Imiesa February 2014

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

IMESA

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

Cat® earthmoving machines

Putting precision into Africa’s roads

Drones

Meet the engineer’s new aerial tool MEDIA

Managing Joburg

Getting back on track

Centrepiece

Water storage | Water collection | Reservoirs & dams |Water treatment

in the

HOT SEAT

“I would like to put the company back as the number one value-added binder supplier in Southern Africa.” Deon Pagel, Managing Director, Tosas

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

THE JOAT GROUP OF COMPANIES has moulded itself into an efficient and market-leading solutions-orientated team that primarily addresses the optimisation of water supply to consumers through the minimisation of water losses, application of appropriate technology, revenue improvement and energy efficiency.

The group’s key focus areas of operation are consulting and operations engineering (essentially the reduction of nonrevenue water and stabilising of water supply), product sales and support, energy efficiency and mentorship. JOAT’s passion and vision is to ensure that municipalities become as efficient as possible in delivering water to consumers and has adapted its approach towards an outcomes-based partnership that has shared responsibility and accountability. The ultimate objective of any successful partnership with JOAT is to provide water service authorities with an efficient distribution system that they are fully equipped and trained to continue to operate.

In response to this approach, JOAT has invested in wide-ranging technology and partnerships that can be harnessed for the benefit of municipalities. Flow metering solutions (permanent or temporary, monitoring or revenue-generating), data management solutions (data loggers, GSM data loggers), control valve solutions (pressure-reducing valves, pressure controllers, surge control), leak detection solutions (leak detection equipment and service) and energy efficiency solutions (variable speed drives and system optimising) are all available to be presented into cost-effective, custom-made packages.

JOAT has also expanded into the optimisation of energy consumption in the water cycle and has a number of in-house experts that can undertake energy audits and design energy efficiency solutions for pump stations and treatment works. This forms part of its overall approach to making the distribution of water as efficient as possible.

HEAD OFFICE Unit 19 Alexander Park, 24 Alexander Road, Westmead, Pinetown, KZN, SA 3610 • Postnet Suite 23, Private Bag X4, Kloof 3640 t +27 (0)31 700 1177 • f +27 (0)31 700 9853 • Contact Daryl Spencer daryl.spencer@joat.co.za c 083 555 9996 NATIONAL OFFICES • Pietermaritzburg • Port Elizabeth • Johannesburg • Cape Town • Shelly Beach

CONTENTS

VOLUME 39 NO 2 FEBRUARY 2014

46

drones 26 Hi-tech for engineering

13

40Apps for engineers

City of Johannesburg

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

Lesotho Highlands Water Project

SANRAL Roads

IMESA

Road cost allocation and recovery 55 INSIGHT

Roads

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

64

Retaining walls

Cat® earthmoving machines

RESERVOIRS & DAMS Water Collection | Water Storage | Water Treatment

Water storage

Stormwater Modelling exercise provides

Drones

Meet the engineer’s new aerial tool MEDIA

Managing Joburg

Getting back on track

Centrepiece

Water storage | Water collection | Reservoirs & dams |Water treatment

67

flooding solution

Putting precision into Africa’s roads

THE LESOTHO HIGHLANDS PROJECT An African Success Story

Keeping projects on track

in the

Enhancing municipal performance

Expanding a key commercial corridor, China Railway Seventh Group Botswana is upgrading one of Botswana’s most important road networks, with a Cat RM300 rotary mixer responsible for the cement stabilisation works. P6

Regulars

AUTODESK

Geomatics solutions undergo rapid technological growth

13

20

Training Social franchising partnership creates jobs

29

SHEQ Lessons from Tongaat Mall

35

Technology

in the

HOT SEAT

40

43

Introduction Lesotho Highlands Water Project Water tank technology

45 46 53

93

products news S A G I SOUTH AFRICAN

GEOMATICS INSTITUTE

3 5 8

SABITA

The app age

Company services and

geomatics and beyond

Municipal feature

90

Products and services

Autodesk is a frontrunner in providing technological solutions to the discipline of

Investments in bitumen

89

Events

“I would like to put the company back as the number one value-added binder supplier in Southern Africa.” Deon Pagel, Managing Director, Tosas

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

The City of Johannesburg

Being a semi-arid countr y, South Africa’s water policies are increasingly recognising the need to integrate water collection and storage infrastructure 43 IMIESA February 2014

Project management

HOT SEAT

Editor’s comment President’s comment Africa Roundup

WATER TANKS Abeco – bespoke water storage solutions

The South African Geomatics Institute

S A G I

MINI-DRONE MAPPING A variety of 3D mapping applications

Special feature

Surveyors have been around since the earliest recorded times and undertook small to large scale projects, some with the most extreme engineering of its day.

The South African Geomatics Institute epitomises this most noble profession and its constantly evolving dynamics in the industry and we hope that you will find what you are looking for, be it a surveyor or just general information about what surveyors do.

Section cover: WorldsView 23 Autodesk Geomatics solutions 24 Drones: View from the sky 26

Panel discussion Roads construction, maintenance and management

75

Lafarge Mike Fisher, Dirk Odendaal, 77 Herbert Groenewald Spraypave Steven Single

79

Jeffares & Greene Paul Olivier

81

AfriSam Amit Dawneerangen

83

Colas Stephanie Britz

85

Much Asphalt Leon Alberts

86

“I would like to put the company back as the number one value-added binder supplier in Southern Africa.” Deon Pagel, managing director, Tosas

10 IMIESA February 2014

1

EDITOR’S COMMENT

PUBLISHER Elizabeth Shorten EDITOR Nicholas McDiarmid HEAD OF DESIGN Frédérick Danton EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Danielle Petterson SENIOR DESIGNER Hayley Mendelow DESIGNER Kirsty Galloway CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Claire Nozaïc SUB-EDITOR Beatrix Knopjes CONTRIBUTORS Wayne Birkholtz, Serena Coetzee, Leon Hellberg, Oliver Ive, Candice Landie, Omesh Ori, Prof WJ Pienaar, Esther Shaylor, Xan Swart, Dinao Tjia, Dr Kevin Wall, Greg Williams CLIENT SERVICES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh Botma PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise FINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Neo Sithole ADMINISTRATION Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________________________ ADVERTISING SALES Jenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223 ___________________________________________________

PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: nicholas@3smedia.co.za www.3smedia.co.za ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R550.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS IMESA Administration Officer: Narisha Sogan P O Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER BRANCH Secretary: Melanie Matroos Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2401 Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266 E-mail: melaniem@buffalocity.gov.za EAST CAPE BRANCH Clarine Coltman Tel: +27 (0)41 505 8019 Fax: +27 (0)41 585 3437 E-mail: clarinec@africoast.com KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH Secretary: Rita Matthews Tel: +27(0)31 311 6382 Fax: +27 (0)31 701 2935 NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCH Secretary: Rona Fourie Tel: +27 (0)82 742 6364 Fax: +27 (0)86 634 5644 E-mail: imesanorth@vodamail.co.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCH Secretary: Henrietta Oliver Tel: +27(0)79 390 7536 Fax: 086 536 3725 E-mail: imesa.southcape@gmail.com WESTERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Erica van Jaarsveld Tel: +27 (0)21 938 8455 Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457 E-mail: erica.van_jaarsveld@capetown.gov.za

Finding solutions to poor service delivery Politics is about bragging. It’s about outmatching your opponent and the skill you bring that process. While no one doubts the compromising nature of the incumbent government, its opposition fails continuously to engage with its potential constituency. Where does this affect people most?

L

OCAL GOVERNMENT is the coalface of politics. As we have seen recently, local government service delivery protests have gone horribly wrong, leaving a trail of death, mistrust and anger. What is going here?

A lot of money is being spent on industry, such as the industrial development zones, and on the ‘Spatial Development Initiatives’ and this is right and good and much needed for socio-economic development. But it appears that there are now too many municipalities who simply cannot deliver.

Whatever the reason is, it is a chronic problem, not only for the people going without, but for the engineering profession as well. Despite recent revelations of the extent of corruption in Murray & Roberts, many smaller contractors are not keeping themselves afloat. If more municipal projects were coming online, this picture would surely look different.

The constitutional structure of local government gives it almost 100% autonomy, whether they deliver or not. Recently it was mooted that national government should constitutionally make a change, allowing national government to intervene. One has to question what difference that would make. There have been similar strategies in the past, but nothing much has changed.

It is time for municipalities to embrace the private sector. There are many consulting engineers and civil engineers, ready to contribute expertise to ensure delivery happens. This does not have to come at great cost; the reward, surely is in

FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27(0)83 457 4362 Fax: 086 628 0468 E-mail: imesa.fsnc@gmail.com

greasing the wheels. The impact of turning this around would be profound. Not only would larger consulting firms benefit, but smaller, local contractors would create more permanent jobs. The beneficiaries would be better served with better access to basic services, including transport.

In this edition of IMIESA, we look at ‘Social Franchising’, a new concept with the potential to get delivery right. This particular example looks at sanitation services, and a case study shows the great impact it has had on a school. Definitely a must read. We publish Part 1 in this edition, with Part 2 being published in March.

Something else that’s new is the role that drones can play in engineering. Consider dronemapping technology that revolutionises the spatial environment in which engineers work.

Economically, we have recently seen the Reserve Bank reverting to inflation targeting once more, raising the interest rate by 50 basis points. It is interesting to note that at least one commentator suggested that the major strain on individual spending is not consumables, but rates and taxes.

So while lauded as a sensible move, one has to question how effective it is going to be. Unlocking the logjams that consistently block the improvement of infrastructure and services is essential to building South Africa’s economy. It is no longer acceptable for people to be living tin shacks or for a child to die in a pit toilet because of a lack of service delivery. Something’s got to change.

Nicholas McDiarmid

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

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

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

IMESA

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

Cat® earthmoving machines

Putting precision into Africa’s roads

Drones

Meet the engineer’s new aerial tool MEDIA

Managing Joburg

Getting back on track

Centrepiece

Water storage | Water collection | Reservoirs & dams |Water treatment

Infrastructure News

Cover opportunity

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in the

HOT SEAT

“I would like to put the company back as the number one value-added binder supplier in Southern Africa.” Deon Pagel, Managing Director, Tosas

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

@infrastructure4

IMIESA February 2014

3

29-31 O C T O B E R

Call for Papers Theme: Balancing Service Delivery • Political and Legislative Perspectives • Social and Environmental Impacts • Financial Considerations • Transport and Traffic • Water and Sanitation • Roads and Stormwater

S Y N O P S I S S U B M I T T E D B Y 30 APRIL 2014 to Wiero Vogelzang | wvogelzang@gibb.co.za IMESA t +27 (031) 266 3263 email conference@imesa.org.za

PRESIDENT’S COMMENT

THE MUNICIPAL BENCHMARKING INITIATIVE

Frank Stevens, president of IMESA

IMESA Conference 2013 – Pre-conference workshop

Those delegates who attended the 2013 IMESA Conference, held in Port Elizabeth in October last year, may recall mention being made of the successful National Benchmarking (MBI) Workshop that was held one-and-ahalf days prior to the commencement of the Conference.

T

HIS WORKSHOP was highly successful and well received and I felt that it would be of value to give some feedback on this IMESA supported event.

Some Background to the MBI This initiative which is supported

by IMESA, SALGA, the WRC and eThekwini Water and Sanitation was launched in 2011 (again as a pre-IMESA Conference Workshop).

The focus was on performance indicators (PIs) related to: • Water Demand Management • Human Resources and Skills Development.

This workshop was met with enthusiasm and the feedback was positive. It was clear that refinement was required and while the Metros were most comfortable with the draft PIs it soon became evident that it would be the smaller municipalities which needed the most assistance and would benefit most.

In 2012, the MBI Conference was replaced by a series of Water Services Master Classes which were held throughout the country.

The National MBI Workshop – October 2013 This workshop, which was held at the Boardwalk Hotel and Conference Centre, was well supported, thanks to it being linked to the IMESA Conference, which made attendance more affordable

together with its value to municipalities and the fact that CPD points were awarded. There were 73 attendees, most coming from metros, district municipalities and local municipalities. The primary target audience was senior water services technical staff. The objectives were to: • share best practices • update municipalities on the current status of the initiative, key findings and emerging trends • get feedback on the draft PI • emphasise the importance of the long-term commitment of project sponsors and municipal partners • continue to generate awareness, interest and enthusiasm among municipalities.

I quote four of the many comments received from participants: “This is the perfect opportunity to interact with other municipalities and learn from them how best to solve their problems and to have a common understanding of performance indicators.”

“It would be useful if the smaller municipalities can share ideas with other municipalities of the same size with same challenges going forward.”

“Need to add ‘consumer services’ as a PI” “SALGA needs to market MBI to mayors, councillors and municipal management.”

The DWA (Free State) indicated that it wishes to become partners and the DBSA is keen to assist as an ambassador for the MBI.

The programme Six benchmarking modules were covered by invited guest speakers: • Human Resources and Skills Development (Tshwane Metro) • Service Delivery and Backlogs (Chris Hani District Municipality) • Operation and Maintenance (Johannesburg Water) • Water Conser vation and Demand Management (eThekwini Water and Sanitation) • Financial Management (National Treasury) • Product Quality (Witzenberg Municipality).

An enjoyable networking cocktail function was sponsored by Amatola Water.

The Way Forward The National MBI Workshop 2013 was successful and favourably received. The project team aims to build on this success and continue to produce MBI events that both interest municipalities and help them improve performance (e.g. Water Services Master Classes) to ensure the ongoing success of MBI events and careful consideration will be given to: • how to ensure the topics remain relevant and at the right level?

• how to get non-participating municipalities to participate?

• how to involve the municipal managers, chief financial

officers, human resources managers, mayors and councillors in a meaningful manner?

IMESA certainly will continue to carry out its role on the Steering Committee and support this initiative into the future.

The MBI will be hosting another round of the Water Services Master Classes during February and March 2014. The focus will be on supporting attending municipalities to get the most value and service improvement benefit out of their MBI Scorecards, which have been generated for each municipal Water Services Authority. This round of classes will be held in Durban, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. I wish to express my thanks to Grant Mackintosh of EMANTI for supplying background information for this article.

BELOW Valuable participation of attendees throughout the workshop

IMIESA February 2014

5

COVER STORY

THE CAT RM300 ROTARY MIXER

Tonota to Francistown via Expanding a key commercial corridor, China Railway Seventh Group Botswana is upgrading one of Botswana’s most important road networks, with a Cat RM300 rotary mixer responsible for the cement stabilisation works.

R

EPRESENTING AN investment of around one billion pula, Botswana’s A1 national road between Tonota and Francistown is undergoing a major upgrade as this single-lane section is progressively transformed into a north- and southbound dual carriageway, crossing four existing river bridges along the way.

A strategically important transportation route for both Botswana and the Southern African region, the A1 passes through Francistown, the nation’s second largest city, heading northwards to end at the Zimbabwe border some 90 km distant. From there, commercial traffic continues on to destinations that include Zambia and the DRC. The contract for the reconstruction of the Tonota to Francistown route, covering a distance of approximately 30 km, was awarded to China Railway Seventh Group Botswana (CRSG

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IMIESA February 2014

Botswana) in August 2012 by Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, Roads Department. The 30-month construction programme commenced in May 2013 following an initial six-month mobilisation period entailing the relocation of water, sewage, telecommunication and electrical services. The consulting engineers are Pula Consultants, based in Botswana.

In addition to the installation of three major in-situ box culverts to cater for the extended pavement width, new simply supported independent bridges are being constructed alongside the existing Tholodi, Shashe and Bodumatau Bridges (1.88 km, 4.13 km and 23.9 km respectively). Tati River Bridge (28.86 km) on the outskirts of Francistown is the exception. Here the structure is being widened equally on each side from the existing width of 10.63 m to the new deck width of

28.55 m, maintaining the current road centreline. All the original bridges were built some 37 years ago when this A1 section was first constructed. Tholodi’s new carriageway bridge will be a 36.15 m long, 3 x 12 m span structure; Shashe will feature a new 144.6 m long, 12 x 12 m span bridge; and Bodumatau a new 24.1 m long structure with 2 x 12 m spans.

All three bridges will have an overall deck width of 11 m with a road width between parapets of 10.4 m on a 2.5% crossfall.

Bridge deck cross-sections consist of precast, ordinarily reinforced inverted T-Type beams with in-situ concrete between and on top, providing an overall deck thickness of 710 mm.

Tati River Bridge, measuring 108.45 m in length, will also employ precast beams for the deck widening.

General rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing bridges is also being undertaken,

dual carriageway along with the construction of concrete New Jersey type parapets that will replace existing steel handrails. New and existing bridges will be surfaced with a 50 mm thick asphalt overlay. Running in parallel with the bridge programme are extensive roadworks along the Tonata to Francistown section. In addition to new roadbed preparation, construction of in-situ reworked and new cement stabilised lower and upper sub-base layers form a major portion of the contract.

CRSG’s scope of works also includes the widening of existing cuts and fills, benching into old fills or the construction of new cuts and fills, plus horizontal and vertical realignment of the existing road in order to improve design speed, which is generally 120 km/h along rural sections, and 80 to 60 km/h through built-up areas.

The existing Thapama Traffic Circle (29.7 km) within Francistown will also be remodelled as

General rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing bridges is also being undertaken a grade separated intersection, together with the construction of two access roads.

