport large numbers of people as

cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. According to the City

of Cape Town, the service is capital-intensive, but crucial for the

future sustainability and well-being of the city.

The business model for the IRT system is based on successful

BRT models used worldwide. Central to this model is a public-

private partnership in which most operational components are

delivered via the private sector, while the municipality is respon-

sible for oversight and quality control.

Project: Mega human-settlements projects

Companies: HHO Infrastructure Engineers, GIBB Engineering

and Architecture

These projects are a response to the City of Cape Town’s housing

problems, which were aggravated by the expanding population –

from 2.9 million in 2001 to 3.7 million in 2011.

The projects include new housing developments, the trans-

formation of the apar theid-era hostels, and upgrades to

the living conditions of backyard dwellers and residents in

informal settlements.

Most of the projects are scheduled to start in the 2014/15

financial year. Almost R1.2 billion has been approved for human-

settlement projects in the 2014/15 to 2016/17 financial years.

Project: N2 Gateway Project

Companies: Group Five-Vula JV (Martin & East, Isidima, Vela VKE,

Motlekar Cape, Sobambisana Community Developments, ASLA,

Citrine group of companies, Power Construction)

The N2 Gateway Project is the pilot and lead project in the

‘Breaking New Ground (BNG)’ strategy (a new housing strategy

conceived in 2004.) The project intends to provide housing units

for residents of the informal settlements along the N2 freeway.

The project is to be completed in two phases and is currently

in the first phase. The basic essence was that 22 000 hous-

ing opportunities across the subsidy ranges were envisaged.

The total planned housing units for Phase 1 is 16 083 and

target areas include Joe Slovo, Delft Symphony, Delft, Newrest

and Boystown.

Thus far, 11 437 units have been handed over and 4 646 are

in progress. Approximately R9 billion has been spent on Phase

1 of the project.

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settlements project


INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT

KENYACountries get together to construct multipurpose dam

Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia

have agreed to construct

a multipurpose dam and a

hydropower station on the

Dawa River in the border town

of Mandera.

The decision came dur-

ing a three-day meeting in

Nairobi organised by the

Intergovernmental Authority on

Development (IGAD) to discuss

cooperation in the manage-

ment and sustainable develop-

ment of the river.

“Harnessing the water from

the river can solve the persis-

tent drought that the region

has been experiencing,” said

Mandera county governor

Ali Roba, who represented

Kenya. “We are optimistic

that the process will be suc-

cessful since each of the

states are very positive about

the proposal.”

During the meeting, the

three countries also proposed

the construction of a bridge

to link Kenya and Ethiopia,

which will promote cross-

border movement across the

seasonal river.

The three countries formed

a technical team, which will

be steered by IGAD, to con-

duct a feasibility study of the

proposed projects and share

its findings.

RWANDACapacity challenges could frustrate PPP programmeEfforts by government and

private sector to work together

on major development projects

could face hurdles because

of the private sector’s capac-

ity challenges, Antoine Manzi

Rutayisire, the Private Sector

Federation's (PSF) director for

advocacy, communications and

labour relations, said.

Rutayisire noted that while

they encourage members

to embrace public-private

partnerships, the private

sector needs to work hard

to play a meaningful role in

the initiative.

He revealed that PSF has

established a secretariat to

handle issues to do with pub-

lic-private partnerships, as well

as discuss the opportunities

and challenges members face.

He urged members to

use the challenges as an

inspiration to do more to

contribute to the country’s

development objectives.

ANGOLANew commercial port esti-mated at $400 million Over

$4.3 million is the amount the

Angolan government plans to

invest in the construction of

a new commercial port in the

municipality of Porto-Amboim,

Kwanza Sul province.

The contract was carried

out by SPAL at the end of

2014. The corporate structure

includes the state-owned oil

company of Angola, Sonangol,

and the Sogester Group, who

was in charge of the design of

the project. Augusto da Silva

Tomás, Transport Minister,

believes that the Port of

Porto-Amboim challenges the

Angolan government to create

infrastructure that will enable

commercial transactions and

compete with the ports of

Luanda, Cabinda, Lobito and

Namibe. It is also a chal-

lenge to provide support to

the neighbouring province of

Kwanza Sul, as well as to the

countries in the SADC region.

ZIMBABWE$1 million upgrade for Kariba South The Zimbabwe

Power Company (ZPC) is set

to undertake a $1 million

upgrade of one of its six gen-

erators at Kariba South power

station in December 2014.

Kariba hydropower station,

which is said to be the coun-

try’s most reliable power sta-

tion, produces 750 MW.

The power station’s acting

general manager, Charles

Bhebhe, said the other five

generators had already been

upgraded, with equipment

acquired from France.

“We have been modernis-

ing the systems and only one

generator is left,” Bhebhe said

during a tour of the plant.

Zimbabwe is currently reel-

ing from power shortages as

power demand continues to

outstrip supply.

ZPC is currently undertaking

a $400 million extension of

its power plant, which is being

financed by China.

A tour of the new plant,

which currently employs over

300 people, revealed that a

lot of ground had been cov-

ered in making sure the plant

The Kariba Dam between Zambia and Zimbabwe

AFRICA ROUND-UP


AFRICA ROUND-UP

is completed ahead of the

2017 deadline.

The new plant will generate

an additional 300 MW.

TANZANIATanzania to invest $300 mil-lion in first geothermal plant Tanzania is planning to

invest in its first geothermal

power plant at Lake Ngozi, in

Mbeya, in a bid to shift focus

from hydropower.

The venture, which is being

led by the African Development

Bank (AfDB) as financiers, will

unlock the country’s potential

for geothermal power, accord-

ing to Emeka Oragunye, the

principal energy specialist

at AfDB.

The new power plant will gen-

erate 5 000 MW and is part of

AfDB’s plan in financing renew-

ables through the scaling-up

renewable energy programme

(SREP). The country has

received $45 million from AfDB

and $25 million from SREP.

The country will also seek

to develop 50 other potential

geothermal spots – which will

be crucial in the shift from

hydro and private oil-fired

power generation by the state-

run Tanesco. It will also be

critical in the planned addition

of 10 000 MW into the grid

by 2025, up from the current

2 780 MW.

Tanzania’s hydropower

has been affected by

recurring droughts.

AfDBAfDB to fund Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania roads The

African Development Bank

(AfDB) and the East African

Community (EAC) signed a

$2.6 million agreement to

finance feasibility studies and

design for the rehabilitation

of some road sections of the

Central Corridor in Tanzania,

Rwanda and Burundi.

The letter of agreement,

under the NEPAD Infrastructure

Project Preparation Facility,

was signed by Tonia Kandiero,

AfDB’s resident representa-

tive in Tanzania, and the EAC

secretary general, Dr Richard

Sezibera, at the EAC headquar-

ters in Arusha, Tanzania.

According to the EAC secre-

tariat, the grant will finance

consultancy services related to

undertaking feasibility studies,

detailed engineering designs,

environmental and social

impact assessment and prepa-

ration of bidding documents.

All this is for the rehabilita-

tion of the road sections join-

ing Rusumo to Lusahunga

and Nyakanazi to Manyovu via

Kasulu in Tanzania; Kayonza

to Kigali in Rwanda; and

Rumonge to Bujumbura via

Rutunga in Burundi.

UGANDA$200 million housing pro-ject earmarked Uganda

citizens will benefit from a

new housing project to be

implemented by Shelter Afrique

(SAf) in collaboration with the

Ministry of Lands, Housing and

Urban Development.

The project will be developed

over a period of four years and

4 000 commercial and social

housing units, schools, health

centres and waste manage-

ment facilities will be con-

structed. The government has

already identified and secured

650 acres of land in various

parts of the country.

The construction project

will be implemented under

a public-private partnership

with the Ministry of Lands

and Urban Development, and

will be officially launched

early 2014. Other partners

in the project include 44 SAf

member countries, the African

Development Bank and Africa

Reinsurance Company.

Many other countries in

Africa are suffering from a

housing deficit. Last year’s

reports indicated that Uganda

was suffering a housing deficit

standing at a 500 000 units,

with Kampala alone suffering a

100 000 housing units deficit.

GAMBIAThe Gambia inks $65 million Trans-Gambia bridge projectThe government of the Gambia

has signed a contract agree-

ment for the construction of

the long-awaited Trans-Gambia

bridge over the Bamba Tenda-

Yelli Tenda crossing.

The project, funded by the

African Development Bank

(AfDB) at a tune of $65 mil-

lion, is contracted to Isolux-

Corsan and Areski construction

companies, with the consul-

tancy services awarded to

Setec Tepi/Studi International

and Mahfoos.

The 942 m bridge will con-

nect the south and north

banks of the Gambia. Its com-

pletion is expected to enhance

trade and easy movement

between the two countries.

The Transport, Works

and Infrastructure Minister,

Ousman Badjie, said the

Trans-Gambia bridge project

is the Gambian government’s

single biggest project ever

undertaken, thanks to the

generous contribution of the

African Development Bank and

other partners.

“The long-term aspiration of

the government of the Gambia

is to achieve a solid infra-

structural base for industrial

development. The availability

of infrastructure services sig-

nificantly influences develop-

ment between regions, and

also between countries,”

he said.

Olkaria geothermal power plant in Kenya


HOT SEAT

Turning the corner on the road to recovery

Tosas’ re-ascent as a trusted bitumen

supplier to the road-building

industry is in full swing. Deon

Pagel, the man leading the way,

takes IMIESA’s Hot Seat and

frankly unpacks the company’s

return to its trusted position.

You have managed some serious changes internally; can the market see the difference? DP Evidence

that we are regaining the trust

of the industry is coming in

much sooner than anticipated.

We regularly receive written

commendations that show

great appreciation, not only for

the quality of product we are

delivering but – crucially – the

efficiency of our service.

Because of the nature of the

products we provide, efficiency

from a turnaround point of view

is non-negotiable. The written

appreciation of this aspect of

what we do really assures me

that we are out the ICU phase

of our business rescue and

well into full recovery in the

general ward.

THE LAST TIME Deon Pagel spoke to IMIESA, Tosas was

focused on becoming the efficient, customer-centric organi-

sation it had always been. Its reputation had to be rebuilt,

following its acquisition by the Raubex Group some 12

months earlier. This time, most of the structural and operational

challenges have been solved and Pagel presents a company that has

earned considerable market confidence and is gearing itself, through

innovation, to align with broader national goals.

So the market is confident in Tosas again?There are many signs that this

is the case. Our order book is

growing and, importantly, many

of these orders come from

existing clients and older clients

who had left Tosas due to its

struggles. That these clients

are remarking on our service

is a definite indication that

we are restoring confidence in

the market.

What has been the biggest struggle? In a

word, efficiency. The services

and products we specialise in

are the core component of a

very expensive daily operation

on any construction site. One

slip on our side carries the risk

of a chain reaction that incurs

huge costs.

Downtime on these sites is

extremely expensive, not just in

terms of the cost of personnel,

which carries massive

hourly rates.

The downtime of the

infrastructure on-site is also

very expensive. Our efficiency

problems were the result of a

business structure that didn’t

accommodate the kind of

operational agility demanded of

a bitumen supply company.

Procurement had been

centralised and this had really

hamstrung Tosas’ ability

to meet orders flexibly and

efficiently. Fixing this demanded

a massive amount of energy to

turn around.

What was your main focus? Simply by demanding

a back-to-basics approach,

combined with elevating the

operational standards to

match and exceed current

market developments. We

re-established the processes

that had previously worked, and

built on them smartly. It has

been especially gratifying to

see the staff that bridged these

periods jump at the opportunity

to excel again. They were freed

up to deliver as they had always

wanted to.

Now that you are well on the road to recovery, how would you describe Tosas’ offering to the market now? It really is

our capacity for delivery in

the context of today’s market

Rubber bitumen used in a single reseal is a great maintenance option

pp

industry

Pagel,

takes

frank

retu


HOT SEAT

conditions. This includes the

increased need for labour-

intensive technologies and the

demand for better and more

innovative products.

The Department of Public Works just launched Phase 3 of the EPWP. How is Tosas supporting it? A large portion of the

products we supply are highly

adaptable for labour-intensive

work methods, including

bituminous binders that are

aligned with labour-intensive

road-surfacing methods and we

are actively involved in skills

transfer as well.

A very specific labour-

intensive technology that

we sell is the Chippy hand-

operated aggregate spreader,

which we are now beginning

to market in conjunction

with NCA, the manufacturers

of the equipment. This is a

very effective tool for labour-

intensive road construction

that replaces automated

aggregate distribution with

manual distribution.

It was designed to construct

thin seals for both new roads

and maintenance projects in a

labour-intensive manner retain-

ing the quality of automated

methods at a comparable cost.

As well as selling the equip-

ment and the appropriate bind-

ers, we also supply full train-

ing on the proper use of the

chip-spreading equipment.

What innovations is Tosas contributing to the market? We have New Crumb

Rubber Technology (NRCT) – a

highly innovative product – to

offer the market. We have done

a lot of successful trials and

performed a number of different

applications with different roads

authorities, and we expect to

put down a substantial amount

of this product over the next

year. Some of the larger metros

have shown strong interest for

maintenance and new builds.

What are main advantages of NCRT? The product is very crack- and

rutt-resistant and has a longer

lifespan than other binders,

whether modified or not.

These ‘new’ properties are

dependent on the pretreatment

of the rubber crumbs, and

it is our licensed technology

that distinguishes NCRT from

conventional bitumen rubber.

It is also this pretreatment

that lowers the working

temperature and increases the

lifespan of NCRT, and delivers

the more environmentally

beneficial attributes.

Traditional bitumen rubber

is usable for four to six hours,

after which a phenomenon

known as over-digestion

can occur, and the product

can no longer be used in its

current form.

It has to be reconstituted

through the introduction of

additional rubber crumbs. The

new technology overcomes

this, extending the window

period to as much as seven

days and beyond. You can work

with the product at 170°C and

store it at 140°C. This makes

a profound difference to the

energy consumed in working

with the material, as well as to

the practical handling of it.

Can you expand on NCRT’s impact on the reduction of life-cycle costs? While it appears

to be more expensive than

conventional rubber and some

other modified binders upfront,

when you take the higher

actual application rates of the

product and factor them in

to the extended lifespan, the

perceived initial costs become a

non-issue.

In fact, it saves you money.

NCRT eliminates the need

to establish expensive

bitumen-rubber-blending

plants on-site and it can be

directly transported from the

manufacturer’s fixed operations.

Traditionally, bitumen rub-

ber’s short shelf life was risky

and logistically challenging and

some people felt uncomfortable

specifying it. Now, with NCRT,

they can do so, risk-free, know-

ing it is a superior product. This

product solves a multitude of

problems, from point of speci-

fication to full life-cycle value.

It is also a major boon for

maintenance work.

How would you describe Tosas’ recovery? When

Raubex first took over, we soon

discovered that Tosas was in

intensive care and needed a

radical business rescue. I am

extremely happy to say that,

within 12 months, we are better

geared and ready to thrive and

exceptionally well geared to

make a substantial contribution

to South Africa’s road industry.

The need for reliable, innovative

and policy-supportive products

and services is more important

than ever before in achieving

national goals.

While this much has been

achieved in a relatively short

period of time, Tosas has also

kept its eye on further research

and development, and we have

a number of new initiatives in

the pipeline to be introduced

in the short to medium term

amplifying the company’s goal

to be a positive contributor to

all stakeholders in the road-

building sector.

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paving and spraying temperatures

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efficiency, reduced emissions during production, paving and spraying

• lower viscosity at lower temperatures

• increased shelf-life of seven days

• longer lasting road surface• reduced road

maintenance intervals• better rut resistance• higher tolerance for high

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friendly and sustainable.

Rubber bitumen remains an ideal solution to prevent reflective cracking

www.tosas.co.za


IMESA

IMESA Conference

THEMED ‘BALANCING Service

Delivery’, the conference certainly

did deliver, and was characterised

by high-level speakers and powerful

outcomes. IMESA 2014 began with the bian-

nual IMESA-CESA Excellence Awards and the

inauguration of the institute’s new president,

the honourable Duncan Daries, who also

delivered his inaugural speech.

The awards revealed that despite general

concern about the state of public infrastruc-

ture in South Africa today, there is no short-

age of world-class engineering and world-

class projects being delivered across the

nation. Innovative, smart and well-executed,

many of the projects embraced key confer-

ence themes, including sustainability and

socio-economic transformation, and speak

to high levels of public-private cooperation.

The challenges of replicating these success-

es more rapidly and sustainably emerged

later as key conference themes.

Farewell Frank Stevens and welcome Duncan DariesThe presidential address saw the handover

of the institute’s presidency from outgoing

president Frank Stevens to new president

Duncan Daries.

President Frank Stevens reflected on the

substantial growth in membership of the

institute over the last 24 months. “Today,

close to 40% of our total membership is

IMESA’s annual conference, which was held last year at the Durban International Convention Centre from 29 to 31 October 2014, was hosted in partnership with the City of eThekwini.By Nicholas McDiarmid

made up of consultants, contractors and

suppliers,” observed Stevens.

Head officeStevens acknowledged the crucial role of the

team that staffs IMESA’s head office (IMESA

House) in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, and wel-

comed Narisha Sogan (finance officer), King

Singh (office manager) and Dashree Reddy

(IMESA finance officer), all of whom joined

the team over the last two years. “I person-

ally thank the amazing head office team

for its support to the institute as well as to

myself over the last years,” said Stevens.

Into actionStevens highlighted that the higher-impact

activities undertaken by the institute are

central to the institute’s development and

influence. The Municipal Benchmarking

Initiative is an example of a high-impact

project born of cooperation and coordina-

tion of several stakeholders – in this case,

IMESA, Salga and the WRC. “All of the

country’s 152 water services authorities

took part,” explained Stevens. This level of

participation is extraordinary and represents

a great success.

IMESA’s ongoing membership of the

International Federation of Municipal

Engineers has led to several key opportuni-

ties, and Stevens has interacted with munici-

pal engineers from some 20 countries. “I

found the respect shown towards IMESA’s

activities, and the interest shown in how

South African municipal engineers tackle

their challenges, both exciting and hum-

bling,” reported Stevens.

IMESAIMESA is making great strides in the roll

out of its IMESA Infrastructure Management

System (IIMS). The institute has provid-

ed both financial and training support to

this project, which is set to make a mas-

sive contribution to managing the nation’s

municipal infrastructure.

Steven’s also noted that IMESA’s training

courses continue to grow in demand and

have delivered quality training to more than

622 people over the past two years.

