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INSITEA Group Five Publication Issue 1 2010

2 Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010

In this issue of Insite, we record yet another milestone in the

group’s remarkable journey of growth as, for the first time in the magazine’s almost 30 year history, we are able to report having delivered major projects in all four of the main modes of transport – planes, boats, trains and motorised vehicles.

With regard to our South African operations, it is a matter of great pride to us that we have made a major contribution to the nation’s investment in infrastructure, both for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and to the country’s capacity building programme in transport, power, housing, healthcare, water and energy.

The first quarter of this year has been extremely busy as our teams across all the group’s businesses worked many long hours to ensure the completion of projects that had to be ready for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup event.

Together with the eThekwini City Council, we, as lead contractor, celebrated the completion of the iconic Moses Mabhida soccer stadium in Durban a month ahead of schedule. This is arguably the most impressive of all the stadia built for the event and has been independently acknowledged as amongst the best in the world. In addition, Group Five was also involved in the construction of the Greenpoint stadium which is

a most imposing structure and a new landmark in Cape Town.

At the end of March we were again in Durban, this time with Transnet celebrating the successful completion of the expansion of the Durban Harbour with our joint venture partners, Dredging International.

On 8 May we celebrated the successful opening of the King Shaka International Airport, which took place on 1 May 2010 – a triumph for ACSA, Dube Trade Port and the Ilembe consortium JV comprising Group Five, Pandev and WBHO. The King Shaka airport has set many benchmarks for South African construction, being a total turnkey design and build or EPC contract with a value of over R7-billion. The airport was constructed in world record time and start up was incident free – another world class performance. Road construction has been a major contributor to the group’s activities in the last year in a number of provinces. We are working with SANRAL (South African National Road Agency) on two major packages for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and an access road from Soweto to the soccer stadium. In Gauteng we recently completed a section of railway line giving direct access from Soweto to Soccer City at Nasrec.

Other exciting major road projects which have been completed, or are underway, include the technically complex Warwick Road viaduct in eThekwini and the Koeberg interchange in Cape Town.

The group has also timeously delivered both the BRT and IRT bus rapid transit systems for the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively.

Group Five is a founding member of the Green Building Council and has contributed to the increasingly high profile of environmentally efficient building design and construction methods. Demonstrating this position, the group was rewarded by Nedbank as its contractor of choice in the construction of its new iconic Phase 2 building in Sandton which is the first 4-star green building in South Africa.

In the Middle East, the group is rebuilding its operations in the region and has successfully gained new market positions in Qatar, Jordan and Abu Dhabi with further expansion in progress which will be led by our new executive resident in the region.

Our Eastern European operations have had a very successful period of activity with a growing suite of transport and power projects coming on stream or being developed in a growing geographical presence.

Our success has not only been marked by the timeous completion of some major projects. The group prides itself on its corporate culture and in recognition of our transparency and willingness to engage with stakeholders, for the first time this year we are the overall winners of the Investment Analysts’ Society (IAS) Best Reporting and Communications Award and for the fourth year running we are the winners in the Basic Industry and Manufacturing sector category.

Our transformation policies have been recognised with another top award as we have been rated as the 9th most empowered company in South Africa by the Financial Mail Top Empowerment Companies Survey. We are also the winner in the Basic Industrials sector and ranked third in the Top 100 Companies list in terms of our skills development. So as you can see, we have had an exciting start to the year. But there will be no resting on our laurels as we look beyond the World Cup and focus on the growth and sustainability of our business with a particular interest in power generation. By mid-2010 we will have delivered over 800MW of private power generation capacity both in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa over the past few years. Included in this achievement is the design and construction of one of the first independent power plants in South Africa for Sasol at Secunda.

Group Five has over the past few years progressed from a simple contracting business to that of an integrated engineering and construction services, materials and investment group able to deliver large multi-disciplinary contracts – in essence, a far smarter business model and one that is always ready to respond to market trends and customers who are looking for long-term strategic partners.

Mike Upton

Message from the CEO, Mike Upton

Contents

Group Fivewins top

IAS Award

For the fourth year in a row, Group Five has won the

Investment Analyst Society’s (IAS) Best Reporting and Communications Award in the Basic Industry and Manufacturing sector of the JSE Limited. And for the very first time, the group is the winner of the overall Best Reporting and Communications Award.

The criteria for the annual awards include the evaluation of the level at which companies communicate with the market; a company’s presentations, annual reports, websites and investor relations initiatives, ensuring that they meet the needs of a wide stakeholder base, from investors to private wealth managers.

CFO Cristina Teixeira, who accepted the awards, thanked the IAS for their acknowledgment. “We are particularly proud to have been selected as the overall winners as we were up against some high calibre competitors, which included financial institutions and our peers in the industry.”

Cristina gave due credit to her finance and production teams who work long hours to deliver the annual report on the same day as the release of the year end results. “This is a practice we started some years ago and one that we will maintain, thanks to the exceptional efforts of the teams involved in its production.”

Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 3

CFO Cristina Teixeira received the overall award from Keith Bright, who was, at the time Chairman of the IAS

Group Five wins top IAS Award 3

Concrete Achiever of the Year 4

New appointment 4

SAISC award for stadium JV 4

Moses Mabhida Stadium 5

King Shaka International Airport opens 6 & 7

Group Five in Jordan 8 & 9

Durban Harbour officially opened 10 & 11

Intertoll in Eastern Europe 12

Progress on the new multi-product pipeline 13

Bridge jack at Soweto 14

Nasrec Metrorail completed 15

Koeberg interchange, Cape Town 16 & 17

Warwick Triangle Bridge 17

Bridge launch on GFIP Package E 18

Structural Systems 19

Zambian Business Park: A first for Group Five Building 19

Group Five returns to Saldanha 20

Progress at Kusile 21

Group Five Pipe 22

Projects in Malawi 23

Life Sciences Building, University of the Western Cape 24

Upgrade at the UJ’s Soweto Campus 25

The Strathavon Hotel, Sandton 26 & 27

4-star green rating for Nedbank Phase 2, Sandton 28

Group Five acquires stake in Kayema,

renewable energy company 29

Group Five Property Developments involved

in green retail centre 30

Green Star Rating tool for retail centres 31

Fulfilling Bongani’s wish 32

Going green at Fairlawns 33

Housing at Sishen 33

Handover of houses at Endayeni 34

Goldflex in Gauteng 35

Alternate Building Technology 36

Temporary terminal at Mthatha Airport 37

Department of Basic Education, Pretoria 38

Preserving history at DOE 39

Introducing Cosmos Asphalt 40

SAISC award for stadium JVThe joint venture team comprising Group Five, WBHO

and Pandev at the Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium in Durban are the overall winners of the 28th SAISC (South African Institute of Steel Construction) Steel Awards. The primary criterion for adjudication is: Does the project illustrate what can be achieved with steel? The judges were unanimous in their decision that the steelwork met their standard. Other factors to be considered included: > The importance of steel as a structural component of the project > Benefits achieved by using steel construction > Aesthetic appeal > Innovation in design, fabrication or construction > Technical prowess required for realising the project > Engineering expertise > Environmental awareness > Tubular content > Any other unique features

Concrete achiever of the year

Ronnie Murugan (holding the award), construction manager with Group Five KwaZulu-Natal, has been awarded ‘Concrete Achiever of the Year 2009’ by the Concrete Society of Southern Africa KwaZulu-Natal branch. The primary mission of the society

is to promote excellence and innovation in the use of concrete.

A letter from the CSSA states: ‘The selection committee was in full agreement that the challenges posed and achievements met on the Warwick Triangle Outbound Viaduct project make Ronnie a more than worthy recipient of this award.’


New appointment Mark Mencel has

been appointed as regional general manager – Middle East for Group Five International. Mark started in this position in April 2010 and is based in Dubai. He hails from the UK and holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Construction Management. His career includes 12 years with the Rolls Royce Group of companies, the last five of which were as a senior director on the power side.

Mark Mencel

Moses MabhidaStadium

Catching the eye – and changing Durban’s skyline forever – the stadium’s arch of triumph is 350m long and rises to a height of 106m. The arch symbolises the uniting of a once-divided nation. A tourist attraction in its own right, it features a sky car that ferries visitors to a viewing platform at the arch’s highest point, where they can enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city and the sea

Durban’s Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium was given a final thumbs up

for being a monumental success as the project reached practical completion in late October 2009.

The world class facility was completed by a joint venture comprising Group Five, WBHO and Pandev, who celebrated the event with representatives of the eThekwini Municipality as the client, the professional team ILC and sub-contractors.

The stadium is being hailed as a ‘state-of-the-art landmark sports facility with excellent amenities, architectural and engineering ingenuity and a sustainable recreational and multi-disciplinary sporting venue’.

The stadium has also already won numerous awards in the areas of safety, quality of construction and innovation, including the Overall Winner at the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction’s Steel Awards 2009 and the Concrete Society of Southern Africa’s 2009 Fulton Award for Unique Design Aspects.

Thanks to an unrelenting adherence to safety regulations the project was the winner of the Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) 2008 National Safety Award for contracts valued at R500-million and more.