New construction, as well as reconstruction of the existing pavement is being carried out by a Cat RM300 rotary mixer, which forms the critical path of the road contracts programme. Sold and supported by Barloworld Equipment, the RM300 is working alongside CRSG Botswana’s predominately Cat earthmoving fleet, comprising graders, excavators and rollers. (Barloworld Equipment is the Cat dealer for Southern Africa.)

In addition to its RM300 deployed on the A1, CRSG Botswana also has a Cat RM500 deployed in Zambia, where the company is currently working on a range of construction projects.

According to CRSG, both machines

are providing excellent production results with high mechanical availability.

Weighing in at around 24 454 kg, the Cat RM300 features a gross power delivery of 261 kW via its Cat C11 engine.This compares with the Cat RM500, which has an operating weight of 28 145 kg and is driven by a Cat C15 ACERT engine generating a gross power output of 403 kW. “The key difference between the RM300 and RM500 is their power delivery and application requirements,” explains Barloworld Equipment's product manager, Johan Hartman. “The Cat RM300 has a single water pump system, while the larger Cat RM500 features a dual water and emulsion pump design for either cement or bitumen stabilisation requirements. However, the two models have the same cutting drum widths and depths (depending on the rotor option selected).”

In working the lower and upper sub-base layers, the RM300’s universal rotor – equipped with its 200 carbide-tipped bits arranged in a chevron pattern – comes into play in reworking dense in-situ materials, in the process providing high levels of material pulverization and gradation. A three-position mode switch enables the rotor depth to be controlled manually or automatically to a preset cutting depth to ensure that the engineering design is precisely met. Width of cut is 2 438 mm, while the maximum mixing depth is 457 mm (when equipped with the universal rotor).

ABOVE Concrete works in progress on the Tati Bridge widening BELOW From left are Allen Wang (business development manager, CRSG Botswana), Bagang Morwe (safety officer, CRSG Botswana), Ivy May (Chinese business development, Barloworld Equipment), and MA Shuqiang (managing director, CRSG Botswana)

A key feature on the Cat RM300 is the machine’s side-to-side shifting operator station. The cab slides fully to either side of the machine using hydraulic-assist. This means that the operator always has maximum visibility for optimal in-situ mixing efficiencies, helping to ensure that CRSG meets its daily production rates within designed depth, moisture and compaction density targets.

Wholly owned by China Railway Group Limited, CRSG has established a strong presence on the African continent, with subsidiaries formed in Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. In 2013, China Railway Group Limited was ranked 34th out of the world’s Top 250 International Contractors according to US-based Engineering News-Record’s annual industry survey.

The Tonota to Francistown project is the second Botswana contract awarded to CRSG. The first, valued at around 193 million pula, was completed in 2011, entailing the upgrading of a 38 km gravel section between Ngoma and Kachikau to a bitumen double seal single lane riding surface, which was officially opened in December of that year.

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

IMIESA February 2014

7

AFRICA ROUNDUP

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT ANGOLA Another 4 200 km of road will receive works under the Programme of Conservation and Maintenance being conducted by the National Roads Institute (INEA) this year. At least 4 300 km of road have already received and continue to receive work. This, together with the 2014 programme, totals 8 500 km that will fall under the roads conservation and maintenance programme.

According to the Minister of Construction, Waldemar Pires Alexandre, the conservation of roads is an area of priority for the programme. This is because it preserves all the investments made by the state in the construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure.

ETHIOPIA New Water Development Engineering Service to address challenges The new Ethiopian Water Development Engineering Service will soon replace the Federal Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise (WWDSE).

It will be made up of various research institutes and will be involved in water development and supervision strategies under the supervision of the federal government.

The institution arose out of the need for the undertaking of multidimensional tasks. Experts have highlighted challenges to the sector including lack of systems, shortage of skilled manpower in some specialised fields, low level technology usage and limited experience.

“Establishing a strengthened water sector design and supervision is pivotal to realising the

8

IMIESA February 2014

sustainable development of the country,” points out Hailemeskel Tefera, state minister of the Ministry of Urban Housing and Construction and Board chairperson of the WWDSE.

TANZANIA: The construction of Terminal 3 at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania is underway

GAMBIA Basse-Vellingara road reconstruction at advanced stage The reconstruction of a road that links Basse in the Upper River Region of Gambia and the border village of Vellingara in Senegal is nearing completion.

The project funded by the European Union has been under construction for some time now.

The governor of the region, Omar Sampo Ceesay, told the Daily Observer that the road is very important for the people of Basse because it will create employment opportunities and boost economic activities in the provincial town; the road was a major concern for people in the area.

A by-pass road is also being put in place in Basse. According to Ceesay, it will create new avenues for infrastructural and residential developments in the area.

GHANA Railway reconstruction coming soon The much needed reconstruction of Ghana’s railways will begin this year.

President John Dramani Mahama recently announced the upcoming project at a press conference to mark his one year in office.

In Ghana, 90 to 95% of cargo is carried by road. According to President Mahama, this is unacceptable. He noted the importance of railways for any country wanting to develop and maintains

that cargo cannot continue to be carried by road.

The country’s roads are currently becoming damaged due to the heavy cargo loads being carried on them. The lack of alternative transport has made it difficult to enforce load limits.

The reconstruction will mainly target the eastern and western corridor rail lines. The eastern line will be tied in with the Boankra Inland Port, the northern parts of the country as well as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

KENYA Progress on Mombasa water supply rehabilitation Pipes have been laid as part of the rehabilitation of the Mombasa water supply system.

The pipes will interconnect the existing system, linking the Kisauni, Kongowea and Nyali water lines to the Nguu Tatu reserve. The rehabilitation project is expected to resolve the area’s persistent water shortages.

The old pipes have reportedly rusted, resulting in water shortages. There is currently a 69% deficit in Mombasa’s 160 000 m3 daily water demand.

The new pipes have a greater capacity and should expand the area’s water supply.

The 900 million Kenyan shilling (R117.5 million) project is co-funded by the World Bank and

the French Development Agency and involves that replacement of the 42 km of pipes that supply water from the Mwache and Mzima dams to Mombasa.

The rehabilitation project also includes installation of 18 zonal metres, the rehabilitation of tanks at the Nguu Tatu water reserve and the repair of the Makupa causeway pipeline.

MOZAMBIQUE Japan funds Maputo power station Mozambique has received a US$167 million (R1.8 billion) loan from the Japanese government to build a gas-fired power station in Maputo.

The loan will be put towards engineering services, the acquisition of equipment, construction work and professional training.

The station will be built on the former site of the SONFEE coal and oil-fired power station and will generate 100 megawatts.

The aim of the project is to improve the stability of the electrical grid as well as to meet the growing demand for domestic power use. Construction of the station should be completed by 2018.

NAMIBIA N7.5 billion rehabilitation project planned The Federal Capital Territory Administration

AFRICA ROUNDUP

(FCTA) plans to rehabilitate the airport and Kubwa-Zuba roads this year to the tune of 7.5 billion Nigerian naira (R511 million).

The proposal is part of the 2014 budget, which was recently submitted to the National Assembly. According to the proposal, the rehabilitation and expansion of Lot 1 of the Airport Expressway will cost N2 billion, while Lot 2 of the same road will be expanded and rehabilitated at a cost of N1.7 billion.

Another N2 billion and N1.8 billion will be spent on the rehabilitation and expansion of the Lot 1 and Lot 2 of the Outer Northern Expressway respectively.

NIGERIA US$700 million for NigeriaAlgeria gas pipeline US$700 million (R7.9 billion) has been secured for the TransSaharan gas pipeline from Nigeria to Algeria.

The immediate focus of the project is to connect gas suppliers in the Niger Delta to the pipeline infrastructure that runs across the northern part of the country to deliver gas to the Niger/ Nigeria boarder.

The environmental impact study has already begun and the front end design of the pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year. Following this will be the construction of the Trans-Nigeria segment which is expected to be completed by 2018.

Once completed, the pipeline will carry an estimated 30 billion cubic metres of gas from Warri, Nigeria to Algeria. From there gas will be distributed to Europe.

The pipeline will be operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Algerian oil and gas company Sonatrach who own majority shares in the project. The project is intended to integrate economies in line with the New Partnership for Africa's Development’s vision to boost

the GDP of participating countries, create wealth and improve living standards in the region

1 000 housing units under construction The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has begun construction on 1 000 housing units for civil servants.

This is the first phase of a project which plans to build 5 000 units for state workers.

Eighty hectares of land has been acquired for the housing project, which is expected to take two years to complete.

Ecinot Nigeriawill handle the project and the NLC’s housing committee will monitor it to ensure that it meets the desired standards. Only members that have contributed to the union's National Housing Scheme will benefit from the project.

TANZANIA Construction started on JNIA Terminal 3 The construction of Terminal 3 at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) is now under way.

Dutch company BAM International was awarded a contract worth US$170 million (R1.85 billion) in April 2013 for the design and construction of the first phase of the new terminal. The execution of the project will be carried out as a joint venture BAM International and UK sister company BAM Nuttall.

The construction of the new terminal will upgrade JNIA’s status.

Once complete, the terminal will make it possible for the airport to handle six million passengers per annum, as well as all types of aircraft, including Airbus A380.

The new terminal was designed in partnership with Netherlands Airport Consultants for the anticipated growth of international air traffic. It will leave the existing international Terminal 2 to cater for domestic flights.

Phase 1 of the project involves the construction of the main terminal building which will facilitate

3.5 million passengers annually and includes parking lots, access roads, platforms and a taxiway.

Phase 2 will provide further capacity to facilitate 6 million annual passengers.

JNIA is the country’s principal airport and currently accommodates flights to various destinations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Unforeseen problems extend bridge construction The construction of the Kigamboni Bridge has been extended to July 2015.

The 680 m bridge was due to be completed in January 2015 but unforeseen challenges have resulted in the six-month extension. The project has been delayed by technical issues as well as frequent interruption by passers-by.

There have been several cases of theft of building materials, resulting in an increase in security. Another major issue is that drilling now has to go down 84 m instead of the planned 65 m because of a cavity found in the seabed.

The project was proposed in 1977, but could not be funded at the time. The project, now funded by the National Social Security Fund, will cost an estimated US$33 million (R360 million).

Construction is being carried out by the China Major Bridge Engineering Company and China Railway Jiangchang Engineering (Tanzania) as well as Arab Consulting Engineers.

The cable-stayed bridge will be 27.5 m wide and will have six lanes and two sidewalks. The bridge will connect Kigamboni satellite city to the rest of the country. The hope is that Kigamboni will come to accommodate 450 000 residents as opposed to the 45 000 current residents.

ZIMBABWE China invests US$160 million in solar energy A Chinese

NIGERIA The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline will carry an estimated 30 billion cubic metres of gas from Warri, Nigeria to Algeria. From there gas will be distributed to Europe

renewable energy company plans to invest US$160 million (R1.8 billion) in the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant in Zimbabwe.

Powerway Renewable Energy Company will make the investment through its regional subsidiary Powerway South Africa and partner, Mobility Holdings, which specialises in renewable energy projects.

The project will take approximately a year to complete and will occupy an estimated 400 ha of land. The power that is generated will be fed into the national grid to help alleviate Zimbabwe’s power deficit.

Technical expertise will initially come from China and South Africa before locals can be trained and skills transfer can take place. An estimated 600 contract jobs are expected to be created.

IMIESA February 2014

9

HOT SEAT

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Tosas refreshes its

Deon Pagel, the new managing director of Tosas, shares his plans for taking a company that once was the industry leader back to number one position.

Q. When where you officially appointed as managing director of Tosas and what are your primary responsibilities in this new role?

DP I was appointed managing director at the end of August 2013. My primary responsibility is to make Tosas a profitable company that can independently add to the bottom line of the Raubex Group.

Your vision for the company is in line with that of your predecessor Phillip Hechter. Can you share some details of this vision with us?

Making the company profitable is the first and foremost priority, but along with that I would like to put the company back as the number one value-added binder supplier in Southern Africa. I know this is a massive

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IMIESA February 2014

target, but the basic requirements to do that are in place. It’s just a question of regaining the trust of road construction companies and showing them that we can deliver whatever they require, not only in terms of product but also in terms of application of these products.

As the new man at the helm and with the economy still tight, what’s your strategic approach for the next few years?

One of our biggest challenges is to control overhead costs, which are currently too high.

With that, however, goes the improvement of efficiencies of all aspects of the business – from our workshops in terms of repairs and maintenance, down to the last activities on any site or area of work. With all the other

industry players now offering the services and products that we were already offering just a few years ago, our margins will always be under pressure. Another big challenge is to regain the confidence of previous customers and users of our services. We know it will take time but we are confident that this is already happening.”

For many years, Tosas was the leader of the industry. What changed over time and what plans are in place to reposition the company as number one?

That is absolutely correct and it is quite sad that things took a turn for the worse. There are many reasons for Tosas losing its position as the leader in the roads industry and, without beating around the bush, I think it

HOT SEAT

vision

wait for days (if not weeks) for the repairs to be affected. This, and other aspects of the business being managed perhaps in a different manner than what customers were used to, led to a lot of frustration and eventually forced customers to not only opt for alternate suppliers but to even start their own ‘little Tosas’. Others found the financial requirements to be very strict and opted to find alternate suppliers.

Are you prepared for the challenges ahead?

I believe that Tosas has some of the best people in the business and that gives me confidence that we are ready and we can do it. You must remember that just about all the factors that led to Tosas losing its market share had very little, if anything, to do with

I have a team made up of some of the most respected people in the industry right from technical through to production, maintenance and financial across from other divisions in the Raubex Group. Our branch managers are well known in the industry and they are playing a massive role in the success off the ‘new’ Tosas.

ABOVE Tosas has some of the best binder application equipment available RIGHT Tosas has a fleet of more than 30 modern binder distributors

would be fair to say that the business just did not fit into the ambit of the previous shareholders. Things like central procurement under very strict conditions hampered the production and site delivery of the company tremendously. Don’t get me wrong, you cannot forgo procurement rules and regulations, but for a company where breakdowns require immediate action, you must have systems in place that allow you to get the job done very quickly and efficiently. You simply cannot procure repairs to a rubber bitumen sprayer standing on a site in Springbok through a central procurement system that requires three quotes and then, literally,

our employees and now that they are working for a shareholder who perhaps better understands the day-to-day requirements, you can see a new hope instilled in everyone. We are working towards being number one again.

Are there any new products being developed that you could share with us?

Currently, I can only share a bit of detail on the New Crumbed Rubber Technology that was developed in conjunction with, and is produced under license from Sasol Wax. We are very excited about this technology as it brings about a completely new environmentally friendly angle to what is commonly referred to as the Rolls Royce of modified binders, namely rubber bitumen. Not only can we work at much reduced temperatures, but also the major limiting factor, namely the shelf life, is extended to seven days and even longer.

This is a massive breakthrough in the use of rubber and we are of the opinion that this will soon become the norm.

Tell me about your team at Tosas.

They are great, from senior management through to branch managers down to the cleaners. I’m so blessed with this entire team and the loyalty they continue to show. It is just amazing to believe that they stuck it out despite the very uncertain times. I can really boast that I have a team made up of some of the most respected people in the industry right from technical through to production, maintenance and financial. The already strong operational team that was in place has been further boosted by bringing in staff

IMIESA February 2014

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CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

BRINGING BACK THE GLORY DAYS

Managing the city made from gold Love it or hate it, Johannesburg is the pulse of the South African economy, making the largest contribution to the Gauteng gross domestic product. IMIESA looks at the most recent State of the City address for an overview of this cultural melting pot.

GO FIGURE

J

OZI, AS IT IS affectionately referred to by residents, is part of South Africa’s smallest yet ‘biggest’ province. Its energy is fast-paced and continues to compete with leading global cities worldwide.

In his 2013 State of the City address, Mayor Mpho Parks Tau describes Johannesburg as “a city that cares deeply for all its residents, through its commitment to the provision of world-class services”. He reminisced on the on the city-wide process that was held in 2010 to consult with the public on a future vision for the City. From the participation process, the Joburg 2040 vision was born, which focuses on creating a sustainable, liveable and resilient city – sustainable in its infrastructure and resilient in its ability to tackle unforeseen events.

Cost of living Escalating living expenses, hikes in fuel prices, ageing infrastructure, the quality of service delivery and a depreciation of the public schooling and healthcare sectors remain concerns that fester within Johannesburg and South Africa. Mayor Tau acknowledged these concerns in his address: “We hear your concerns, but this does not have to continue,” he stated. “We are addressing issues of road quality, filling in potholes, but also following a long-term approach to resurface roads in major areas including Bryanston, Sandton, Rivonia, Parkview, Eldorado Park and Riverlea.”

Infrastructure update He also drew attention to the city’s commitment towards energy efficiency, particularly related to households. Over a

three-year period, local government will install 110 000 solar water heaters in underprivileged households and represents 10% of the national target of one million solar geysers by 2014. There are also plans to improve the quality of services in 35 wards and the rollout of separation at source has already been implemented in the waste services sector. “Over the next three years, we will have 70% of all households involved in separating waste at household level. This is in line with our target of reducing waste to landfill by 20% in 2015,” Tau explains.

In 2012, he announced a R100 billioninfrastructure spend over a 10-year period. To reach this objective, the city has budgeted R30 billion on new replacements and maintenance of infrastructure, which will be spent over the next three years.