Welcome to Duncan DariesIMIESA congratulates Duncan Daries on

his inauguration as president of IMESA and

extend to him our support. His inaugural

speech picked up on the themes covered by

his predecessor: “My goal for IMESA is first

of all to consolidate our position by being

the voluntary institute of choice for profes-

sionals and graduates within the municipal

environment. “My second goal is to continue

the excellent work undertaken by previous

presidents in partnering with relevant volun-

teer sister institutes, as well as associations

such as Salga and MISA. We continue to

2014

1 2 3 4


IMESA

reach out to municipalities who do not have

any representatives as members of IMESA,

as there surely is a need for technical staff

to network with fellow professionals.

“We will review our governance framework

(constitution and by-laws) to consolidate

portfolios on our executive council to ensure

greater input and interaction with the general

council of IMESA.”

Balancing profiles – engineers and leadershipNeil Macleod, formerly of eThekwini Water

and Sanitation, and a highly respected,

long-standing member of IMESA, was warmly

introduced and received a strong welcome

from delegates. His contribution to municipal

engineering cannot be underestimated and

his perspective on the status of engineers

in political, public and economic life is of

great importance.

Macleod noted that management and oper-

ational issues are increasingly dominating

municipal activities and, in some cases,

city engineers are not being replaced. The

actual delivery of infrastructure and services

needs must become the primary purpose of

local government once more, and municipal

engineers can play a central role in achiev-

ing that, notably by increasing their pro-

files and improving communication. Macleod

also noted that ecological engineering needs

more prominence in the local government

sphere. Investment in

infrastructure is also

out of balance, with

replacement and new-

build receiving more

attention than main-

tenance of infrastruc-

ture assets, leading

to waste. “We need

to stop the cycle of

build → neglect →

abandon → rebuild,”

said Macleod.

Balancing the economics of infrastructureJohn Harrison, plan-

ning engineer at eThekwini Water and

Sanitation, presented the issues faced by

municipal engineers within a broad politi-

cal and economic context. Noting that the

concept of supply and demand is an illusory

driver of capitalism, Harrison described the

current economic system, globally, as being

driven by the interests of the wealthiest 1%,

who control 45% of the world’s wealth. Best

practice, from a technical point of view, often

goes against the interests of the 1%, and

maintenance and asset protection is never

as profitable as new-build. The interests of

the 1%, however, are often served and this

is evidenced by an inappropriate selection of

solutions to national challenges and public

procurement regulations that sacrifice quality

and best practice for profit. Harris echoed

Macleod in calling for engineers to rise to the

leadership challenge and use their techni-

cal and professional skills to rebalance the

scales in favour of the public good.

This presentation was followed by Willem

Pretorius of IMQS Software, who provid-

ed an overview of life-cycle asset man-

agement, and a compelling argument for

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTSThe opening session was hosted by Frank Stevens and was chaired by eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality’s Eric Applegrin, and themes included municipal governance, infrastructure management and asset management.Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Andries Nel’s keynote address was challenging and explicit about the fact that a substantial percentage of South Africa’s municipalities are failing and in need of urgent attention. Cogta’s estimates that one third of municipalities are in good shape; one third are adequate and one third are failing were later contradicted by IMQS’s presentation, which painted a very different picture, with only 7% of municipalities doing well; 31% need intensive care, 30% perform reasonably, and 32% are dysfunctional. Either way, the situation is untenable.Cogta’s ‘Back To Basics’ strategy focuses on cleaning up local government, promoting integrated urban development, and protecting municipal assets. The strategy rests on four pillars:• cleaning up failing municipalities• improving the functioning of adequate ones• empowering successful municipalities by broadening their

scope and increasing their latitude• vigorously responding to corruption and fraud with zero

tolerance.National Treasury is set to review supply chain management and procurement policies for local government, and the possibility of capacitating district municipalities to assist and strengthen smaller municipalities is also being explored. Nel stressed that technical capacity is fundamental to Cogta’s goals, and that the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent is already working with IMESA on finding capacity and training solutions to this challenge. Nel noted that IMESA’s training programmes are laying a solid groundwork for asset management.

Duncan Daries in his presidential regalia

1 IMESA President Duncan Daries relaxes after his inaugural speech

2 Frank Stevens get a lesson getting down with Beauty Ramapelepele – AKA Ben Voss

3 Jannie Pietersen enjoying the gala event

4 Moses Mabida Stadium provided a phenomenal backdrop for the gala event.

5 Frank Stevens congratulates Duncan Daries on his inauguration as president of IMESA

6 Roger Byrne delivered a powerful account of eThekwini's asset management programme

5 6


IMESA

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exceeds class D Specifications

integrated communication between the asset itself and the finan-

cial asset register.

EPWP Phase 3The Department of Public Works presented an overview of the

recently launched third phase of the Extended Public Works

Programme. Public infrastructure is expected to create 6 million

work opportunities over the next five years, with half of them com-

ing from municipalities.

The EPWP has appointed specialist consultants to aid munici-

palities with project selection and design, to maximise implemen-

tation of EPWP in local government infrastructure development

and maintenance.

Maintaining our assets – the AMPLE wayIn October 2012, GHD’s Global Asset Management Group

granted a free licence for their AMPLE tool suite and associated

training materials to IMESA for use in progressing sustainable

infrastructure asset management (SIAM) within Southern Africa.

The official handover took place at the 2012 IMESA Annual

Conference in George where Roger Byrne (retired GHD AMG man-

ager) presented ‘Progress with the National SIAM Program’ and

demonstrated how AMPLE will enhance the approach to raising

knowledge and awareness in SIAM as a core part of IMESA’s

national training programme This year, with much progress having

been made in the roll-out of AMPLE, both in the Free State and

the City of eThekwini, Byrne returned to provide a case study of

eThekwini’s progress to date.

AMPLE is the result of over 20 years in the development of

world-class asset management (AM) manuals and approaches

for successful AM improvement programmes that has delivered

all aspects of best appropriate practice AM for a full range of

infrastructure services, especially local governments, using a

‘whole of city’ approach covering all infrastructure and physical

asset types.

The objective of IMESA’s AMPLE is to provide a web-based

asset management learning environment that will assist all

municipalities and their infrastructure-rich businesses to drive

sustainable asset management improvement cost-effectively.

Finding a voiceIn a sense, closing this review on this note takes us back to

the conference theme, ‘Balancing Service Delivery’. The impact

municipal engineers have on a nation’s prosperity directly affects

the well-being of us all, economically and socially. While the

technical presentations and discussions were invaluable, and

will receive further coverage over the next editions of IMIESA,

perhaps the most crucial aspect in need of balance in the world

of public sector infrastructure is the profile and status of our engi-

neers. There was general consensus that the profession urgently

needs to find a way to effectively communicate its perspectives

and expertise in a way that is heard by the decision-makers in

power. We look forward to this year’s conference, scheduled to

be held in Cape Town.

More information on booking your place, submitting papers and

sponsoring this hallmark event can be found in this magazine,

online at www.infrastructurene.ws or at www.imesa.org.za.

BITUMEN

www.nationalasphalt.co.za | +27 (0)86 146 6656

AND ASPHALT

NATIONAL ASPHALTMoving beyond today to meet

the demands of tomorrow

companies of


ASPHALT | COVER STORY

Pioneering innovations

THE COMPANY’S list of innovations

is at the cutting edge, providing

solutions across the road-building

industry, virtually anywhere in South

Africa. From the largest road contractor to

the smallest emerging contractor, National

Asphalt’s range of cold, warm and hot-mix

asphalt innovations ensures the highest

standards, no matter the size, location or

nature of the project.

(The company’s pivotal role in the South

African road-building industry is reflected in

the fact that its innovations and trialling of

reclaimed asphalt (RA) directly eventuated

in the South African Roads Agency (Sanral)

specifying higher levels of RA in some of its

tenders.) Other technologies introduced into

the South African market include high-modu-

lus asphalt (EME), renewable additives like

EcoNat, and mobile cold-mix plants. Other

products include the LT 40 hot mix (also

known as ‘Hot Mix in a Bag’), the manually

operated chip spreader the ‘Chippy’.

Most recently, National Ashalt’s acquisi-

tion of the majority share of Shisalanga

Construction in KwaZulu-Natal has added the

use of slag and hydro-cutting technologies to

its versatile slag offering.

SustainabilitySustainability in infrastructure is fast becom-

ing a national requirement. The Presidential

Infrastructure Commission is placing serious

pressure on the private sector to deliver

projects that deliver to improved economies

of scale and contribute meaningfully to the

country’s transformation. Moreover, South

Africa’s environmental legislation is evolv-

ing and subject to interpretation. “We have

found that from province to province, leg-

islation is interpreted differently. National

Asphalt differentiates itself by its mobility;

we can carry out contracts on a project-by-

project basis, focusing on smaller and highly

mobile equipment,” explains Pretorius.

“Sustainability as a term is open to inter-

pretation,” notes Pretorius. “While it’s a

good buzzword, National Asphalt views it very

practically. We look at areas that can give us

an edge in the market, and align ourselves

with best business practice, to become as

effective and efficient as possible.

“Developing new technologies is expen-

sive, and costs must be recouped. One of the

big challenges is working towards achieving

increased cost efficiency,” Pretorius says.

“It is not only about profitability anymore but

how you conduct yourself. National Asphalt

have internal strategies to align ourselves

and upgrade all our equipment. One of our

larger sustainability factors is our heating

costs,” he continues. “A huge amount of

energy is used to manufacture asphalt.” The

main driver of warm-mix technology is that it

is mixed at a lower temperature, delivering

lower energy consumption and a reduction

in carbon emissions.

CHIPPY The manually operated chip spreader, or Chippy, as it has become known, was introduced into the market during 2004. This manual or labour-based method of road surfacing is now well proven and is being used very successfully in the upgrading of gravel roads to surfaced standard, as well as in the application of single and double seals for new roads and for maintenance of existing road networks. Depending on the nature of the project, up to 65 job opportunities are created around the surfacing process

alone. What is of great significance is that roads were previously surfaced using very specialised mechanical equipment, requiring highly skilled operators, thus leaving very few opportunities for employment creation for local unskilled people. The Chippy method is very suitable for use by local authorities for maintenance programmes, and in-house teams can be trained to use the equipment and methodologies. The Chippy furthermore creates opportunities for smaller contractors to participate in the road-surfacing arena without having to lay out the large capital amounts required for conventional equipment. This enables them to be completely independent from large companies who own the expensive road-surfacing equipment.

ABOVE Candella RoadOPPOSITE Reclaimed asphalt plant

Sean Pretorius, National Asphalt’s managing director, illustrates how their more recent innovations are directly linked to specific social, economic and environmental challenges.

LT 40 HOT MIX National Asphalt introduces their latest product – LT 40 asphalt (also commonly referred to as ‘Hot Mix in a Bag’) – to the South African market. LT 40 asphalt is a continuously graded medium-grade asphalt contained in a sealed plastic bag, which is heated up to between 40°C to 60°C to achieve workability similar to traditional hot-mix asphalt.

Incorporating an additive made from 100% natural and renewable resources, LT 40 asphalt not only reduces waste, time lost waiting in queues at hot-mix asphalt plants and product loss from inclement weather, but allows for higher productivity due to proceeding directly to site with all the necessary tools to begin work immediately.

The product is perfect for edge breaks, reinstatement of trenches, patching and pothole repairs, and application is carried out in the same manner as for traditional hot-mix asphalt repair. The product is supplied in 25 kg bags, has a shelf life of 12 months, and is heated up to approximately 40°C to 60°C in a custom-built oven that can be supplied with a custom-built trailer or separately. Once the product has reached the required temperature, it is shovelled onto a wheelbarrow and transferred to the repair site, placed in the prepared area and compacted.

ASPHALT | COVER STORY

Environmental innovationThe company takes an extremely

holistic approach to its innova-

tions, factoring in South Africa’s

unique job creation and enterprise

development needs, as much as

its unique geospatial realities.

It pioneered the concept of RA

technology in South Africa during

the completion of a number of

warm-mix trials for the eThek-

wini Metropolitan Municipality in

Durban from 2009.

In several trials spanning from

2009 to 2013, National Apshalt used its

‘twin-drum’ concept to introduce increasing

percentages of RA into asphalt mixes. The

success of these trials saw the company

commission three 120 to 150 tonne per

hour, twin-drum mobile asphalt plants from

local manufacturer Comar.

It continued to work with Sanral on other

projects, including maintenance projects and

road upgrades, using 40% RA in the base mix

and overlaying the base with an ultra-thin fric-

tion course (UTFC) in one project and 60 000

tonnes of an AP1 modified continuously grad-

ed course bitumen treated base with a 40%

RA component, together with 63 000 tonnes

of ULM, a proprietary UTFC product manufac-

tured under licence from Jean Lefebvre, in a

second project.

“We are bold innovators, and we have the

skills and the right quality of people to be

effective innovators,” says Pretorius. “In the

case of RA, there was a lot of trial and error,

and we worked our way from 10% RA to 40%

RA, using our skills and enabling eThekwini to

push the envelope.”

It’s in the mixNational Asphalt has also developed a

unique, dual-purpose environmentally friendly

additive, manufactured from renewable raw

materials, called EcoNat. It can be used in

the manufacture of warm, low-temperature

and cold asphalt mixes and uses a power-

ful asphaltene dispersant, ideal for the

manufacture of RA mixes, by rejuvenating

the properties of age-hardened bitumen.

National Asphalt was also part of the first

officially recognised South African trials of

EME on a section of the South Coast road

in KwaZulu-Natal. EME refers to a ‘highly

modified mix’, and the term EME-2 is now

used where harder penetration grade bitu-

men is used.

Hydro-texturising“With the acquisition of Shisalanga, National

Asphalt is able to build on the momentum

created by Shisalanga in the road mainte-

nance and rehabilitation sector with hydro-

cutting technology,” Pretorius explains.

Hydro-texturising is a cost-effective and

environmentally sound solution for repairing

flushed bituminous pavements.

The hydro-cutter can remove flushed seals,

leading to a substantial improvement of the

micro and macro texture of the seal. This

results in a safer runway or road surface as

well as extending the life of the asset. Once

the excess bitumen is removed, the stone

chip matrix remains intact.

In terms of multiple seal layers, the hydro-

cutter dramatically improves seal stability

and reduces the overall bitumen content ratio

by up to 1 ℓ/m2 per single treatment. “It is

an exciting potential application for National

Asphalt and we are carrying out quite a lot of

demonstrations throughout the country, with

the most recent taking place in the Eastern

Cape. It is new territory for us, but it is a

major boost for our innovation and technol-

ogy profile,” Pretorius says.

The road to nation-buildingNo single manufacturer or supplier has made

as indelible an impact on the South African

road-building industry as National Asphalt.

The company not only unlocks opportunities

through innovation, it ensures that its innova-

tions have a national reach, far beyond the

road well-travelled. Its focus on mobility and

portability allows for the highest standards

to be achieved in the remotest of areas, in

the most sustainable and economic manner.

National Asphalt is literally paving the road

to a sustainable South Africa.

COLD-MIX ASPHALT Cold-mix

asphalt is a premixed, high-performance permanent cold-mix patching material made under licence using Macfix technology from Macismo International. The product consists of a mixture of selected aggregates coated with a blend of bitumen and a special additive. The additive has been specially formulated to enhance the workability of the mix during handling and to improve the adhesion properties of the binder during its service life. The aggregate grading ensures optimal stone interlock after placement so that the product will not deform under traffic.



BITUMEN & ASPHALT

Bridging Africa’s road

infrastructure gap

THE AFDB IS the executing

agency for the Programme for

Infrastructure Development in

Africa (PIDA), which has said that

closing the infrastructure deficit is vital for

Africa’s economic prosperity and sustain-

able development.

With the road access rate in Africa being

only 34%, compared with 50% in other

parts of the developing world and transport

costs being 100% higher, transport infra-

structure has been identified by the PIDA

as one of the four key sectors requiring

attention to address the deficit.

Mineral soil stabilisers – an alternative route“In many African countries, the infrastruc-

ture deficit is exacerbated due to appropri-

ate road-building materials being expensive

and/or difficult to obtain,” shares Zeevik

Halber, CEO of AnyWay Solid Environmental

Solutions. “However, there are alterna-

tives that urgently need to be explored if

economic and social development on the

continent is to be significantly improved.”

He continues, “These are currently being

used internationally, including in several

African states, and are not only speeding

up the process of road construction and

According to African Development Bank (AfDB) president Donald Kaberuka, “Inadequate infrastructure across Africa is costing about $40 billion in lost GDP a year. This deficit is estimated to be holding back economic growth by 2% each year, reducing private sector productivity by as much as 40%.”By Nicholas McDiarmid

improvement, but are also reducing the

financial, time and environmental costs

that are usually associated with this type

of infrastructure development.”

Mineral soil stabilisers are dramatically

changing the way roads are being built

and restored, directly addressing the ever-

increasing road-building material shortage

in developing countries.

Mineral soil stabilisers can – and are

– increasingly being used in areas where

locally available soils do not meet the

standard road-building specifications and

where good road-building material is expen-

sive and difficult to obtain.

“The faster African countries can improve

their road infrastructure, the faster there

can be access to centres of economic

importance for the creation of employment

opportunities, greater rapidity of inter-coun-

try trade, reduced transport costs and,

ultimately, enhanced economic growth for

the continent as whole,” concludes Halber.

African projects adopting the breakthrough technologyIn Ethiopia, soil stabilisation technology

has been used by the Addis Ababa City

Roads Authority, since 2009, as part of

a programme to develop and upgrade the

road network within the city, while advanc-

ing skills and providing jobs for inhabitants.

In addition to the many kilometres of road

that have been built over the past few

years using Anyway’s Natural Soil Stabiliser

(ANSS) to stabilise the in situ soils, close to

100 000 people have gained employment

in the resulting projects. Furthermore, the

use of ANSS not only saved about 30%

of the cost, but also more than 50% of

the time otherwise required to complete

these roads.

In nearby South Sudan, ANSS is to be

used in the construction of a 700 km

road leading from the capital, Juba, to the

country’s border with Ethiopia. AnyWay

has already delivered recycling equipment

suited to stabilisation work for the project.

Fur ther south, ANSS has been official-

ly approved for use in light to medium

roads in Kenya. This approval comes

after four years of research conducted by

the Ministry of Roads, Materials Branch.

AnyWay’s products were put to the test

on a variety of soils from around the coun-

try and proved to be a first-rate solution

for stabilising substandard soils such as

The main road into the city of Kigali, Rwanda

BITUMEN & ASPHALT

black cotton and red coffee soils, along

with some natural gravels. The ministry is

now conducting fur ther tests in order to

approve the use of ANSS in high-volume

roads as well as in the upper layers of

pavement structures. One of the charac-

teristics that appealed to the ministry’s

professionals was the fact that no cracks

developed in stabilised pavements using

ANSS. This is contrary to their experience

with cement stabilisation. The ministry is

aiming to upgrade 1 200 km of roads with-

in the next five years and soil stabilisation

could become a power ful tool in achieving

this ambitious goal.