The stadium has been built as a 56 000-seater stadium, with the capacity to seat 70 000 spectators during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and seating can be further expanded to around 80 000

May 2009 and the arch was in place with the cable supports for the roof structure being erected. The six levels of the stadium are supported by 1 750 columns and 216 raking beams that provide the main support to the seating panels. A total of 1 780 pre-cast concrete seating panels create the bowl form that encircles the stadium

By August 2008 the superstructure was almost complete and work had started on the arch


King Shaka International Airport opens The successful opening on 1 May 2010 of KwaZulu-Natal’s

new King Shaka International Airport at La Mercy was due, in part, to in depth planning by the clients, ACSA (Airports Company of South Africa) and Dube Tradeport, who agreed that it would not have been possible without the superhuman efforts of the Ilembe Consortium, main contractors for the project, comprising Group Five, WBHO and Pandev, who delivered an operating facility in a world-record time of 30 months.

The R7-billion airport is the first phase in the development of KwaZulu-Natal’s Dube TradePort and will generate strong future economic opportunities for the region and potential future developments.

Negotiations on the EPC project were led by Group Five’s Investments and Concessions team headed up by John Lotz, who signed the contract on behalf of the ILembe Consortium in August 2007.

The first step in the project was to complete the terminal, runway, air-traffic control tower, fuel farm and related infrastructure, with various zones to follow including Trade, Business Support and Agri Zones, all of which will serve to significantly expand the region’s business development.

The group’s Building, Civils and KwaZulu-Natal business units were involved in the execution of the project, bearing testimony to the integrated solutions the group is able to offer for large infrastructure projects. King Shaka is the first major greenfield airport to be designed and built in South Africa for more than twenty years and can accommodate the new generation A380 inter-continental aircraft. The airport capacity currently stands at 7,5-million passengers per annum with a projected lifespan of 50 years, by which time it is estimated that the annual capacity will be 50-million.

The inaugural flight into the new facility afforded the opportunity to test the runway, the instrumentation handling system, the air bridge and docking facilities, as well as the fuel pits

Captain Colin Jordaan, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, presented ACSA MD Monhla Hlahla and airport general manager, Terence Delomoney, with an operating licence for the category 9 airportAboard the inaugural flight from Gauteng’s OR Tambo

international airport on 29 April 2010 were Group Five executive directors Eric Vemer and Willie Zeelie (left and second from left), with (second from right) Greg Heale (sales director) and (right) John Lotz (Head: Transport and road PPPs). With them is Duncan Barry (centre) project director for the Ilembe Consortium, the main contractors for the project


Design facts Number/amountTerminal Total GFA – 100 000 m2 Total site area 2 060 haCheck-in islands 4Baggage reclaim 5 carouselsBaggage handling systems 15 lateralsEscalators 12Lifts 24Car parking 6 500 bays in total 1 500 in multi-storey parking 3 400 shade parkingAircraft stands 27Fixed link bridges 14Movable link bridges 16Annual passenger capacity 7,5 million people Construction facts Number/amountAirport structural steel 4 700 tonsEarthworks 5,8-million m³Foundations 2 800m³Concrete 45 000m³Total reinforcement 1 600 tonsTaxiway earthworks 840 000m³

Why the need for a new airport?In the mid-eighties, KwaZulu-Natal Province saw the potential

to develop a transport node north of Durban. After many

feasibility studies, it became evident that providing a new

logistical hub could substantially contribute to growth of the

region for two main reasons:

• Facilitiesattheexistingairportwererestrictedfor

future growth and new aircraft such as the Airbus A380

• DurbaniswelllocatedforflightstotheEastasthe

economic giants of China and India grow.

With these fundamental motivators, the Province of KwaZulu-

Natal established the Dube TradePort as an agency to further

this concept and to implement the project. Airports Company

South Africa (ACSA) was the key institution to the whole project

as firstly, ACSA owned the land identified for this new airport

city and secondly, ACSA is the current operator of the existing

Durban airport. It was imperative for the success of this new

airport city that the existing Durban airport closed.

An aerial view shows the runway and parallel taxi runway with the new terminal building to the left and the control tower and warehouse at the back left



Group Five in Jordan

Arches under this viaduct emphasise the local architecture


Not many of us know that in early 2007 Group Five started work on a roads

project in Jordan at the town of Zarqa. Valued at US$82-million (R580-million) the contract is for almost 10km of roads and seven kilometres of secondary roads.

The structures include a 320 metre long, 17m high viaduct, five post tensioned bridges varying from 125m to 79m long and three underpasses, each 120m long. Ancillary works include 140km of civil works for telecommunication sleeves, street lighting, traffic signage, drainage and diversion of existing services.

Contracts manager Chris Scheepers reports that the project forms part of a development corridor and ring road system constructed to divert heavy traffic away from the capital,

Amman some 35km to the south east, which is en route to Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

“The duration of the project was originally 1 000 calendar days but due to scope changes an extra 487 days extension of time was granted and the completion date is set for mid September 2010.”

Jordan is a landlocked country with Syria to the north, Iraq to the north east and Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest and the Palestine territory of the West Bank and Israel to the west. Zarqa, which is its industrial capital, was founded in 1927 and is surrounded by factories and Jordan’s major oil refinery. It is also a military centre with military camps and firing ranges.


Durban Harbour officially opened

A gala event held on 31 March marked the

official opening of the recently widened and deepened Durban Harbour, the largest and busiest port in Africa. With Transnet as the client, the R2,2-billion contract was completed three weeks ahead of schedule by Group Five and Dredging International working closely with the consulting engineers, HMG – a joint venture between Hatch, Mott MacDonald and Goba. The event was attended by local dignitaries, as well as foreign and local business representatives.

Of some interest is that the dolos was designed in South Africa in 1963 and the antifer cube in France a decade later. Both elements are designed to withstand the powerful stress of pounding waves and are still used in marine projects worldwide

The new widened harbour

The Queen Mary 2 safely entered the harbour on 23 March, a feat that would not previously have been possible


Mike Upton (right) with Chris Wells (Transnet acting CEO), Logie Naidoo (eThekwini deputy mayor) and Truman Goba representing HMG consulting engineers

Acting group chief executive of Transnet, Chris Wells, as main speaker was joined by Mike Upton (CEO Group Five), Alain Bernard (CEO Dredging International) and Truman Goba representing HMG, each of them expressing their thanks for a job well done.

Chris Wells pointed out that the project forms part of Transnet’s R93-billion capital investment programme over the next five years. “We are particularly proud of this achievement... operationally it will help us meet the stringent targets we have set ourselves on improving efficiency in our ports through reducing shipping delays and improving terminal operations.”

Referring to the event as marking an ‘historic achievement’, Mike Upton outlined the scope of works, pointing out that most of these were now under water.

“Even by world standards the project was large and complex and Group Five and our partners from Belgium, Dredging International, take great pride in having delivered the project three weeks ahead of schedule after a 147 week construction programme.

“The early completion was a result of the performance of the construction workforce and the excellent team work that existed between our construction group, our sub-contractors and the Transnet appointed project management team from HMG.”

He emphasised the challenge posed by the strict safety requirements due to the complex, dangerous and intensive nature of the project. “Over four million man hours have been worked to date, thankfully with no fatalities,” he said, adding that working in a sensitive marine environment and in close proximity to uShaka Marine World imposed further stringent precautions.

“Over 2 000 job opportunities were created during the course of the contract with a peak of over 800 people on site in March 2009. In terms of spreading the benefits into the community, we achieved a high level of skills transfer and managed to place over 63% of our portion of the project procurement with Black owned companies.”

In conclusion Mike thanked the project leadership and workforce from Group Five for their dedication and for the many long days and late nights that demonstrated their commitment, and to Transnet for placing its faith in Group Five and Dredging International to deliver this project on time.

The projectThe project involved widening the harbour entrance by 140m to 225m wide and deepening it to an average of 18m to give access to the new generation post and super-post panamax container vessels. Group Five and Dredging International started on the contract in May 2007. The scope of works included: • Increasingthechannelwidthby140mto accommodate larger vessels in a safe manner• Deepeningtheouterchannelbyanaverageof nine metres• Extensivedredgingworks• Re-armouringandraisingtheheightofthe south breakwater• Demolishingbuildingsandotherstructures on the north bank• Demolishingtheoldnorthbreakwaterand construction of a new north groyne• Constructionofanewnorthbankrevetment• Provisionofaidstonavigation(temporaryand permanent)• Constructionofatemporarysandbypassfacility• Removaloftheoldservicestunnelthat traverses the entrance channel from north to south

ProjectmanagerJohnHopewelldescribesthework.“During the course of the contract 10-million cubic metres of material was dredged from the sea to widen and deepen the entrance channel and 655 000 tons of rock was sourced from a commercial quarry for the construction works. Besides this over 8 000 antifer cubes weighing between 10 tons and 45 tons and 550 dolosse each weighing 20 tons were cast in two precast yards.”

Amongst the challenges faced by the team was the weather that made working on the south breakwater particularly hazardous. “Satellite weather monitoring systems were employed to assist in forecasting the onset of bad weather which would require the closing down of operations and pulling all small plant and personnel off the breakwater as a safety precaution,” saysJohn.