Through its Sustainable Human Settlement and Urbanisation Programme, the city is implementing several housing programmes, which will be seen in the upgrade of informal

•A frica’s financial services sector is projected to grow by 40% in 2020.

• In Gauteng, food accounts for up to 30% of the budget of working class households.

• Africa will spend US$1.1 trillion over the next 25 years to modernise infrastructure systems.

• 20 000 job opportunities will be created through the city’s solar geyser project. settlements and hostels, and the provision of social and transitional housing. R450 million was budgeted for the 2013/14 financial year for precinct and infrastructure development. Over the next 10 years, the city will also introduce transport corridors that connect strategic nodes through an affordable and easy-to-access public transport system.

This will encompass bus and passenger rail, while mixed housing, schools, offices, clinics, libraries, etc., will be strategically placed along these corridors. “We are embarking on an inclusive mixed-use housing project in the inner city. We have a five-year capital investment plan based on sequenced investments in strategic precincts.”

Tau went on to add that the city will continue to support private sector initiatives that help grow the economy. He also added that the R30 billion capex spend coupled with the R100 billion opex spend over the next three years, the city will provide a great platform for the empowerment of SMMEs, skills development and the all-important job creation. “We will never stop searching for the possibilities of freedom in this city, we are continually striving to change this city and, in doing so, shape our own future,” he concluded.

“We will never stop searching for the possibilities of freedom in this city.” Mayor Mpho Parks Tau

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CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

A CITY FIT FOR ALL

Gauteng’s Integrated Master Plan Gauteng’s 25-year Integrated Master Plan includes transforming Johannesburg into a sustainable, active city with accessible public spaces for all. Here’s how the city will work towards turning this vision into reality.

S

USTAINABILITY, active lifestyles, human interaction and great public spaces: these are characteristics synonymous with 8-80 Cities. These are cities that work for an 8-year old and an 80-year old, and the City of Johannesburg intends on creating spaces that do just that.

In 2012, international expert in liveable cities Gil Peñalosa presented a public lecture in Johannesburg on the 8-80 Cities model – bringing his international experience to South Africa. He said the model promotes walking and cycling, not forgetting urban parks, trails and similar public spaces. Activities such as these improve the environment and human health, advance economic development and boost transportation systems.

Out and about Over the past few years, Johannesburg has been developing ‘walkable’ cities such as the infrastructure in Ivory Park, consisting of new pavements, benches, landscaping, public art, designated taxi park lanes, kerbs and

stormwater drainage. According to Rehana Moosajee, member of the mayoral committee for transport in Johannesburg, transport is not only about the motorised kind, but people too. The Ivory Park project focused on infrastructure that would enable walking or cycling – the most sustainable way of getting around.

Poor planning Due to poor spatial planning in the apartheid days, Johannesburg faces a huge problem:

The future transport system in Johannesburg is dependent on a shift in transport modes efficiently moving its people from outlying areas such as Soweto into working hubs such as the Johannesburg CBD and Sandton. The city’s Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan (ITP) is a very important document to guide how Johannesburg will provide,

Due to its thriving economy and diverse cultures, Johannesburg is commonly referred to as a world-class city, but government has realised that the city needs much more in order to be sustainable

integrate and support public transport. The last plan expired in 2008 and a new plan went under review in 2011 (ITPs last five years), which considers affordable public transport, convenient and accessible transport, and a transport system with reduced crime, collisions, injuries and fatalities.

Another consequence of the lack of efficient public transport systems is congestion, and the poorly maintained taxi ranks and train stations add to this problem. Ultimately, there are too many cars on Johannesburg’s roads and a comprehensive plan, such as the ITP, is needed to ease the gridlock.

Long-term thinking Launched on 19 August 2013, the 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25)

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CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

If not properly addressed, Gauteng’s gridlocked traffic will be its downfall

for Gauteng has been described by Ismail Vadi, MEC for Roads and Transport, as more than a transport plan. “Building on the fiveyear Gauteng Transport Implementation Plan, it sets out a strategic framework to better the lives of Gauteng residents and position our province as a great place in which to live, an attractive destination for investment and tourism,” he said during his launch speech. “It proposes a radical paradigm shift in spatial and transport planning.”

The ITMP25 is built on the principles of economic beneficiation. The plan proposes eight key interventions: subsidised housing provisions, land use densification in support of public transport, reinforcing the passenger rail network, extending the integrated

Ultimately, there are too many cars on Johannesburg’s roads and a comprehensive plan, such as the ITP, is needed to ease the gridlock

rapid and road-based public transpor t networks, strengthening freight hubs, ensuring effective travel demand management, mainstreaming non-motorised transport and ensuring continued mobility throughout the province. Overall, the future transport system in Johannesburg is dependent on a shift in transport modes from motorised to nonmotorised, private to public transport, and road to rail. “The situation will be even more threatening when we become comfortable

BELOW 8-80 Cities are ones where people of all ages get out of their usual routine and take advantage of the safe, clean, efficient public spaces made available to them

with the current transport realities,” Vadi continued. “Residents will live through the nightmarish scenario of unparalleled traffic gridlocks. So, to do nothing is not an option at all.”

Although not officially approved, elements talked about within the ITMP25 have already been implemented. It can be seen in the latest addition to the Gautrain route – Park Station – the launch of Rea Vaya Phase 1B in October last year, which will connect residents in outlying areas to major public hospitals such as Helen Joseph and Parklane Clinic, as well as to educational institutions; and the revamp of the Newtown Precinct to a walkable area. And if government departments, provincial offices, municipalities, residents and the private sector pull together, the ITMP25 will be realised and Johannesburg will not only be renowned as a world class city, but an 8-80 one, too.

MY LAND, MY HERITAGE

In August and September 2011, the City of Johannesburg embarked on a process to formulate a future strategy known as the 2040 Growth and Development Strategy (GDS). This is the city’s business plan that will run for the next 30 years. Share your comments around livable cities, resource sustainability, health and poverty, transportation, community safety and the like. Join the conversation on Facebook: GDS2040 or Twitter @ GDS2040.

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CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH WATER

The Olifants River Development Project Although a key player in boosting the local economy, mining remains a huge consumer of water. IMIESA takes a look at the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project, which will not only meet the requirements of new mining developments in Limpopo but will also provide much-needed relief to local communities.

C

OMMISSIONED BY the Department of Water Affairs and with support from the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project (ORWRDP) is currently in Phase 2 stage (A – I) and involves the development of additional water resource infrastructure in the middle parts of the Olifants water management area.

Phase 1 saw the raising of the Flag Boshielo dam by 5 m and was successfully completed.

Phase 2A is now on the cards, which involves the construction of the De Hoop Dam – a bulk water storage facility that will augment the current water supply around the Steelpoort and Olifants rivers.

Located in the Olifants River catchment area and expected to be on the 13th largest dam in the country, De Hoop is a massive undertaking with a 347 million cubic metre reservoir capacity – incorporating the Steelpoort River catchment area and extending into the Mogalakwena and Sand River catchments.

Engineering feat Awarded in February 2012, Phase 2 of the project consists of four major components, namely, the bulk water pipeline from De Hoop to Steelpoort, bulk distribution system comprising pipelines and pump stations from Steelpoort linking with the existing OlifantsSand Transfer Scheme, bulk distribution system from the Flag Boshielo Dam to Mokopane, and acquisition of the Lebalelo Water User Association infrastructure for incorporation into the project. A bulk distribution system means that the Flag Boshielo and De Hoop

PHASE 2 PROJECT STATS Client Phases Cost Mining Dates Highlights

Main challenges

DWA, represented by TCTA Phase 1: raising of the Flag Boshielo dam and Phase 2: development of additional water resource infrastructure R4.5 billion (estimate). R2.3 billion secured from the Medium Term Expenditure Framework De Hoop dam is a geological structure containing the largest reserves of platinum group metals in the world Bulk distribution system estimated to be complete in 2014, with further work following in 2017 Project saw the first use of high paste roller compacted concrete called rollcrete. 129 000 m3 were poured over 30 days in a single operation – a pour set record for South Africa Funding constraints, water supply agreements, reductions in dam yield

dams will be able to function as a single system, thereby enabling a higher water supply level. Aurecon/Ndodana Joint Venture (ANJV) has been appointed engineering consultants on the project while Basil Read has been made the construction contractor.

As with any project of this magnitude, challenges are inevitable.

ORWRDP experienced delays due to funding and institutional setbacks.

Inadequate regional and municipal infrastructure was also a challenge, with the project team having to work around these hurdles. ANJV’s scope of work included a 70 km, 1 100 mm diameter pumping main from the Flag Boshielo Dam to the town of Mokopane, for which three pump stations of 4 MW each were required.

They were also tasked with the extraction and distribution of water from De Hoop Dam to

several end points through pipelines ranging from 1 700 mm to 1 000 mm in diameter. A 13 MW pump station was needed along the pipeline and, to conserve energy, the pump station is linked directly to the dam by a 40 km long suction main. This segment of the project also makes use of fibre optic cables, linking all elements to a single remote control centre that monitors and controls developments.

ORWRDP forms par t of the Presidency’s 18 strategic integrated projects (SIPs), which aims to speed up development and growth across South Africa through job creation and basic service delivery. Upon completion, the project will link the De Hoop and Flag Boshielo dams, and will carry bulk water to Steelpoort’s mines, surrounding communities and the Lebalelo Bulk Water Scheme.

A bulk distribution system means that the Flag Boshielo and De Hoop dams will be able to function as a single system

IMIESA February 2014

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CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

GROWING LOCAL INDUSTRY

The smart city enabler The end of May 2013 marked the completion of the three-year rollout phase of the Johannesburg Broadband Network. Here’s how information technology is enabling growth in South Africa’s busiest city.

I

NFORMATION AND communications technology (ICT) is not just responsible for instant data transmission such as emails or access to the World Wide Web; its importance extends to intelligent traffic management, swipe card technology on board public transport, smart metering solutions for municipalities and e-health services, among others. In fact, possibilities would be very limited without efficient, effective ICT systems. Above all, it plays a pivotal role in improving economies and solving social issues.

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Becoming a world leader in ICT Despite these advances, there are still millions of people who don’t have access to basic ICT services such as the Internet. But the City of Johannesburg has identified a new target: to turn itself into a world leader in ICT, as this is a crucial element in the smart city transformation. In line with this goal, the Johannesburg ICT Sector Support Programme aims to increase investment into the sector, with the focus areas being skills development, research and development, promotion of investment and trade, provision

of ICT infrastructure, and ICT incubation and venture capital.

But the Networked Society City Index 2013 – a report published by Ericsson – concluded that Johannesburg ranked low in ICT usage, along with Lagos and Cairo. Coming in at 22nd position out of 36 cities worldwide, this ranking makes the city’s target of being a leader in ICT seem rather ambitious. Although (according to the index), Johannesburg enjoys a high-speed mobile broadband penetration, fixed line broadband penetration and speeds remain very low, with international broadband

CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

The high cost of communications in South Africa makes it difficult for small business and poorer communities to participate in the country’s knowledge hub capacity being even lower. Even though mobile is high-speed, overall smartphone penetration – when compared to other cities – is average, while computer usage is rated modest.

Growing ICT In line with the Gauteng Development Strategy 2040 (GDS2040), a smart city synthesis was recently held in Newtown, drawing attention to new technologies that will improve service delivery and make life easier for residents by 2040. The Gauteng ICT Development Strategy, which stems from the GDS2040, aims to nurture the potential value that ICT can offer employment levels, growth and economic development in the province. It recognises the need for the ICT services sector to grow together with development in the manufacturing and construction industries.

The high cost of communications in South Africa makes it difficult for small business and poorer communities to participate in the country’s knowledge hub. Hence, investment in broadband infrastructure is important, as this will lead to lowered communication

costs. The Johannesburg Broadband Network that was completed last year boasts over 900 km of fibre infrastructure. The next phase involves making this access available to the broader public by integrating the network into the city’s processes and systems. Approximately, two-thirds of the one million SMMEs in the local economy are ‘in-the-now’ businesses, and ICT can open up a host of new opportunities for them. To date, the Gauteng provincial government has endorsed and funded three huge undertakings: the Gauteng online schools programme, the e-Government programme and the G-link broadband infrastructure project. However, these programmes are still in the teething stages and require a lot more work.

Setbacks aside, ICT is a growing local industry and its market is expected to grow to R250 billion by 2020. ICT remains one of the country’s forerunning sectors, contributing about 7% of the GDP. The ever-evolving nature of the ICT beast makes it imperative for Johannesburg to move rapidly and keep up with global development in the years ahead.

9 OBJECTIVES OF THE GAUTENG ICT STRATEGY: 1. p roviding universal access to broadband 2. b uilding the network infrastructure and information superhighway 3. e nhancing economic productivity through ICT infrastructure development 4. i ncreasing the ICT skills capacity within the public and private sectors 5. i mproving ser vice deliver y through the provision of highquality ICT ser vices through e-government 6. b uilding an economic and industrial sector with a focus on ICT 7. e nsuring that innovation becomes par t of the economic network 8. r educing the carbon footprint through Green ICT 9. c reating employment in the ICT sector.

IMIESA February 2014

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SABITA

AN INDUSTRY CONVENES

Investments in bitumen Africa is undergoing rapid changes in terms of infrastructure growth and, so too, is the local bituminous industry. Saied Solomons, CEO of Sabita, chats to IMIESA about developments in the construction industry and why the upcoming Argus Africa Bitumen Conference will be highly informative.

T

HE SOUTHERN African Bitumen Association (Sabita) believes the local bituminous products industry will derive great benefit from the inaugural Argus Africa Bitumen 2014 Conference to be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Conference centre at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 26 to 27 February.

“South Africa is one of the leading industrial and economic forces in a continent that is undergoing rapid infrastructural growth as investment from abroad continues to flow into Africa,” Solomons says. “This dynamic growth, certainly as far as the southern sub-continent is concerned, makes Sabita’s pivotal role in ensuring the implementation of global best practice in the roads industry more important than ever.”

He says Sabita’s influence extends to fields as diverse as research and technology development, worker health and safety, environmental conservation, education and training, as well as interaction with stakeholders from all tiers of government, and is directed at ensuring that local products and processes met the highest international standards.

“This conference will undoubtedly provide the local industry with valuable insight into the broader dynamics of the international bitumen market, the intricacies of the supply chain and shipping procedures.”

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IMIESA February 2014

Global practice The conference also coincides with the finalisation of the Sabita-sponsored project to bring local industry into alignment with global practice in terms of bitumen specifications.

To promote the translation from an empirical to a performance-related specification for bituminous binders in South Africa, Sabita engaged the CSIR to investigate the implementation of test procedures to measure and formulate compliance criteria for the following damage resistance characteristics of bituminous binders: • viscous deformation • resistance to fatigue damage • low temperature fracture.

Three projects, all of them DSR (Dynamic Shear Rheometer) related, were identified in August 2013, covering: • appropriate stress levels for the multistress creep recovery • the binder yield energy test as a monotonic alternative to cyclic tests • a DSR-based procedure to determine stiffness and stress relaxation properties of the binder.

The tests and procedures have been selected on the advice of the Road Pavements Forum Bituminous Binders Work Group’s

task group on performance grade specifications. Several binders – both neat and modified – in general use in South Africa are under investigation, the ultimate goal being to develop a “binder blind” specification, whereby both neat and modified binders will be assessed in a single specification. Such practice will promote judicious and costeffective selection of binder types for specific climatic zones and traffic loading.

New developments Sabita has also spearheaded a project designed to meet the growing need from road authorities to ensure that asphalt layers perform as expected under a range of environmental and current traffic loading conditions.

This has resulted in the development of an up-to-date asphalt mix design method that will replace the procedures developed in 2001.

The new method incorporates developments in asphalt technology that have occurred in the global arena over the past decade and will be aligned to the revised South African Pavement Design Method currently in the making under the auspices of SANRAL. This Sabita-sponsored project commenced in the early part of 2012 with the CSIR contracted to head the project, which was followed by meetings of expert groups to guide the process.

SABITA

Features of the new manual are the introduction of the concept of performance grade bitumen, its relevance to both hot and warm mix asphalt and the focus on meeting performance-related design parameters. A multi-level approach to design for a range of applications and risk profiles is also a new feature. A programme of dissemination and implementation of the method, to be contained in Sabita Manual 35: South African asphalt mix design manual, which will be launched in 2014. Other recent Sabita technological initiatives include: 1. High modulus asphalt: A 2008 Sabita research programme to develop guidelines and specifications for high modulus asphalt (HiMA) – a technology that combines superior deformation resistance with high structural stiffness and good fatigue performance – came of age in 2013. Repeated assessments of a HiMA trial section on the South Coast Road leading into Durban harbour, over a 24-month period, reported excellent performance and superior load-spreading characteristics. Sabita has now published a guideline that will enable the wider application of this technology on South Africa’s road network.

“The results of this trial gives rise to optimism that HiMA presents a premium solution for road sections carrying concentrated, extremely heavy traffic in excess of 50 million ESALS,” Solomons notes. “The implications for the application of this technology to long-life ‘perpetual pavements’, and for cost savings in reduced maintenance and rehabilitation, speak for themselves.”