In the Rwandan capital of Kigali, 2 km of

a principal route were constructed using

natural soil stabilised with ANSS. Prior

to the ANSS application, the original soil

was very weak and had a high plasticity.

The stabilised layer, which increased the

bearing load of the soil by 30%, was con-

structed within 12 working days – saving

almost a month of work and 300 14-tonne-

truck journeys.

Locally, in the Dihlabeng District

Municipality's township roads were upgrad-

ed using the ANSS technology. Instead of

spoiling the soil and importing materials

from a distant and expensive source, the

municipality wanted to reduce costs and

use its own limited road-building equip-

ment and manpower, and so decided to

stabilise the in situ soil. As a result, the

municipal roads depar tment was able

to construct a stabilised, unsur faced

road within two days, as opposed to the

15 days it would have taken with the

‘spoil and import’ method. In addition to

reducing the turnaround time, using ANSS

saved the municipality 50% on costs, 200

20-tonne-truck journeys and two tonnes of

CO2 emissions.

Localising productionAccording to Jean Du Plessis, MD of

AnyWay’s South African operations: “Unlike

in most other countries, AnyWay decided

to establish a local production facility in

South Africa for the manufacture of its

products for the local and regional mar-

kets. However, the concept of using local

in situ soils as par t of the road pavement

structure has yet to be widely accepted by

South African engineers.”

He attributes this principally to bad expe-

riences with other so-called stabilisers.

“The use of liquid products has actually

caused damage to the reputation of using

stabilisation as a sound engineering solu-

tion for road infrastructure projects over the

past few years.” He continues: “AnyWay’s

stabilisation products are considered to be

traditional as they are powder-based, not

liquid. Our product is a natural extension

of the traditional methods of using cement

and lime as stabilisers, but overcomes

many of their limitations.

“With a product like ANSS, one can look

at using marginal materials that were not

otherwise suitable road-building materials

and, consequently, get the job done faster,

cleaner and cheaper,” he concludes.

A road stabilised with ANSS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia



BITUMEN & ASPHALT

Major runway rehabilitation

THE PROJECT involved placing

2 080 t of Novachip, also know

as ultrathin friction course (UTFC),

on top of the new asphalt on the

runway. In addition, the runway extensions

and intersections comprised 1 920 t of

medium graded asphalt, while 12 710 t of

medium graded asphalt was used for the

runway reprofiling.

Activities at the bustling local airport

could not be hampered by the construction

work, which meant that Murray & Roberts

Infrastructure had to work during the night

and hand over a pristine site every morning.

“The actual re-profiling of the runway

with asphalt was a challenge,” Wouter

Schreuder, site agent, Murray & Roberts,

says. “We had to temporarily shorten the

runway during construction, which meant

that aircraft had to land without using their

instrument landing systems.”

Work on the project commenced on

13 November 2013 and was wrapped up

on 23 July this year.

A runway rehabilitation project to improve safety at George Airport, in the Western Cape, was recently completed. By Nicholas McDiarmid

Airports Company South Africa initiated

the project in order to improve safety at

George Airport in terms of run-off and

stormwater drainage. In addition, the pro-

ject was aimed at improving the structural

capacity of the pavement surface.

Scope of workThe scope of work comprised the extension

of Runway 11/29, the extension of the aer-

onautical ground-lighting network and the

re-profiling of identified runway sections.

Murray & Roberts Infrastructure worked in

close conjunction with ADB Electrical on the

major works.

“We had to build from an uneven existing

runway surface to the final design level. This

necessitated numerous layers of asphalt

placed on top of each other in order to

achieve the required level,” Schreuder adds.

ChallengesChallenges included the fact that they were

not permitted to have any steps on the

runway. “We had to create ramps after each

shift’s paving operation before the runway

could be opened in the morning. These

had to be removed once the layer was con-

structed in this particular area.”

Cleaning of the runway after each shift

was equally challenging in that the area had

to be clean and free of any debris pending

an inspection by George Airport’s fire and

rescue services before opening the runway

in the morning.

“Time had to be allowed at the end of

each shift in order to carry out all the

required cleaning, and this took careful

planning,” Schreuder says. In addition,

each shift required thorough planning due

to the constraints of working on an opera-

tional runway. Emergency removal equip-

ment had to be available on-site in case of

any plant breakdown during a shift. “The

inter face between the civil and electrical

RESA 11 (runway-end safety area) upon practical completion of the project

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BITUMEN & ASPHALT

works was difficult and had

to be planned before the

start of each shift. The

logistics to get material to

site posed a challenge due

to the strict security meas-

ures. As a result, the bulk

of the material had to be

transported to site at night,” Schreuder

explains. The wet and cold weather at night

also played a role during the construc-

tion phase due to certain limitations, as

per the project specifications. “Care had

to be taken not to damage any of the

existing services, such as runway lights,

while working.”

Major statistics recorded by the project

included: 12 465 m3 of topsoil removal,

18 500 m3 of imported G7 gravel mate-

rial, 14 000 m3 of roadbed preparation,

1 980 m3 of stabilised gravel sub base by

means of 130 t of cement, 1 144 m3 of G1

base course, 2 000 m3 of asphalt milling,

7 318 ℓ of primer using inverted bituminous

emulsion, 71 678 ℓ of tack coat with a 30%

stable grade bitumen emulsion and 4.4 ha

of landscaping and hydro seeding.

LEFT A closer view of the UTFC milled and replaced at Runway 29

BELOW LEFT Asphalt surfacing during the first phase of the project, which involved re-profiling the runway


BITUMEN & ASPHALT

Much Asphalt’s Pomona plant in Gauteng

Much Asphalt is southern Africa’s largest supplier of an extensive range of

hot and cold asphalt products.

Our products are supported by world class technology and expertise, extensive laboratory services and specialist advice. With 17 branches and state-of-the-art mobile plants, Much Asphalt offers services anywhere, any time, no matter how big or small the project.

ANYWHERE.ANY TIME. ANY PROJECT.

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Satisfying market demands

MUCH ASPHALT has retained a

leading position in a challeng-

ing market in 2014, the first

year following its split from the

Murray & Roberts group. In November 2013,

the business was acquired by a consortium

led by Capitalworks Private Equity and includ-

ing Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC)

and senior executives of Much Asphalt.

“We secured a number of projects in the

traditionally ‘smaller’ regions such as the

Eastern Cape and Limpopo, compensating

for the lack of projects in the Gauteng

area in particular,” says managing director

Bennie Greyling. “These projects include

rehabilitation of the N2 between East London

and King Williams Town, rehabilitation of a

section of the N11 near Polokwane and vari-

ous coal haul routes in Mpumalanga.

“The continued commitment of major cli-

ents, especially SANRAL, to use recycled

asphalt (RA) on their projects, is pleasing

and more than 75% of our 17 static asphalt

mixing plants are now geared to incorporate

RA into asphalt mixes.”

Much Asphalt has recently completed

a section of the N2 near Mzinto on the

KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, where 40% RA

was specified. A second phase will com-

mence in early 2015.

The company has also recently purchased a

fourth mobile asphalt plant, this one capable

of handling 50% RA, to cater for the growing

number of major projects in outlying areas

where mobile operations are economically

more viable.

“In response to bitumen supply constraints,

we are now able to store up to 2 500 tonnes

in a bulk tank in the Cape Town harbour and

have installed ‘ bitutainers’ ranging in size

from 25 to 60 tonnes at our plants around

the country,” Greyling concludes.

& ASPHALT

CALL FOR PAPERS

IMESAIMESA

t +27 (031) 266 3263 email [email protected]

S YN O P S I S S U B M I T T E D BY Wednesday 15th April 2015 to Joanne Bezuidenhout | [email protected] | tel 031 303 9852

THEME: Changing the face of the Municipal Engineer

• Political and Legislative Perspectives

• Social and Environmental Impacts

• Financial Considerations

• Transport and Traffic

• Water and Sanitation

• Roads and Stormwater

PARTNERING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

BANKING ON INFRASTRUCTURE

THE DBSA’S FINANCING OPERATIONS DIVISION

The restructuring of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), which began in 2012,

has delivered big results in less than two years.


THE STATE-OWNED entity has

achieved an increase in dis-

bursements over the last finan-

cial year of 39.1%, repositioning

itself as both a funding institution and an

implementing agent.

The Financing Operations Division is the

operational centre of the bank, with group

executive Michael Hillary at the helm. In this

interview, Hillary provides strategic insights

into the bank’s core mandates, its special-

ised teams and its unique capabilities as an

infrastructure funding partner.

Background to the Financing Operations DivisionThe Financing Operations Division (FOD)

provides a turnkey operation that integrates

the entire value chain of a deal. Its ser-

vices are structured to provide support

from the origination of a deal, and continue

this support through ongoing monitoring up

until repayment.

The FOD’s final task is the evaluation

of the deals, which means the division is

engaged for the full length of all deals. This

clearly gives the FOD the most complete

vantage point from which to refine processes

and learn from within a complete feedback

loop. The FOD is also responsible for actively

managing the bank’s debt and equity port-

folio through its monitoring and reporting

services. The bank is involved in the follow-

ing stages of projects: early planning to pre-

paring, financing, building and maintenance.

Defining, refining and optimising – behind the restructure“While finance is our core focus, we have

been pulled more and more into the build

and prepare phases of deals,” starts Hillary.

“The bank mostly stays out of the planning

elements as we believe these properly lie

within government.” Hillary explains that the

restructuring process, which began two years

ago, was essentially about refining what the

DBSA does, based on its core strengths.

“We also focused our attention on the four

primary social and economic infrastructures

relevant to our mandate – power, bulk water,

roads and transport infrastructure, as well

as information and communication tech-

nologies,” he notes. Education and health

are two secondary focus sectors for the

bank, with which the Infrastructure Delivery

Division has already been strongly engaged.

“Within this mandate, and the efficiencies

required to drive it, it was crucial to evaluate

www.dbsa.org


“The bank looks to bridge these gaps (between public and private sector approaches) where it can get the process right while bringing in the commercial savvy to bring down the costs…” Michael Hillary, group executive, DBSA

“We do not have those constraints and

we can take the longer-tenor funding needs

and make those projects happen.” The abil-

ity of the bank to provide funding in spaces

where the private sector faces constraints

has many enabling possibilities that can be

examined on a case-by-case basis.

Some development finance institutions

focus on central allocations from the fiscus

on an annual basis, whereas the DBSA is

capitalised by the state, and in return is

expected to operate sustainably, with the

management team running a tight ship.

“Where a commercial bank looks at the flow

of dividends, our shareholders expect us to

be sustainable; their dividend, so to speak,

is in seeing the programmes happen,” clari-

fies Hillary. “The key to achieving this is to

seek returns at a level equitable to inflation,

and exceeding it somewhat in order to con-

tinue growing capabilities. The trade-off in

this regard is between trying to grow and be

profitable while not being so aggressive as

to lose the catalytic agility of the institution.”

The bank is not seeking maximum profit-

ability and massive returns, but seeks to

balance a level of growth that is sustainable

and allows for growth, but that ensures it

can fill the gaps in infrastructure finance

– like smaller municipal projects that are

essential but not viable from a return per-

spective for a typical private bank.

Not public; not private: project alignment and economies of scaleAnother function of the bank is to take

advantage of larger economies of scale.

An example of how this looks in practice

would be an investment team looking to put

out a programme to build a few thousand

toilet facilities in a rural area. An initial,

superficial costing would be based on the

standard cost per unit, typically based off a

production run of much smaller scales. “We

not only examine this and look for scaled

costings; we can also ensure our suppli-

ers are coming to the party. Now a typical

public sector procurement process will not

do this – a pricing table will be consulted

and that will be the end of it,” says Hillary.

“Because the DBSA is in the middle of the

spectrum of public and private, we are able

to balance procedural consideration with

those of implementation, which is precisely

what defines the difference between the

public sector approach and the private sec-

tor approach.”

The bank looks to bridge these gaps where

it can get the process right, while bringing

in the commercial savvy to bring down the

costs. “This capability, which is something

that the Infrastructure Development Division

really focuses on, can make a major impact

on the way projects are conceived and

implemented, and create a very efficient


what sort of people we needed in each part

of the value chain, taking into consideration

the number of clients and the number of

deals within a sustainable framework. We

rebalanced the bank from a human capital

point of view, as well as in terms of vertical

operations across the South African and

international divisions, where a lot of team

and structural duplications existed, and

opportunities to better leverage specialised

skills that existed in specific areas which

weren’t being optimally deployed.

“By taking all the common elements of the

value chain and taking a more vertical view,

we began building the platform for financing

operations from which specialised skills

could be shared across the DBSA, eliminat-

ing duplication and retaining and deploying

institutional knowledge at the same time,”

says Hillary.

The DBSA’s unique mandateThe DBSA, as a developmental financial

institution, is significantly differentiated from

private institutions. Its shareholder obliga-

tions are not profit driven and operates

under very different regulatory standards.

“We are in an interesting space, in that,

while we are a state-owned entity, and in

principle we function in some ways like an

investment bank, we are also very close to

our share- and stakeholders, and this gives

us access to projects at very early stages of

their development.

“What we are respectful of is that we

have scarce capital and we don’t want to

crowd out the private sector, so the two

things we look for in our mandate are that

we are catalysts in ensuring infrastructure

programmes happen, including gap fund-

ing, and also fill the spaces where there is

clear market failure,” observes Hillary. An

interesting example of a market failure is

the restrictions private banks face in terms

of longer-term infrastructure investments.

“Basel III typically limits private banks’ abil-

ity to fund programmes beyond 12 years,”

explains Hillary.



economic contribution to optimising infra-

structure project delivery, both economically

and from a maximum benefit point of view,”

Hillary deduces. The bank is thus ideally

positioned to add value in a number highly

specialised ways, reinforcing its catalytic

role in the market. It achieves this, from an

investment point of view, through gap fund-

ing and stepping in to fill market failures.

Understanding the Financing Operations DivisionWithin the Financing Operations

Division itself there are three

core areas, or units: the Project

Preparation Unit, the Common

Platform Unit and the Operations

Evaluation Unit. Understanding

these units provides necessary

insights for entities wishing to engage

the bank.

Project preparation“The Project Preparation Unit plays the pro-

ject development role and looks at deals that

are not ready to be financed and which may

require some enabling legislation, technical

reporting, or environmental studies, before

they are bankable,” Hillary explains. “The

bank may also look at financing these ele-

ments with a view to getting the rights to

finance the project as a whole, or possibly

to secure some equity pickup or cashing out

at the time of project financing. This area

typically gets traction in the Public-Private

Project space more than it would in the

municipal space.” The bank does have a

team that focuses on assisting municipali-

ties with planning and preparation.

The FOD is also home to a team that

acts as an agent for the Department of

Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) Green Fund. All

the grants and approvals for the Green Fund

are processed by this team, which works

directly with the DEA to sign off on the grants

and approvals. The DBSA has recently been

accredited as the Southern African imple-

menting agent for the Global Environmental

Fund (GEF). The GEF is a World Bank ini-

tiative and is a very beneficial source of

cheaper funding for green programmes.

Common Platform UnitAnother unit looks at the common platform

for the front-end businesses, comprised of

environmental analysts, industry specialists

and specialist engineers – who together look

at the quality of finance in context of the

technical aspects as well. “This is another

capacity that makes the bank quite unique,

in that, where typical banks would rely on

independent assessors for these functions,

the DBSA has them on board through all pro-

ject stages,” elaborates Hillary. “Moreover,

there are teams looking at sovereign risk

issues around cross-border deals, a project

finance team, and a distribution team that

looks at involving other investors to in part

finance the larger deals.”

Together, this forms the common platform

from which the bank supports more complex

projects. “What we see in practice in more

complicated projects is the involvement of

a project preparation team, an investment

officer, some of the engineers from the mid-

dle office and the structural finance team.

Together, the projects emerge as a whole

entity,” he says. Owing to the bank’s original

1983 mandate, which was the implementa-

tion of infrastructure programmes in the

former homelands, these sorts of interdis-

ciplinary teams have always been part and

parcel of the institution.

Operations Evaluation Unit“The other quarter of the FOD looks at port-

folios and is comprised of a team of credit

analysts, a portfolio-monitoring sub-team,

the core back-end middle-office team that

does all the administration of the deals, post

approvals, and a smaller unit that sets out

frameworks that look at projects from their

wider positive impact, called the Operations

Evaluation Unit.” “This ensures we achieve

our mandate to maximise the social and

economic impacts of all the bank’s projects,

and understand the deal from more than

just a financial perspective, which is crucial

to our reporting considerations as well,”

notes Hillary.

Agencies and municipalities: partnering with the DBSAThe increase in disbursements over the

2013/14 financial year of 39% reflects the

success of the DBSA’s strategic restructur-

ing, and sustainable growth also means a

steady flow of projects. “The ideal position

for the bank is to have more applicants than

we actively manage,” says Hillary. “Given

the catalytic nature of our mandate, we

ideally want partners who have significantly

invested into a project themselves.” Other

key components the bank looks at when

accepting a project include the wider and

the peripheral benefits. “Increasingly, main-

tenance and asset management projects are

entering the discussion – these are areas

with significant economic benefits.”

While project owners can approach

the bank directly, the DBSA also

pays attention to obvious market

gaps. Projects are also picked up

through other state institutions,

such as the Department of Energy

and the Department of Water and

Sanitation. “Smaller, specific com-

ponents of larger infrastructure projects,

which otherwise would be an obstacle to

the greater project, are of particular impor-

tance to the bank.” Catalytic investments,

within the bank’s social and economic

infrastructure mandates, are an extremely

important element for those working in

establishing public infrastructure projects

and interventions.

The DBSA’s role as an infrastructure part-

ner is unique in the local market, and is has

already had a significant impact. Its level of

internal expertise, unique funding abilities

and high level of internal technical capac-

ity highlight a return on investment that far

exceed the actual figures, for its partners

and the wider communities that benefit from

its participation.

“While we are a state-owned entity we are also very close to our share- and stakeholders, and this gives us access to projects at very early stages of their development.”


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Mega housing delivery

AS MINISTER OF Housing, in

2009, Sisulu and her Portfolio

Committee on Housing laid

the foundation for the current

National Development Plan (NDP). They

launched the Comprehensive Housing

Plan for the Development of Integrated

Sustainable Human Settlements, or

Breaking New Ground (BNG) as it is com-

monly known, that now forms the basis of

the NDP.