On the lighter side, the dredging operations revealed numerous interesting obstacles ranging from tyres, anchors and chains to railway wagons, a bulldozer and an old shipwreck.


Intertoll in Eastern Europe

Group Five announced in July 2009 that its Infrastructure Concessions business, Intertoll, was

part of a consortium that reached Financial Close on the €1,1-billion (R12,3-billion) Phase 2 section of the A1 Motorway Project in Poland. Intertoll holds 15% of the concession company, GTC, and will undertake the toll collection and operations and maintenance activities for this project as well as the supply of the toll collection and motorway management equipment.

Executive director of Group Five Infrastructure Concessions, Eric Vemer says: “The 90 km Phase 1 section of the A1 Motorway from Gdansk to Nowe Marzy was opened to traffic by GTC in 2008 three months ahead of schedule and Phase 2 will link the cities of Gdansk and Torun, completing this section of the north south link from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.”

Revenue will start flowing through to Intertoll from the beginning of 2010, with full scale operations commencing in 2012. Intertoll’s partners on the project are Skanska (Sweden), John Laing Infrastructure (United Kingdom) and NDI (Poland).

“The 62 km dual carriageway project includes the construction and maintenance of two major bridges over the Vistula River one of which is over 2km long.” Eric adds that the project is being funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) and shareholder funds.

Intertoll is part of Group Five Infrastructure Developments and offers toll system design, procurement, implementation and operation, together with related services such as full motorway operation and maintenance. The business currently has equity interests in two other service concessions and operates three other major projects in Eastern Europe, as well as toll roads in South Africa and is developing significant new projects in other markets including Slovakia.

“NegotiationsonPhase2oftheA1MotorwayProjectstartedsoonafterFinancialCloseofPhase1inSeptember2005but were suspended following the change in government in Polandlaterthatyear.Thecurrentgovernmentispursuingan aggressive policy of expanding motorway infrastructure whichisbadlyneededforPolandtorealiseitstrueeconomicpotential and, through Intertoll, Group Five hopes to continue to be in a position to secure further projects in the country in the coming years” says Eric. “We are extremely pleased about securing yet another major concession project in EuropewhichreinforcesIntertoll’spositioninPolandandadds to our growing profile in Eastern Europe.”

A toll plaza at Nowe Marzy

Tony Stratfold is executive director of Intertoll Europe

Eric Vemer heads up Group Five Infrastructure Concessions

Phase 2 includes the construction of a new bridge across the Vistula River 7km south of Torun. The distance between the river banks is 360m

Progress on the new multi-product pipeline

Raging rivers, flooded trenches and collapsed

earthworks have not deterred the Group Five/

Spiecapag joint venture and WK Pipelines as they push

forward with the new multi-product pipeline for Transnet.

The R2,4-billion contract is for 705km of 16” and

24” pipeline from Durban to three locations in and around

Gauteng. This will supplement the existing pipeline and is

designed to convey various petroleum products.

With their main office in Heidelberg, teams are working

at various locations along the route and recently Group

Five was awarded two additional contracts. In each case

the client is Transnet and the consulting engineer is the

NMPP Alliance.

Terminal 2Located at Heidelberg, the contract is valued at

R672-million and is for the fabrication and erection

of civil, building, structural steel, piping, mechanical,

electrical and instrumentation work for Terminal 2 Inland

(Heidelberg) including tie-in works at Jameson Park and

Alrode switching stations.

As an NEC 3 (engineering and construction) contract,

Group Five Civil Engineering and Group Five Projects are

working together to complete the work by November 2011.

During this time they will be responsible for the fabrication

and installation of a total of twelve tanks ranging in size

from 20 000m³ to 4 000m³, the construction of various

buildings, roadworks and fencing.

PumpstationsGroup Five’s KwaZulu-Natal, Civil Engineering and Oil and

Gas operations have joined forces for the

multi-disciplinary construction of three pumpstations

located at Amanzimtoti, Pietermaritzburg and Bergville.

The R465-million contract was started in December 2009

and is due for completion in May 2011.The start of construction on the Pietermaritzburg pumpstation

Jameson Park pumpstation is to be upgraded as part of the project

Stringent environmental regulations are in place particularly where the route

crosses sensitive wetlands. Here the pipe is being pulled through a wetland on the

Natalspruit close to Alrode

Where the pipeline crosses a river, a temporary causeway has been built

The trencher working in the Free State


Bridge jack at SowetoGroup Five Civil Engineering, in joint venture with Vela VKE

and with EsorFranki as specialist sub-contractor, achieved a record for the largest bridge jack in the country as part of the R360-million design and construct contract for the link road on the N17 between the Soweto Highway and Nasrec Road, south of Johannesburg. The route is pivotal to the 2010 Soccer World Cup as it links the Orlando Stadium training venue with the FNB full competition stadium at Nasrec across the busy N1 freeway. The bridge across the freeway was included in the contract, providing safe and easy access to the FNB stadium for the residents of Soweto.

Richard Evans, Group Five Civil Engineering contracts director, says: “The 5,6km route has more structures than most roads three

times that length, but the bridge jack under the New Canada railway line

was of particular interest mainly because of its size and that it passes

under one of Gauteng’s busiest railway lines.”

As such the railway service could not be interrupted during construction and designing the bridge took careful planning. “EsorFranki is an experienced company at pipe and bridge jacking, but

this project was in a league of its own,” Richard says.

Working closely with the EsorFranki team, Group Five constructed the bridge adjacent to the railway line and aligned with the position into which it would be jacked.

The asymmetrical structure comprises three supporting walls or legs varying in height from 14,54m high to 11,35m high to accommodate the uneven ground level. The deck was cast using a movable scaffold system resting on a series of steel I-beams. Custom-made steel sliding plates were installed below each leg to allow the structure to move in the jacking slots. The structure itself was heavily reinforced to withstand the extremely high compressive and tensile forces during the jacking process.

“With a 3mm tolerance allowed within the slots for the legs to travel

along, we reduced the friction by pumping Bentonite through narrow

pipes cast into the legs,” Richard points out.

He explains that as the jacking proceeded, the ground was excavated under the railway line ahead of the bridge. To eliminate the danger of undermining the railway line embankment a jacking nose was constructed on the front of the bridge to support the line during the entire process.

As the hydraulic pumps jacked the structure slowly forward, the ground ahead was excavated at the same angle as the embankment, allowing the jacking nose to move into position to ensure the integrity of the railway line.

“The bridge which weighs 6 800 tons, was jacked a total of 61,5m in six

weeks with not a single interruption to the train schedule,” Richard concludes.

The bridge in its final position beneath the railway line


The road was opened one day ahead of schedule on 27 May 2010

Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 15The new Nasrec railway bridge

As thousands of fans converge on Johannesburg’s FNB soccer city to watch the final of the 2010 World Cup,

a huge demand will be put on the capacity of the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA).

To deal with this influx, Group Five Civil Engineering has completed a R230-million contract for PRASA to upgrade its infrastructure in the Nasrec vicinity.

Working with design engineers Vela VKE, the EPC contract was for the Nasrec slip-link comprising a 1,34km twin track slip link and a 35m long precast beam rail-over-road bridge. The fourteen beams were cast on site and supported on simple abutments. The successful completion of the contract was celebrated in mid April 2010 by Group Five, Vela VKA, PRASA and sub-contractors, who joined members of Metrorail on a maiden voyage from the new bridge along the new track to lunch at the Nasrec Station.

Addressing the assembled guests, Group Five Civil Engineering contracts director Richard Evans pointed out that the project had been mooted many years ago, and then cancelled due to technical challenges. “In late 2007, an agreement was concluded with the Group Five/Vela-

VKE consortium to develop, design, construct, commission and deliver

the new slip link to provide free-flow access to rail commuters travelling

to and from events at the Soccer City stadium.”

Richard pointed out that after overcoming a number of challenges posed by environmental and land constraints, construction was commenced almost too late. “In April 2009,

exactly one year ago, we started work on the contract and thanks to

the superb teamwork and efforts of everyone involved with the project,

including Siemens, Racec, Resa, Railfocus, Tractionel and Pieter Louw

and Associates, the new link was delivered to Metrorail, as you have

experienced today.” He paid special tribute to contracts manager, Ray Govender.

Nasrec Metrorail completed


Koeberg interchange, Cape TownA milestone was reached at the beginning

of June 2010 as ramp A of the Koeberg interchange in Cape Town opened to the public giving direct access from the N1 incoming to the M5. After months of traffic holdups and frustration, commuters enjoyed the free flow of traffic on their daily drive to the city.

Since the start of the contract in April 2008, Group Five in joint venture with Power Construction has been working towards this scheduled milestone which was reached in spite of heavy traffic flows and bad weather.

At the core of the R690-million contract for the expansion of the interchange, which links the M5 with the N1 east of Cape Town, are two new ramps over the Koeberg Interchange. Ramp A connects the N1 incoming to the M5 while ramp B will connect the M5 to the N1 outgoing. This will take traffic over the interchange and not through it, reducing congestion in what has for years been a traffic bottleneck. With ramp A now about to open, the joint venture will turn its attention to the completion of ramp B which is scheduled for November 2011.