2. Warm warm mix asphalt (WMA) has been integrated into the arsenal of road construction technologies, mix asphalt/recycled asphalt. After four years of trial, development and testing, WMA has in many cases replaced hot mix asphalt (HMA) as the preferred option. Manufactured and applied at temperatures from 20 to 50oC below that of HMA, WMA is characterised by significant reductions in fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and worker health hazards.

WMA technology has also made it possible to extend both the “compaction window” and the viable transport times and distances between plant and paving.

A further benefit in terms of sustainable practice is the facility with which WMA can be combined with reclaimed asphalt, which makes great savings possible in terms of resource conservation.

3. Bitumen-rubber asphalt: A report submitted to Sabita by the CSIR in April 2012,

as well as the outcomes of a study tour involved in the bituminous products industo California and Arizona in the US during try,” Solomons says. “Ensuring a constant October 2012 by an industry group formed flow of knowledgeable, learned and highly the basis for a revision of Sabita Manual trained individuals begins with Sabita’s sup19: Guidelines for the Design, Manufacture port for the Go for Gold (G4G) initiative, a and Construction of Bitumen-Rubber Asphalt programme which has mentored selected Wearing Courses. Following a further investistudents through matriculation in preparation gation by Soillab, on behalf of Sabita, Manual for tertiary education and, later, a career in 19 has been revised to bring it up-to-date and the construction industry.” in line with other documents, such as TG1 Further initiatives aimed at ensuring an and current COLTO specifications. Some key “informed” industry include: features of the revised manual are: • the development and presentation of a • optional use of extender oils Materials Tester Course (MTC) as well as • permitting a blend of base binders comcourse-specific modules at NQF Levels 2-4 plying with SANS 4001-BT1 to meet the • tertiary level courses devised by Sabita modified binder specification requirements and presented by the South African • recommended practice for utilising overRoad Federation (SARF) on behalf of the reacted binder arising from inevitable Asphalt Academy delays on site • the presentation every four years of the • expansion of the section dealing with occuCAPSA conference, acknowledged as a pational health, safety and the environworld-class forum for the presentation and ment in the interests of worker safety and evaluation of cutting-edge technology. sustainable practice.

“Sabita also interacts and invests on a contin“While maintaining a sharp focus on techuous basis with organisations, associations nology development, Sabita never theless and political groupings that have a stakeinvests a great deal of sweat equity aimed holding in promoting a functioning, worldat entrenching a culture of worker health and class road netsafety in the bituminous products industry,” work,” Solomons Solomons says. These include: says. “It is inter• the publication of Sabita’s HSE Charter, nationally accepted which commits members to implethat an investment ment best practice HSE techniques in of US$1 (R11) in their operations road infrastructure • a certification scheme (BitCert) which, generates a US$3 after auditing and recording compliance growth in GDP, but with the Charter, leads to HSE certification, with nota- “Sabita has made significant ble benefits for accredited progress in enabling appropriate companies • an incident reporting scheme prioritisation of road infrastructure.”

(Bitinrep), designed to record Saied Solomons, CEO of the Southern African and analyse hazard or safety Bitumen Association incidents to facilitate avoidance of future incidents in countries like South Africa, where limited • a Train-the-Trainer safety course (BitSafe) funding encounters strong competition from designed to prepare selected representathose requiring housing, sanitation, schooling tives to initiate safety training in their and health facilities, road provision is often own companies relegated to the back burner.

• the publication of HSE guidelines, DVDs “However, through focused interaction at and other material designed to benchall tiers of government and initiatives such mark best practice HSE performance in as Councillor workshops, Sabita has made South Africa significant progress in enabling appropriate • the creation of an annual Sabita HSE prioritisation of road infrastructure. These award, presented to individuals who have and other Sabita initiatives are driven by made great strides in integrating sound the inescapable fact that the provision of HSE practices in the workplace. adequate roads is vital to the social and “In addition, Sabita is committed to promoteconomic health and growth of a nation,” ing the development of the human capital Solomons says.

IMIESA February 2014

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Autodesk is a frontrunner in providing technological solutions to the discipline of

geomatics and beyond

AUTODESK

Geomatics solutions undergo rapid technological growth

MINI-DRONE MAPPING A variety of 3D mapping applications

S A G I SOUTH AFRICAN

GEOMATICS INSTITUTE

SAGI COVER STORY

AUTODESK GEOMATICS SOLUTIONS

Seamless work phase Geomatics – the discipline of gathering, storing, processing and delivering geographic information in an infrastructural environment – has seen rapid technological growth in the past few decades.

A

UTODESK, A GLOBAL engineering and design software company established in 1982, has been a frontrunner in providing technological solutions to the discipline of geomatics and beyond.

Overall, Autodesk provides software solutions in four sectors: 1. architectural engineering and construction 2. energy, natural resources and infrastructure 3. manufacturing 4. media and internet.

Autodesk’s geomatics solutions fall within the infrastructure environment space.

Evolution to integrate work phases Unathi Ntwana, application engineer for Autodesk’s African distributor WorldsView Technologies, says the products have, over the years, been refined to address specific work stages within specific sectors. It is focused on the user, and what the user experiences in day-to-day work activities.

“With each of these industries, Autodesk consulted industry specialists and looked at the workflow for companies within these industries. These studies weren’t region-­ specific, but global. Based on the workflow, from concept right through to management and maintenance, they started addressing these workflow stages with specific software solutions,” says Ntwana.

“The infrastructure environment specifically comprises several stages in the workflow, from concept (doing surveying of the land) to the construction and management of large infrastructure.

“Within the infrastructure space, we believe geomatics fall in the initial stage

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IMIESA February 2014

of the workflow and we have multiple products that are extremely useful for people in a Geomatics environment.”

Point cloud technology – effective in geomatics environment One of the areas where geomatics has seen specific innovation is that of point cloud technology, says Ntwana.

Point clouds, a series of minute points captured to tell a story, play an important role in the infrastructure design and development space.

Point clouds, or “data points” in some coordinate systems, are specifically used by land surveyors to obtain an indication of the terrain.

“If you want to lay a road in the field, you need to know the incline, the slope and position of points of the field,” informs Ntwana.

The efficiency of the technology, however, has given rise to various sectors using it.

“Let’s say in an architectural environment, you have to take a wall and extend it, but because there are no electronic drawings, someone either needs to measure it up, or alternatively you bring in a 3D scanner, place it in the middle

of room, put out marking points, programme the proximity of the points and the scanner sends out a beam, hitting the marks. When you pull those points it shows you the full 3D picture”.

Autodesk products facilitate wider integration in geomatics “Autodesk has a series of software solutions that address geomatics, from the very basics of bringing in the point clouds to simply view the data, for which you will use a product to manipulate the point clouds, to far more advanced products.”

From merely editing the point clouds, to a series of more advanced software solutions to read point clouds in, Autodesk addresses a broad spectrum of architecture, building and infrastructure needs.

AutoCAD, which is a basic application, has the technology to work with point cloud data and differentiate it into the designs. That’s where the overlap from geomatics into the rest of the workflow starts coming together, says Ntwana.

“So you will use Autodesk Recap, the point cloud manipulation and editing tool, move to AutoCAD Map3D, a model-based GIS and mapping solution for infrastructure and then use AutoCAD Civil3D for conducting detailed design and documentation. Further on, you can then use InfraWorks, which is a concept modeller cum visualisation tool to sell the concept to stakeholders,” says Ntwana.

A specific product solution that has significantly enhanced project efficiency is that of NavisWorks, a project management application that allows product owners ENI Building Information Modelling (BIM) Wheel to see the various phases of the project,

SAGI COVER STORY

integration and how it links with the building, roads and various industries.

“NavisWorks, is a project management aggravator that allows you to link up with Microsoft Project files so that you can do a four-­ dimensional simulation. In other words, as you run through your project plan, you see the model building up in a virtual environment.

The latest release includes a fifth dimension, namely project costs. Autodesk can address all the phases,” says Ntwana.

It’s very important to look at how companies worked in the past, to understand the impact of the technology.

“If you have to look back a few years, someone would take these points, draw it up on a piece of paper and physically give that paper to the next design phase to work with. The geomatics engineer typically scans the terrain, interprets it into a 2D picture, physically hands it over, and then the drawer needs to figure out how the road must go. It created silos within the project. Whenever there was a change required, you had to give the document over the wall to the next or previous phase to make the change.”

The Autodesk’s approach to addressing a workflow methodology looks at how the products can integrate these phases in an electronic realm.

Ntwana further mentions that although Autodesk had point products available that addressed the various phases, there was no integration. “Over the last two to three years, Autodesk has worked extensively to eliminate the bridges to bring the phases together.”

In an ideal world, someone in the infrastructure environment will start off with point clouds, bring it into the manipulation package, and manipulate it to what they require. From

there it will be passed on electronically to the second phase of the workflow for the map engineers to get a look of the terrain and start working out how much of the earth needs to be taken out, how much sand must be added to level out ground or the gradient and where the drainage systems would be.

“There are no clay moulds, the next phase can use what was received from the previous phase, in an electronic format. The amount of rework to get to a point is reduced or eliminated. Projects can be brought to market quicker, errors can be identified quicker and the communication with project managers and owners are more streamlined,” says Ntwana about the benefits of such a streamlined, integrated approach.

How to ensure integration Is it possible to achieve integration if not all the entities in the project are using the technology? Ntwana says to achieve stage integration in the real world, everybody needs to be at the party.

COMPANY FACTS

• 12+ million users of professional products • 115+ million users of consumer applications • 7 300 employees worldwide • Over 100 products in portfolio • Products are available in 17 languages • Over the past 18 years, all winners of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in Film used Autodesk solutions • The Autodesk Education Community has over 6 million members, including students and teachers, who are eligible for free access to Autodesk software Worldwide, Autodesk has: • 2 400+ Channel Partners –3 900+ Autodesk Developer Network members –2 000+ Autodesk Authorised Training Centres –2 50+ user groups; 300 000 AUGI (Autodesk User Groups International) Members “We identify the needs of various users.

We also work extensively at university level, addressing the various sectors’ young professionals at an early stage. We train the lecturers on the products, provide free software to students and on a continuous basis touch base with educational institutions to make sure that both the lecturers and students understand the technology. This gives them an advantage when entering the professional world,” says Ntwana.

ABOUT WORLDSVIEW TECHNOLOGIES

WorldsView Technologies is an authorised distributor of Autodesk software that delivers the some of the world’s leading digital design solutions to the infrastructure and built environment. With a customer base of over 25 000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, it partners with selected value-added resellers to bring state-of-the-art technology to clients.

Civil 3D BIM

IMIESA February 2014

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SAGI

VIEW FROM THE SKY

Drones have practical applications Drones are becoming part of our daily lives. With a variety of applications, from package delivery to aerial photography and 3D mapping, drones may make it cheaper and easier to carry out tasks. By Xan Swart, Professional Land Surveyor

A

CCORDING TO A VARIETY of dictionaries, the word “drone” (drəʊn) is defined as follows: 1. Stingless male bee in a colony of social bees whose sole function is to mate with the queen.1 2. One who lives on the labours of others; a lazy, idle fellow; a sluggard.2 3. A continuous low humming sound.3 4. An aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote control.4 Note, that in all the consulted dictionaries, an unmanned aircraft is only mentioned in the third or four th definition.

However, it is expected to move to the first position soon.

Drones, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) or UASs (unmanned aerial systems), are becoming more and more part of our ever yday lives. DHL is already using drones to transport packages of up to 1.2 kg between their warehouses and Amazon has recently announced it they will also be delivering parcels with drones soon. You can even order a beer that is delivered by a drone and then dropped by a parachute at your location.

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IMIESA February 2014

A remote camera at a pre-calculated distance in the sky, which takes pictures autonomously, is needed for aerial photography. Thanks to new technology, there is no need for the expensive aerial photography cameras and even more expensive stereo plotters of 10 years ago. The expensive flying machines used to take the camera to the skies are also no longer necessar y. An SLR of 18 megapixels or a standard compact camera (point-and-shoot) of 12 megapixels will suffice and accuracies of 3 cm in plan and 6 cm in height are easily achieved.

What are drones?

Drones, UASs or UAVs are used to carry the camera to the desired positions in order to photograph the terrain, building, bridge or any feature one desires to create a 3D model of. These drones can be quadcopters, hexacopters or octocopters, or any radio FIGURE 1 BELOW Geometry of photographs FIGURE 2 RIGHT Basic maths used for image geometry and stereoscopy

controlled aircraft. A GPS system is built into the drone in order to make it fly autonomously after take-off, capture the desired photographs and then return to base. It sounds simple, but with a US$60 000 drone up in the sky, it needs nerves of steel as well.

After the photographs are taken, they are loaded onto a computer, arranged and processed. Camera positions are calculated as indicated in this extract from the University of Cape Town’s notes on photogrammetr y:

SAGI

FIGURE 3 ABOVE The drone used for the mapping of the train bridge FIGURE 4 BELOW Flight Planning done with Mission Planner

The end result is an orthophotograph with a point cloud from which a digital 3D model can be built.

Case study A tachometric sur vey of a train bridge was needed for engineering planning purposes.

The problem was that access to the bridge was impossible. The solution was an orthophotograph and a point cloud result.

Flight planning is done to determine the flight path of the drone. See figure 4.

A total of 110 photographs were taken. The end result: a geo-referenced orthophotograph.

Point clouds were produced automatically by using stitching software. A 3D model can then be generated from the point cloud. In this case, a 0.15 by 0.15 grid was used to reconstruct the bridge digitally.

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SAGI

FIGURE 5: Crops under stress clearly show with the Schott BG3 filter glass

has marked a milestone in the histor y of sur veying techniques by demonstrating that mini-drone mapping technology is capable of producing a 3D model of the Matterhorn, one of the iconic peaks of the Swiss Alps in 20 cm resolution5.

ABOVE A total of 110 photographs were taken.

Phoenix Aerial Systems, a manufacturer BELOW The end result: a geo-referenced orthophotograph. of unmanned aerial platforms, has developed and demonstrated what Mini-drone mapping technology it claims to be the smallest is capable of producing a 3D and lightest UAV Lidar platform. model of the Matterhorn Weighing less than 10 kg, the new Lidar platform, called the Phoenix AL-2, combines the latest UAV, Lidar and GNSS technology into an accurate and safe micro-mapping solution6.

With so many practical applications, drones are here to stay.

Different applications Experiments with multispectral imager y have been done by Jeff Taylor of Event38 in the US. By adding a filter glass, it becomes possible to per form NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) analysis on a single image. The filter, a Schott BG3 glass, blocks out light in the red spectrum but allows blue, some green and near infrared (NIR) light to pass. As a result, a camera modified with this filter will record NIR light in its red channel instead of red light, resulting in an NGB image.

Additional filters can be added to show crops under stress.

A Jarocinska and B Zagajewski from the Department of Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, at the University of Warsaw wrote a paper on “Remote Sensing Tools for Analysis of Vegetation Conditions in Extensively Used Agricultural Areas”. They found that using remote sensing techniques allows the analysis of the spatial condition of plants. These methods can be used for automated and objective plant monitoring once all necessar y corrections have been per formed.

Different vegetation indices measure plant condition, quantity of biomass and pigments or estimate crops. Measurements can be

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repeated, making it possible to monitor condition sas well as the state of vegetation, on an ongoing basis.

In another application, engineers from Sensefly developed a ready to use system at a cost of approximately R600 000. This

(Endnotes) 1 WordNet (www.wordnet-online.com/drone. shtml) 2 Webster’s Dictionar y 3 Oxford Dictionar y 4 WordNet (www.wordnet-online.com/drone. shtml) 5 GIM International (geomatics magazine), December 2013 6 GIM International, December 2013 FIGURE 6: The Phoenix Aerial System with mounted Lidar

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FRANCHISING INNOVATION – PART 1

Social franchising partnership creates jobs Based on a presentation at the annual IMESA conference “Municipal Engineering: Meeting People’s Needs”, held in Port Elizabeth, October 2013. By Kevin Wall, Oliver Ive, Jay Bhagwan, Wayne Birkholtz, Nocawe Lupuwana and Esther Shaylor

A

N INNOVATIVE Eastern Cape infrastructure and job creation project is meeting people’s needs through quality service delivery for the community, by the community. In part one of this two-part feature, social franchising is defined and the training, expectations, services and projects of a pilot study are examined.

A number of pilot projects in the Eastern Cape have demonstrated how the institutionally innovative and very practical social franchising partnership approach can successfully be used for the routine maintenance of low-­ technology water and sanitation infrastructure.

Whereas other approaches have built capacity and developed skills in attempts to

Franchisee Nocawe Lupuwane (front) with her team

improve service delivery, many of them have had limited success because they have not enjoyed sufficiently strong incentive structures and support systems. The social franchising partnership approach, in contrast, is built

IMIESA February 2014

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on a robust foundation of mutual support and incentives.

This paper describes how the franchise partners have been working with municipalities and provincial departments to address operational issues at a significant scale.

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IMIESA February 2014

Many opportunities lie in applying the approach to further operation and maintenance (O&M) activities within the water and sanitation services delivery chain, and thereafter extending it to other types of infrastructure (e.g. roads and electricity reticulation).

Background Year after year, the O&M of water and sanitation services (hereinafter water services) infrastructure in South Africa has too often been found to be noncompliant with the required standards (SAICE, 2011; DWA, 2012a &

TRAINING

2012b). Research has also shown that the main problem is most likely to be shortfalls in the skills and management of the institution responsible for the services.