In her address at the Budget Vote of

the Ministry of Human Settlements, the

Minister pointed out research done by the

South African Institute of Race Relations

in 2012, which suggests that 20% of all

protests the country experienced over the

last five years can be attributed to issues

with housing.

Furthermore, these protests have centred

on the reality that promises made by the

department are not being met and the

public believes corruption to be at the root

of the problem.

She also noted that the delivery of

houses has dropped drastically across all

provinces. Some have dropped to a 30%

delivery rate and the housing backlog

To Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, nothing is more fulfilling to the

human heart than being able to contribute to the provision of a roof over a family

that is destitute and has waited for the security and comfort a house provides.

By Liesl Frankson

currently stands at 2.3 million families

and growing. In an effor t to address these

issues, Sisulu has outlined a number of

activities and actions that the department

will undertake over the next year.

Databases, title deeds and mining townsAt the top of the department’s to do list

is the creation of a credible database of

those legitimately waiting for a house. The

minister aims to link this database to the

population register and voters’ roll, to verify

the validity of a housing application.

The municipality will use this database

in the allocation of houses. “It will also

protect councillors who are often accused

of corruption in the allocation of houses,

as citizens will be able to check their own

details and place on the waiting list. It will

also break down the concept of the back-

log,” explains Sisulu.

The issue of title deeds has also been

included in the department’s strategy, and

it intends to prioritise the issuing of both

pre-1994 and post-1994 stock. “This is

important because these are otherwise

dead assets. Without the title deeds, the

owners are unable to revitalise the old

townships, which are in a very sad state of

decay,” she says.

The president has created an Inter-

Ministerial Committee on the revitalisation

of mining towns, for which the Department

of Human Settlements has a major respon-

sibility. In dealing with this goal, Sisulu

notes that the department has interacted

with the mining sector in the past, and has

found that, unless they plan for secondary

industry and related infrastructure, they

would be unable to attract the necessary

investment capital into mining towns for

continued economic activity after the last

ore has been mined.

Through the IMC, the department has

met with the Chamber of Mines, the bank-

ing sector and the provinces, and has

mobilised municipalities to review their

Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) to

pave the way for new-look mining towns.

It was decided that the Department of

Cooperative Governance and Traditional

Affairs (CoGTA) would lead the process of

reviewing the IDPs of municipalities where

mining towns are located to make a provi-

sion for town planning, among other things,


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

to not only build human settlements, but

incorporate Special Economic Zones.

The biggest construction site in AfricaPart of the department’s strategy is to

embark on mega projects. In these mega

projects, there will be a collaboration of all

three spheres of government. Local govern-

ment will ultimately inherit the projects

once completed and therefore the respon-

sibility of the allocation of units, the provi-

sion of infrastructure, and the maintenance

of the project will be the responsibility of

local government.

Incorporated into the mega projects strat-

egy is the department’s goal to deliver

1.5 million houses over the next five years.

Sisulu hopes to do this in partnership with

the private sector and all stakeholders

and communities.

“South Africa is about to become the big-

gest construction site in Africa and, most

probably, in the developing world. We will

build close to 270 000 houses annually, as

a sector. It looks impossible, but we have

been here before. At the height of imple-

menting the BNG policy, we were building

over 270 000 per year,” she explains.

She adds that the department came to

the conclusion to change its approach to

housing after reviewing housing delivery

from 2005 to 2009 and 2009 to 2014. The

department is now aiming to move from

small projects of 200 houses to mega pro-

jects of integrated, mixed housing to cater

for different incomes and needs.

These will include houses for the indi-

gent, gap housing, rental units, social

housing and serviced stands. “This will

ensure integration of dif ferent income

groups and races, and lead to the build-

ing of a South Africa that truly belongs

to all.” In order to achieve this goal, the

department has embarked on a number of

activities including identifying 50 National

Priority Projects across South Africa that

will deliver mega integrated and sustain-

able human settlements.

These projects will deliver BNG houses

(30%), gap houses (20%), rental accom-

modation (20%), social housing (10%) and

serviced sites (20%). These projects will

also have economic and social amenities.

Ultimately, the depar tment aims to

embark on and lay the basis for a Master

Spatial Plan for Human Settlements so that

all the necessary amenities can be directed

to where human settlements are, allowing

them to plan ahead for the provision of the

necessary infrastructure and amenities.

“South Africa is about to become the biggest construction site in Africa and,

most probably, in the developing world.” Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Balancing service delivery

SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY models

that factor in considerations for

ensuring balanced service delivery

are reinforced by recommenda-

tions to leverage the relationship between

municipalities and consultants in order

to exploit their full potential and achieve

better outcomes.

EPWP Phase 3In November 2013, cabinet approved the

establishment of the Presidential Public

Employment Coordinating Commission to

coordinate and report on public employ-

ment programmes with the EPWP branch

as secretariat.

One of the key changes in EPWP

Phase 3 is the introduction of core

universal principles:

It is essential that municipalities fully appreciate their role in the implementation of the EPWP, the job creation potential, the challenges they face, and consider the key changes in EPWP Phase 3. By Nontyatyambo Manyisane, Mfuneko Kango, Gamelihle Sibanda &

Albert Uriyo*

• adherence to the EPWP minimum wage

and employment conditions under the

Ministerial Determination

• selection of workers based on a clearly

defined process and defined criteria

• work provides or enhances public goods

and community services

• minimum labour intensity appropriate

to sector.

There will also be increased community

participation for more visibility and owner-

ship of the EPWP in poor communities.

The scope of infrastructure maintenance

will be enhanced in order to create longer-

term work opportunities while preserving

assets. Furthermore, more emphasis will

be placed on monitoring created assets and

their impact on communities, thus generat-

ing sustainable livelihoods. The Ministerial

Determination by the Department of Labour

and the Code of Good Practice for EPWP

will continue to provide guidance on labour-

related matters.

Converting problems into challengesWhile appreciating the progress achieved

by municipalities in implementing the EPWP,

several challenges remain. These are dis-

cussed below for the various stages of

the project cycle, together with possible

remedial measures.

IdentificationMost municipalities do not have a deliberate

strategy to identify projects that are truly

amenable to the use of labour-intensive

methods. It is common to hear project man-

agers state that all their projects are EPWP

or for the projects to be declared as EPWP

at the reporting or implementation stage.

The impact of this is that most projects are

implemented conventionally, undermining

the realisation of socio-economic objectives.

It is recommended that municipalities iden-

tify labour-intensive projects in line with the

EPWP guidelines.

PlanningMost municipalities have developed and

signed an EPWP policy. However, full

implementation of these policies remains

a challenge. The implementation of the

EPWP infrastructure projects is guided by

the EPWP Infrastructure Guideline, which

provides guidance on the roles of the


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

implementation bodies; the contract docu-

mentation for consulting engineers and

contractors for labour-intensive construc-

tion projects; design prerequisites; required

skills programmes for clients, consultants,

and contractors; programme indicators; and

additional sources for information.

The majority of municipalities do not have

a balanced portfolio of projects throughout

the year. Often during the first quarter,

projects are designed; service providers

are procured in the second quarter; project

implementation commences in the third

quarter; and peaks in the fourth quarter.

This boom-bust cycle repeats annually. The

impact of this is a failure to achieve employ-

ment targets, low productivity and under-

expenditure. Some public bodies opt for

machines in order to spend within a short

time. This is tantamount to fiscal dumping

and should not happen. There are mixed

perceptions regarding whether poor planning

or supply chain management and procure-

ment prescripts prevent planning, to ensure

that at any one time there are projects at

various stages of the project cycle. A steady

stream of projects would also ensure work-

ers are able to find employment when one

project finishes.

Some project managers and their supervi-

sors perceive the EPWP as an add-on to

their normal duties. This tends to culminate

in less effort being deployed to EPWP initia-

tives. It is important for EPWP champions to

emphasise that EPWP is an integral part of

normal duties of officials in public bodies

that are financed by government resources.

A master stroke is to incorporate EPWP

targets into the performance agreements of

senior managers, from technical officials to

those in supply chain management and legal

departments. As the saying goes, “What

gets measured gets done”.

DesignThe most sensitive stage of a labour-inten-

sive project is the design stage, regardless

of whether the design is done in-house

or outsourced. The conventional design

approach assumes work will be done using

machine-based methods. It is therefore

imperative that design specifications and

particular conditions of contract are specifi-

cally aligned with labour-intensive approach-

es, if projects are to be implemented and

reported under the EPWP.

Some municipalities have hired con-

sultants to enhance their delivery capac-

ity. In such cases, the contract agreement

between the municipality and consultants

tends to be weak in terms of expected out-

puts related to the EPWP. It often becomes

difficult for the municipality to enforce

compliance with EPWP requirements if the

agreement with service providers is not

explicit about how deliverables would be

measured. Municipalities are urged to sign

agreements with consultants that go beyond

just stating that the consultant must comply

with EPWP requirements.

As contractors grow, they tend to acquire

more capital-intensive equipment. In some

cases, a single big contract is issued to a

highly mechanised contractor whereas, if it

had been packaged as smaller contracts,

less-capital-intensive, smaller contractors

could be used. If the objective is to create

employment, there is a need to have a delib-

erate policy on how contracts are packaged.

However, there should be a reasonable bal-

ance in the distribution of work among con-

tractors in various registration categories.

The scope of the project is generally known

at the design stage. It is therefore impor-

tant for municipalities to insist that each

design should have indicative projections of

employment that the project is envisaged

to create and associated project durations.

The packaging of contracts to allow for

ease of implementation is also encour-

aged in the EPWP Large Projects, which

are infrastructure projects with a value

of more than R30 million, involving the

use of labour-intensive methods on a

significant scope of work to maximise

the creation of work opportunities. Large

Projects should also be designed and

packaged to promote participation of small-

to medium-term contractors.

By the time the procurement phase hap-

pens, consultations with the community

should have happened regarding the target

number of people to be employed, and the

daily wage to be paid should be agreed on

so that bidders use a common figure. It is

important to harmonise wages for similar

work in a locality in order to avoid social

unrest. EPWP workers should be paid a wage

that is not less than the minimum wage and

not too high (compared to wages for similar

work in the project locality) to attract people

who are in formal employment or engaged in

other sustainable income-earning initiatives.

ImplementationDesigning a project using conventional meth-

ods and then trying to convert it to an

EPWP project during implementation is like

a baker who decides to change from making

bread to producing a cake when the dough

is already rising in the oven. Sadly, there

are some municipalities that label a project

as EPWP during the implementation stage,

thereby compromising the potential to create

more employment.

In construction, the two most common

bases for remuneration of unskilled workers

are a time-based system and a task-based

system. With the time-based system, work-

ers are paid based on hours spent at work,

with minimal emphasis on what they pro-

duced. With the task system, workers are

paid a fixed daily wage for reasonable work

of agreed quantity and quality that the slow-

est worker can finish within normal working

hours. Faster workers may be able to finish

within 75% of the normal working hours and

are released to go home or attend to other

matters of their choice.

Work studies have shown that task-based

(or productivity-based) workers are generally

twice as productive as time-based workers,

who tend to work at the pace of the slowest

member of the group. Most municipalities

are using the time-based remuneration meth-

od. This means they could almost double

their productivity without additional funding if

they used the productivity-based remunera-

tion system. Those wishing to switch from

the time-based system to the task-based

system are cautioned to apply it after con-

sultation, as workers who are used to being

paid regardless of what they produce may

resist the change. International experience

has shown that, where the task system


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

has been adopted, workers have refused to

revert to the time-based system, provided

the task is fair.

One of the EPWP universal principles calls

for the selection of workers based on a

clearly defined process and defined criteria.

This implies that there should be no discrimi-

nation based on attributes such as political

or religious affiliation. The EPWP offers

guidelines on social facilitation to ensure

fair and transparent processes are followed.

Training is regarded as an important com-

ponent of the EPWP. Each project should

have a clear training programme for its

workers to improve their work performance.

Training will focus on needs and will be

implemented based on programme needs.

The contractor shall provide all the neces-

sary on-the-job training to targeted labour, to

enable such labour to master the basic work

techniques required to undertake the work

in accordance with the requirements of the

contract in a manner that does not compro-

mise worker health and safety. Pre-project

implementation training may be necessary

if a skills audit reveals the project target

area does not have people with the required

basic skills.

MaintenanceSome municipalities are investing a dispro-

portionate amount in construction, com-

pared to needful maintenance. This could

culminate in early rehabilitation at a cost

higher than that of early maintenance.

Maintenance provides longer-term employ-

ment than construction.

The ‘Study on Enhancing Labour Intensity

in the Expanded Public Works Programme

(EPWP) Road Infrastructure projects’

showed that maintenance generally yields

higher employment than construction. For

example, 73% of all employment

created under the roadworks

component was created for road

maintenance. The same study

showed that the Eastern Cape

and KwaZulu-Natal provided the

highest employment figures –

mainly due to their high-labour-

intensity Household Contractor

and Zibambele programmes.

Monitoring and evaluationThe top challenges facing the

EPWP include non-reporting and

under-reporting (e.g. doing work

but not reporting it) by public bod-

ies, and reporting of data of inad-

equate integrity (e.g. inaccurate ID

numbers). This creates a problem

when the auditor general suspects

fraud, when it’s just a case of poor report-

ing. Furthermore, non-reporting means some

public bodies will be considered to have

failed to meet their employment targets.

This may even lead to the withholding or real-

location of the incentive grant. The EPWP,

through the municipal policies, provides for

various support structures including district

forums, steering committees, community

liaison officers, champions and reporting

mechanisms that facilitate effective delivery.

In EPWP Phase 3, it is mandatory for public

bodies to report on services rendered and

assets created, and the subsequent impact

of these on the beneficiary communities. If

the data integrity is questionable, it would

not be possible to assess the true impact.

Training and supportLimited knowledge and orientation on

labour-intensive and employment-creation

methods among the technical practitioners

impacts on its implementation, and has

also contributed to the impasse. In recogni-

tion of this, the EPWP, in collaboration with

LG SETA, has conducted training at NQF

Level 5 for more than 723 local government

technical practitioners. In addition, there

have been interventions through provid-

ing labour-intensive orientation sessions to

various municipalities based on demand,

in which 438 officials have been trained.

EPWP facilitates the training resources and

the municipality provides for logistics.

As a support mechanism, the EPWP has

been availing resources including provincial

technical consultants, ILO technical support

(including dedicated deputy directors), guide-

lines and technical briefs. These resources

can help facilitate the various processes in

the project cycle. Success factors that have

contributed to exemplary municipal perfor-

mance are highlighted in Table 3.

The need for a balanced approach to service deliveryIt is well accepted that municipalities are a

significant hub for transformation of devel-

opment in the community, as they are the

ultimate point of contact with the communi-

ty. In this respect, there is a need to balance

the delivery of infrastructure and services

with the realisation of the social needs of

the community. A mindset shift is therefore

needed, particularly concerning technical

practitioners, whose main considerations

are usually quality, cost and time. Other

aspects need to be factored in, namely

the softer issues, including unemployment,

f

i

p

f

T

l

t

v

f

l

m

b

a

o

t

n

TABLE 3 Case study on success factors

RICHMOND MUNICIPALITY CITY OF CAPE TOWN

Utilising labour-intensive activities in all municipal and grant-funded projects and programmes

Implementing environment and culture, infrastructure and social sector programmes

Success factors• EPWP champions• Targets included in programme plans• Targets included in performance contracts

and work plans of employees• Timely reporting• Management committee responsible for

overall coordination with quarterly reports• Capacity-building within various

stakeholders to ensure common understanding and reaching consensus on targets

• Involvement of all department and units

Success factors• Buy-in from the top• Structures established• Targets set• Responsibility and accountability• Capacity-building • Innovation• Wide-ranging• Involvement of stakeholders at

various stages• Project documents require affirmation

that they are compliant to EPWP


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

poverty alleviation and inequality. With effec-

tive implementation of the above-mentioned

steps in the project cycle, concerns on qual-

ity, cost and timely delivery are addressed.

There is thus an opportunity to seek a bal-

anced approach that can provide the various

aspects in a balanced manner.

An imbalanced approach of either the

delivery of infrastructure or service, without

taking into consideration the needs of the

surrounding community or providing pro-

grammes without a tangible output, have

led to cases of disgruntlement within the

communities, increased poverty, inadequate

services and ultimately service delivery

protests and even the destruction of infra-

structure and services. The absence of

community involvement has led to a lack of

ownership and maintenance culture, which

leads to deterioration. This includes provid-

ing quality infrastructure at a reasonable

cost and in a timely manner, while putting

into place socio-economic aspects including

employment creation, skills development

programmes and enterprise development.

The maintenance of assets is an impor-

tant aspect in ensuring effective service

delivery. The thrust for construction without

recourse for maintenance has led to the

resultant lowering of asset condition and

value. Projects could also be structured to

include maintenance programmes, which

provide much more sustainable employment

creation.

There have also been challenges where

communities fail to identify with the infra-

structure and service provided, owing to the

absence of involvement, which results in

neglect and even sometimes the damaging

or destruction of the facility during service

delivery protests. The EPWP is a programme

whose design and involvement allow for the

community to participate in the implementa-

tion of programmes and have a resultant

ownership effect, which results in the pro-

tection of the asset.

There is thus a

need to rethink

and approach ser-

vice delivery from

a holistic angle,

considering the bal-

ance between the

infrastructure or ser-

vice and the social

needs of the peo-

ple – in this respect,

employment crea-

tion by embracing

the EPWP.

A way forwardIn addition to recom-

mendations already

made above, it is

recommended that

the public bodies

implement several

other measures, as

shown in Table 4.

There is also room

for ingenuity, inno-

vation and conver-

gence in developing EPWP programmes

for municipalities that meet municipal

objectives, which may vary. This is usually

recognised through incentives and awards

schemes, such as the Kgamotso Awards,

which awards exemplary municipalities.

Making it your businessThere are no EPWP ‘people’ in any organi-

sation. Every stakeholder is envisaged to

play a part – from technical officials and

those in supply chain management and legal

departments, to service providers. Each

stakeholder can make or break the EPWP by

their actions or failure to take action respec-

tively. One individual’s decision can make a

difference between creating 100 or 1 000

work opportunities. The person you help

employ may just be the person who would

otherwise turn crime in order to provide for

their family. It is therefore imperative that

all role players understand what their role is

and do the needful.

While this article has focused on what is

not working well and on recommendations

for improvement, it should be noted that

municipalities in general are doing a lot of

good work in terms of service delivery, the

creation of productive assets and contribut-

ing to employment creation.

For a full list of references, please contact [email protected].