“The challenges posed by the dense traffic flows are exacerbated by a busy railway line and underground services,” points out construction manager, Johan van Nieuwholtz. An army of flagmen and women maintain the traffic flow and the safety of the team working close to the railway line.

The contract includes the construction of two new bridges linking the M5 to the N1, widening the M5 viaduct, the construction of 3km of additional lanes to the N1, two outbound and one inbound, to assist with traffic management from the CBD during the World Cup.

The joint venture partners are working closely with the consulting engineers, HHO Africa and the client, the Western Cape Provincial Government to ensure the safety of the public and the workforce through carefully planned traffic accommodation.

In addition, the M5 Viaduct is to be widened with two lanes over the existing Koeberg Station railway tracks and the Salt River canal has been realigned 15 metres to the west, to accommodate the M5 widening.

Ramp A Rail Crossing, nearing completion with final outstanding ramp closure still to be completed, by placing of U-beams, deck and balustrades

Salt River canal was realigned at the outset of the project to allow for the outbound viaduct

The new section crosses the busy main railway line between the eastern suburbs and the CBD. As no interruptions to the train

schedules are allowed, this section of the deck is cast in situ. Eight girders (four in a row) spanning 68,5m are positioned to support the

formwork. Each girder weighs approximately 32 tons. Designed by Wiehahn, these are the biggest to be designed and built in South Africa

to date. As can be seen in the photo, the girders are supported midway. To the left of the photo can be seen the piers ready to take the beams

that will connect the road-over-railway bridge to the new sections

Warwick Triangle BridgeThe new Warwick Triangle Viaduct Outbound will be completed one

month ahead of schedule, much to the joy of Durban commuters who will have a direct route from Russell Street in the CBD onto the N3 Western Freeway. Previously commuters had no choice but to use congested streets teeming with taxis, vendors and general traffic.

Group Five KwaZulu-Natal in joint venture with Pandev was awarded the R154-million design and construction contract by the eThekwini Municipality in February 2009 as it met the municipality’s criteria based 70% on price and 30% on aesthetics, initiative and programme. The viaduct is a 380m long triple lane carriageway constructed above two existing flyovers.

“Working closely with Goba consulting engineers, we constructed the bridge using a combination of precast U beams and cast in-situ cantilever pier heads forming a span of 40m,” says contracts manager Gareth Chambers.

“This method of construction meant that we could work on the super- and sub-structures simultaneously thereby speeding up the programme.

“Taking the aesthetics into account, our design incorporates curved features at the top of each pier which form an arch when viewed from road level.”

The arched features and precast beams as seen

from street level

Bridge launch on GFIP Package E The Siyavaya joint venture, which includes Group Five Civil

Engineering, is making good progress on its Package E of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, which is due for completion in July 2011 and is divided into two sections:

• E1isthe16,4kmsectionontheN3betweentheGreyAvenue off-ramp and the Heidelberg interchange • E2isthe14.5kmsectionbetweentheElandsandGeldenhuys interchanges on the N12 and N17

Earlier this year the team completed the first of three bridges using the incremental launching method. The bridge spans

the very busy N17 and the Natalspruit river and is 150m long by 12.5m wide. By using the incremental launch method traffic interruptions were minimised during construction.

Structural Systems, which is 50% owned by Group Five, supplied the launching equipment, including the launching girder which was manufactured by Group Five Steel. The launch proceeded smoothly whilst the unsuspecting public drove beneath it along an unobstructed N17.

Having crossed the Natalspruit the girder heads towards its final destination on the abutment

The girder was manufactured by Group Five SteelThe start of the launch showing the first span over the N17 with the girder heading towards the piers on the

other side of the freeway


Structural Systems

Zambian Business Park: A first for Group Five Building Group Five Building has broken into the

Zambian market with a US$114-million (R800-million) project for a mixed use development in the heart of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, for the National Pension Scheme Authority.

“We targeted Zambia as a strategic objective and were awarded Levy Business Park, our first building contract in that country,” reports managing director Michael van Rooyen. He adds that the group’s experiences in Zambia have been exceptional and that good relationships have been forged with government and mining entities.

The new complex covers a total site area of some 75 000m² and comprises:

• Aretailcentreofapproximately 35 000m², tenanted by some major South African anchor tenants• Structuredparkingofapproximately 25 000m²• Ahotelofapproximately5000m²• Anofficeblockofapproximately 6 500m²

“The construction team, which is a 70:30 joint venture between Group Five and Z-Con, a local Zambian construction company, started on site in mid-2009 and is due to complete the project in August 2011,” says Michael.

He cites some of the reasons that make Zambia a desirable country in which to work. “Access to Zambia is relatively simple and convenient, being less than two hours flying time from Johannesburg. It is also relatively simple to obtain work permits for expatriate employees.

“We have had to establish a large contingent of ex-pats as high level construction

management skills are scarce in Zambia, particularly on a project of this magnitude.”

In terms of accommodation, vehicles, food and commodities, there is no shortage but, Michael points out, the cost of living is significantly higher than in South Africa. “It is however relatively simple to bring vehicles into the country on a temporary import basis.”

It is not only construction skills that are in short supply. “Due to an increase in construction activity in Lusaka supplies of locally sourced construction materials are limited and plant, equipment and specialist materials have to be brought in.”

The team is working closely with the architects, Bentel Associates International, Liberty Group Properties, GHG Africa Projects /Focus Project Management /Minerrva Property and Project Managers (local partner) as principal agents and Nonku Ntshona & Associates/Davis Langdon/MLN Associates (local partner) as quantity surveyors.

Levy Business Park: artist’s impression


Structural Systems Africa (SSA), a specialist post tensioning and engineering company started in October 2008, is jointly owned by Group Five Construction and Structural Systems Limited from Australia.

Structural Systems Africa recently completed the specialist subcontract works on the 140m long Blackburn pedestrian cable stay bridge that crosses the N2 south of the new King Shaka International Airport north of Durban.

General manager Paul Heymans explains that the total deck length of the bridge is 153m and the 16 sets of cable stays varied in length from 26m to 76m. “This makes it one of the largest, if not the largest

pedestrian cable stay bridge in Africa,” Paul says.

“We were appointed as a sub-contractor by Durban based main contractor JT Ross Construction for the supply, installation, stressing and grouting of the post tensioning to the bridge deck as well as the supply, installation and tensioning of the cable stay system”.

The team started on site in November 2009 and the cable stay assembly, erection and tensioning commenced in January 2010 and was completed on 12 May 2010. The stay tensioning, which is the final critical activity, was completed without any problems and signed off by consulting engineers SSi from Pietermaritzburg without any need for adjustment after tensioning.


Group Five returns to SaldanhaOver a decade ago, Group Five’s multi-disciplinary capabilities

successfully completed Iscor’s Saldanha Steel plant in the Western Cape. Towards the end of 2009 Group Five’s Energy team was back in the bustling port, this time at the harbour where the team was responsible for upgrading the ship loading conveyer system.

“The R9,1-million upgrade has doubled the delivery capacity of the conveyor for iron ore railed from Sishen Mine over 800km to the north,” says contracts manager, Des Graham.

“The harbour at Saldanha Bay, which is located on the west coast, is primarily used for the export of iron ore that is delivered by rail from Sishen in the Northern Cape Province.

“Working as electrical and instrumentation Contractors we (Group Five E&I) experienced a new environment as we worked together with HMG, the port authorities and Transnet on upgrading the conveyer belts and substations.”

As the system had to remain operational at all times the contract was carried out on a ‘live plant’ with conveyors running 24/7 loading ships with ore destined mainly for Japan and China.

Des continues: “We learnt a lot as this was a whole new field for us. Due to our own high standards in environmental, safety and health issues we were able to adapt to the strict regulations imposed by the authorities in the transportation and conveying of the ore from off loading at the tipplers right through to the ship loaders. We were particularly pleased when we achieved 97% in the client’s safety audit.”

Although the contract was originally scheduled for completion in May 2010, Transnet rescheduled the programme and reduced the contract period to four months.

This was 40% shorter than the original programme, but with a team of 46 people working long hours, through sometimes harsh weather conditions, this goal was achieved. We completed our contract successfully and contributed towards safety stats by completing 38 739 man hours with zero fatalities, zero incidents, zero property and machinery damage and zero environmental incidents.

Overhead line from Sishen to Saldanha A month into the conveyor upgrade contract, Group Five Energy

was awarded a R65-million contract by Hatch for Transnet for

the supply and delivery of 870km of 50kV overhead line between

Sishen and Saldanha.

The same management team was allocated to the project which

started in September 2009.

Des takes up the story: “The project comprised collecting the

overhead line conductor from the supplier at CBI in Vereeniging and

delivering it to pre-determined points along the 870km stretch line.

Using a newly acquired Tele-Handler machine, we were able to offload

the vehicles all along the route and withstand any rough terrain that

came our way.