These operation and maintenance shortfalls are particularly manifest in “the quality and reliability of basic infrastructure serving the majority of our citizens is poor and, in many places, getting worse. Urgent attention is required to stabilise and improve these” (SAICE, 2011:5). The consequent service delivery failures are pointers of warning that serious turnaround strategies are required in South African municipal service delivery.

In 2012, the Ministerial Sanitation Task Team found that the Eastern Cape needed over 800 000 toilets to ensure all households have access to sanitation, the second highest backlog in South Africa. It was also highlighted that the lack of skills and capacity to manage existing facilities is a contributing factor for infrastructure failures. The report concluded that “there is great potential for public and private investment on sanitation that could increase both benefits and cost effectiveness of public investment” (Department of Human Settlements, 2012:70).

The Water Research Commission (WRC) has for a number of years funded studies of selected institutional options that could assist in the improvement of operation and maintenance. This research, led by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the private sector water services provider Amanz’ abantu Services, postulated that franchising partnership models, developed in the private sector for providing a wide range of services, could be adapted.

The resultant social franchising partnership concept could be a valuable and viable addition to the current range of institutional models for the O&M of public sector sanitation and water services infrastructure (Wall, 2005; Wall, & Ive, 2010; Wall & Ive, 2013).

This research, and interest shown by public sector owners of infrastructure, prompted Amanz’ abantu, in 2008, to establish a subsidiary, Impilo Yabantu (“hygiene for people” in Xhosa), to play the role of franchisor where needed.

Whereas it was originally thought that municipalities would be the first to procure

social franchising partnerships, and whereas many of the officials approached expressed interest, there was a reluctance to be the pioneer of this new and untested concept.

Nonetheless, the first significant interest in utilising this innovative business approach came from key officials of the Eastern Cape provincial Department of Education (DOE),

ABOVE Franchise partner Noleen Mchubuakazi works to replicate tested sanitation procedures BELOW The franchisor and the trainee franchisees have greatly improved the condition of the school toilets in the Butterworth region

Particularly, they saw its potential for rural schools where harvested rainwater is generally the only water supply to the school, and the toilets are usually Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines (VIPs) or similar.

In less than three years, the franchisor and its trainee franchisees greatly improved the condition of the school toilets in the Butterworth education district of the Eastern Cape.

The social franchising partnership approach is built on a robust foundation of mutual support and incentives which saw its potential to assist them with one of their most intractable problems, namely the poor levels of maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure at schools.

The partnerships defined In the words of the Franchise Association of Southern Africa, a franchise is “a grant by the franchisor to the franchisee, entitling the latter to the use of a complete business package containing all the elements necessary to establish a previously untrained person in

IMIESA February 2014

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TRAINING

The franchisor also developed and adopted a QMS, which is compulsory for all work of the franchise, whether of the franchisor or the franchisees

the franchised business and enable them to operate it on an on-going basis, according to guidelines supplied, efficiently and profitably” (Parker & Illetschko, 2007:15).

Water services franchising partnerships can broadly be described as businessto-business par tnerships, whereby small, locally based enterprises enter a business partnership with a larger established enterprise for the purpose of utilising a tried and tested approach to ensuring sanitation and water facilities and systems are operating in a reliable manner and in accordance with the specified availability, quality, hygiene and environmental standards.

Since the 1950s, franchising has utilised the drive of entrepreneurship while reducing many of the risks to small business (Parker & Illetschko, 2007:9). Both parties of a franchise have a stake in making sure the venture is a success while benefiting from mutual learning and shared experiences (Ahlert et al, 2008:16).

The concept of social franchising is defined as “the application of commercial franchising concepts to achieve socially beneficial ends” (Montagu, 2002) and has been identified as an approach appropriate for use in sectors where the quality of the service needs to be driven up and the cost of the service needs to be driven down through standardising on proven delivery mechanisms.

In contrast to commercial franchises such as McDonald’s, an enterprise which not only seeks to cover costs but to also make the franchisee and franchisor a significant profit, social franchising seeks to develop an enterprising solution where people from the community “contribute towards meeting their needs either with money or time (or both)” (Norton, 2010). This approach, while still needing to cover costs and allow franchisees to make a living, is also motivated towards doing social good.

Social partnerships are especially suitable for communities with a large poor population needing infrastructure services, but who are also looking for employment and an opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial and technical skills. The water services social

franchising partnership concept provides opportunities for linking local economic development and job creation with the provision of basic municipal and community services.

The concept provides appropriate training, a quality management system (QMS) and procedures, and the backup of the off-site skills held by the franchisor. The franchisor identifies residents in the target area with the skills and temperament appropriate to run the franchisee micro-enterprises, and who, once they have been exposed to training, are willing to enter into a franchise agreement. Key to success is the willingness of the public sector authority owning the infrastructure to outsource its responsibility for routine servicing and the ability of this authority to procure, appoint and direct micro-businesses to undertake the work under the guidance of the franchisor.

The Butterworth schools pilot project In the Butterworth schools pilot, trainee franchisees were helped to set up microbusinesses which mostly employed women from rural villages. All were local people and, with few exceptions, first-time entrepreneurs.

Under the guidance of the franchisor, these teams undertook the initial cleaning and thereafter routine servicing of the water and sanitation facilities.

The primary objective of the Butterworth Schools Sanitation and Water Servicing Pilot Project was to develop and test an outsourcing concept that could be used for

rolling out similar services to most of the more than 6 000 public schools across the 23 education districts of the province.

Research findings from the pilot indicate that many opportunities lie in applying the principles of social franchising partnerships to a range of suitable O&M activities within the water and sanitation ser vices deliver y chain – that is, of readily systematised repetitive operation and maintenance activities.

The provision of infrastructure in South Africa’s rural areas has, for ideological and financial reasons, often favoured functionality and quantity over quality and sustainability. The imperative to produce demonstrable short-term results has generally outweighed long-term considerations. The focus of education authorities has invariably been on classroom-based activities. Insufficient attention has been paid to the essential supporting infrastructure. Services like sanitation, when available (not always the case), have been provided for at the barest minimum level with insufficient consideration of quality, durability and sustainability. Repair and maintenance issues have often been sidelined or ignored due to funding constraints.

Consequently, much rural school water and sanitation infrastructure is either: • dysfunctional, requiring radical interventions (extensive refurbishment or total rebuilding • serviceable, but deteriorating, and threatened by further deterioration if not supported by good operation and maintenance.

Over and above this, at local level the negative impact of poor sanitation and nonavailability of clean water in schools deprives learners of the basic infrastructure support they need to allow them to focus on their studies. The health and social problems arising from the lack of these basic services spill over into the community – for example, the learners should be experiencing good water and sanitation practice at school and should be taking this understanding home, but sadly this is not happening.

In 2009, Irish Aid, the CSIR, the WRC, the DOE and Amanz’ abantu Services signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to

IMIESA February 2014

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ABOVE Learners experiencing good water and sanitation services at school

implement a three-year pilot for routine servicing (akin to the 15 000 km routine servicing of a motor vehicle) of water and sanitation facilities at the approximately 400 schools of the Butterworth education district.

A scope of work was agreed on and training and operation plans developed.

Advertisements called for parties interested in becoming water services franchisees to come forward. A condition was that they had to be a resident in the Butterworth area for two reasons: • to ensure that the work would be done by local people drawn from the communities that would be served • to minimise travel time and cost to Butterworth and to the schools that would be serviced.

Prospective franchisees were screened, and those shortlisted were interviewed in more depth. Those selected received initial training in East London. Thereafter the trainee franchisees and franchisor met with the DOE Butterworth District staff and school principals in order to plan their programme schedules and for work orders to be agreed on. These franchisees were required to operate under the Impilo Yabantu franchise brand.

The franchisor established and trained an in-house team. One purpose of this team is to be available as a back-up should a franchisee drop out. The other purpose of the team has been to provide the franchisor with benchmark costs and an opportunity to develop and test methodology and procedures.

The franchisor also developed and adopted a QMS, which is compulsory for all work of

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IMIESA February 2014

the franchise, whether of the franchisor or the franchisees. It provides a framework to ensure regular audits are undertaken, as well as providing a controlled management system which enables the franchisor to manage the documented works procedures. Spot checks

funded by Irish Aid, the WRC, the in-kind contributions of the franchisor and the CSIR. The franchisees themselves took out loans to fund the capital outlay for equipment and so on. Because banks much prefer lending to businesses that follow proven models, it was found that franchisees have a far better chance of securing bank loans than standalone small businesses do. Due to the burden of the start-up costs, as well as (as it turned out) their fluctuating workload, franchisees were not expected to make net profits until their third year, nor did they. Only continuity of work would resolve this.

During the pilot, the franchisor found it necessary to take direct responsibility for defining and securing the work orders, and it then instructed the franchisees-in-training to perform the work. In effect, each maintenance order was a small contract – for the first round of maintenance, each order was between R2 000 and R5 000. For administrative convenience during this start-up phase, the potential franchisees were managed as subcontractors, although they were treated as franchisees for all other aspects of the operations.

The franchisor assisted the franchisees through the setting-up phase, including the basic business and administrative training, and the development and training of the operational methodology.

This pilot repeatedly proved the value of the franchise arrangement. Advantages such as the training and mentoring were anticipated.

Less anticipated was the extent to which the franchisor was called upon to provide a buffer to bureaucratic inefficiency. For example, when payments from the DOE were delayed, the franchisor followed up on behalf of all franchisees, and it was therefore not necessary for each individual franchisee to come in from the field, costing time and travel expenses, and losing production. Given the difficulties encountered with the payment regime, it is unlikely that stand-alone micro-businesses would have survived for long – cash flow problems would have put them under.

This pilot repeatedly proved the value of the franchise arrangement are conducted by the franchisor on randomly selected schools to ensure standards of work are being maintained.

A key component of the service provided by the franchisees has been that of inspection and reporting on the serviceability and suitability of the facilities. Photographs taken have assisted the process of inspection and assessing schools future repair (in some cases, replacement, because the facilities having been found in such a poor structural condition) and maintenance needs.

Reports compiled from these inspections have been submitted to the district managers of the DOE at monthly meetings, and maintenance and repair lists then agreed on for implementation over the next month. In this manner, ongoing service relationships have been developed between the franchisees, the school principals and the DOE’s district managers.

In terms of the MOU, the franchisees billed the schools (or the DOE on certain schools’ behalf) each time they performed cleaning and maintenance. But all of the development costs – i.e. developing the concept, developing the training schemes, doing the training, preparing the operations manuals, and so on – were

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF IMIESA

In the next (March) edition of IMIESA, the concept of social franchising will be further explored in part 2 of this article, which will cover municipal pilot projects, the elements of a business case and costs, development opportunities and up-scaling.

SHEQ

CONSTRUCTION LAW

Lessons from Tongaat Mall The collapse of part of a roof at the Tongaat Mall construction site just north of Durban made the headlines last year, not only because of the fatalities and serious injuries, but also for the questionable reputation of the construction company. This article examines legal liabilities in the construction sector and the regulations that empower municipalities to monitor safety.

By Nicholas McDiarmid, Editor, IMIESA

N

OT ALL TRAGEDIES can be avoided but, in the case of construction, experience, regulations and legislation should, in theory, minimise its occurrence. In South Africa, all employers are subject to an arsenal of regulations, starting with the Department of Labour’s (DOL) Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) Act in general and, more specifically, the Draft Amendments to the Construction Regulations, 2010 (See Table 1 for specified regulations).

In practise, the compliance and monitoring of compliance to these regulations present complex scenarios and require sufficient competencies and personnel to be effective.

In the case of the Tongaat Mall tragedy, a Section 32 hearing has been appointed by the DOL to investigate probable negligence on the part of several stakeholders and the department has taken control of the site to gather evidence. So severe are the possible infractions that the DOL sent a high-powered

delegation to the site the day after the incident. The delegation includes the deputy director-general of the DOL, Sam Morotoba; the deputy director-­ general of Inspection and Enforcement Services, Thobile Lamati; and the Compensation Fund Commissioner, Shadrack Mkhonto.

Rudy Maritz, a leading expert in risk management and organisational development, spoke to IMIESA in his role as chairman of the National Institute of Organisational

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AFFORDABLE | RELIABLE | AVAILABLE

SHEQ

Compliance Consultants of Southern Africa (NIOCCSA) about safety and legal liabilities in the construction sector. According to Maritz, health and safety in the sector needs to be better defined. “In terms of liability, when a mall is constructed, things become complex. The

A lesson is to be learned from each one of these contraventions is that a registered person must comply with all these rules to avoid sanction land is purchased by a developer who usually sells it on completion or perhaps enters into a joint venture with an investor. In some cases, the owner and the developer can be one and the same, but two separate legal entities. In terms of the Construction Regulations, the company which employs the various agents, such as the town planner, civil engineers and mechanical engineers is deemed to be the client. The agents fall under the Occupational Health and Safety Act Section 37 (2), with the client remaining the ultimately responsible.

Given that client and owner are often found to be the same entity, both ‘parties’ are liable.”

Before the fall Prior to the incident at the Tongaat Mall, a court had already ordered a work stoppage at the site after allegations that contractor had failed to follow correct procedures for obtaining a permit. “All activity on this site following 7 November was essentially unlawful activity. All the relevant stakeholders must have known this – the mall owner,

the developer and all the appointed agents, including the contractor.”

It is important to note that the reason the court ordered stoppage was due, in essence, to an administrative error: the failure to follow procedure in obtaining a license. “In all likelihood, the incident may well have still occurred had the work stoppage been observed. It would simply have been delayed,” says Maritz.

He goes on to note that since all the stakeholders benefitted financially while carrying out unlawful activity, they all face civil claims and possible prosecution in terms of Chapter 5 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

The act and procedures According to the Occupational, Health and Safety Act, certain categories of employers must prepare a written policy concerning “the protection of the health and safety of their employees at work, including a description of their organisation and the arrangements for carrying out and reviewing that policy.” In the case of mall owners, Maritz recommends the following steps: • set quality standards for the people you engage • set quality standards for materials to be used • set design standards based on tenant profiles and occupant needs • develop method statements based on the design of the mall • define who does what, when and how, in the method statement • identify inter-dependencies during project and communicate delays regularly • develop a system of performance guarantees and verification tests • civil hold points are critical stops in the process where the verification checks should

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

1. A pplication for a permit to perform construction work 2. Duties of client 3. D uties of principal contractor and contractor 4. S upervision of construction work 5. R isk assessment 6. F all protection 7. Structures 8. F ormwork and support work 9. E xcavation work 10. D emolition work 11. Tunnelling 12. Scaffolding 13. Suspended platforms 14. Boatswain’s chairs 15. Material hoists 16. Bulk mixing plant 17. Explosive powered tools 18. Cranes 19. Construction vehicles and mobile plant 20. E lectrical installations and machinery on construction sites 21. U se and temporary storage of flammable liquids on construction sites 22. W ater environments 23. H ousekeeping and general safeguarding on construction sites 24. S tacking and storage on construction sites 25. F ire precautions on construction sites 26. C onstruction employees’ facilities 27. C onstruction health and safety technical committees 28. A pproved inspection authorities. be performed to ensure adherence to standards. It should be performed in the presence of the Resident Engineer who should sign off on the hold-point, verifying satisfactory completion.

Standards to reach in terms of the structures themselves include: • geo-technical reports for proper design of foundations and bearing points on structural frames • concrete specifications, regular slum testing, cube testing, checking on ordered versus delivered specifications • formwork design and slab curing schedules should be strictly enforced prior to removal of formwork.

Facilities safety management Once a construction project is completed, the owner of the mall remains responsible for the continued safe use thereof. The owner derives Paramedics scour the site for victims of the collapse

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Emergency personnel used heat-seeking equipment and fibre-optic cables to aid in the rescue mission

an income, tenants derive an income and consumers use the mall.

‘Safe use’ thus includes all users, not just the owner. The term “safe for continued use” in Construction Regulation 9(4) and (5), refers to the structural integrity of the building and related structures, including floor-loadings.

Other health and safety related requirements

fall within the scope of Section 9(1) of the OHS Act. Agreements between the various role players may well determine who has the legal obligation to comply with which portions of the Act. From a centre management perspective, there are around 10 contracting companies involved in the management of a large shopping centre: security, cleaning, hygiene, fire systems, HVAC systems, elevators and escalators, CCTV systems, internal communication

ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS IN NEGLIGENCE According to the disciplinary procedure of the ECSA, it may suspend an engineer and impose a fine for failing to comply with the Rules of Conduct of Registered Persons.

A disciplinary investigation is directed towards the professional conduct of the registered person. It is not a legal process intended to recover damages on behalf of any party or to enforce specific performance by the respondent, therefore it does not oblige the respondent to perform a specific act. Disciplinary investigations may take several months to conclude, given the nature of the process.

In a case study of 2012, where a three-storey building collapsed over half the plan area of the building, 13 workers were reportedly injured, one was killed and another missing in the accident. An investigation by ECSA into the conduct of the engineer revealed that lack of due skill, due care and diligence, lack of competency, unacceptable practices, inability to carry responsibilities, disregard for public health and safety, and non-compliance with accepted standards were the general offences.