*Article written by Nontyatyambo Manyisane, direc-tor: Large Projects, EPWP Infrastructure; Mfuneko Kango, deputy director: Technical Support, EPWP Infrastructure; Gamelihle Sibanda, chief technical adviser: ILO, EPWP Infrastructure; and Albert Uriyo, training advisor: ILO, EPWP Infrastructure

TABLE 4 Recommended interventions

AREA RECOMMENDED INTERVENTIONDesign • Hire designers competent in labour-based

methods• Estimation of employment targets to be part

of the design process• Align contract documents to EPWP

requirements. Different documents exist for different municipalities, which is an administrative burden, resulting in higher charges by service providers. A common EPWP document adopted by the municipalities would simplify the process

• Package contracts appropriately depending on the size of contractors being targeted and other socio-economic objectives; consider Large Projects concept

Implementation • Conduct social facilitation with relevant stakeholders

• Hire supervisors competent in labour-based methods

• Ensure reporting according to EPWP formats and time frames

• Adhere to the EPWP Ministerial Determination• Leverage the technical support provided by

the EPWP branchMaintenance • Ensure you use an effective asset

management system• Carry out effective asset maintenance while

creating employmentMonitoring and evaluation

• Data to be signed off by municipal manager before submission to EPWP

• Public bodies are encouraged to have an EPWP champion(s) to win the hearts and minds of colleagues

• Put in place effective coordination mechanisms, e.g. district forums in some provinces

• Incorporate EPWP in the performance agreements of senior managers

• Conduct baseline studies where necessary in order to assess post-project implementation impact

• Appoint dedicated EPWP technical/coordinating officials


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Bringing Cornubia to the community

THE HUMAN settlement compo-

nent of Cornubia involves some

15 000 housing units for indigent

beneficiaries. A social sustain-

ability and innovation programme is a cus-

tomised programme coordinated through a

mixed incubation and empowerment cen-

tre. The centre coordinates inputs from

various stakeholders, aimed at facilitating

social cohesion between, and economic

participation by, housing beneficiaries and

neighbouring communities.

Underpinning the initiative is the zero

unemployment drive. According to Tongaat

Hulett corporate director Bongani Gumede,

this incorporates community organisation as

a prerequisite for empowerment. A detailed

social demographic and skills database is

used as a base tool for planning. “We design

jobs around the capacity people have rather

than design jobs for skills we don’t have,”

says Gumede.

Cornubia is among a handful of pilot integrated human settlement developments and embodies public-private partnership between the government and Tongaat Hulett. By Nicholas McDiarmid

Key opportunity areas are:

• open-space environmental restoration,

landscaping nursery and commercial veg-

etable farming, through cooperatives

• workforce preparation for construction,

and various industrial, commercial and

private-home maintenance services

work opportunities

• back-to-school initiatives that facilitate

access to education at all levels.

“Cornubia comprises 400 hectares of open

space potentially hiding criminals, becoming

a dumping zone, promoting new informal set-

tlements, being a fire hazard, and promulgat-

ing alien and invasive plant growth polluting

the Ohlanga River catchment. Managing the

open space provides local employment,”

he says.

Community members are engaged on the

importance of environmental restoration and

management, and their participation in an

integrated greening programme. The pro-

gramme includes eradicating alien invasive

plants and, in declared open spaces, plant-

ing indigenous plants and trees, fruit trees

and vegetables. Gumede says the nurseries

will become a base for coordinating open-

space projects as Cornubia develops.

“Rehabilitating and maintaining the

Ohlanga River catchment effectively pro-

motes income security, which empowers

residents to meet their financial needs,

rather than solely depend on social grants.

Conducted in partnership with the Sukuma

Sakhe, Wildlands Conservation Trust, eThek-

wini Municipality’s Environment, Parks and

Solid Waste units, the alien invasive eradica-

tion project starts on Cornubia’s northern

boundary at the Ohlanga River and sees

community members eradicating alien plants

and trees along a 10 km river route.

Gumede says community members work

an eight-hour day and, in line with an inte-

grated development philosophy of bringing

work to the communities, live within walking

distance of their work sites.

Launched a year ago, the Blackburn infor-

mal settlement pilot project trains local

community members to grow vegetables

later sold to the open market, including

the local community. Tongaat had origi-

nally approached the local councillor to work

with the community and a cooperative was

formed to train them in permaculture.

Tongaat Hulett and eThekwini Municipality

Business Support unit purchased the origi-

nal infrastructure, equipment and pilot gar-

den seedlings. Vegetables are currently har-

vested monthly and the money deposited in

a fund for reinvestment.

The social sustainability and innovation

programme’s philosophy remains ensuring

every community is organised and members

meaningfully engage in social development

and economic participation to work for an

inclusive approach to growth and develop-

ment,” Gumede concludes.

Local community work on the 1 ha vegetable garden at Hillhead Estate

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Capacity-building guidelines

URBAN AND REGIONAL planning

is included as one of the main

role players in the vast multi-

disciplinary sector that is the

built environment. The role of urban and

regional planning is integral to the suc-

cess of, among others, sustainable and

efficient development.

Along with the democratisation of South

Africa in 1994, the new government

inherited the long list of spatial plan-

ning and development problems, which

included segregation, a fragmented spatial

system and various other problems with

economic implications.

As a result of the implementation of

‘wall-to-wall’ municipalities after the 1994

elections, many new municipalities, wheth-

er local, district or metropolitan, came

into being.

This development resulted in urban

and regional planning responsibili-

ties being assumed by newly estab-

lished and existing councils, which

often have not had the financial

means to employ full-time urban

and regional planners to manage

these responsibilities.

Recognising the need for physical

development planning at all levels,

IMESA has proposed a plan to equip

authorities with easily understood yet

comprehensive user manuals, which

are expected to assist in urban and

regional planning, and associated

responsibilities, through capacity

building. The project is to be under-

taken by Prof Carel Schoeman as the

project research leader and Ms Ilana

Jansen van Rensburg as the researcher.

Schoeman describes the project: “The pro-

ject consists of capacity-building guidelines

to empower municipal engineers and engi-

neering staff to have a basic understand-

ing of the theory, concepts, definitions,

practices and procedures underpinning the

profession of planning. The point of depar-

ture is not to train engineering staff to

become urban and regional planners, but

to enable such members of staff to engage

with planning specialists and related appli-

cations such as spatial plans and land

development applications.”

Purpose and contentThe purpose of this document is to provide

an understanding of urban and regional

planning and associated practices, the

policy and legislative framework that it

accompanies, and the implications it has

for spatial development, transportation,

environment, land development and layout

planning, the provision of engineering ser-

vices and housing, and sustainable devel-

opment, among others.

A basic knowledge of this will build the

capacity of staff working in related disci-

plines. It will also enable an understand-

ing of the processes supporting statu-

tory planning and the content of process

documents required for the development

of various categories of land applications,

which are to be submitted to all munici-

palities and tribunals along with an under-

standing of the engineers’ responsibility

Researchers from North West University, in association with IMESA, are in the process of compiling a capacity-building guideline. By Ilana Jansen van Rensburg

FIGURE 1 Project contents



HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

regarding the scope and extent of their

planning-related responsibilities.

The additions of the new Spatial Planning

and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA)

No. 16 of 2013, to the process of town

planning within the municipal structure

and the built environment, will also form

an important focus of the project, as it

will have great influence in town planning

applications and associated processes. The

goal will be to inform all parties involved of

these changes and guide them through the

transition from the old legislation towards

the integrated approach of SPLUMA.

As the interaction between urban and

regional planning and engineering forms

an integral part of this project, the project

will attempt to not only guide the engineer

dealing with town planning applications,

but also the town planner in understand-

ing the engineer’s role in the applications

they present.

Urban and regional planning in the built environmentThe domain of urban and regional planning

can be viewed from an inter face perspec-

tive, with the inclusion of other disciplines

such as engineering, architecture and envi-

ronmental management. Education and

the inter faces within the academic and

research environments are used to form

the basis of residential developments and

the like. Urban and regional planning,

and its associated policy and legisla-

tive framework, serves as the foundation

and integration between other disciplines.

There are also several challenges facing

NATAA URAL SCIENCES

HISTORY

ECONOMICSLAW AND LEGISLATIAA ON

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

ENGINEERING

MATAA HEMATAA ICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE

PHSYCOLOGY, YYSOCIOLOGY

POLITICALSCIENCE

RESEARCHAND DEVELOPMENT

Core URP focuses

Fields fundamental to URP

Secondary fields supporting URP

Fields related to URP (non-core)

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FIGURE 2 Micro and macro interface relationships between urban and regional planning, and other disciplines

the current urban and regional planning

domain in promoting cooperation between

professions in human settlement develop-

ment. Looking at the micro and macro

contexts in which urban and regional plan-

ning is included within a multidisciplinary

system also illustrates its close proxim-

ity to engineering, par ticularly engineering

planning. Figure 2 clearly indicates that

engineering is a fundamental and vital

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HUMAN SETTLEMENTS


aspect to urban and regional planning. It is also clear that

engineering cannot stand on its own, and needs support from

other disciplines. The result is an interdependent relationship

between not only the two fields in question but also within the

fields indicated as ‘Fields fundamental to URP’.

The project to dateThe project is well under way at the moment. The final

result is expected to be announced during the 2015 IMESA

Conference in Cape Town – with the most fitting theme:

‘Changing the face of the municipal engineer’.

Supporting data collection has commenced and several

sources will be consulted on this. During the 2014 IMESA

Conference, questionnaires were handed out to the attend-

ees. This was a major success, resulting in the question-

naires being sent to the various IMESA branches. Several

urban and regional planners were also included in the pro-

cess, as questionnaires were circulated to them.

It is expected that the data collected will emphasise the

need for this project, as predicted by IMESA in the past years,

and that it will also give guidance regarding the information

that should be included in the final product.

These questionnaires will furthermore be circulated through

the IMIESA newsletter and will also be available on the

website. The researchers’ contact details are included on

the questionnaires.

The researcherMiss Ilana Jansen van Rensburg obtained her BArt et Scien

(Planning) from the North West University in 2013, and is

currently enrolled for her MArt et Scien (Planning) focused

on the evaluation of the capacity-building guidelines in urban

and regional planning for engineers. It is expected that her

research will be completed by October 2015. She has also

acquired a diploma in Advanced Project Management from the

Potchefstroom Business School.

Raubex housing overview


HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Social franchising

ITS PIONEERING sanitation servicing

and maintenance model, launched

under the name Impilo Yabantu, is now

an established brand that does far more

than simply provide a service – it is changing

the landscape of sanitation in South Africa.

Oliver Ive is the managing director of

Amanz’ abantu, a position from which he

has developed unique insights into South

Africa’s sanitation challenges. “We identified

critical components that seemed to hamper

the sustainability of emerging enterprises:

financial viability, support in terms of running

a business, and developing of skills.” The

simple business case for the social franchis-

ing idea was to eradicate the need to pay

large amounts of money for highly trained

people to perform routine services that could

be done by local entrepreneurs.

The sanitation challengeThe roll-out of pit-type toilet systems

across South Africa happened very

rapidly, but with insufficient considera-

tion to managing the waste. Moreover,

legislation and the tender system have

placed significant barriers to entry

when it comes to companies offering

innovations and competitive solutions.

Some of the larger municipalities are

making progress but rural areas don’t

fare as well, with lack of capacity and

constant personnel changes.

Support and innovationImpilo Yabantu manages 22 fran-

chisees today all servicing the sani-

tation needs of schools, and some

Could a pioneering franchising concept utilising unskilled citizens prove to be the answer to South Africa's sanitation woes? Amanz’ abantu's social franchising innovation suggests that the answer may well be yes. By Nicholas McDiarmid

households as well. “Each franchisee is

capable of providing sanitation services to

a range of entities, from service stations

to clinics,” explains Ive. “Their range of

services can include fixing gutters and other

water-harvesting infrastructure.”

“By keeping the infrastructure they ser-

vice in working order and functional, the

franchisees offer an indispensable support

system to their communities,” says Ive.

Wealth from wasteAmanz’ abantu secured a contract with the

Department of Education to service schools

with on-site sanitation and water systems,

and thus secured a client with a broad

enough footprint from which to develop

the franchise.

“We look for entrepreneurs in communities

situated in our target areas; we advertise,

and people also approach us,” explains Ive.

“We actively canvas for individuals with an

entrepreneurial energy, and invite them to

consider becoming trainee franchisees.”

Once the franchisees have been prop-

erly inducted, the work begins. “We provide

close supervision, and a direct supervi-

sor is appointed to work with up to five or

six franchisees. There is great interest in

improving collective methodologies around

equipment, processes, pricing structure bill-

ing, and other components of a successful

business model.” says Ive.

Keeping the flow“It is the financial and skills support that

keeps the franchisees sustainable,” says

Ive. “The franchisees are ultimately respon-

sible for ensuring payments happen but, in

the public sector, payment is often delayed.”

Amanz’ abantu effectively cushions its fran-

chisees from this problem.

“We have taken on a lot of risks in this

regard, but all based on enforceable, banka-

ble contracts, backed by solid administrative

and procedural principles.” Amanz’ abantu

also reduces its franchisees’ administrative

burdens. “The public sector is awash in

administrative paperwork, and if the owner

of the franchise is overwhelmed by this, they

could lose touch with their teams, and put

the business at risk,” explains Ive.

The public sector challengeThe Department of Water and Sanitation has

a key role to play: “The DWS must provide

leadership to ensure maintenance and man-

agement of sanitation is handled effectively

before we face a chronic situation,” says Ive.

Safe and affordable solutions are needed

to address critical national issues,

including empowerment, skills and

business development, transforma-

tion, and environmental sustainabil-

ity. As a programme, it has proven

itself on all of these levels, and

the vision of a nationwide solution,

based on these principles, should

be pursued.

The essence of community“Collectively, we generally do better

than as individuals, and the cross

pollination of learning and innova-

tion is truly vital to our brand, which

stands for community development,

improved standards and service deliv-

ery in South Africa,” concludes Ive.

The franchisees offer an indispensable support system

to their communities

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TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY

A trenchless future

TO PAVE THE way for this modernisa-

tion of the harbour, a new and deep-

er 4.4 m diameter Durban Harbour

Services Tunnel constructed using

a “mix-shield” slurry tunnel boring machine,

the first in sub-Sahara Africa was built and

commissioned in 2006.

The other developments in the area saw

the emergence of a modern theme park

Ushaka Marine World and the Durban Point

Development Corporation (DPDC) up-market

residential buildings. These developments

contributed to a sharp rise in the value of

land at the Durban Point Area.

To pave the way for the future expansion of

the point Area for residential development,

Mahatma Gandhi Road sewage pump station

needed to be relocated and the incoming

gravity sewer extended by 223 m. The close

proximity of protected buildings dictated that

the sewer extension negotiate a difficult

radius before entering the reception shaft,

in the Durban Harbour Tunnel launch shaft.

Project backgroundAs one drives down Mahatma Gandhi Road

(formerly Point Road) at the Point Area of the

City of Durban one would be aware of the

odours from the sewage pump station, built

some 50 years ago. On the left hand side

of the road is the Transnet (National Ports

Authority) yard and on the right is a line of

protected historical buildings and further on

and around the existing sewage pump sta-

tion are a number of ‘up-market’ apartment

buildings developed by the Durban Point

Development Corporation (DPDC) as shown

Durban Harbour is one of the busiest ports in Africa. The National Ports Authority

needed to upgrade the port to accommodate larger ships. This required that the

harbour mouth be widened and deepened. By Montso Lebitsa, Hatch Goba, and Frank Stevens,

eThekwini Water & Sanitation and Herrenknecht Tunnelling Systems

in Figure 1. In order to free this valuable

land occupied by the existing pump sta-

tion, eThekwini Water and Sanitation were

requested to relocate the sewage pump sta-

tion along the Mahatma Gandhi Road.

A new home for the pump station was

found adjacent to the Durban Harbour

Tunnel, some 225 m from the current loca-

tion as seen in Figure 2.

To fulfil this objective, eThekwini Water and

Sanitation (EWS) appointed Hatch Goba to

design and manage construction of the new,

relocated pump station and decommission

the existing pump station. The new works are

adjacent to the newly expanded and deep-

ened Durban Harbour mouth. They comprise

223 m sewer gravity extension under the

Mahatma Gandhi Road, new underground

FIGURE 1 Durban Harbour mouth showing harbour tunnel and widening of entrance channel

FIGURE 2 Point Area setting



pump station and further rising main connec-

tions into the Durban Harbour Tunnel.

The new pump station was constructed

underground, comprising a pump station

dry well/wet well configuration, a screening

chamber and a state-of-the-art odour control

system. This relocation meant extending the

sewer by 223 m, following the alignment of

the Mahatma Gandhi Road, which is criss-

crossed by numerous buried services. Along

the relocation alignment, there were sensi-

tive, protected buildings. Due to these, com-

bined with the ground conditions (saturated

sands), sensitive services and to minimise

disruption to third parties and businesses

in the area, a no-dig installation method was

the most suitable for sewer extension.

Geotechnical settingThe site was located at the mouth of the

Durban Harbour, in an area previously occu-

pied by the mouth of the natural estuary of

the rivers draining into the south Durban

basin, and prior to that by the mouth of

the Umgeni River. A total of five boreholes

were drilled along the sewer extension align-

ment. Extending from ground level to depths

ranging from 1 to 2 m is a layer of fill mate-

rial which comprises the road layer works.

Underlying this are marine sands, slightly

gravelly sands and gravelly sands that are

almost indistinguishable from the in situ

sands below.

Underlying the surface fill horizon was a

consistent layer of light brown to brown,

generally medium dense to very dense, fine

to medium grained sands up to a depth of

5 m, with occasional layers of silty to clayey

sands below 5 m depth. In some areas the

sands become medium coarse-grained and

contain shell fragments. Holocene marine

sands, which extend to depths in excess

of 10 m, typically comprise a poorly graded

fine to medium grained sand with a minimal

amount of fines. Measurements using a

standard dip-meter, showed groundwater

levels of approximately 2.5 m below the

road level. Permeability test results based

on pump tests carried out during the inves-

tigation indicate that the in situ permeability

(‘k’), of the sandy materials underlying the

proposed pipeline route ranges between

5.16 x 10-2 and 5.8 x 10-1 cm/s.

Design considerationsThe objective of the initial study was to

evaluate the various sewer pipe extension

installation techniques available by taking

technical, financial and social-environmental

aspects into consideration upon which the

selection of the method would be based.

Some of the objectives of the study were to:

• investigate installation options within the

constraints of the site and alignment

FIGURES 3 AND 4 Services along the alignment of sewer extension; alignment of microtunnel sewer extension

• investigate known construction risks and

implications thereof

• provide the suitable recommendations

based on the conditions.