“With the first deliveries of the 1 618 500 metres of overhead line

conductor scheduled to start from 23 October 2009, our small team set

about ensuring stringent deadlines were met. After 60 vehicle loads the

final load was successfully delivered on schedule on 26 March 2010.”

The capacity of the conveyor at Saldanha Bay harbour has been doubled since the upgrade


Progress at Kusile

Group Five in joint venture with WBHO, Basil Read and Stefanutti Stocks,

working as the Kusile Civil Works Joint Venture (KCWJV), is on track at the R3,3-billion Kusile power station located near Balmoral in Mpumalanga, completion of which is due in August 2013. The base-load facility consists of six units generating a total of approximately 4 800 megawatts.

Kusile is the second coal-fired power station to be built by Eskom as part of its multi-billion rand expansion and the first in South Africa to have flue gas desulphurisation technology installed.

For those of us who would now turn to Google to find out what flue gas desulphurisation technology means, Wikipedia describes it as follows:

‘Flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) is a technology used for removing sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the exhaust flue gases of fossil fuel power plants, that is those that burn coal or oil to produce steam for the steam turbines that drive their electricity generators.

‘Sulfur dioxide is responsible for acid rain formation. Tall flue gas stacks disperse the emissions by diluting the pollutants

in ambient air and transporting them to other regions.’

In a nutshell, Kusile will cause far less damage to the environment than any other fossil fuelled power station in the country once it is up and running.

Somewhat surprisingly, FGD is not a new concept. Methods for removing sulphur dioxide from boiler and furnace exhaust gases have been studied for over 150 years, with early concepts germinating in England around 1850. But it was only in 1931 that the first major FGD installation on a utility was put into operation at Battersea power station in the UK.

Group Five Civil Engineering,is sliding 20 ACC (air cooled condenser) columns, 5m diameter and averaging 52m high

Civil construction on the base of one of six turbine houses. Each base takes 23 000m3 of concrete

Group Five Pipe

BG3 Pipeline

It’s not big, it’s huge! This headline in the IMIESA magazine proclaims Group

Five Pipe’s participation in Rand Water’s new BG3 gravity pipeline from the Vaal Dam to Zoekfontein, a small settlement with a population of some 3 200. IMIESA’s research into this tiny place reveals that Zoekfontein ‘falls within the Midvaal Municipality, in southern Gauteng’. Their further research revealed that Rand Water’s main purification works on the banks of the Vaal River is located on what used to be the old Zoekfontein farm.

The new BG3 gravity pipeline has been installed to allow the BG1 and BG2 pipelines to be alternately shut down for strategic maintenance. Group Five Pipe’s R124-million contract is for the manufacture and delivery of 8,6km of 3,5m diameter spirally welded steel pipes. These are the largest Group Five Pipe has manufactured to date.

General manager Gerald Blackburn maintains that two averaged sized people, one standing on the other’s shoulders inside a pipe, would not touch the top. “Bearing in mind that the pipes we supplied to the Vresap project were 1,9m in diameter, these are almost twice that.”

The pipes measure 19,2m long and weigh 19 tons each. The size is such that to reduce the weight the client specified 10,4mm thick steel. This is significantly thinner than the standard of 1/150th of the pipe diameter.

“The diameter is so great that as the pipes come off the manufacturing mill they deform into an oval shape. To counteract this we use an ‘internal spider’ to retain them in a perfectly circular shape until such time as the trapezoidal stiffeners are fitted.

“The pipes are finished with a polyurethane coating and lining. We built the R30-million coating and lining facility using structural steel from our sister company, Group Five Steel,” says Gerald.

Construction of the coating and lining facility started late in 2008 and the actual pipe manufacture extends from late in 2009 until mid 2010.

At the same time Group Five Pipe is manufacturing 2,5km of 1 800mm to 2 200mm steel pipe for Rand Water’s Palmiet to Klipfontein pipeline, 8,8km of 1 020mm diameter pipe for Rand Water’s H14 pipeline, 4km of 716mm diameter pipe for G7 pipeline and 25km of 1 525mm diameter pipe for the R5 pipeline with a total value of R240-million.

Umgeni Water Group Five Pipe has started the delivery of a R23-million contract to supply 4km of 1 321mm outer diameter to Umgeni Water for the Edendale area of Pietermaritzburg.

Gerald reports that the pipes will be supplied from Meyerton using a BEE transport subcontractor with whom they have an Enterprise Development contract.

“The pipes will be supplied into a storage yard in Pietermaritzburg. Umgeni Water has yet to award the actual laying contract, but we are responsible for establishing the storage yard. This has been done through an Enterprise Development contract as a joint initiative between Group Five Pipe, Umgeni Water and their project managers SSI Consulting Engineers,” says Gerald.

Mhlathuze Water contractGroup Five Pipe was awarded a R19,6-million contract for the manufacture and supply of 3,8km of 1 200mm diameter pipe by Mhlathuze Water in Richards Bay, one of the leading water utilities in South Africa.

As an agent to local municipalities the utility builds and operates an inter-basin transfer, major water treatment plants and an offshore waste water disposal pipeline, in which Group Five Civil Engineering was involved in 2008.

Group Five Pipe’s contract is for the Nsezi Water Treatment upgrade and is valued at R19,6-million. The pipes are manufactured at the Meyerton factory and taken by truck to KwaZulu-Natal. “To move the pipes we are using Bikwayo Trading cc, a local transport company, wholly owned by black women and have been very pleased with the standard of their work.” Group Five Pipe has entered into an Enterprise Development agreement with Bikwayo Trading cc in order to facilitate skills transfer and training.

A 3,5m diameter pipe leaves the factory in Meyerton


Projects in MalawiMalawi’s first uranium mine

Group Five Projects successfully completed the Kayelekera Uranium Mine project in September 2009. Located in the

remote mountains of northern Malawi, the site is 52km west of the provincial town of Karonga at the northern end of Lake Malawi and 575km by road north of the capital city, Lilongwe. Kayelekera is Malawi’s first uranium mine and only the second worldwide to be developed in the past twenty years. The mine is 85% owned by Paladin (Africa) Limited, a subsidiary of the Australian mining giant, Paladin, and 15% by the Government of Malawi.

The high grade Kayelekera sandstone uranium deposits were first discovered in the early 1980s by the Central Electricity Generating Board of Great Britain (CEGB).

But it was not until early 1998 that Paladin acquired a percentage of the Kayelekera Project and by 2005 had gained full ownership and the mine was developed.

By 2007 the company was ready to start construction and in early 2008 Group Five Projects moved onto site as themain contractor. Says senior contracts manager Donovan Carroll, “Group Five Projects, as the main contractor, provided the

construction service through the engineering consultant, Engineering

and Construction Company.

“The project entailed the erection of the power plant supplied by Hyundai

followed by the tank package, SMPP package, acid plant including a

ferric sulphate plant. The plant produced the first uranium on 19 April

2009 and was completed in September 2009.”

Electrical and instrumentation installationFollowing hot on the heels of the Projects team was the Group Five Energy team responsible for the electrical and instrumentation installations. Contracts manager Des Graham reports that one of the main challenges was that the Malawian workforce had never seen or been in a construction environment before.

“We had to introduce them onto the site with safety training and basic skills training on a variety of disciplines including the installation of electrical and instrumentation equipment, steel support fabrication and racking cabling.” he says.

Safety on siteThe construction project workforce peaked at around 2 000 persons, with more than 75% of workers being Malawian nationals.

“Although this was the first major mining development in Malawi we

had an excellent safety record. Despite the hazards encountered on site,

the combined construction workforce achieved 2,95 million man-hours

without a Lost Time Injury,” reports Donovan.

The client referred to this as ‘a superb effort and a remarkable achievement, even when measured by world standards’.

On top of that, 36 Malawians trained by Group Five are now employed permanently at the mine, which is fully operational and producing 42 tons of uranium per month with an optimisation of 50% in the near future.

Karonga Water supply projectIn July 2009, Group Five Projects was awarded a R10-million contract for the supply and installation of HDPE piping, filtration plant and pump station for Paladin’s Karonga water supply project. The team has encountered numerous obstacles as the pipeline starts on the north shore of Lake Malawi and through the town of Karonga. The project was completed the end of April 2010.

The installation of a holding tank at Karonga


Kayelekera Uranium Mine


Life Sciences Building, University of the Western CapeIn late 2009 the Group Five Western Cape team completed a R330-million contract for the construction of the new life sciences

building at the University of the Western Cape in Bellville. The attractive complex was designed by dhk Architects and includes a six-storey lab block with state-of-the art teaching and research facilities and a separate learning centre which includes a lecture hall and tutorial rooms. The two buildings are linked by a landscaped plaza.

The plaza and learning centre seen from the lab block

View from Modderdam Road shows the north façade of the lab block to the right and the learning centre to the left



In spite of heavy rains through the summer that

affected progress on a renovation project by Group Five Building at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Soweto campus, the team caught up on the programme and achieved the May 2010 completion date.

The R297-million contract comprised a major revamp, upgrade and extension aimed at elevating the campus to an international standard and increasing the number of students it can accommodate.