A lesson is to be learned from each one of these contraventions is that a registered person must comply with all these rules to avoid sanction. In this case, noncompliance with all the rules cited justified deregistration of the engineer.

According to ECSA’s vice president, Adrian Peters, not all professional agents are registered, and the number of unregistered persons working as agents is uncertain.

ECSA had also entered into talks with the Council for the Built Environment for the finalisation of the Identification of Engineering Work, which, when promulgated, would broaden ECSA’s reach and “enable criminal prosecution of unregistered or inappropriately registered persons who perform identified engineering work that put the public and the environment at risk”.

systems, event management, plumbing and electrical contractors. All these parties operate under formal agreements with the management company. Not all perform

In all likelihood, the incident may well have still occurred had the work stoppage been observed. It would simply have been delayed c­onstruction-related activities, but they all have a legal duty in terms of Section 9, and centre management has the accountability in terms of Section 37.

ECSA Investigates The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) also recently launched an investigation into whether the Tongaat Mall collapse was related to the improper conduct of any persons registered with the organisation.

“If any professionals registered with ECSA have been found guilty of improper conduct in the design and construction of the building in Tongaat, ECSA will implement disciplinary action,” the organisation has warned.

The engineering council has engaged the DOL to ensure that the matter is holistically dealt with.

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TECHNOLOGY

TECH 2.0

The app age Smartphones and tablets are taking the world by storm, with just about any program now available as an app – from gaming and social media to Microsoft Word and Adobe. We take a look at apps that are improving the way the engineering industry does business.

W

ITH ALL THE fast-paced developments in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to imagine our lives without technology.

The convenience of emails, the vast amount of research available on the Internet real-time feedback from social media sites, and the video conferencing facilities via WebEx and Skype – all available at the click of a button on just about any smart device and tablet.

All of these have become ‘essentials’ that Generation Y just doesn’t know how to exist without. And just when we thought information access, transfer and sharing couldn’t get more instantaneous, enter the app: a special type of software program used on a smartphone or mobile device such as Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or iPad. A ‘shortened’ or

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IMIESA February 2014

narrow software application – if you will – that does one function or that provides a small bit of entertainment.

Market specific Although apps are still new territory for many, it is a global phenomenon that is rapidly developing and expanding. In the engineering industry, for example, apps range from the LuxCalc Fluid Prop – a mechanical engineering app that allows engineers to quickly and accurately calculate the thermophysical properties of common fluids found in heat transfer – to the Graphing Calculator – a useful tool for engineers and scientists as it turns an iPad into a high-resolution function plotter and scientific calculator. Similarly, apps for the civil engineer are very specific.

According to Dirk Odendaal, technical consultant at Lafarge, the use of apps in the civil engineering field is still rather limited to young engineers. “The number of available apps for civil engineers is also limited to only a handful,” he continues. “Apps such as the Engineering Dictionary, CAD 3D lite and Cngineering Calculators seem to make up the only apps available in the Google App Store.

The bulk of available apps are directed at mechanical and fire engineers. How functional and easy they are to use, I’m unsure.”

Advancing technology Locally, the most commonly used apps are those that support 3D drawings and online changes to these drawings, such as those available from AutoDesk. Two years ago,

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TECHNOLOGY

Autodesk introduced the market to its Design and Creation Suites, with the Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite specifically designed for Infrastructure projects. The Autodesk Design and Creation Suites help customers rapidly explore and visualise multiple design ideas, analyse and test ideas digitally, predict real-world performance at a fraction of the cost and access designs through the web or mobile devices, and collaborate from almost anywhere.

“The introduction of the Autodesk Design and Creation Suites to the market was one of the company’s most exciting developments for the engineering and construction industries,” says Marius Esterhuyze, major accounts manager at Autodesk. But the company didn’t stop there. By turning to Cloud computing, they took their online suite offering one step further. “Leveraging the Cloud was the next logical step in taking technology to the next level. Whether you realise it or not, you’ve probably been living – and working – in a Cloud for some time,” he comments. Autodesk 360 is a Cloud-based framework that provides customers with a powerful set of tools and services that can dramatically improve the way they work and share their work. “Something we see more and more with our competitors

The use of apps in the civil engineering field is still rather limited to young engineers

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is that the more advanced technology gets, the more advanced computers and desktops are required to actually run the programmes.

Why place the strain of heavy analysis or simulation on your desktop? In the case of Autodesk, we’re saying: let’s leverage the infinite computing power of the Cloud, upload designs to the Cloud, run your analysis and simulation in the Cloud, and take the strain of our desktops,” Esterhuyze further explains.

For the team at Autodesk, the approach is not limited to 3D designs – it extends to 4D and beyond. “We talk about 4D when we add the component of time, 5D when we add the component of cost, and 6D when we add the component of operation and maintenance to the design model.”

Easy does it Regardless of the type of app used, there is a common denominator that ties engineering apps together: simplicity. “I don’t know the apps that engineers regularly use, but I feel whatever they are, it has to be user-friendly,”

states Mike Fisher, key account manager national construction at Lafarge.

“For example, the road guys use a realtime web-based app to monitor weather conditions in order to properly plan for stabilisation. If this data could be consolidated into a smart device app, then it would be great. Another thing that could work is an app that allows users to make updates in the project chain, such as physical pole markers that measure distance alongside a road. Markers could be built into an app so users could insert notes, GPS coordinates and instructions at specific points along a project.”

Odendaal couldn’t agree more: “Apps that allow me to post comments and questions to a large audience have made my life a whole lot easier, mainly because I receive a range of responses from a variety of individuals around the world – individuals who have dealt with a similar problem. This allows me to make a better judgment call on an issue,” he says reassuringly. “Is there a market or an opportunity for apps that can make an engineer’s life easier? Then the answer is definitely ‘yes’. Apps containing material properties, material selection procedures and material availability would undoubtedly be of value to any engineer.”

INSIGHT

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THE LESOTHO HIGHLANDS WATER PROJECT An African success Story

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TCTA is a state-owned liability management entity responsible for bulk raw water infrastructure development

T

he Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is proud to contribute towards a system aimed at delivering water to the citizens of South Africa. And as the country celebrates 20 years of democracy, the TCTA continues to work together with the South African government to provide sustainable water infrastructure to propel the country’s economy.

As part of the country’s milestones in the past 20 years, TCTA recently opened the Spring Grove Dam. The construction of this KwaZulu Natal dam is one of nine TCTA’s projects and is aimed at ensuring water supply to the KZN region. The dam commenced in 2011 during a sod turning ceremony by the Minister of Water Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa. On 19 November 2013, the President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, accompanied by Acting Water Affairs Minister, Mr Nathi

Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme Phase 2 (MMTS2), Komati Water Scheme Augmentation Project (KWSAP), Olifants River Water Resource Development Project Phase 2 (ORWRDP2) , Mokolo-Crocodile Water Augmentation Project (MCWAP), Metsi Bophelo Borehole Project and the Acid Mine Drainage.

Since 1986, we have played a pivotal role in bringing water to the economic nerve-centre of our country. The from the dams in the mountains of Lesotho, through tunnels to South Africa, giving birth to new enterprises and meeting the critical needs of households and communities.

Other TCTA projects include: Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) – South African portion of the Delivery Tunnel North, Berg Water Project (BWP), Vaal River Eastern Subsystem Augmentation Project (VRESAP),

For more information on TCTA visit: www.tcta.co.za or Call +27 12 683 1200

CENTREPIECE | INSIDE

WATER STORAGE

Introduction to South African dams Being a semi-arid country, South Africa’s water policies are increasingly recognising the need to integrate water collection and storage infrastructure. By Nicholas McDiarmid

W

ATER SOURCES are not spread evenly over the countr y and bulkwater transfer schemes are essential to ensuring that access to water is universal.

With more than 500 government built and owned dams, about half of all the country’s rainfall is stored in dams, which have a collective capacity of 37 000 million m3.

Great water - the Orange River project One of the largest irrigation projects in Africa, the Orange River irrigation project provides irrigation for 22 400 ha of agricultural land as well as potable water for Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

Central to this project is the Gariep Dam, the largest storage reservoir in South Africa. Built in 1972, its main water source is the Orange River and has a surface area of 350 km2. Gariep means ‘great water’ in Sotho.

The dam is a combined gravity and arch dam, built entirely of concrete. The dam wall is 88 m high and contains about 1.73 million m3 of concrete. Gariep Dam is a double curvature structure and is an excellent demonstration of the relationship between water and electricity, providing peaking power to the national electricity grid. The hydroelectric power station located on the lower left of the dam has four 90 MW generators with a maximum output of 360 MW. Ownership of the dam reflects its usage, with the Department of Water Affairs owning the dam and Eskom owning the power station. The dam itself is a concrete gravity-double curvature-arch hybrid dam. This design was chosen as the gorge is too wide for a complete arch, so flanking walls form gravity abutments to the central arch Arch dams Arch dams are made from concrete and curved in the shape of an arch, with the top of the arch pointing back into the water when viewed from above. This shape is structurally very strong and ideal for resisting the force of the water behind the dam. There are only a few such in Southern Africa, the most famous being the Gariep and dams

the famous Lesotho Highlands Project Dam, the Katse.

Buttress dams Buttress dams are made from concrete or masonr y. They have a watertight upstream side supported by triangular shaped walls, called buttresses. The buttresses are spaced at intervals on the downstream side. They resist the force of the reser voir water trying to push the dam over. The buttress dam was developed from the idea of the gravity dam, except it uses a lot less material due to the clear spaces between the buttresses. Like gravity dams, they can be constructed in both narrow and wide valleys provided the foundations are suitable, i.e. rock with the acceptable bearing capacity, to carry the loads transferred by the buttresses. A good example of this type of dam is the Bulshoek Dam on the Olifant’s river, which is also one of the oldest irrigation schemes in South Africa.

Embankment dams Embankment dams are made mainly from natural materials. The two main types are earthfill dams and rockfill dams. Earthfill dams comprise mostly compacted earth, while rockfill dams are constructed primarily from dumped and compacted rockfill. Most embankment dams have a central section, called the core, made from impermeable materials such as clay – hence the term ‘clay core’ – to stop water passing through the dam. Embankment dams are generally built in areas where large amount of earth or rocks are available. They represent 75% of all dams in the world.

Gravity dams Gravity dams are so called due to the action of gravity on their mass, holding the foundation down and resisting forces of water pressure which would otherwise cause the dams to slide. Constructed with concrete or masonry, gravity dams are suited to either wide or narrow valleys provided the foundations are sound with an acceptable bearing capacity.

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CENTREPIECE | WATER STORAGE

AN AFRICAN SUCCESS STORY

The Lesotho Highlands Project The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is a multibillion rand binational water resources development and management initiative. It was established by treaty signed between the governments of Lesotho and South Africa in 1986, as a priority strategy to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth and improve the livelihoods of the people of the two countries.

By Motlatsi Nkhasi, Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, and George van der Merwe, Communications strategist and consultant.

L

HWP IS ABOUT harnessing the Lesotho Highlands water behind massive dam walls, diverting the flow and transferring water through tunnels to South Africa, to meet the industrial and domestic water needs of the Gauteng province, while simultaneously generating hydropower for Lesotho.

Early days When the idea of transferring water from Lesotho to South Africa was first mooted in the early 1950s by Cape Town based engineer Ninham Shand, sceptics didn’t give it a chance of ever coming to fruition. Little did they know that by the end of 2008, the LHWP would mark its biggest milestone: a decision by the governments of Lesotho and South Africa to proceed with Phase 2 following the successful completion of Phase 1. Who would have guessed at the time that this would become a truly African success stor y?

Looking back to the early days of the LHWP, it is clear that water – or rather the lack thereof – played an important role in its development. Following the lessons learned from the devastating droughts of the late 1960s, South Africa realised that it had to find an additional, reliable bulk water

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CENTREPIECE | WATER STORAGE

South Africa realised that it had to find an additional, reliable bulk water source to ensure that its industrial heartland was not crippled in future

source to ensure that its industrial heartland was not crippled in future.

This led to the creation of a joint technical committee between Lesotho and South Africa in 1978, comprising experts from both countries, which began a full feasibility study.

In 1983, agreement was reached on a more detailed project layout, which required in-depth feasibility studies that were completed in April 1986.

LHWP – the best choice The studies pointed out the preferred, most feasible and viable option: a four-phased project that would capture the excess flows of the upper Senqu catchment and transfer the water from a series of storage dams via tunnels to South Africa. This daunting project would also generate hydroelectricity for Lesotho before delivering the cr ystal-clear mountain water to the homes and industries of South Africa. The project would also create revenue for Lesotho and provide jobs.

Despite the magnitude of the project, compared to the next most viable option it was M2.3 billion1 less expensive. This benefit was to be split 56/44 between Lesotho and South Africa and Lesotho’s share is paid over 50 years as a fixed royalty. In addition, Lesotho’s comparative advantage stems from the fact that the water is gravity-fed, instead of being pumped to South Africa.

The cost equivalent of pumping is paid as a monthly (variable) royalty to Lesotho.

The treaty and its institutions Obviously, the implementation of the LHWP would impact on the people and environment of the highlands, so the treaty made provision for adequate compensation and mitigation measures.

Being a binational project meant that both sides had to be equally represented in decisions that affected the project. For this reason, a joint permanent technical commission (JPTC) was established to monitor, advise and approve activities towards implementation of the project. JPTC was later renamed the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission and its role was also redefined in accordance with protocol VI of the treaty.

Infrastructure and early construction In order to penetrate the highlands with the machines and equipment required for constructing the huge water storage facilities and tunnels, it was necessar y to provide modern paved roads, bridges, mountain passes, electricity supply and telecommunications. The local workers and technical staff from all over the world necessitated the provision of housing, schools, shops and canteens. Project authorities created clinics, a specialised casualty ward, landing strips and helipads for any project eventualities. The recreation of workers

required spor ts facilities and electronic communications.

The impact of the project on the local population called for new secondar y (feeder) roads and bridges to link the surrounding villages to the main roads. In total there were: • 102 km of new tarred roads • 265 km of new gravel roads • 1 133 km of roads rehabilitated to Grade 1 standard • 11 bridges constructed for access to towns and villages.

• t hree border crossings built between Lesotho and South Africa (Maseru, Maputsoe and Caledonspoort) • five clinics constructed and staffed and one trauma unit at Leribe Hospital • 300 km of power lines installed.

• more than 300 housing units built in the work camps at Katse, Mohale, Lejone and Likileng • commercial centres constructed at Katse and Mohale • microwave telecommunications provided to Katse and Mohale.

Once the infrastructure was in place, the construction of the main contracts could start.

This was done in two sub-phases: 1A and 1B. Phase 1A comprised Katse dam, the ‘Muela hydropower station, ‘Muela dam, the transfer tunnel and delivery tunnels (south and north), as well as the Ash river outfall. Phase 1A was completed in December 1997 and commissioned in January 1998 (except for

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the hydro power station, which was commissioned in 1999).

Over the past 23 years, the LHWP has proved the case for peaceful bilateral co-operation in Africa and the world

Katse dam – the highest in Africa Katse is one of Lesotho’s popular tourist destinations and is now home to the highest dam in Africa, Katse dam. Situated at more than 2 000 m above sea level, Katse dam is a striking piece of modern engineering. The dam is one of less than 30 double cur vature concrete arch dams in the world, one of the world’s 10 largest concrete arch dams in terms of its volume and the highest dam in Africa. It attracts thousands of people each year who come to admire this engineering mar vel.

Hydropower plant The hydropower plant at ‘Muela, in the northern Botha-Bothe District, was constructed as part of Phase 1A of the LHWP. The major benefit now derived from ‘Muela hydropower station is that Lesotho generates about 70% of its electricity needs.

Technically, the station consists of the 60 m x 1.30 m x 15 m underground power house cavern that accommodates three transformers and three turbine generators rated at 24 MW each. The station is fed water by the Katse reser voir via a 45 km long concrete lined transfer tunnel measuring 4.35 m in diameter.

On the sur face, there is the operation building that houses the control room to monitor and operate the ‘Muela hydropower station and the LHWP. The building also houses operation and maintenance staff offices and workshops. After water has passed through the turbines, it is then discharged through the draft tubes and concrete lined connection tunnels into a 40 m high downstream surge chamber and through a 1.7 km long tailrace tunnel into ‘Muela reser voir. From the reser voir, water is conveyed by deliver y tunnels via ‘Muela intake structure to the tunnel outlet at Ash river in South Africa. Finally, water flows into the Vaal dam.

local capacity for implementing further phases of the LHWP has increased dramatically.

The contribution of the LHWP to the economic activity of Lesotho has been remarkable. As shown above, royalties, the sale of electricity, construction activities and revenue have provided an important economic boost to Lesotho.

It was calculated in 2002 that the project’s contribution to the economic activity of Lesotho was 5.4% of the GDP. However, if measured against the Capital Account of the Balance of Payments, the impact is even more profound: M585 million of a total of M865 million of the positive balance could be attributed to the LHWP – a stunning 68%.

The water from the LHWP is used in six provinces of South Africa.

It cools the Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga, keeps Sasol and the Free State gold mines operational, supplies the vast industries and sprawling urban areas of Gauteng, provides life to some of the southern towns of Limpopo and the platinum mines of the North West, as well as the diamond mines and people of Kimberley and surrounding areas. Under drought conditions, emergency water can – and has been – transferred to the Caledon River and to the Eastern Cape and southern Free State through the BloemWater network.