Socio-economic impactsThe following considerations were addressed

during the study:

Economic Issues: The detailed impact of

the preferred method and potential risks

associated with the project, were determined

including economic implications. There were

few businesses around the project area,

including the entrance to the harbour mouth.

A detailed economic impact was undertaken

for the selected installation methods, includ-

ing engaging affected third parties.

Geotechnical Issues: Fur ther ground

investigations were undertaken along the

pipe extension route. Several onsite and

laboratory tests were conducted to confirm

the ground conditions and their geotech-

nical properties. The water table levels,

groutability of the sands and the frictional

resistance between the pipe and soil mass

(skin friction) were determined for the design

and construction. The records indicate that

a lack of information on ground conditions

could lead to the encountering of potentially

costly, unknown construction hazards.

Env ironmental Issues: It was established

that the use cementitious grouting to sta-

bilise ground would likely cause some con-

tamination of groundwater. In sandy soils,



grout generally tends to follow a path of least

resistance, which could end up undesirable

places. However, this was not expected to be

a major concern in the project area, due to

proximity of the harbour channel.

The other major environmental impact and

concerns would emanate from material exca-

vation, haulage and disposal; mess caused

by open-trench installation method.

Sociological Issues: The single most sig-

nificant sociological impact identified at the

time would be disruption of road traffic,

which in turn would cause disruption to busi-

nesses, during the construction of the con-

nection chamber or during trench excavation

in the case of open-trench method.

The other indirect disruption could be

caused by disruption of utilities serving busi-

nesses and communities. The impact these

cannot be quantified during the study.

Installation optionsVarious construction methods for the sewer

extension were investigated, such options

as open-trench, conventional/traditional pipe

jacking” with dewatering or ground improve-

ment, horizontal directional drilling(HDD) and

microtunnelling were considered.

The options are listed below:

• microtunnelling

• pipe jacking

• horizontal directional drilling (HDD)

• open-trench

• pipe ramming.

The report highlighted the merits and demer-

its of individual sewer installation methods.

Each method was evaluated in detail includ-

ing the evaluation of cost and socio-economic

impacts and benefits. The complexity of the

project required a thorough determination

and examination of all risks, pros and cons.

Many of the risks have been identified and

discussed above. All options were assessed

for “potentially fatal flaws” and the identi-

fication of such flaws relating to individual

options were summarised in the table below.

In essence, all of the options were techni-

cally viable – but clearly with varying degrees

of construction hazards, the delimitation

of which were mostly related to the project

capital cost. The options evaluation and

subsequent conclusions were summarised

as follows:

Pipe Ramming: a simple to use method,

but cons outweigh the pros, as indicated

in the summary table below. In short, the

method is suitable for jacking up to 100 m

lines. Longer jacking distances require inter-

vention shafts or intermediate jacking sta-

tions. In addition, the sandy soils would

almost certainly require ground stabilisation

and the potential presence of obstructions

would likely to cause pipe to bend. All the

above issues made this option unfavourable.

Open Trench: most widely used and

accepted method in South Africa. Whilst its

use in the First World has fallen to near-zero

in urban areas for obvious reasons. Although

still used in build-up areas and city centres,

it is generally ideal for shallow, countryside

projects. In deep pipe installations (6 m

deep in the case of Mahatma Gandhi Road

Project) and soft ground, the trench side-

walls would generally require sheet-piles

and props support on sidewalls. Numerous

services criss-crossing the road would also

prove this method very difficult, unless the

service were relocated or trench was dug

in the third party’s land (NPA granite yard).

Dewatering of the trench would cause poten-

tially a degree of ground settlement. The

other factor making the method unfavourable

was the socio-economic impact (extended

disruption of traffic, likely disruption of ser-

vices and local businesses, indirect costs

associated with cutting and repair of the

road surface, etc.). The Open trench method

was therefore disqualified on the basis of

this endless list of risks and disadvantages.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD): rela-

tively cheap in comparison with pipe jacking

and microtunnelling. The HDD has limited

drilling capacity in terms of pipe diameter

(maximum 900 mm); therefore in order to

compensate for (or to match) the incoming

sewer pipe size, two bores would have been

required. One on the most difficult items

of the HDD would be to control and hold

a constant grade of the drilled pilot hole

and to maintain the alignment of the drill

head and reamer, which made it not a very

popular method for installation of gravity

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sewer mains. Hence steeper grades exceed-

ing 1:100, are preferred when using this

method. The consequence of this “necessity

for very steep grades” is the effect it has

upon the depth of the proposed sewage

pump station sump in which the sewer pipe

would discharge. To overcome the problem

of alignment control, watch pits/manholes

would be dug along the route to expose the

drill head and confirm the levels or adjust as

necessary. Digging these watch pits within

the busy, services criss-crossed Mahatma

Gandhi road would not have been an easy

and cheap task. As a consequence of above

arguments, the method was not very favour-

able for the project.

Pipe Jacking: a favourable method for

sewer pipe installations for short drives.

The cost estimate, availability of expertise

and technological application (suitability for

sewer pipe installations) made this option

very attractive. This method is normally suit-

able for used in all ground conditions but in

saturated dense sands (below water table).

Stabilisation of ground (in soft soils below

water table) would be a prerequisite for the

safety of personnel and equipment and also

to minimise potential ground settlement due

to volume losses.

Of all the considered ground stabilisations

methods (dewatering, bentonite/cement

grouting and ground freezing), none seem to

be flawless, particularly when there was no

track-record of use in similar circumstances.

The risk of these methods proving unsuc-

cessful on-site was appreciable. The selected

process would take a long time to attain

100% effectiveness and as a consequence

could be very costly.

Microtunnelling has the highest cost and

the lowest risk rating of the options con-

sidered. Without much detailed analysis of

options, It was established that the shorter

excavation duration, in comparison with other

options, this would compensate for higher

upfront cost in the long-term and would make

this option more comparable/competitive or

even more attractive than the second-best

(pipe jacking method), in terms of cost.

On the bases of analyses and arguments

discussed above it was concluded that the

microtunnelling option was the most suitable

sewer installation method for the Mahatma

Gandhi Road Sewage Pump Station incom-

ing gravity sewer extension and having least

negative impact on the known constraints.

Alignment optimisationAs areas increase in density, space becomes

cluttered with supply lines. One way to

accommodate the growing demand for con-

duits and services, including sewer lines,

would be to place them in tunnels freed from

the general plans on the surface. This was

typical along the Mahatma Gandhi Road and

the Point Area in general.

The sewer pipe extension alignment had

to be curved to avoid tunnelling under the

protected, historical ‘Harbour Master’s build-

ing’. This made it challenging to designing

and choosing suitable installation method

and equipment. Such curved microtunnels

are apparently very difficult to negotiate,

particularly if the alignment control was

critical, such as in flat grade sewers. In the

Mahatma Gandhi Road case, the break-in to

the pre-opened existing reception shaft had

to be very accurate, within a few millimetres

of accuracy. Deviation from line meant that

the machine would drill in the heavily steel

reinforced concrete wall.

To negotiate the curve, an experienced

operator had to carefully work the sensi-

tive steering rams in the machine, ensuring

the desired angle was maintained to avoid

overstressing the jacking concrete pipe, by

way of inducing point load on the concrete

pipe and also maintaining the alignment.

See Figure 3 and 4. The tunnel length was

approximately 225 m, consisting of:

• 115 m straight section from the jacking pit

• 105 m arc length with 350 m radius,

curved section to bypass the protected

historical, Harbour Master House

• 5 m straight section, breaking into the

existing harbour tunnel north shaft.

Jacking pipe designThe ground conditions dictated that only

a closed face, pressurised slurry type

MicroTBM was used for pipe installation. Due

to the Length of the tunnel being in excess

of the desired length for the conventional

hydraulic drive from container to machine,

Herrenknecht AVN-2000TC type machine,

owned by Coleman Tunnelling (Ireland) was

used, the type “AVN 1200TC”. See Figure 5.

FIGURE 5 MicroTBM before launch

FIGURE 6 HDPE-lined concrete jacking pipes



The client required that due to difficult

construction conditions, restricted access

to the sewer-line and the importance of the

sewer system, the 1 200 mm internal diam-

eter concrete pipe was to be designed for a

100-year life span. The reinforced, 145 mm

wall thickness concrete pipes with charac-

teristic strength of 40 MPa were designed,

taking into consideration the known fact that

the Durban marine environment is highly

corrosive. This, combined with the fact that

the concrete sewer pipe would be below

the saline groundwater table and corrosive

nature of sewage, required high durabil-

ity concrete to be specified. Although the

extrados of the pipe will be permanently

submerged, measures had to be put into

place to minimise material attack by salt

water. These materials included duplex

stainless steel collars and rubber seals for

pipe joints. A special grade (AISI 32507)

stainless steel was used for its resistance to

pitting corrosion. To eliminate chemical (sew-

age gases and hydrogen sulphide) attack to

the concrete, the pipe intrados was lined with

‘cast-in’, continuously welded HDPE. These

considerations and protection measures will

enhance material durability to achieve the

intended 100-year design life and beyond.

See Figure 6.

Emergency preparednessA contingency rescue shaft was allowed

for in the unlikely event that the MTBM

encountered an obstruction, such as old

ship anchors or timber piles and stoppage

of the tunnelling operations. In that case the

position of the machine head and all known

services would be marked on the surface.

Various available options were investigated,

including sinking a cassion shaft in front

of the machine head to recover the MTBM

or remove the object from in front of the

machine. While the obstruction was being

removed, bentonite would continuously be

pumped around the pipes to limit potential

ground settlements.

ConclusionsThe Mahatma Gandhi Road sewer exten-

sion micro-tunnelled pipejack was the first

use of a slurry machine and the first to do

a curved alignment in sub-Saharan Africa.

This machine demonstrated the capability

of technology to overcome the challenges

of tunnelling through difficult ground condi-

tions and negotiating curves and achieving

tight tolerances. According to the records,

this was one of the most successful curved

microtunnel projects in the world.

For a full list of references, please contact

[email protected].

Our range of services include:

• Pipe Bursting

• Horizontal Directional Drilling

• Pipe Rehabilitation

• Slip Lining

• Pipe Ramming

• CCTV Inspection

• Dewatering

• Industrial Pipe Cleaning

• HDPE Welding

• Deep Excavation and Shoring

• Underground Service Detection

• Close-fi t lining: COMPACT PIPE

For more information you can contact us: +27 (0)21 761 3474 F +27 (0)21 797 1151 E [email protected] www.tt-innovations.co.za

Trenchless Technology Specialist

FIGURE 7 Micro TBM and pipe installation in the jacking pit


PIPES

Fiberpipe announces BBBEE deal

THE CURRENT ownership of

Fiberpipe comprises an 82% share-

holding by Fiberpipe Holdings, with

the remaining 18% held by nine of

the senior personnel in the company, each

allocated 2%.

The shares of Fiberpipe Holdings are held

51% by an investment company and 49% by

the new BBBEE company.

Momberg says he wanted to build a busi-

ness that would be here for many years

to come. “To achieve this, one needs to

expand and, in order to have a sustainable

business, a strong management team is

essential,” he explains.

Nizaam Hendricks and Vanessa

Khathwane, shareholders of the BBBEE

company, have been appointed as directors

alongside two of Fiberpipe’s most senior

personnel, Anton Joos and Hein Pieters. As

a result of the BBBEE deal, both Fiberpipe

and Fiberpipe Holdings now have a team of

five directors.

In addition to this, Fiberpipe has appointed

two non-executive directors, being Lawrence

Saville and Peet van der Westhuizen. While

the BBBEE deal has been underway for

some time, the actual directorship changes

were effective from 1 September 2014.

Shareholders that make it happenIn making the decision to have a BBBEE

partner, Momberg explains: “We chose not

to go the route of a BEE investment com-

pany that just provides us with points. It was

important to have shareholders that actually

work in the company and contribute to the

growth of the business.

Fiberpipe, a Southern African GRP pipes manufacturer, has recently announced changes in the management of the company through a BBBEE transaction. What do these changes mean for the business of Fiberpipe? By Hein Momberg, managing director, Fiberpipe

“We chose not to go the route of a BEE investment

company that just provides us with points. It was important to have

shareholders that actually work in the company and

contribute to the growth of the business.” Hein Momberg,

managing director, Fiberpipe

“Both Hendricks and Khathwane, as part

of the management team, work in develop-

ing Fiberpipe’s new business, where they

are responsible for identifying new areas of

opportunity and for interacting with govern-

ment and municipalities. Where we previ-

ously focused our efforts on targeting the

consulting engineers exclusively, this is a

relatively new field for us in terms of our

development. We realise that the market is

changing and so are the decision-makers.”

From a strategic point of view, Momberg

says the company now has a much more

effective means of doing business with

government departments, such as the

Department of Water and Sanitation, munici-

palities and water boards.

“The municipalities and water boards are

now deciding themselves what pipeline tech-

nology they want to use on a specific project

and are no longer relying on what is recom-

mended by the consulting engineer. This

has changed the game in the sense that

we need to educate the various parties

about our GRP product and the significant

contribution it can make in Southern Africa’s

development,” he adds.

Fiberpipe’s visionMomberg says the company has moved

away from merely being a pipe supplier and

would like to become the preferred sup-

plier of piping solutions in Southern Africa

through its GRP/Flowtite range.

“Fibrepipe offers a total package to our

clients, from assisting with the design

of a pipeline, through to after-sales ser-

vice and maintenance. We now offer a

much wider spectrum of services. We have

further strengthened our vision through

the expansion of our field services. The

product that we manufacture can play a

critical role in the development of our coun-

try’s infrastructure.”


FLOWTITE™ GRP PIPES are a cost-

effective piping solution as the pipes

are corrosion free, have a proven

resistance to acidic environments

in water and sewage systems, and are light-

weight and therefore easy to handle. The

advantages of Fiberpipe’s Flowtite™ GRP

pipe systems go far beyond its light weight

and resilience, as the table illustrates.

Advantages of GRPHein Momberg, managing director of

Fiberpipe, has placed significant focus on

ensuring customers get the most value

from the company’s products: “Fiberpipe’s

combination of manufacturing and sales

engineering services enables us to deliver

value-added services based on the require-

ments of its customers.

Through partnerships, we find workable

solutions aimed at achieving maximum utili-

sation of pipe systems where operational

effectiveness is sought.” The company pro-

vides training in installation and mainte-

nance, free of charge to South African cus-

tomers, among other value-adds.

Flowtite™ GRP pipe and fittings are used

in potable, raw and industrial water applica-

tions, as well as in seawater, wastewater,

bulk water and sewer applications. The GRP

products are manufactured according to the

following local and international standards:

FIBERPIPE

Corrosion-free GRPFiberpipe is the sole Flowtite™ glass reinforced pipe (GRP) manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa. The advantages of Flowtite™ GRP pipes and fittings are increasingly appreciated in markets that reach beyond South Africa’s borders, including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi and widely used in Europe and the America’s.

CHARACTERISTIC ADVANTAGE

Corrosion-resistant

• long, effective service life• no need for linings, coatings, cathodic protection, wraps or other

forms of additional corrosion protection• low maintenance costs• hydraulic characteristics are essentially constant over time.

Lightweight (1/4 weight of ductile iron pipe, 1/10 weight of concrete)

• low transportation cost (able to nest pipes)• eliminates need for expensive pipe handling equipment.

Long standard lengths, 12 m

• fewer joints reduce installation time• more pipes per truckload means lower delivered cost.

Smooth bore • low friction loss• lower operating costs.

Superior hydraulic characteristics

• extremely smooth bore• Hazen-Williams flow coefficient of approximately C=150• low friction means less pumping energy needed and lower

operating costs• Manning’s flow coefficient n + 0.009• minimal slime build-up means lower cleaning costs• excellent abrasion resistance.

Precision Flowtite coupling with elastomeric gaskets

• tight, efficient joints designed to eliminate infiltration or exfiltration• ease of joining reduces installation time• accommodates small changes in line direction or differential

settlements without additional fittings.

Flexible manufacturing process

• custom diameters can be manufactured to provide maximum flow volumes with easy installation for slip lining projects

• custom lengths can be manufactured to provide maximum flexibility for ease of direct bury or slip lining installation.

Advanced technol-ogy pipe design

• multiple pressure and stiffness classes to meet the design engineer’s criteria.

PIPES | COMPANY PROFILE

t +27 (0)11 065 2300 • www.fiberpipe.co.za

SABS 1748-1 (glass-fibre reinforced ther-

mosetting plastic pipes), AWWA C950 (fibre-

glass pressure pipe for water services),

ASTM D3754 (fibreglass sewer and indus-

trial pipe), ASTM D2996 (filament-wound

fibreglass pipe) and AWWA C950 (fibreglass

pressure pipe). The 114-employee compa-

ny’s 13 500 m2 factory, located in Germiston

South, boasts a continuous filament winder

for the manufacture of Flowtite products.


WATER STORAGE

OUR 40-YEAR brand namely

Prestank has over the years

proven itself as a hygienically

safe, cost effective and reliable

way to store water for communities, com-

mercial sectors, private sectors and even

for personalized storage. We are one of the

preferred suppliers of water storage tanks

to municipal authorities and mines because

we are known as a supplier who always

strives to deliver our water tanks on time,

within budget adhering to the best quality

standards," says Cory. Recent notable pres-

tanks that were fabricated and installed by

Structa for mines are as follows:

• Venetia Mine A recent water tank was

provided to the De Beers Venetia Mine

in January 2014. This is an elevated

water tank on a 22 m stand 200 000 ℓcapacity. This tank has been fabricated

according to the strict quality specifica-

tions of Anglo American.

Supporting mines with water infrastructureMeyerton-based Structa Technology, a member of the Structa Group of Companies, is proud to be of service to the mines by assisting to provide much-needed water storage to mining companies throughout South Africa.By Rodney Cory, Structa Technology director, Prestank

• Kriel Colliery Two ground-level water

tanks were provided to the Kriel Colliery

namely a 500 000 ℓ and a 55 296 ℓ• Sishen Iron Ore Mine A 155 296 ℓ

ground-level tank was provided to

Sishen iron ore mine

• Impala Platinum Two water tanks both

103 000 ℓ were provided to Impala

Platinum shaft 20

• Anglo American Structa provided a

tank of 10 000 ℓ to the Isibonela col-

liery in Witbank.

Prestank may be used for various water stor-

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building sites, hospitals, water affairs,

municipalities, rural communities and agri-

culture. The Structa Prestanks are fully

customisable, high quality water storage

solutions that are manufactured according

to SANS guidelines and meet South African

hot dipped galvanising requirements.