Says William Edge, Group Five Building contracts director: “Phase 1 of the upgrade included

a new gatehouse, more offices,

the expansion of two lecture

theatres and study spaces,

computer laboratories, an

extended library, a sports centre,

pavilion and cricket field, athletics

track and a soccer field.”

He adds that the new sports facilities are a first for the campus that has never had these before.

A pedestrian boulevard cutting through the campus links the existing buildings on the east with the new sports facilities to the far west.

“From a building maintenance

perspective, the original design

of the campus is relatively low

on maintenance with facebrick

walls and tiled floors. The external

building materials selected for the

new buildings tie in with these and

are generally low maintenance in

nature.

“Materials such as concrete,

pigmented wall coatings,

pre-painted roof sheeting and

galvanised structural steel

components are specified and

used on the buildings.”

Wiehahn Koortzen of LVM Architects, designers of the first phase of the project, says that the client leaned towards an environmentally friendly structure through the incorporation of energy efficient mechanisms.

“The client was predisposed

towards energy efficiency

rather than the installation of

sophisticated ‘green’ systems,

and this has been incorporated

through the orientation of

the building, sun screening,

the maximum use of natural

ventilation, the installation of

energy efficient lighting, the

optimisation of natural light and

the inclusion of cavity walls for

insulation,” says Koortzen.

Other green features include indigenous trees and planting used throughout the new landscaping and efficient water usage for irrigation. “The heavy rain during December

and January affected the progress

of the sports field and track.

The rainfall coincided with the

earthworks to these areas,

which obviously delayed the

programme,” says William Edge.

He adds that during construction and renovations the campus had to remain operational. “Bearing in mind

that the safety of the 5 000

students and our employees was

paramount, we had to take every

precaution to protect them as we

carried out the extensive cosmetic

overhaul.”

Upgrade at the UJ’s Soweto Campus

Materials such as concrete, pigmented wall coatings pre-painted roof sheeting and galvanised structural steel

components are specified and used on the buildings

UJ sport centre

UJ pavilion


26 Group Five Insite Issue 1 201026 Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010

The Strathavon Hotel, Sandton

The new Strathavon Hotel in Sandton promises to be a haven of luxury and comfort set in landscaped

gardens north east of the Sandton CBD. Group Five Housing started on the R84-million project for developer Moloko Hotels in October 2008, and despite some delays due to design changes, completed in May 2010.

The complex comprises a number of blocks offering a variety of accommodation choices from double bedrooms and self catering suites to a double-storey executive suite block and presidential suite block, spa facility, swimming pool, gym and public area building. The entire complex is equipped with solar heating water

system with backup water and power supply in the event of water and power cuts.

The entrance to the boutique hotel is conveniently situated close to the M1 motorway, the Sandton CBD and the Gautrain railway station, which will start operating a service between Sandton and OR Tambo international Airport later this year.

As the site lies within an area of dense residential development, the hotel is in keeping with the surrounding environment, which has been enhanced with landscaping and the rehabilitation of the Sandspruit stream.

The use of natural timber and stone blends with the landscaping

The individual buildings have been positioned to make the most of the existing trees

Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 27Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 27

Operations director Paul Thiel says that the river rehabilitation formed part of the project. “To rehabilitate the stream, which runs along the western boundary, we underpinned the banks and installed gabions before planting indigenous plants which, it is hoped, will re-establish the ecosystems which were destroyed many years ago when the stream became a dump site.”

The stream now forms a landscaped feature for the benefit of the community and a visual extension of the hotel gardens.

“To achieve the clients’ aim of creating a modern boutique hotel in a park like setting, most of the large existing trees

on the property have been retained or transplanted, with the individual structures built around them and linked with natural landscaping using indigenous plants, water features and open walkways.

“The landscaping gives an atmosphere reminiscent of a hotel in the country, rather than one situated a kilometre or so from Sandton CBD,” Paul says.

The Sandspruit streams over a small weir which formed part of the rehabilitation

28 Group Five Insite Issue 1 201028 Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010

Green 4-star rating for Nedbank Phase 2, SandtonThe Green Building Council of South

Africa (GBCSA) announced at their conference in October 2009 that the Nedbank Phase 2 building in Sandton had been awarded the 4-star – Office rating under the Green Star rating tool. This is the first building to be certified in South Africa and was the culmination of efforts by Group Five Building, as the main contractor, and Green by Design, a division of diversified engineering group WSP. In July 2009, the two companies conjointly became the first in the industry to apply to the GBCSA for a Green 4-star rating.

As far as possible green construction processes have been practised at the multi-storey office block and on

completion the building will be sustained by environmentally friendly methods wherever feasible.

Site administrator Kenda Stern manages the complex documentation that must be maintained on a daily basis. “As the

pioneers of this application, it was something

of a challenge to source the extensive

documentation needed for the submission,

particularly from the supply chain.

“Although most of the documentation for green

building practices are in place, documented

proof is not yet formalised particularly when it

comes to the supply chain. We went through

a sharp learning curve with our suppliers and

sub-contractors,

significantly increasing their awareness of the

green building principles of the design.”

In August last year, the GBCSA confirmed that the waste management section of the submission had passed muster, giving Kenda and the team the incentive to put in an even greater effort.

“Having achieved our goal we now have to

maintain or even exceed the standards we have

set here,” Kenda concludes.

Roof wetting Nedbank management, who hosted a roof wetting on site in early November 2009, voiced their approval of the building, calling it a ‘spectacular monument to Nedbank’s confidence’.


Group Five acquires stake in Kayema, renewable energy companyGroup Five has acquired a shareholding in Kayema, a

company with 40 years of experience in developing solar water heating systems worldwide. Based in Woodmead, Sandton, Kayema specialises in renewable energy solutions, particularly solar geysers.

Earlier this year Kayema was commissioned to install 117 flat panel solar collectors on the roof of the five star Hotel Da Vinci located in the heart of Sandton next to Nelson Mandela Square.

General manager of Kayema, James Shirley, reports that the solar collectors are capable of heating water for 138 guest rooms at the luxury hotel.

“This large commercial solar water heating system will save approximately 500 000 kwh of electricity, which translates into an annual saving of approximately R500 000 per annum taking into account the rising costs of electricity and reduced reliance on backup generator capacity”, adds James.

“The complexity of design and implementation of this solar system required a collaborative effort between our project managers at Kayema

Energy Solutions and our team of international solar experts working closely with the clients, architects and design engineers.”

The result is a cutting edge solar water heating system capable of pre-heating 20 000 litres of water before it enters into the hotel’s electrical heating system, reducing electricity usage for water heating by at least 60%.

“In addition, our innovative remote monitoring system monitors flow rates, temperatures and water pressure and will allow an instantaneous view of this system’s efficiency and performance from any computer desktop day and night,” says James.

Kayema also has solutions for the domestic market and is working closely with several large scale housing property developers as well as with the insurance industry for the domestic market.

“With a choice of solar heating units catering for all budgets, we even have a low cost housing version which can be used on RDP housing and we are continually training teams to install these units around the country,” explains James.

117 solar units on the Hotel Da Vinci at Sandton Square


Amongst the benefits that Kayema offers are:• Upto40%savingonelectricitybills• DecreasesintheimpactofEskomtariffincreases• KayemaisaregisteredsupplierfortheEskomDSM programme, which offers rebates for installing a solar water heating system• Aconstantsupplyofhotwaterevenduringpoweroutages• Increaseinthevalueofapropertybyreducingoperating costs• Reducecarbonemissionsandbenefitstotheenvironment

About Kayema• Providessolutionsforlargescalecommercialand residential property projects• Bulkorderingcapacitymeansthattheirproductsare available at the best value for money• Over40years’experiencedevelopingsolarwaterheating systems• Offersastrongnetworkofsolarwaterheatinginstaller professionals• Offersattractiveincentivepackages• Offersongoingtraining


Group Five Property Development Services, in consortium with Ideas Fund (Old Mutual)

Khula Enterprises, was the developer of the 27 000m2 Gugulethu Square retail centre in Cape Town which opened in November 2009 and is the first of its kind in the township.

The R350-million retail development has helped shape the rating tool to be applied to shopping centres by the Green Building Council of South Africa, of which Group Five is a sponsor and founder member.

Energy-saving alternatives applied to Gugulethu Square included an energy efficient water cooled air conditioning system, a rainwater system, intelligent lighting and tilt-up concrete façade construction requiring no external painting and a reduced amount of materials to transport.

The former Eyona Centre on which Gugulethu Square was developed was not demolished conventionally, but was dismantled at a higher cost so that materials and components with a value of R300 000 could be donated to and recycled by the immediate community.

Better working and shopping conditions are produced by an air conditioning monitoring system which converts to an economy cycle when external conditions are favourable. The centre also supplies all irrigation for its landscaping from its own rainwater and grey water tanks.

As the centre opened its doors to the public in November last year, excited shoppers enjoyed the convenience of having major national retailers right on their doorstep in bright, spacious, modern surroundings.

Natural light is introduced through the glass main entrance into the Gugulethu mall

Group Five Property Developments involved in green retail centre

The Gugulethu retail development in Cape

Town is the first in the country to be built to meet

Green standards

Jon Hillary and Wim Fourie (MD & FD of Group Five Property Developments) at the official launch of the centre


Grant Ramsay, senior project manager at Group Five Building, was a member of the technical working group developing the

Green Star SA – retail tool which provides guiding principles for the construction and sustainability of retail centres in South Africa. This was finalised in April 2010.

