IMESA President’s Welcome Message

President’s Welcome Message

Our last in-person conference was in 2019 before the beginning of Covid-19 restrictions. It is sobering to reflect on the impact that the pandemic has had since then on every aspect of our individual lives, our communities, our country and globally. Thankfully, we can now put that behind us and once again host a physical event where public and private stakeholders can map a way forward.

It is a pleasure to be able to welcome you to our 85th IMESA Conference hosted by our Northern Provinces Branch. This year’s theme, which is ‘Adapting to our changing world’, has never been more relevant as we engineer our way through the very real fallout from climate change, as well as global conflicts, to hopefully build a better future.

Our thanks go to the sponsors and exhibitors who contribute so much to our conferences. Thanks also go to the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Head Office staff for all the hard work that goes into organising and coordinating a successful and interactive conference.

IMESA is hosting the second 2022 board meeting for the International Federation of Municipal Engineering (IFME) and, this time, we have the privilege of an address by their President, Sanne Hieltjes, as well as invaluable international input on the topic of ‘Climate Change, Technology and Stewardship – adapting infrastructure assets for a changing world’ by the conference’s keynote speaker, David Jenkins from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia. The conference papers this year cover crucial topics like solving flooding problems using sustainable urban design systems (SUDS), as well as the opportunities for independent water production in South Africa. In addition, we will be hearing from representatives of National Treasury and other government authorities on our discussion panel. There will be Q&A sessions throughout and ample opportunities to network with speakers and representatives in the Exhibitors’ Hall.

I invite you all to take full advantage of the wealth of experience and information offered over the three days and to participate in all the activities on offer.

Bhavna Soni President, IMESA