There are many benefits to

choosing Prestanks:

• It facilitates construction of an infinite

range of sizes and configurations to

meet the specifications and needs of the

client: Handrails, walkways and lightning

protection are just a few examples of the

features available to our clients.

• The profile panel sections provide excel-

lent strength properties and are structur-

ally sound for storing water. The stand

is designed strictly in accordance with

SANS 10160 for wind and SANS 10162

for structural steel work. Tanks mounted

on steel towers above ground level have

an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

• Another major advantage of the sectional

tank design, is that it facilitates easier

handling and transportation over long

Hopetown specially designed L-shape tank


WATER STORAGE

MEYERTON

Fax: 016 362 3608

[email protected]

0861STRUCT (787828)

www.structa.co.za

Specialists

in the

manufacturing

of domestic

and industrial

water storage

WaterStorage

distances to remote areas, regardless of the final dimensions of

the assembled unit.

• Assembly on-site is quickly achieved without the need for sophis-

ticated tooling methods.

• Minimum maintenance

is required because the

galvanised steel panels

resist weathering from

the elements, while main-

taining the integrity of the

water within from contam-

ination of most forms.

• Access to the water tank

can be restricted by

means of a lockable, ven-

tilated access cover, pro-

viding safety and peace of

mind to our clients.

Structa’s pressed steel sec-

tional tanks are hot-dip gal-

vanized for corrosion con-

trol in accordance with the

requirements of the SANS 121 (ISO 1461) galvanising

standard. The thickness of the hot-dip galvanising coat

is applied within a range of 80 to 100 μm. This is more

than five times the thickness of zinc on pre-galvanised

corrugated steel cylindrical tanks. The purpose is to

ensure extended maintenance-free life in situations

where water with aggressively corrosive properties is

required to be stored.

The Structa Group of Companies consists of nine

subsidiaries active in the manufacturing and supply of

structural steel products for water, infrastructure (elec-

trification and telecommunications), mining, petrochemi-

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WATER & WASTEWATER

Chemical construction solutionseThekwini Metropolitan Municipality recently approved the rehabilitation of the KwaMashu WasteWater Treatment Works, situated about 25 km north of Durban.

can be used as a primer for all PUR and

polyurea systems.

Material enhancementThis was followed by a 1.5 mm layer of

Sikalastic-841 ST, a two-part, very-fast-

curing pure polyurea membrane designed

for machine application only. This versatile

product is suitable for waterproofing and

anti-corrosion applications on concrete,

steel and many other substrates. It is 100%

solids with zero VOC, is UV-resistant and

provides excellent crack-bridging properties.

Making it stickThe second application of Sika products,

for strengthening the roof slabs, was

awarded to AMFRA Maintenance Services.

After diamond-grinding the roof sur face, a

preparation layer of Sikadur-30 (8 kits) was

applied. Based on a combination of epoxy

resins and special filler, this structural

two-part adhesive is easy to mix and apply,

and offers high creep resistance under per-

manent load. The shrinkage-free hardening

of Sikadur-30 is not affected by high humid-

ity – a significant factor for this particular

project. It provides high initial and ultimate

mechanical resistance and is impermeable

to liquids and water vapour.

Calling in the reinforcementsTo complete this phase, a layer of Sika

CarboDur Plates (S512 x 11 m) was applied

KwaMashu Wastewater Treatment Works

THE CRUCIAL ROLE of chemical

treatment of the construction

materials is reflected in the speci-

fication of half a dozen chemical

products, applied in three separate phases

of the project.

The first application of the chemical prod-

ucts involved waterproofing the roof slabs,

which measured approximately 900 m2.

Contractor Industrial Linings Natal pre-

pared the surface area by grinding and

pressure-cleaning, prior to an application

of Sikalastic-EP Primer II, a two-part, low-

viscosity epoxy-polyamine resin. This mul-

tipurpose primer is easy to apply, with

short waiting times, and provides good

penetration and high bond strength. It is

suitable for internal and external use, and


WATER & WASTEWATER

WorleyParsons has a strong track record in delivering innovative solutions utilising pipelines, groundwater and membrane technologies and sustainability modelling for cost-effective water solutions.

- Over 30 years’ experience- Deep local knowledge- Global expertise- BBBEE Level 2

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WATER

Water Supply | Water Treatment | Industrial Water Management Minesite Water Management | Water Reuse & Recycling Chemistry and Geochemistry | Numerical Modelling

Water management

for sustainable business

over the adhesive. These pultruded, carbon-fibre-reinforced

polymer laminates are designed for external reinforcement of

concrete, timber and masonry structures.

This internationally approved product is used worldwide in a

wide range of applications including load increase, damage to

structural elements as in earthquake damage, service improve-

ments such as stress reduction in steel reinforcement, as well

as for changes to a structural system. Supplied in lightweight

rolls, Sika CarboDur Plates are very easily installed, while their

high strength and outstanding fatigue resistance provide excel-

lent durability.

Sealing the dealThe third and final stage of the project involved joint seal-

ing on the five digester tanks. Fakazi Construction applied

80 m x 2 mm of the Sikadur-Combiflex SG system, which con-

sists of a modified flexible polyolefin waterproofing tape with

advanced adhesion, to each tank.

The tank surfaces were prepared by scabbling, prior to a coat-

ing of Sikadur-31 CF Normal, a moisture-tolerant, thixotropic,

structural two-part adhesive based on a combination of epoxy

resins and special fillers. This high-strength adhesive and repair

mortar offers very good chemical resistance.

When fixed to a joint, the versatile Sikadur-Combiflex SG seal-

ing system allows for irregular and high movement in more than

one direction, while still maintaining a high-quality seal. It is

easy to install, extremely flexible, weather- and water-resistant

and is suitable for use in many difficult situations.

The main contractor on this project, Icon Construction, coor-

dinated the three subcontractors so that each Sika application

was done according to a scheduled programme. After receiving

the best possible rehabilitation, the KwaMashu Wastewater

Treatment Works is set for a structurally sound future.

After receiving the best possible rehabilitation, the KwaMashu Wastewater Treatment Works is set for a structurally sound future

Digester tanks

WATER & WASTEWATER

Unlocking future water sources

TOP OF THE agenda is wastewa-

ter reuse, desalination and pota-

ble water quality. The standard

solutions tend to entail massive

infrastructure capital spends and long-term

implementation. This focus on centralised

water catchment and treatment solutions is

largely based on an assumed economy of

scale: The bigger, the better; the cheapest

and the easiest to operate.

Local resources; local needsWhile we are looking for the mega projects

to solve the entire South African water crisis

we tend to forget about the smaller easier

projects that can assist with water supply.

The philosophy of decentralisation of water

treatment is based on a local water source

availability linked to a local need. With fail-

ing infrastructure which includes bulkwater

pipe lines, transporting water hundreds

of kilometres across the country, decen-

tralised water treatment starts making

sense for remote, smaller com-

munities and industries.

Global technologies for the South African economyAdvanced technologies have a smaller foot-

print, require less operator involvement

and are less dependent on chemicals for

South Africa is facing a water crisis. Widely reported on and a dominant conference theme, there is really only one question that needs to be answered: given the depletion of surface water in our country, where will our future water be sourced from?

water treatment. Quality Filtration Systems

(QFS) have localised leading global tech-

nologies and made them affordable for

South African market applications. QFS

have represented Evoqua (formerly Siemens

Water Technologies) in South Africa for over

14 years and have successfully implemented

potable and wastewater projects.

QFS is strategically positioned to provide

equipment through its in house manufac-

turing and implementation capabilities, all

of which are supported by its personnel’s

expertise and knowledge of all of the tech-

nologies required.

Wastewater reuseSouth Africa has many small wastewater

facilities (1 to 5 MlPD) scattered throughout

the country and most of the water at these

facilities is viewed as an environmental

contamination risk rather than as an actual

resource. Rural wastewater facilities have

typically been neglected, with insufficient

maintenance and incorrect operation, and

have, in essence, become liabilities.

These facilities compete with many other

services on the budgets of local authori-

ties and come with the additional expecta-

tion of producing water of a good enough

t +27 (0)21 853 5248 | f +27 (0)21 853 3870 | email [email protected] | P.O. Box 212, Somerset West, Western Cape 7130

Water Treatment Solutions for the Future www.qualityfilters.co.za


FIGURE 1 Design of compact

treatment facility with all relevant technologies included

WATER & WASTEWATER

quality to return to a natural water source,

like dams and rivers. Unable to deliver, these

plants have become liabilities. The proper

implementation of correct technologies can

transform these liabilities into income pro-

ducing assets, able to deliver water of a

high enough quality for use in irrigation and

industrial applications.

Predesigned systems and processesBiological treatment of raw sewerage is a

prerequisite for processing water for reuse.

The biological process must be able to pro-

duce water to acceptable limits for the reuse

process to accept this for further treatment.

QFS provides modular, pre-designed

systems that can be installed with mini-

mal site work which are comprised of the

following technologies:

• flocculation/clarifier

• 20 micron drum screen

• ultra filtration (UF)

• advanced oxidation

• granular activated carbon.

Flocculation/clarifierInstallation of the clarifier allows for floc-

culation to be included in the pre-treatment

process. Chemical dosages are confirmed

during final design phase but normally

include three dosing stations for the addition

of chlorine, pH correction and flocculants.

The clarifier combats high solid carryover

from the treatment works and also provides

the option of organic flocculation. Carry

over solids enter the clarifier and settle

out with assistance of the installed tubular

settlers. Tube settlers utilise individual, iso-

lated tubular channels, each sloped at 60

degrees to expand the settling capacity of

water clarifiers.

The modules are engineered with the indi-

vidual tubes rising in the same direction to

eliminate mixing currents and unstable flow

patterns. In plant design and upgrading,

less settling area is required as a result.

Structural ribs provide considerable vertical

loading structural strength and this unique

design ensures a solid interface during

installation. The sheet forming and bonding

processes provide tremendous strength and

long-term durability.

Grating panels are installed on top of the

tube settler packs, providing UV protection

from extended exposure to sunlight. The

grid replaces a possible mobile walkway for

access to the tube settler packs, providing

a protective layer from foot traffic and the

repeated hydraulic impact which occurs

during routine wash-downs. The top of the

tube settler modules should be submerged

approximately 450 mm to 750 mm below

the water surface.

20 micron drum screenClarified water overflows to the drum screen

in a concrete channel. The drum screen

filters from the inside of the drum to the

outside using only gravity pressure. The

drum can be installed as channel mounted

in a concrete structure. The drum starts

rotating automatically when a high water

level is reached, which in turn initiates

cleaning, which is done with a set of noz-

zles. Screened water automatically falls into

the UF buffer tank.

Ultra filtrationThe core component of the UF membrane

filtration module is the Memcor (model code

L20), which is proprietary technology. Each

L20 module is made of a bundled group of

hollow fibre membranes surrounded by a

protective plastic screen and sealed with

polyurethane ‘pots’ at both ends. The pots

allow filtered water to pass from the hollow

inner core or lumen of the membrane fibres

to the filtrate pipe sets. Each module is

placed inside a module housing. Each L20

module becomes a serviceable filter ele-

ment that can be removed from the CP Unit

housing for repair or replacement.

The L20 module hous-

ing acts as a pres-

sure vessel for each

membrane filtration

module. Each L20 module

housing has two headpieces, two outer

sleeves and a centre tube. Valves in the

headpieces isolate both the inlet feeds and

the filtrate outlets. The valves are operated

using a Memcor designed filtrate isolation

valve tool. O-rings create watertight seals

between the different components at con-

nection points.

inner core or lumen o

se

ule

s

mo

re

he

in

s

m

du

ea

re

ot

he

sig

re

nt

to the filtrate pipe

placed inside a mod

module becomes a

ment that can be rem

housing for repair or

Th

mod

housing has two h

sleeves and a centr

headpieces isolate b

the filtrate outlets. Th

using a Memcor des

valve tool. O-rings c

between the differen

nection points.

FIGURE 2 Ultra filtration module housings


t +27 (0)21 853 5248 | f +27 (0)21 853 3870 | email [email protected] | P.O. Box 212, Somerset West, Western Cape 7130

Water Treatment Solutions for the Future www.qualityfilters.co.za

WATER & WASTEWATER

In filtration, feed water enters the module

array through the feed ports in the end

pipe sets, passes into the filtration mod-

ules, and through the membranes. Filtrate

exits the module array through the filtrate

ports and pipework flowing to the filtrate

storage tank or service discharge point.

All valves and pumps are controlled by the

Master PLC.

What is the master PLC?Flow rate is monitored by the feed flow meter

and VSD controlled feed pump. Filtrate pres-

sure is indicated on a pressure gauge and

by a filtrate pressure transmitter on the

filtrate side of the module array.

Advanced oxidationThe advanced oxidation process of ultra-

violet radiation in combination with hydro-

gen peroxide (UV/H2O

2) is well known and

documented. The H2O

2 is dosed after the car-

bon filters before the UV light. Considerable

information is available about the UV- and

UV-oxidation-based formation of by-products

such as nitrite, assimilable organic carbon

(AOC), and bromate.

The formation of biodegradable organics

is related to the nature and concentration

of dissolved organics in the water. These

organics are measured as dissolved organ-

ic carbon (DOC). GAC filtration appears

to be an effective means of reducing the

AOC level of the UV/H2O

2 treated water

producing biologically stable water; thus

the suggested installation of the GAC after

the AOP.

Granular activated carbonThe granular activated carbon media filter

consists of modified steel pressure vessels.

Water enters the vessel from the top and

FIGURE 3 Filtration in hollow fibre membrane


exits at the bottom. Backwash is performed

by a flow reversal and 4 x filtration flow

rates used for proper fluidisation of the

media bed. The granular activated carbon

is made of selected virgin coal, produced

under high-pressure extruding and strictly

controlled steam activation processes at a

high temperature. This carbon is character-

ised by large surface area, uniform porous

structure, high hardness, enhanced filtra-

tion and regeneration able.

ConclusionThis solution is without doubt one of the

most effective processes for water reuse

projects worldwide and QFS has geared

up specifically to extend the product into

the South African market. Its reliability,

ease of installation and operation and tried

and tested results make it a compelling

answer to the immediate challenges faced

by South Africa.

Transformation of a liability into an asset

is always a win-win scenario, and by re-using

and repurposing what was once simply a

contaminant into a resource for agriculture

and industry is a compelling part the coun-

try’s water solution puzzle. QFS not only

designs and supplies the solution; it has

invested in its own resources to offer the

support and expertise required for sustain-

able solutions – notably at municipal level.

This hands-on approach makes QFS agile

enough to support bespoke changes that

might crop up at final design stage, deliver-

ing the economy of pre-designed modular

technology with all the benefits of tai-

lored design.

+27(0)860 482 [email protected] Industry Leaders in

Water Storage www.sbstanks.co.za

5382

This solution is without doubt one of the most effective processes for water reuse projects worldwide and QFS has geared up specifi cally to extend the product into the South African market

Concrete was there…

www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za

New and independent, The Concrete Institute, created for concrete and related industries,

incorporating the original School of Concrete Technology, the Information Centre and

Technical Advisory services.

CEMENTAND CONCRETEData shows a significant steady growth in cement consumption, indicating a continuous increase in the use of concrete in general construction and infrastructure. As cement and concrete markets become increasingly dynamic, the need for innovation is important, while precast cement has seen some important developments.



CEMENT & CONCRETE

Concrete industry gets tough

SARMA ADVOCATES using quality

concrete only from suppliers that

have been audited and accredited

to have adequate safety, health,

responsible road usage, environmental pro-

tection and quality systems in place. This

would ensure that concrete delivered on-site

is of a sufficient standard, minimising the

risk of future failures. Recent high-profile

concrete failures, building collapses and

the dismal state of certain low-cost housing

developments have caused the construction

industry to become increasingly aware of

the importance of dealing with accountable

suppliers and insisting on procuring concrete

from accredited suppliers only.

Working togetherSpeaking at a recent Sarma regional meet-

ing in Gauteng, general manager Johan van

Wyk says that the association had begun

engaging member organisations within the

construction industry, as well as government

and local government structures, to work

together to make the specification of Sarma-

accredited readymix concrete mandatory.

“This is beginning to pay dividends and

already a number of these industry organi-

sations, several municipalities, mines

etc. have begun to stipulate the use of

Tightening specifications for readymix concrete has led to a

substantial growth in the membership of the Southern Africa

Readymix Association (Sarma) from companies seeking to obtain

formal accreditation of their plants and processes.

Sarma-approved readymix on their sites. A

positive effect of this is that more and more

companies are joining Sarma and undergo-

ing our separate annual audits for environ-

mental compliance, as well as safety, health,

quality and road safety compliance.

“These systems are based on ISO stand-

ards and are therefore internationally rec-

ognised and sufficient grounds to establish

minimum standards for our industry. In

addition, Sarma has its own unique require-

ments and all members are bound to uphold

our codes of conduct, as well as abide by all

relevant legislation governing the industry."

Rising quality“As a result of this, the standard of readymix

concrete delivered in South Africa is higher

than ever before and, provided they make

use of Sarma-accredited members, users

are assured of receiving concrete that com-

plies with, and often exceeds, our very high

minimum standards. Unfortunately, there

are still a number of unregistered readymix

companies who do not want to abide by

these standards and the quality of concrete

in these instances can be a hit-and-miss

affair,” says Van Wyk.

He continued that membership of Sarma

had grown to nearly 200 readymix plants this

year, with approximately 50 producer mem-

bers. The increased collection of levies has

assisted the association to reach out further

to spread awareness of the importance of

dealing with accredited members, as well

as continuing to work with government and

other structures to make Sarma-accredited

readymix the construction material of choice

on all projects within Southern Africa.

The introduction of unannounced audits on

member sites would also be instituted from

next year to ensure plants run in compliance

with requirements year-round and to prevent

any ‘window-dressing’ that may occur around

audit times. Training workshops for members

will also be stepped up and skills develop-

ment of workers within the industry will

remain a top priority.

Always improving“We are also looking at other initiatives to

join global readymix bodies in the USA and

Europe, to begin fast-response teams to

clean up concrete spillages and to become

the registering authority for concrete tech-

nologists in South Africa.

“We will also continue working with bod-

ies such as the Construction Industry

Development Board, municipalities, engi-

neers, institutes, and member organisa-

tions to ensure that the quality of concrete

delivered is raised to a level where it can

compete with the best in the world,” Van

Wyk concludes.

Johan van Wyk, general manager of Sarma

We will continue working... to ensure that the quality of concrete delivered is raised to a level where it can compete with the best in the world


CEMENT & CONCRETE

Preparing for a busy 2015

THE 2015 EDUCATION programme of the School

of Concrete Technology (SCT), operated by The

Concrete Institute, is now available.