Lessons learned The early involvement of the World Bank has been beneficial in many ways. It lent credibility to the project and also greatly assisted the

Phase 1B – Mohale dam Phase 1B comprises Mohale dam, the interconnecting tunnel, Matsoku weir and the Matsoku tunnel. This sub-phase was completed in December 2003 and inaugurated in March 2004.

Designed as a concrete faced rockfill embankment, Mohale dam is constructed at the confluence of the Senqunyane and Likalaneng rivers. The dam allows for abstraction and diversion of waters from the Senqunyane river through a 32 km interconnecting tunnel from Mohale reser voir to Katse on the Bokong arm.

Similarly, water can be drawn from Katse into Mohale dam.

Benefits During the implementation of Phase 1, thousands of people at the construction sites and across Lesotho benefited directly or indirectly. Phase 1A was technically complex and required a large variety of specialised skills.

For Phase 1B, the focus was on job creation, maximising the contracts awarded to Basotho contractors and consultants, and finding local sources for the provision of goods and ser vices.

The success of this endeavour is visible in the fact that several viable local consultancies have developed, a large number of local contractors have built up sustainable businesses and the

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CENTREPIECE | WATER STORAGE

clear manner. Contracts and financing arrangements require careful planning. Tight procurement processes should be institutionalised to prevent corruption, while whistle-blowing should be encouraged.

The treaty provision to maintain ‘the welfare of the persons and communities directly affected by the project’ is a power ful guiding principle for socio-environmental policies. Experience has shown that socio-environmental programmes require careful p­ lanning, rigorous implementation and phased exit strategies that are clear to all concerned. It is important to do the environmental impact assessments and action plans before any construction starts.

At the same time, resettlement and compensation policies should be clear, transparent and adaptable. Communication channels to the affected communities need to be established and utilised at the outset. A rigorous complaints procedure has to be in place too, so that any concern or grievance can be dealt with as soon as possible. Compensation officers have to be empowered to settle minor claims immediately.

engineering and environmental aspects of the project through the engineering and socio-environmental panels of experts.

The oversight and implementation responsibilities on a large development project should be clearly delineated and be separate functions. Costs and benefits need to be shared in an equitable and

Phase 2 The agreement to proceed with implementation of Phase 2 was announced by Lesotho and South Africa in December 2008. The negotiations commenced on 29 August 2008.

In terms of infrastructure, Phase 2 involves construction of: • a 60 km access road.

• the 165 m high, 2.2 million m3 capacity Polihali dam at Tlokoeng (some 5 km downstream of the confluence of the Senqu and Khubelu rivers) in the Mokhotlong district, in Lesotho • a 38 km long tunnel from Polihali discharging into the Katse reser voir • a 45 km long parallel tunnel from Katse intake tower to ‘Muela. The alternative is a 73 km long tunnel direct from Polihali to ‘Muela.

In December 2013, The Lesotho Highlands Water Commission invited applications from specialists to play an oversight role during the implementation of the R12 billion Phase 2 of the LHWP. The commission has detailed in a bid document that project authorities had opted to establish an independent oversight committee (IOC) to ensure the credibility and integrity of the project, while maintaining world-class development standards.

The committee will also be tasked with maximising the socioeconomic and environmental benefits throughout and subsequent to the construction phase of all component infrastructure and ensuring the safety and integrity of the works. The multidisciplinary IOC would conduct four yearly ad hoc visits to the project areas in Lesotho and would be committed to the project for no less than five years.

The bid documents call for applications from experienced professionals and specialists in the fields of large-scale infrastructure projects, as well as in areas of design, project management, procurement and contracting, financial control, environmental management, socioeconomic management, public health, legal, and monitoring and evaluation.

Completion of the project is scheduled for around 2017, while the commissioning of water deliver y is scheduled for 2018.

A bilateral success story Over the past 23 years, the LHWP has proved the case for peaceful bilateral cooperation in Africa and the world. It has successfully delivered on all its promises: high-quality water, electricity, revenue, fair compensation, environmental protection,

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CENTREPIECE | WATER STORAGE

a springboard for ancillar y development and high-quality infrastructure to benefit the local inhabitants and visitors. It has fearlessly and successfully fought ­corruption and will continue to do so. It embodies the ­principles of the economic development programme for the African Union (NEPAD), plus Africa’s aspirations for its own renaissance.

This, truly, is an ongoing African success stor y. From humble beginnings marked by uncertainties, today we see a glowing light at the end of the tunnel indicating that a bright future is on the near horizon and certainly within reach.

Note: [1] M represents the Lesotho currency maloti which is pegged to the South African rand on a 1:1 basis

Socio-environmental impacts

A

NY DEVELOPMENT project impacts directly on the lives of people and the environment. The aim of the LHWP has been to minimise the impacts, ensure fair compensation for any losses and to mitigate any impacts on the environment.

The environmental action plan (EAP) for Phase 1 evolved as the project developed.

Many lessons were learned in Phase 1A and these were implemented in Phase 1B. Four aspects of the comprehensive EAP have formed the cornerstone of the compensation and mitigation measures: • natural environment and heritage.

• development.

• Public health.

• compensation and resettlement.

Natural environment and heritage Since its inception, the LHWP has made a significant contribution to sustain and enhance biodiversity in Lesotho by means of community programmes to raise awareness of environmental management and conservation issues.

A diminutive indicator fish species, commonly known as the Maloti minnow, inhabits the upper reaches of the Senqu River system. The Jorodane River that flows into Mohale Dam was one of its favourite habitats. To protect them from predators like trout, some minnows have been translocated to sanctuaries outside the Mohale Dam catchment, while additional measures are being considered.

The LHWP has also been responsible for the establishment of two nature reserves, namely Bokong and Ts’ehlanyane National Park. The formal proclamation of these reserves more than doubles the area of protected natural habitat in Lesotho.

The Liphofung Cave is a cultural heritage site developed by the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) near ‘Muela dam. The LHDA developed a visitor’s centre incorporating a display of the cultural history of the Basotho and Bushmen rock art, along with a craft shop and overnight accommodation.

In order to avoid incompatibilities between competing land uses around the LHWP reservoirs, integrated catchment management has been put into practice. The objectives are to reduce degradation of the natural environment and soil erosion, which would impact on water quality and increase sediment deposition. Overgrazing, one of the main contributing factors to rapid soil erosion, is being countered through the establishment of range management associations around Katse and Mohale.

The highlands is of a high altitude grassland biome type and supports very few trees. The increasing pressure on remaining woodland resources due to the impoundment of the LHWP reservoirs could have led to rapid environmental degradation. To offset this, thousands of tree seedlings have been provided and planted in the catchments through a community forestry programme.

The construction of any dam or any other in-channel water storage structure reduces the volume of water available downstream.

This impacts on the aquatic and riverine ecosystems, as well as the social needs of the downstream communities.

The relatively small downstream impact on a large number of people (tens of thousands) had not previously been studied. On the LHWP, the downstream affected people have been consulted about the potential impacts of the project on their livelihoods and compensated where possible for any losses in such a way as to restore their livelihoods. Individuals, families and communities who lived inside the dam basins, below power lines and anywhere they were at risk from construction, were resettled while others only lost arable land and grazing.

Resettlees received new houses built to modern building standards according to the size of their original dwellings. Affected families receive annual compensation for arable land lost, based on a generous production estimate; either in cash or in kind (maize and beans), at the discretion of the recipient. The

choice can be changed annually. Families can choose to commute their annual compensation payments to a lump sum that can be invested in income-generating enterprises based on a viable plan. Compensation for loss of rangeland is paid into a fund that can be used to fund community-based development projects.

Development programme To reduce poverty and achieve sustainable livelihoods, the LHDA introduced a food security programme aimed at improving subsistence farming and introducing high-value crops with a high yield per acre and a high market value.

The project assisted hundreds of households to obtain and plant fruit trees, while thriving vegetable gardens have become the pride of most resettled households. Rangeland management and stock improvement are dual strategies that are being implemented by the LHDA in order to improve livestock incomes, while protecting the catchment areas from overgrazing.

Public health For primary health care and occupational safety, LHDA established clinics at all the relevant construction sites. It also established public health teams of trained nurses at Katse, Lejone, ‘Muela and Mohale to work with and support the local health infrastructure. All the villages around the reservoirs are being provided with potable water, while individual households and schools are provided with toilets.

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Bringing water to Africa and the rest of the world for

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SANRAL ROADS

CRITERIA, OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES

Road cost allocation and recovery This article is the second in a series of two articles dealing with road cost allocation and recovery. It provides an overview of (a) the criteria for and methods of road cost allocation, and (b) objectives and principles of road cost determination and recovery.

by WJ (Wessel) Pienaar, Departement of Logistics, Stellenbosch University

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SANRAL ROADS

ERRATUM

Part 1 of this series was published in the November/December edition without accredition to the author, Prof Wessel Pienaar of the University of Stellenbosch.

We humbly apologise for this error.

S

INCE PUBLIC ROADS ARE, as a rule, provided by central, provincial/ regional and local authorities, governments normally recover the cost of road infrastructure from the general public and road users through (1) income tax, (2) indirect taxes, and (3) road user charges incorporated in the price of road transport inputs.

Income tax (also known as direct taxation) is levied on the taxable income of individuals and firms, without having any traceable relationship with taxpayers’ benefit or use of public goods, such as road infrastructure.

Indirect taxes are paid by the general public through goods and services they purchase, and are not directly related to tax payers’ income characteristics. Indirect taxes are levied in the form of (1) value added tax, (2) customs, excise and import duties, (3)

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commodity tax (such as on petroleum products and so-called luxury products), and (4) transaction tax (such as on transactions per credit card, certain written contractual agreements and land/fixed property transactions).

Both direct and indirect taxation accrue as general public income from which the government may allocate a proportion to the provision and maintenance of roads at its discretion.

User charges are levies paid by users of a product provided by a government or by a public enterprise. They are applied so that those who make use of and obtain the benefits of goods and services repay (or partially repay) the cost thereof to the government, for example, (1) road user charges, which generally take the form of tolls, vehicle licence fees and fuel levies, and (2) travel fares charged for the use of public transport.

(Note that not all vehicle licence fees and fuel levies represent user charges, they may also represent indirect taxes used as general government revenue.)

Controversy arises over: (1) the amount of user charges (2) the basis of measuring user benefit (e.g. distance travelled, number of passengers, load mass)

(3) differential treatment of different types of vehicles (e.g. different charges for light and heavy vehicles on toll roads) (4) an exact distinction or division between indirect taxes and road user charges (5) the proportional road cost responsibility of road users and non-road users.

to private investors. These two factors obviously deter suppliers of capital and the consequent neglect of road infrastructure provision has an adverse effect on the economy. This situation gives rise to a suboptimal allocation of resources. It therefore becomes necessary for the government to assist the free market mechanism in its efforts to achieve an optimal allocation of resources.

It does so by augmenting the provision of collective goods and services demanded by society, which are supplied only partially by the free market system, for example hospitals, health services and education. Government also provides such services as policing, defence and road infrastructure, albeit also for strategic or political rather than only economic reasons, such as to correct for market failure.

The road user, as the main beneficiary of expenditure on roads, should be charged sufficient, at least, to cover the costs for which he is responsible. It is therefore clear that road cost recovery should be based on theoretically sound, efficient and equitable road costing and allocation procedures (Pienaar, 2005).

In many instances, the absence of a direct road use charge would lead to an uneconomic use of roads In order to promote the efficient allocation of scarce resources, users or consumers of these resources should, if possible, bear the full and actual cost of their use or consumption. This would ensure, among others: (1) that the various road transport modes compete on an equal footing (2) that road users and other beneficiaries pay their fair share (3) that they need not be subsidised from other sources.

Unfortunately, road infrastructure, which is necessary for effective transport, often cannot be supplied at an acceptable profit. In addition, an effective and low-cost manner to collect income from road users is not readily available

Road cost recovery objectives Various objectives may be observed in both actual and potential road charging

©Reuters

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SANRAL ROADS

schemes. These objectives are summarised and grouped into seven categories below (Freeman, 1981): (1) Resource allocation This is the criterion favoured by economists. It means looking for schemes that will allocate resources efficiently in the economic sense.

(2) Covering the costs Covering the costs means achieving a balanced road budget so that income equates with expenditure. It does not necessarily mean that resources are optimised, but is a common strategy for administrative or political reasons. One of the most persuasive reasons for requiring road users to cover their costs is that other forms of transport, e.g. the railways, are often required to cover theirs.

(3) Fiscal and monetary objectives The crudest objective of a road user charging scheme may simply be to raise money to supplement general taxation. Such an objective is by no means uncommon in economically underdeveloped countries. However, as a fiscal policy instrument, charging schemes may be designed to pursue broad macroeconomic

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objectives. For example, it may be desirable to promote domestic industry or reduce the amount of imported fuels with consequent foreign exchange implications.

(4) Encouragement of proper investment decisions There may be a close relationship between an efficient charging policy and an efficient road investment policy.

(5) Socio-economic objectives Three possibilities exist under this heading.

A charging scheme can (a) have significant effects on income distribution, or (b) discriminate in favour of some mode of transport considered socially desirable (and vice versa), or (c) be used with a view to achieving desirable environmental consequences.

(6) Price stability This objective (related to (3) above) is perhaps of lesser importance, but in some circumstances price stability over time has certain advantages. Planning is easier and inflation is dampened.

(7) Administrative efficiency and feasibility A cost recovery scheme must be capable of

being implemented at reasonable cost and be immune to corruption in order to ensure that it would not waste more resources than the possible benefits from adopting it.

Obviously there are many instances when governments pursue more than one objective; not all of the above objectives are conflicting and some may even be complementary to each other. It is unlikely that any two governments will in practice have needs that are exactly identical and thus each administration must find its own desired solution.

Road cost allocation criteria A proper programming of road supply requires rational procedures for recovering road costs from beneficiaries. The cost responsibility basis should be generally fair and equitable, and at the same time, be comprehensible to both the beneficiaries and administrators. Three criteria exist for distributing cost responsibility, namely (1) the benefit principle, (2) the ability-to-pay principle and (3) the socioeconomic cost responsibility principle. These are briefly discussed below.

SANRAL ROADS

According to the benefit principle, road provision expenditure should be recovered from the actual beneficiaries in proportion to the value of the benefits each receives.

This approach is fundamentally based on the criterion of achieving allocative efficiency. ­ Some existing road user charges partly incorporate the benefit principle. Fuel levy is a case in point, because the vehicle users’ contributions are more or less proportionate to their road usage. Increases in property tax in line with higher property values following road improvement also give effect to the benefit principle.

When user charges are levied not on travel itself, but on commodities associated with road travel, such as fuel, vehicles and tyres, it may be prudent to divide the tax burden among several commodities to avoid undue distortion of the demand for any one commodity. The necessity of spreading the burden will hinge on the relative price sensitivity of the demand for each commodity.

The ability-to-pay principle differs from the benefit principle inasmuch as it is not directly related to the benefits received. This approach serves equity considerations and is fundamentally based on the criterion of achieving distributive efficiency. It charges the community

the offenders (i.e. those who cause external costs) would in effect be subsidised by nonoffenders. The principle would also be undesirable where roads compete with other modes of transport financed according to different principles. Therefore the ability-to-pay principle is normally rejected as unsuitable for allocating road cost responsibility.

The socio-economic cost responsibility principle has evolved from the gradual realisation of the complexity of distributing the cost responsibility for the provision of some facilities and services. The principle assumes, in the interest of achieving allocative efficiency, that users should bear the full cost of their usage while recognising that other worthwhile distributive or equity goals also need to be financed from charges levied.

For example, an objective could be to subsidise public transport and discourage private vehicle use or to discriminate against vehicles which are less energy-­efficient than is thought acceptable. In adopting this approach there is a clear recognition of the fact that fiscal policy

According to the benefit principle, road provision expenditure should be recovered from the actual beneficiaries in proportion to the value of the benefits each receives as a whole with the responsibility of providing the necessary infrastructure, and the cost involved is recovered according to the individuals’ ability to pay.

In many instances, the absence of a direct road use charge would lead to an uneconomic use of roads. The problems of traffic congestion and damage to the roads cannot be resolved via the price mechanism since

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is a powerful instrument of economic control that can be used to achieve the government’s policies.

Road costing theories Two methods exist for costing a road system: (1) the historical cost method and (2) the development cost method.

Historical cost method According to this method the sunk costs of constructing, expanding or renewing existing roads are spread over time between successive generations of users. The method involves two steps: • Firstly, an estimate is made of the value of the capital tied up in the physical construction • Secondly, a representative discount rate is selected whereby the value of this capital amount can be spread uniformly over the service life of the road network.

and maintaining the road system by one of two methods, namely the longrun marginal cost method, and the incremental method. These methods are explained below.

(1) Long-run marginal cost method The cost of providing an additional road or expanded road space is based on the value of future services, which the road or expanded capacity will make possible. This method, in principle, takes into account the variations in demand expected in the future. The price is determined by the intersection of the demand curve and the long-run marginal cost curve. This will not necessarily result in a total amount of charges that will cover the total road budget of the public authority. For example, traffic would normally be increasing over time, so that a newly constructed indivisible road would have low traffic demand in the initial years and so earn low revenue. In later years, as traffic increases, the revenue will also increase. Where there is much new construction, a deficit may be incurred for extended periods on the road account.