“As founder members of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA)

Group Five was involved with the Green Star SA – office rating tool, which has

been widely adopted by developers, professional teams and the construction

industry,” Grant says. “There are a number of new office buildings currently

under construction using the building methods laid out in the Green Star SA

– office rating tool, for clients who want to sustain their surroundings in an

environmentally friendly manner.”

As with the Green Star SA – office rating tool, the retail centre tool is based on the Australian system.

“Their conditions are similar to our own so we are using their model and

adapting it to South African conditions,” Grant explains.

“Broadly the Green Star rating tools aim to improve the environment, reducing

the carbon impact, protecting storm water systems and wetlands and looking

at the ecological aspects of any project. But they also consider the working,

and in the case of the retail tool, the shopping environment.”

The improvements include removing toxic chemicals from building materials. “The paint industry has come to the party

by producing a paint that is low in volatile organic compounds,

which is being widely specified by ethical developers.”

Grant goes on to explain that high initial costs in employing ‘green’ building methods will be offset by future financial benefits gleaned by clever initiatives and good architecture.

The technical working group, which includes architects, town planners, developers, suppliers and environmentalists, is planning the next tool – a multi-residential building tool.

“We are setting higher parameters for the tool than those set by

legislation, but as the initiative is driven by market demand, we

believe that participants will embrace the principles.”

Grant Ramsay

Group Five’s exhibition stand at the Green Building Conference held in April comprised recycled and green materials where possible

Green Star Rating tool for retail centres

Fulfilling Bongani’s wishThose who live in Gauteng and listen

to Radio Highveld could not fail to be touched by the station’s annual ‘Christmas wish list’, whereby listeners are encouraged to nominate a needy person whose festive season can be improved through the generosity of others.

The Group Five Motlekar team are such ‘others’ and, upon hearing of the plight of Bongani Moloi, a young school boy who has lived in a shack all his life and longed for a proper house, made a commitment to build him a house.

Procurement manager Julie Webb who heads up the project together with Faizal Motlekar and syndicate four Group PMD 2009, says: “We decided to use this opportunity to fulfil Bongani’s dream whilst creating an awareness of Group Five’s responsibility, as a construction company, to the environment and the need to have a proactive approach to sustainable development.

“The objective of the project was to research, design and construct a sustainable house using ‘green’ materials funded through Group Five’s Social Economic Development fund and sponsorships.”

On completion the house will be monitored for the thermal, water and energy efficiency on a month to month basis over a 12 month period through all the seasons.

“We describe an energy efficient/sustainable house as a ‘passive house’ meaning the house consumes less than a quarter of the energy required for a standard building,” Julie explains.

Regardless of several setbacks, not the least of which was the legal implications they faced in acquiring land for an under aged minor, a stand was secured in a quiet part of Lenasia and construction started in March this year. In the meantime, Bongani and his family are living in a temporary accommodation unit erected before Christmas by Group Five, using Everite’s steel frame system.

“The cherry on top was that on Christmas Day, a member of the team visited the family and presented them with gifts and food,” Julie concludes. BonganiwithbenefactorsJulieWebband

Faizal Motlekar at the turning of the first sod


Group Five MotlekarThe partnership between Group Five Housing and Motlekar Investments, Group Five Motlekar was formed in 2008 with the intention of focusing on affordable housing and all government related projects.

Faizal Motlekar founded Motlekar Investments in 2000 to focus on transforming the South African economy. His investments are widespread and, whilst they cover a variety of industries including renewable energy, his specialisation is in the field of infrastructure, particularly low cost housing targeted at disadvantaged people.

As chairman and financial director of Group Five Motlekar, he explains that the partnership brings together the design and construction expertise of Group Five and his years of property development experience through Motlekar Investments.

Managing director of Group Five Housing, Frank Enslin, says: “At one time Group Five was very involved n the low cost affordable housing market and was the main contractor on the All Africa Games Village in Alexandra and a large scale housing development in Kokstad, to

mention a few. Due to a series of events, we pulled back from the market until we teamed up with Motlekar Investments.

“To date the partnership has been responsible for the construction of low cost and affordable houses in Esselen Park, Endayeni and Soshanguve totalling almost 4 000 units.”

The partnership’s strategy is to build Group Five Motlekar into a R1-billion company by 2012 and to boost this they are investigating opportunities in East Africa, Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. Group Five Motlekar is based at Group Five’s premises in Woodmead, Sandton.

Faizal Motlekar

Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 33Group Five Insite Issue 1 2010 33

Going green at FairlawnsInterested members of Group Five were invited to a new

‘green’ building at the well-known Fairlawns boutique hotel in Sandton to learn more about sustainable energy.

Des Muller who heads up the Group Five power development business is seen here inspecting a bank of 30 Sonnenkraft solar panels which will provide unlimited hot water to the

hotel block for ablutions and underfloor heating. The grey water from the building will be used to irrigate the lush gardens that surround the hotel. To assist with maintaining the internal temperature, the building is fitted with Teva double glazed uPVC windows.

Housing at SishenGroup Five Housing has started on a R130-million contract for approximately 25 different buildings, including workshops,

offices and ancillary buildings for Kumba Iron Ore’s new Sishen South Mine in Postmasburg. The town is between Upington and Kimberley in a part of the Northern Cape called the “Green Kalahari” which, judging from the photo, is not too much of a misnomer. Completion of the contract is anticipated to be in June 2010.

Faizal Motlekar

Handover of houses at Endayeni

Happy ululating and hand clapping greeted 30 old age pensioners as they were each allocated a new house at

Endayeni in Tembisa. Having waited many years for a house, the pensioners waited patiently for the last few hours before members of the Gauteng Department of Housing arrived for the allocation process.

Group Five Housing in a joint venture with Motlekar took over the R6-million contract for 90 houses in November 2009 and completed them in March this year.

Contracts manager Deon Barnado explains that the contract was a stopgap between two much larger contracts.

“We recently completed 1 369 houses at Soshanguve and are ready to start on another large scale project for 1 420 houses at Esselen Park, adjacent to Endayeni. So this relatively small job kept us busy in the area.”

The 40m² houses are a huge improvement on RDP houses built several years ago. “The first RDP houses were very basic, whereas the houses that the department is now providing have four rooms with running water, a bathroom, unfitted kitchen with a sink and an external garden tap.”

The houses also have light steel trusses, concrete roof tiles, a concrete finish and compacted aprons.

Some of the 1369 houses in Soshanguve

An old age pensioner opens the door to the first formally built house she has ever owned



Goldflex in GautengBy Alan Foden: Group engineering consultant (Alan retired in April 2010)

Mino Global Properties (Pty) Limited has signed a licence agreement with Group Five to use the Goldflex system in

South Africa. To date Mino Global Properties has built over 800 houses in Kaalfontein using Goldflex and has set up a second pre-casting facility on site at Vlakfontein, near the N1 south of Johannesburg, where they are constructing 1 000 low cost houses.

The Goldflex Building System, developed many years ago within

Group Five, has been used successfully on many large projects

to produce durable high quality buildings at a fast pace.

Comprising concrete wall panels which are cast flat and tilted

up for transportation and erection, the system is suited to large

projects with highly repetitive design components, justifying the

cost of establishing an efficient pre-casting yard on site. The

repetitive nature of the production line is suited to unskilled

workers, who quickly learn the skills required. While the system

is ideal for single-storey low cost housing projects, it is also

particularly cost effective for multi-storey structures up to ten

floors high as loads are carried by the walls reducing the need

for columns and beams.

The intention at Vlakfontein is to build 10 single-storey houses

per day and, to achieve this, a full concrete batch plant and

travelling tower crane have been set up at the pre-casting yard.

However the brownfields project is complicated by informal

houses on each site which have to be shifted to make way for

the permanent houses and later removed once the permanent

houses are occupied.

The planning for the pre-cast yard, all engineering and drawing

work for Vlakfontein was contracted to the Group Five Design

and Project Management (now incorporated into Engineering

and Construction). Besides the design work, tasks include

mentoring and reviewing the contractor’s quality systems in line

with Agrément SA.

As the Goldflex Building System holds certificate 90/201 from

Agrément SA, it is a requirement to keep to the pre-approved

standards given in the certificate. Having a valid Agrément

certificate ensures acceptance of the building method by

NHBRC and the client. Mino Global Properties is registered with

Agrément SA as licensees for Goldflex.

Alan Foden (group engineering consultant) on site with Stan Goldstein, founder of the Goldstein group, and Andrew Fairfax, group commercial manager

Goldflex in Gauteng



A new roadside camp with solar heated geyser

A contract for satellite traffic stations was awarded to Group Five’s Alternate Building Technology (ABT) by the

Eastern Cape Roads and Transport Department who specified the construction of comfortable accommodation, ablution blocks and kitchens for employees based at 32 traffic satellite stations along the N2 in the Eastern Cape for the Department.