John Roxburgh, lecturer at SCT, which is based in

Midrand, says the need for skills upliftment in the construction

industry has never been more vital, as South Africa prepares

for the long-awaited roll-out of tenders for government’s strate-

gic infrastructure projects in 2015.

“We are expecting a busy year. Companies in the construc-

tion and civil engineering industries, in particular, should use

this opportunity to invest in their employees’ skills and career

development by enrolling them for a SCT course. Using the

SCT’s stepped approach to concrete education, an employer

can map out a progressive career path for the employee,

who could then start his or her concrete education at a level

matched to individual competencies,” Roxburgh states.

The School of Concrete Technology is South Africa’s leading

provider of education in concrete technology, with a broad

spectrum of courses, and caters for a wide variety of edu-

cational needs within the construction, mining and concrete-

related industries.

“A SCT certificate is instantly recognised and highly regarded

across industries. A qualification in concrete technology will

open doors in many different fields of employment at a critical

time in South Africa’s infrastructural development,” he adds.

The SCT will present ‘the pinnacle in concrete technology

education’, the Advanced Concrete Technology (SCT50 ACT)

diploma, in 2016. This internationally acclaimed qualification is

locally presented by SCT on behalf of the Institute of Concrete

Technology in London.

Matthews Magwaza is one of the team of lecturers at The Concrete Institute’s School of Concrete Technology, which is facing a busy 2015


CEMENT & CONCRETE

Transparent materials

THE MINISTER of Human

Settlements called on all involved

in the industry to work together

to build 1.5 million houses within

the next five years. In order to do this, the

department had committed to addressing

a number of key issues that had stood

in the way of closer cooperation in the

past and had taken various steps to unite

the industry.

These included working more closely with

financial institutions to obtain loans for

home owners, to procure land, establish

a dedicated unit to ensure payments are

made on time, establish an office of an

Ombudsman to deal with disputes, create

forums to deal with bottlenecks, use the

Cuban model of youth brigades to train

young people to build houses and partake in

the economy, as well as speed up the issue

of granting title deeds.

Support for initiativeIn response, the Aggregate and Sand

Producers Association of Southern Africa

(Aspasa) and the Southern Africa Readymix

Association (Sarma), representing compa-

nies that supply sand, stone and readymix

concrete, produced a combined list of pledg-

es on behalf of members.

According to Nico Pienaar, a director

on the boards of both associations, they

support the initiative of the Minister of

Human Settlements to let all South Africans

have a home of their own and uplift the dig-

nity of the entire population.

“While Aspasa quarries are regulated by

the Department of Mineral Resources, there

is no such oversight on the side of Sarma

members. That is why the association plays

such an important role in self-regulating

the industry and ensuring that we uplift the

standards and quality of readymix concrete

delivered in South Africa.

“Already our members are subjected to

annual audits for safety, health, road trans-

port, environment and quality. This means

that they already have their eye on quality

and high levels of service delivery. As a

result, the pledges that we are making are

not a distant aspiration, rather they can

(and will) be achieved with the cooperation

of the government and other role players,”

Pienaar says.

Putting a stop to corruptionIncluded in the pledge is the need to stamp

out corruption in the housing and related

industries. Aspasa has called on its mem-

bers to help eradicate the scourge of cor-

ruption at all levels within the quarrying and

construction industries.

Whether corruption is experienced at the

point of mining minerals, or to procure

business for the building of infrastructure

or other large-scale projects, these dishon-

est business dealings put a strain on the

country’s economy. It also has the potential

to derail any meaningful efforts to build sus-

tainable and competitive industries in future.

“We are committed to ending corruption

affecting our industry and appeal to any

of our members who suspect dishonest

dealings to take decisive action. As an

association, we want to set the groundwork

to make it extremely difficult for anyone to

be involved in corrupt activities. That is why

we need to join hands and become active

members of the association and begin to

act on behalf of everyone within our indus-

try,” Pienaar adds.

Committing to closer cooperationThe pledges put forward by the

associations include:

• To strive towards supplying quality aggre-

gate, sand and readymix concrete to

human settlements projects

• To work with the provincial Departments

of Human Settlements to reduce payment

Associations representing the main materials used in the construction of houses have thrown their weight behind Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s call for cooperation within the construction sector, by signing a number of pledges on behalf of members.

ABOVE Aspasa quarries are regulated by the Department of Mineral Resources

OPPOSITE Aspasa members are subjected to annual audits for safety, health, road transport, environment and quality


CEMENT & CONCRETE

ABSOLUTE INFRASTRUCTURE

Suitable for: Available in:

www.technicrete.co.za

paving | mining | masonry | roof tiles | erosion protection retaining walls | drainage | kerbs | precast products

delays for material supplied to the indus-

try, to allow companies to be paid within

an acceptable period i.e. a maximum of

60 days.

• Member companies are to work with

national and provincial departments, as

well as municipalities, on issues relating

to housing and thereby supporting the

government’s initiative to build 1.5 mil-

lion houses in five years. These houses

should be built with quality materials

and products.

• Once payment and issues of transpar-

ency within the department have been

resolved, to support and lead issues

and advise on plans that are drafted to

build more houses. (The industry has

spare capacity to supply aggregate, sand

and readymix.)

• All members will be requested to report

cases of corruption to the Ombudsman

and the minister. Members will also be

requested to not in any way be involved

in paying bribes or any form of business

that is corrupt.

• To attempt to work with the National Home

Builders Regulatory Council (NHBRC),

thereby ensuring that quality, professional-

ism and standards are met in the housing

sector in South Africa.

• To involve local communities where indi-

viduals or non-profit organisations want to

assist individuals to build their own homes

with quality materials.

• To serve on an advisory group to advise

the minister on issues relating to achiev-

ing the goal to build houses for all

South Africans.

Government must helpIn addition to the pledges, the two asso-

ciations had some of their own input and

concerns that needed to be addressed

by government.

Aspasa requested that the department

assists with the eradication of illegal mining

of sand and aggregates, while Sarma asked

that government ensures that substandard

readymix concrete (including substandard

cement imported into South Africa) should

not be used on any government projects

in future.

“As suppliers of key building materials on

almost every building site, our members

are committed to working with government

and role players to meet the needs of the

population. We also wish to deliver only qual-

ity materials so that our people – many of

whom have waited so long for houses – can

have houses they are proud of and can call

home,” concludes Pienaar.


CEMENT & CONCRETE

Accelerated housingDelegates at this year’s Readymix Conference by Sarma were able to witness first-hand how tilt-up construction can be used to speed up the delivery of houses or infrastructure such as hospitals or police stations.

TILT-UP CONSTRUCTION is an

established type of construction

in which floors and exterior walls

are cast in concrete and lifted

into place once they have been sufficiently

cured. The walls are then simply fastened

and roofing and other elements are affixed.

While this building practice is used exten-

sively on shopping centres in South Africa,

it is only recently that contractors and

government departments have begun look-

ing at the method for quick construction of

housing developments.

Faster, simpler, strongerCharles van Eck of Tilt-Up Construction

says the main reason that this type of

construction is becoming popular is its

speed of erection, as well as improved

construction quality. “There is a massive

skills shortage, and the quality of work

and speed of delivery of standard bricks

and mortar construction can no longer

be guaranteed.

“The tilt-up method overcomes

this by using moulds that simply

need steel reinforcing and services

(plumbing electricity) to be put in

place, and quality readymix to be

poured in and settled. Construction

can be done within a small foot-

print with walls cast on top of each

other using bond breakers between

each layer.

“Within a week or two (depending

on curing times), the walls can then

be erected, the roof put on and

services connected. The construc-

tion can be semi-industrialised and

manufactured in a production-line

type process. That means you can pour

walls for several houses at a time, and

while they are curing you can be doing

foundations for the next batch and erecting

others,” says Van Eck.

Benefits of tilt-up construction include:

• high-quality finish

• speed of construction

• super-strong, hard-wearing/durable walls

• cost-effectiveness

• efficient use of labour.

The process also requires less special-

ised skills and consists of setting a

perimeter formwork on a sacrificial slab,

applying bond breakers, fixing, reinforcing,

positioning and securing lifting bracing

inser ts, casting and floating panels, cur-

ing, erecting and temporarily bracing the

structure, and finally connecting into the

unified structure.

Van Eck concludes that it can be cast to

suit needs, including multistorey for univer-

sity hostels, mines, affordable living etc.

“Tilt-up has evolved to meet shortfalls and

delivers a high-quality product that is gain-

ing acceptance throughout the country and

is destined to become a building method

of choice.”

LEFT Walls are cast

ABOVE Cured structures are lifted into place

IME

SA

AF

FIL

IAT

E M

EM

BE

RS

AECOM [email protected] Broom Road Products [email protected] SA [email protected] [email protected] Manufacturing Infraset [email protected] Africa Group Holdings [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Bosch Munitech [email protected] Stemele [email protected] Brubin Pumps [email protected] Consulting Engineers [email protected] Consulting Engineers [email protected] Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa [email protected] Built Environment [email protected] Bank of SA [email protected] Plastics [email protected] Engineers [email protected] Kent Metering [email protected] Engineers [email protected] South Africa (Pty) Ltd [email protected] [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Goba [email protected] [email protected] Technology [email protected] Enterprises [email protected]@Consulting [email protected] Consulting [email protected] [email protected] Environment [email protected] and Green [email protected] Water [email protected] Consulting Engineers [email protected] & Templer (K&T) Consulting Engineers [email protected] Base [email protected] Water [email protected] Narasimulu & Associates [email protected] Padayachee & Associates (Pty) Ltd [email protected] Consulting Engineers [email protected] Pipe Systems [email protected] & East [email protected] [email protected] Macdonald PDNA [email protected]

Much Asphalt [email protected] Consulting (Pty) Ltd [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Engineering Systems [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] HaskoningDHV [email protected] SABITA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Water Systems [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Lines [email protected] SA [email protected] Water Company [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Sobek Engineering [email protected] African Society for Trenchless Technology [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Pumps Wastewater [email protected] Syntell [email protected] Engineers East London [email protected] Consulting [email protected] Consulting [email protected] [email protected] VIP Consulting Engineers [email protected] VOMM [email protected] VUKA Africa Consulting Engineers [email protected] Institute of Southern Africa [email protected] Water Solutions Southern Africa [email protected] South Africa [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Group Africa [email protected]

IMESAIMESA

BMK Consulting [email protected] Pragma [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATES


CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT

Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape recently had a tall order to be completed when a rotor from a wind turbine had to be removed in order to repair a damaged blade.

TO COMPLETE this challenging task,

Johnson Crane Hire deployed its

Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 (750 t) all-

terrain crane, for client FairWind

Installation. The LTM 1750-9.1 was added to

its fleet towards the end of 2013 due to an

increased demand for specialist lifting in the

local wind energy sector.

“We have had a number of enquiries for

repairs to wind turbines in the Eastern Cape

after completing the FairWind contract,”

Janet Barnes, key account manager, says.

Johnson Crane Hire has already erected four

wind generators at Darling Wind Farm in the

Western Cape.

The rotor was replaced in July, with Grant

Parker from Johnson Crane Hire’s Heavy Lift

division overseeing the set-up and stripping

of the crane. The estimated time for repairs

to the damaged blade was about seven

days. However, strong winds delayed the

repairs to the damaged blade as well as the

replacement of the rotor.

Scope of the workEach turbine comprises an 80 m high tower,

three 49 m blades, a nacelle with the gener-

ator and gearbox, and a transformer box on

the ground. The weight of the hub and blades

totalled 62.5 t. The height from ground level

to the centre of the hub was 80 m.

“The crane was configured with a main

boom of 49.1 m, an insert of 19 m and a

28 m luffing section, totalling 96.1 m, allow-

ing for a hook height of 90.19 m,” Parker

explains. He adds that the LTM 1750-9.1

Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm gets a lift

The hub and blades weighed 62.5 t, while the height from ground level to the centre of the hub was 80 m


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Cat®. Excellent at Groundwork.

is perfect for this application as it is able

to move quickly between the various hard

stand areas due to its ability to be set up

and stripped fairly quickly.

The nine-axle crane has the advantage

of its complete telescopic boom remain-

ing attached during transportation on pub-

lic roads. Its maximum lifting capacity is

750 t, at a 3 m radius, while its operational

weight is 108 t and its total counterweight

is 204 t.

Johnson Crane Hire operates across South

Africa with a fleet of hydraulic and crawler

cranes ranging from 8 t to 750 t on both short-

and long-term projects. The company works

in conjunction with its customers to design

optimum lifting solutions, ranging from sup-

plying professional operators and full super-

vision, to all necessary rigging equipment in

a single-source-supplier approach.

Johnson Crane Hire deployed its Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 (750 t) all-terrain crane for FairWind Installation

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TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Geotextile drainage solution

An area already bustling in infrastructure required a novel solution to managing the impact of a new hospital on its water table. A geotextile solution proved to be the answer to this hydro challenge.

THE SITE FOR this new Mediclinic

Hospital in Midrand Estates has

undergone extreme excavation

operations to accommodate base-

ment parking. The vast Midrand Estates in

Gauteng, which comprises the Midstream,

Midfield, Midlands and Midstream Hill

estates, boasts not only upmarket residen-

tial properties, but also private schools,

shopping centres, sports and recreational

facilities, fuel stations and churches. To

add to all these facilities, a new hospital

was constructed on Midstream Hill by main

contractor Basil Read. Jodan Construction

undertook the earthworks, including the

installation of the subsoil drainage systems.

Soil conditionsThe site for this new Mediclinic hospital in

Midrand Estates has undergone extreme

excavation operations to accommodate base-

ment parking. With the natural flow of ground

water having been altered, resulting in a high

water table being exposed in the cuttings,

it was imperative to install an effective

drainage system. This is when consulting

engineers Endecon Ubuntu proposed that

a specific Kaytech geotextile would be the

most suitable product for the problem faced.

The difficulty in this area is the vast amount

of different in situ soils, ranging from sandy

material to black clay and, of most concern

at the hospital site, the presence of residual

granites and ferricretes. These subsoil con-

ditions could result in clogged drains, by

means of ferric oxide build-up on convention-

al woven and nonwoven continuous filament

geotextiles. Thus a drainage product with

larger openings was a necessity.

Fit for purposeThe engineers specified Kaytech’s Geomesh,

a dimensioned, PVC-coated, multifilament

woven polyester, designed for soil reinforce-

ment and as a high-modulus separator in

composite drains. The conventional method

of drainage would be to utilise washed river

sand dimensioned as backfill over slotted

pipes. However, this sand may also potential-

ly clog over time and the engineers proposed

that a select, suitable geotextile would be

the most practical solution for the problem at

hand, since its installation is similar to that

of a conventional subsoil drain, which is more

familiar to the site labour.

Natural interactionsOther factors in this decision were the

cost implications of importing washed river

sand and that the structure of Geomesh

is very similar to the retention character-

istics of medium- to coarse-grained river

sand. The final product consisted of the

installation of a conventional shaped drain:

300 mm x 300 mm, with a 110 mm slotted

pipe, and 19 mm stone; all of which was

wrapped with 2 500 m2 of Geomesh.

Although it is expected that some fine

material will wash through the Geomesh,

it will eventually create a natural reverse

filter at the interface. The larger openings

in Geomesh are known to retain grain sizes

of 0.4 mm to 2.0 mm, which will definitely

assist to prevent the system from becom-

ing blinded or clogged by the extremely

varied sub soils.

Midstream MediClinic – various in situ soil types posed a challenge for effective drainage

Measuring up

A new precision temperature scanner has been introduced to the market.

THE SCANNER, which is ideal for

applications such as thermal map-

ping, process sensor calibration,

quality control testing, life-cycle

testing, process monitoring and environ-

mental testing, will prove useful for vari-

ous industries including pharmaceutical,

biotechnology, food processing, aerospace,

and automotive.

Comtest, Fluke’s local representative, has

introduced the 1586A Super-DAQ precision

temperature scanner, which features up to

40 analogue input channels and scan rates

as fast as 10 channels per second.

With the flexibility of both internal and exter-

nal input modules, the 1586A is designed for

use both on the factory floor where channel

count and scan speeds are important, and in

the calibration laboratory where accuracy and

quick input connections are required.

Multitasking at its bestThe 1586A can measure thermocouples,

platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs),


TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

ASM LXHS15 & 20mm

Plastic

Cape Town:021 510 4266

or021 510 8408

Johannesburg: 011 609 4647

or011 609 6336

[email protected]

LEVEL 2

‘When the Bottom Line

counts’‘Order your

water meters from

South Africa’s fastest growing

water meter company with theirstocks of

NRCS TYPE APPROVED

brass or plastic

water meters’

ASM LXH15 & 20mm

Brass

thermistors, DC current, DC voltage,

and resistance.

It offers best-in-class temperature meas-

urement accuracy of plus-or-minus 0.005°C

for PRTs, 0.5°C for thermocouples, and

0.002°C for thermistors.

The Super-DAQ has a colour display with

channels that can chart up to four chan-

nels simultaneously. It features four modes

of operation (scan, monitor, measure and

digital multimeter) and alarms that indicate

when a channel measurement exceeds an

assigned high or low limit.

It has 20 MB of onboard memory for stor-

ing data and configuring files, a USB port to

collect and store files to a USB drive and a

LAN interface for easy connection to PCs

and networks. It also includes a dedicated

RS-232 interface to control Fluke Calibration

dry-wells or temperatu re baths for auto-

mated tests.

The 1586A Super-DAQ precision temperature scanner


ALCO-Safe 68

Amanz’ abantu 42

Ammann Construction Machinery South Africa OFC

AnyWay Solid Environmental Solutions 23

Argus Africa Bitumen 26

Aveng Manufacturing Infraset 2

Barloworld Equipment 69

Barloworld Equipment Metso IFC

Development Bank of Southern Africa 29

ELB Equipment 48

Fiberpipe 52

IMESA Call for Papers 28

Incledon 4

Jan Palm Consulting Engineers 72

Krohne 18

Much Asphalt 27

National Asphalt 19

PHB Civil Engineers 33

Precision Meters 71

Quality Filtration Systems 57

Rocla 41

SA Readymix Association 63

SBS Water Systems 59

Sika 11

Sizabantu Piping Systems 44

Structa Group 54

Technicrete 65

The Concrete Institute 60

Tosas 14

TT Innovations 50

Vital Engineering 24

Water & Sanitation Services OBC

WorleyParsons 56

WRP IBC

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Specialist Waste Management Consultants

Tel: +27 21 982 6570 / www.jpce.co.za

Jan Palm Consulting Engineers

JPCE

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Water and Sanitation Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd (WSSA) is a specialised provider of sustainable water services in Southern Africa

imiesa january 2015

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