“Use of the system provided us with the opportunity to train local

community members as sub-contractors to erect the structures and

pass the skills onto others,” says Mannie Kistnasammy (Director of ABT).

The standard 24m2 units comprise prefabricated insulated wall panels fitted to a steel frame. With a conventional roof, ceiling, services, and wall and floor finishes, the structure is comfortable and durable. Units can be combined to 48m2 and 96m2.

“The new units replace dilapidated shacks at the satellite stations,

providing employees with secure, comfortable accommodation.”

As far as the training of local community members to erect the units is concerned, Mannie gives full credit to Kobus Flemix, operations manager, who was also commended by a representative of the Department.

“Kobus is totally committed to training people who have no skills

whatsoever. His attention to quality is legendary amongst the trainees.

If the quality does not meet his high standards, then the structure is

dismantled and re-erected until he is completely satisfied!”

Evidence of the success of the project was shown through a new order from the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Transport based in King Williams Town for 50 office units to ease cramped conditions.

“The units come complete with ceilings, electricals, skirting and vinyl

floors and walls and an air conditioner and heating system. They have

chosen our concept due to the cost, speed of erection and aesthetics.

These units will be erected adjacent to the head office.

“This is just the start,” says Mannie, “Apart from the projects that we

are busy with for the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Transport,

there are various other applications for our products and system.” He explains that the department is considering the use of the standard units as waiting rooms at rural railway stations to protect commuters from inclement weather conditions.

“In honour of the Nelson Mandela Day ’67 minutes’ initiative in 2009,

a 48m2 classroom unit was erected at the Umtholo Primary School in

Zonkesiswe which is close to the Everite factory in Klipriver. Since then

the system has been used for classrooms in Gauteng and the Eastern

Cape”.

Alternate Building Technology



Temporary terminal at Mthatha Airport

These units are fitted with aluminium windows with burglar

bars and timber frame doors

The Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Transport was so impressed with the Alternative Building Technology

using Everite products as a modular system of wall panels for their satellite traffic stations, accommodation units, ablution and kitchen facilities, and with the speed of erection using local labour, that they approached us do the Mthatha temporary terminal building using the same method and material. Due to the urgency and our track record with the Department, this project was negotiated with us.

The reason for erecting a temporary terminal building was to ensure that the services provided by the Mthatha Airport were not interrupted while major upgrading and renovations were done to the main terminal building.

Osmond Lange Architects were appointed to design the unit under the control of the director, William Martinson. The site was handed over to us in November and due the urgency and deadline we had to work over the Christmas shut-down. The building was successfully completed in the second week of February 2010.

We had to use local emerging contractors who were trained on site. This 1 000m2 building replicates all the functions and facilities of the main terminal building.

Speaking at the handover of the building, the chief director of freight operations and building infrastructure, Mr. Unathi Tele, stated that he was very impressed with the speed of erection,

meeting of deadlines and the high quality of workmanship, especially using local labour.

By using our technology, supply of material and our management team, the Department was able to complete this project at a huge saving compared to other quotes that they received.

In spite of the builders’ shut-down and inadequate supply of material in the Mthatha area we were able to move material from Gauteng suppliers to site to ensure that the building was completed timeously. The progress of the building was closely monitored by our operations manager to ensure that our project plan was adhered to at all times.

The steel structure for the roof and the steel work for the floor system were designed by Vela Steel using Everite’s high density floorboards and wall panels. The floors were laminated wooden floors. An Air Breeze cooling system was specified and proved effective for the climate in this area. The unit features suspended ceilings, aluminum doors and frames. The 110mm wall panels were finished off with a high quality vinyl wall cladding. The unit comes complete with electrical, plumbing and shop fittings. Industrial grade wood laminate flooring was used on the floors. All specifications were used based on the potential for the building to be dismantled and re-erected within a few years, with minimal requirement for replacement material.

This building will continue to be of service for the next three years.

By Mannie Kistnasamy: Director Alternative Building Technology (ABT)

The temporary airport terminal in Mthatha


Department of Basic Education, PretoriaThe new entrance to the Department of Basic Education seen from the south side

The stone-clad hive-shaped structure forms a feature at the main entrance and houses the reception area and main stairwell

Walkways at each level connect the east and west wings through the ‘hive’

In April 2007 Group Five, with Makhosi Infrastructure and Fikile Construction,

started work on the Department of Basic Education’s new headquarters in Pretoria. The R404-million project ranks amongst South Africa’s first Public Private Partnerships (PPP) based on the National Treasury’s standardised provisions on the subject.

Grant Ramsay, project manager for Group Five Building explains that the PPP agreement with the Department was for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the head

office and was concluded by the Sethekgo Private Party whose shareholders are Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments, Makhosi Concessions, Fikile Concessions, Drake & Scull, Stercorp Capital and Old Mutual Ideas Fund.

“The project is based on a 27-year contract period that includes the two year construction period and 25 years of operation and maintenance, in line with international trends.”

The building design, based on an African aesthetic, is by architects TPS in joint venture with Motsi LMI working with consulting engineers, GOBA/PDNA.

Situated in the Pretoria CBD, the 52 000m² structure comprises two parking basements and four levels of offices, a triple level national examinations block, a conference centre and the restoration of Jansen House, an historical building on the site.

The project achieved the scheduled completion date on 28 January 2010. “The original date was extended to accommodate two significant variations that the Department made to the size of the building and internal changes,” Grant concludes.


Department of Basic Education, Pretoria

Preserving history at DOEBy Anton Jansen: Heritage and Restoration Consultant

Thanks to the Tshwane Building Heritage Association, an historical heritage house, standing on the site of the new

Department of Education building was saved and restored. The house is a beautiful reminder of a more gracious era. Built in 1888 the house was owned (or resided in) by M Noome (see Longland’s Pretoria Directory for 1899) and later occupied or owned by T Neftd in 1913 (Lochhead’s Guide, Handbook and Directory of Pretoria 1913). M Noome was the 7th clerk in the Auditor-General Department (1899) and T Nefdt was a farmer (1913).

It is of importance to note that this building is a beautiful example of local and import architecture and could be best described as typical Victorian. Pretoria was in those days an economically developing city and not the backward ‘dorp’ anymore. Hundreds of similar dwellings were erected in the city, Arcadia and Sunnyside, the affluent suburbs.

The exterior is dominated by a turret, wide verandahs and so-called broekielace.

The detail of the gable, the wind vane (a drake) and the verandah and plaster work detail around air ventilators is significant and is now highlighted by a white finish with light cream background.

The interior architecture is of social importance. Entering the house through a massive Burmese teak doorframe with sidelights, an entrance hall of ambience with doors leading to various rooms proclaims the important status of the owners. However, following the passage towards the rear of the building the diminishing size of architraves, skirting and finish is notable.

During the middle 20th century the property was bought by the Public Works Department (PWD) and leased to the Natural Cultural Historical Museum to house the Jansen Collection (a collection by Dr J G Jansen, Governor–General of the Union of South Africa and Mrs Mabel Jansen).

During the last decade of the previous century the artifacts were moved to the NFI in Visagie Street and the empty house was vandalised. Thereafter it was the intention of the Department to have the house demolished to make way for the new Department of Basic Education Building, but, as mentioned, it was saved by the Tshwane Building Heritage Association.

Jansen House after the restoration


Introducing Cosmos Asphalt

INSITE Please send your articles to the editor: Sally O’DonoghueTel: (011) 806 0195 I Fax: (011) 803 1324 I Cell: 082 493 3823 I Email: [email protected]: www.groupfive.co.za I 371 Rivonia Boulevard Rivonia I Design and Layout: Gillian Handy

The launch of Cosmos Asphalt

in the first quarter of 2010 as a

business unit within the Group Five

Construction Materials cluster has

introduced new technology to the road

building industry. With Sean Heathcote

as director of business development,

sales and marketing, the new facility has

been established by Nic Treurnicht as

operations manager for the plant. Nic

takes up the story.

“Based at the Quarry Cats site at Laezonia, we

have set up a brand new Ciber asphalt plant

imported from Brazil and purchased from

Wirtgen SA. The plant is the latest continuous

drum mix design with a pug-mill after mixer to

achieve total mix flexibility. The plant capacity

is 120 tph with four cold feed bins

for crushed aggregates and hot storage bin

for mixed asphalt. An 80 ton bitumen storage

is connected to the plant to mitigate supply

disruptions from local refineries.

“A reverse pulse bag house filters all dust from

exhaust gases to make this one of the cleanest

asphalt plants in the region. The Ciber plant

is also fitted with the latest Wirtgen automatic

operating system, designed in Germany, to

control mix parameters including bitumen

content,mix temperature and aggregate mix

proportions.”

The plant has supplied asphalt to Group

Five Civil Engineering’s recently opened

N17 contract and other contractors

including the Gautrain stations at Sandton

and Centurion and various smaller

projects.

“Whilst the most popular mixes are currently

the bitumen treated base course and Colto

medium wearing course, the plant can produce

a variety of other mixes to meet clients’

requirements. We are using this mix flexibility

and capacity to expand our existing market,”

concludes Nic.

The plant capacity is 120 tons per hour

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