In the case of roads, there are peculiar difficulties involved in determining what the long-run marginal costs are because, unlike the electricity supply industry where demand in one place can be met by supply in another, the supply of roads cannot be shifted spatially.

Moreover, roads have a very long life, so that in practice they are rarely scrapped. The tendency is to add to the stock of roads or modify or rehabilitate them. For these reasons, the concept of long-run marginal costs cannot be applied to its fullest extent to roads.

(2) Incremental method The incremental method incorporates cost incurred per period, which boils down to pay-as-you-go. Investment costs are regarded as current costs in the year of expenditure. This method, in effect, regards road expenditure per period as the road cost that should be recovered during that period.

The incremental cost concept is the most unambiguous of all the conceivable measures of total cost. It ignores interest and amortisation and concentrates on the current drain on the government budget.

For these reasons, incremental cost has the best claim to be the most suitable concept for defining the balanced budget requirement.

It is directly and immediately related to the values that appear in the government’s accounts (Walters, 1968).

The incremental cost concept is the most unambiguous of all the conceivable measures of total cost

Development cost method This method ignores the sunk costs of existing roads and concentrates on recovering current or future costs associated with expanding

Road cost allocation methods Eight methods are discussed of efficiently and/or equitably distributing road cost responsibility: the first four are based on the number of use of the road system, the fifth is based on benefit received, the sixth is linked to users’ willingness to pay and the last two (7 and 8) are based on users’ cost responsibility.

(1) Standard cost method This method is based on the estimated cost of constructing and maintaining a standard kilometre of a major arterial road. The amount thus calculated is then multiplied by the length of the country’s total road network to determine an overall monetary amount that can then

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be apportioned among users according to distance or tonne-kilometres travelled. However, a standard kilometre can give no more than a crude approximation of the actual costs of constructing specific road sections under varying conditions. This procedure has virtually no practical value.

(2) Gross tonne-kilometre method This method assumes that road infrastructure costs are related to gross vehicle mass and distance travelled, and that the benefits are proportional to the number of tonnekilometres travelled. Cost responsibility is apportioned on the basis of the total distance travelled by each mass class. The technique fails, however, to consider the axle mass distribution or their effect on pavement design and wear. The method does not meaningfully reflect the cost of providing infrastructure, as several important variables are excluded for the sake of simplicity.

(3) Operating cost method This method assumes a direct relationship between the value of the use of a road and the vehicle operating costs of the various classes of users. A road cost responsibility per vehicle is thus assigned proportional to the vehicle’s operating costs for each kilometre travelled.

Operating costs are generally a poor measure of the respective cost responsibility of different vehicle classes in that they do not fully account for the provision that is made in road design for heavier vehicles.

(4) Space-time method This method assumes that the use of a vehicle and the road system required for such use can be measured in terms of the road space a given vehicle requires during its operation and the total travel time that the vehicle occupies that space. This technique is rejected because it does not directly relate road space occupied by and total travel time of a vehicle to benefits, nor does it consider the influence of vehicle mass on the costs of road provision and maintenance.

(5) Differential benefit method This is the most direct attempt to incorporate the benefit principle. It is assumed, basically, that user levies for vehicles of different sizes, masses and distances travelled should be proportional to the benefits derived from their use of the road. The main advantage of the technique is that expenditure on roads is justified only in terms of anticipated benefits.

This implies that the actual cost of expanding the road system will be recovered from road users and that cost recovery will be based on longrun marginal costs.

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(6) Inverse elasticity method This method apportions costs among users in proportion to their willingness to pay, as reflected by the perceived responses of different user groups to increases in road user charges. Users are charged in accordance with their perceived elasticity of demand,

The incremental cost attributed to a vehicle is determined on the basis of the number of axles and axle mass i­n-as-much as those who are willing to pay high prices are charged high prices. Willingness to pay is in effect a quasi benefit-based or value-of-service approach that can be used to maximise revenue for a road authority. There are fundamental objections to the discriminatory nature of this technique.

(7) Incremental cost method This method assumes that various elements of road construction and maintenance are affected by the size and mass of vehicles using the road and that the costs of these elements can be broken down into increments that reflect this use. In the usual application of this technique, the incremental cost attributed

SANRAL ROADS

REFERENCES

to a vehicle is determined on the basis of the number of axles and axle mass rather than gross vehicle mass. Thus the cost of each increment is apportioned among the various axle masses in accordance with vehicle kilometres travelled. The method reflects the effects of vehicle type and size of axle configuration on cost occasioned. Examples are amortisation costs of any facilities built especially for a particular vehicle category, such as exclusive busways, cycle tracks, passing lanes and climbing lanes. Common costs, however, are inevitably allocated in a more arbitrary manner.

The incremental cost technique is usually advocated as an allocation method, which will ensure that heavy vehicles pay their share of costs, and in this respect, the rationale involved is sound from the practical implementation point of view. The method’s main drawback is the extensive data requirements, necessitating a large array of construction and maintenance costs, broken down by type of operation and type of road, as well as detailed travel data by vehicle class and road type.

(8) Cost-function method This method is a modified version of the incremental cost approach. It divides road costs into three classes: (a) costs affected by, or related to, vehicle (or axle) characteristics such as number of axles, mass and size

• F reeman, P.N.W. 1981. The recovery of costs from road users in South Africa.

DComm dissertation. Pretoria: University of South Africa.

•P ienaar, W.J. 2005. Road cost allocation and recovery. Working paper WP 1/03.

Stellenbosch: Department of Logistics, Stellenbosch University.

•W alters, A.A. 1968. The economics of road user charges. World Bank Staff, Occasional Paper 5. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

•W infrey, R. 1969. Economic analysis for highways. Scranton: International Textbook Company.

(b) costs that vary with the amount of road use, but not with vehicle characteristics (c) costs that are independent of both vehicle characteristics and road usage.

Costs that are associated with traffic volumes are assigned on the basis of vehicle kilometres of travel. Costs that are independent of vehicle size and mass and of traffic volume are assigned on a per vehicle basis. Costs related doubtful that the use of tonne-kilometres actuto vehicle size and mass are distributed on the ally makes such compensation.) basis of gross tonne-kilometres of travel.

In the cost-function method, it is usually The cost-function method, although probfound that heavy vehicles are assigned someably more acceptable than the gross tonne-­ what lesser costs than under the gross tonnekilometre method, has a basic theoretical kilometre solution and that the incremental weakness. This weakness is that light vehicles solution assigns higher cost to passenger will be paying a share of the total costs of cars and other light vehicles. In other words, the heaviest pavement and highest type of the cost-function assignments are somewhere bridge design. The heavy vehicles that occabetween the other two solutions (Freeman, sion such costs are able to shift part of 1981: Winfrey, 1969). the road cost burden to light vehicles. It is ABOUT THE AUTHOR argued that the use Wessel Pienaar is professor of Logistics of tonne-kilometres to at Stellenbosch University. He holds the distribute the massfollowing advanced qualifications: MEcon in Transport Economics (Stellenbosch related costs tends to University), MS in Civil Engineering (University compensate for the of California, Berkeley), DComm in Transport fact that the entire Economics (University of South Africa) and cost that they occaPhD(Eng) in Civil Engineering (Stellenbosch University). He is chief editor and main sion is not assigned author of the internationally used textbook Business Logistics to them by the costManagement: A Value Chain Perspective. function method. (It is

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The combination of the polymeric Geogrid and the 0.8 m deep TerraMesh units reduced the cost of the installation by reducing the volume of gabion rock and by decreasing the

length of the hexagonal woven mesh tail of the units. The polymeric reinforcement was placed directly under the unit with approximately 10 mm protruding from the front face of the unit and extending to a specified length into the structural fill.

Installation challenges: Should stand vertically or slope two degrees toward the fill While installing the TerraMesh units, they stand vertically or slope by two degrees toward the fill. This was intended to offset the centre of gravity of the TerraMesh Unit and to reduce its weight by reducing the volume of rock. To counteract this movement, the founding platform was graded to a slope of 1:16 and thereafter the TerraMesh baskets were filled with 50 mm less rock on the back face of the TerraMesh basket, creating a triangular void at the top. This created a 1:16 slope into the fill when placing the next TerraMesh unit. After compaction the TerraMesh basket was pushed to an almost vertical position as required. Constant monitoring was performed

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to ensure that the wall did not lean forward.

The backfill material was compacted within one meter behind the back-face using light compaction machinery to attain the specified degree of compaction of 93% mod AASHTO. All compaction beyond this boundary was done utilising a 10 t smooth roller to attain compaction of the same degree.

Maccaferri Africa had undertaken to design and assume professional indemnity of the Parramesh, MSEW and be the responsible party for the elemental design of the 269 m wall. However, the global stability and the effect of the wall on the underlying soils and foundations would not form part of Maccaferri Africa responsibility. To assist the consulting engineer, Samani Consulting, Maccaferri Africa performed an analysis of the design and provided them the allowable bearing pressure of 300 kPa for the structure.

Design technology Maccaferri Africa designed the wall using the MacStars software based on the Bishop’s, Janbu’s and Meyerhof’s limit equilibrium

theories and hand calculations based on SANS 207 coherent gravity and wedge tie back design criteria. The structure was designed for a 50-year lifespan.

The reinforced structural backfill was specified to comply with SANS 207 in respect to mechanical, chemical and electro chemical properties, while the foundation design specifications were stipulated by Samani Consulting’.

The drainage design ensured that the structural fill does not get saturated. This drainage design was specified by Maccaferri Africa utilising the MacDrain product and later amended by the main consultant to suite site conditions.

The drainage amendment, which utilised a combination of the MacDrain product, subsoil drainage and a chimney drain, was assessed and approved by Maccaferri Africa. Adequate erosion protection and surface drainage measures were required, and these were determined and specified by Samani Consulting.

Conclusion The MSEW design prepared by Maccaferri Africa was based on the loads, soil conditions,

MSEW with TerraMesh 800 mm wide units

layout and heights. All information supplied was checked to comply with SANS 207 and COLTO requirements. Maccaferri Africa provided technical support, project management principals, assisted in managing the construction of this innovative installation by providing site inspections, reporting to the engineer developments on site in the form of site observations, chairing monthly technical meetings and advising both Samani Consulting and Chris Africa Civils toward the successful completion of the MSEW structure.

All stakeholders benefited from the sharing of knowledge and the empowerment to execute the project successfully in accordance to the Project Management Body of Knowledge guidelines.

IMIESA February 2014

AFRICA

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National Tel: +27 87 742 2710 International: Tel: +27 31 705 0500 Branches: Durban (HO), Johannesburg, Cape Town, East London, Tongaat (Factory) www.maccaferri.co.za

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STORMWATER

ETHEKWINI ADDRESSES FLOODING

State-of-the-art modelling for flooding solution eThekwini Municipality has found a solution to flooding after commissioning a state-of-the-art modelling exercise to find weak elements in its drainage system. By Leon Hellberg, Greg Williams and Omesh Ori

T

HE ETHEKWENI MUNICIPLAITY keeps a database of information recording the nature of flooding.

During the past few years, the Durban suburb of Glenwood has experienced a number of floods, following a series of severe storms, resulting in significant damage to property. This has elicited more complaints from residents than usual, prompting eThekwini Municipality to address perceived weaknesses in stormwater infrastructure.

Urban flooding can be divided into four types (Douglas, Alam, & Maghenda: 2006): • localised flooding • small streams in urban areas • major rivers • wet-season flooding.

In this case there has been localised flooding and small streams in urban areas. Localised flooding may occur due to stormwater assets that are undersized, blocked or not extensive enough. Flooding in urban areas may occur where buildings or infrastructure have been built over small natural streams. Change in land use towards urbanisation would have reduced permeability of urban basins, contributing to urban flooding (Tucci: 2003).

The suburb of Glenwood is characterised by erven predominantly between 600 m² and 700 m² (as measured by Hellberg) in area. The initial study area of 3 km² covers the suburb from the ridge in the west to the harbour in the east, shown in Figure 1.

Existing stormwater infrastructure in Glenwood includes: • minor drainage, consisting of vitrified clay, brick barrel and reinforced concrete pipes as well as brick and concrete rectangular conduits • major drainage, formed by roadways (typically with pronounced camber), as well as some canals nearer to the harbour.

There are no unmodified streams in the study area.

The municipality tried to find the underlying causes of flooding by commissioning large scale rainfall-runoff models, rather than addressing each reported incident individually and symptomatically. A PCSWMM (Computational Hydraulics International: 2010) model of the suburb of Glenwood was commissioned (Hellberg: 2010), identifying a number of areas where infrastructure could be modified to increase overall capacity.

The brief The objective of the Glenwood Area 4 project was to design a means of reducing urban flooding in the Davenport sub-area, while working within the following constraints:

FIGURE 1: The study area included in the PCSWMM model (Hellberg: 2010)

• minimising inconvenience to residents • utilising emergency funds, which needed to be accessed urgently. Time constraints on detailed design were therefore very narrow • scheduling the construction of the works to occur over the dry season.

Design The concept was initially developed by assessing the terrain in the problem area and considering drainage structures and overland flow routes. The contours in Figure 2 show that a row of houses lies within an overland flow path (termed infilled stream). Several residents in this row of erven complained of flooding. 

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STORMWATER

The adopted principle was to intercept surface stormwater more completely, guiding flow away from the infilled stream. In Durban, minor stormwater pipes are typically designed to three-year storms, with critical points to 10-year recurrence interval.

Surface stormwater is seldom completely intercepted, leaving a proportion to flow in

FIGURE 2: Row of houses within the drainage line. The contour interval is two metres and descending from left to right

roadways. This is termed the major stormwater system (Ethekwini Municipality, Coastal Stormwater and Catchment Management Department: 2008). 

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FIGURE 3: Interception of Salberg kerb inlets compared with conventional kerb inlets (PersComm, Salberg Concrete Products).

IMIESA February 2014

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STORMWATER

FIGURE 4: Schematic representation of the Glenwood Area 4 concept

The existing drainage network was assessed by means of a detailed PCSWMM model, and found unable to cope with the potentially increased flow that improved stormwater interception would bring. A reduction in flood peak can be attained through retrofitting existing stormwater management measures. Several aspects of retrofitting such as safety, efficacy Sensus iPerl Ad2013(2).pdf

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and manageability should be considered (Blick, et al.: 2004). In this instance, the focus was on stormwater quantity reduction, rather than quality improvement.

The proposed concept comprised of the following elements: • a new pipeline, built in parallel to the existing pipeline, to lead water down Helen

Joseph Road towards a detention chamber in Bulwer Park • improved stormwater interception by installing new and retrofitting existing kerb inlets with Salberg-type units • a set of three detention chambers formed by large diameter (2.2 m) pipes, near the head of the catchment – 90 m long in total

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STORMWATER

FIGURE 5: Inflow and outflow hydrographs at the Bulwer Park Detention Pond, indicating theoretical stormwater attenuation

• a large (2 000 m³) underground detention chamber • a diversion chamber, designed to separate low flows from high flows.

A number of theoretical principles were applied in the design of the works. The large underground detention chamber and outlet control were sized using the level-pool routing, (Fread & Hsu: 1993 & Roberson, et al.: 1997) and culvert and orifice flow (Sanral: 2006).

The interception efficiency of kerb inlets was determined using the K-TRAN equations (McEnroe, et al.: 1999) embedded in the Hydraulic Toolbox (FHWA: 2010).

By installing detention chambers near the source of the problem (source control), it is possible to ensure the problem is not merely transferred downstream (Tucci: 2003).

In an urban retrofit such as this, there is very little space available for stormwater management measures. The only available space was park area, namely Meyrick Bennett and Bulwer Park. Both parks offer significant amenity to residents and disturbance needed to be limited. Following a public consultation process it was agreed that the stormwater measures were to be buried underground and the surface reinstated to its former condition. Due to gross pollutants in the stormwater, a retention system was not considered.

Steep terrain (Helen Joseph Road slopes at 11%) promotes high flow velocities on the surface and in the piped stormwater system. Energy was reduced by the introduction of a series of drop manholes.

Urban litter transported by stormwater is a major problem in South Africa (Marais, et al., 2004). A problem associated with detention ponds is that sequestrated water tends to allow sediment to settle, while litter may float on the surface. There is a risk of the detention pond outlet becoming blocked, compromising the infrastructure.

The underground chamber (a 2.4 m deep structure) will need to be cleaned manually, as often as necessary. Immediately upstream of the large detention chamber, a splitter or diversion manhole was designed. The intention of this manhole is that, along the first-flush principle, sediment-laden water at the start of a storm is carried past the detention chamber, while larger flows overtop a weir and are led to the chamber. It is hoped that this arrangement will reduce the frequency with which the chamber will need to FIGURE 6: Excavation to final level be cleaned. 

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STORMWATER

AUTHORS:

• Leon Hellberg – SiVEST Civil Engineering Division, 4 Pencarrow Crescent, Umhlanga Rocks • Greg Williams – Ethekwini Municipality; Coastal, Stormwater & Catchment Management Department • Omesh Ori – Ethekwini Municipality; Coastal, Stormwater & Catchment Management Department FIGURE 7: Walls and columns constructed with backfill around the chamber

REFERENCES

FIGURE 10: A high density of services and clashes required several design revisions. This added substantially to the difficulty of the project from a construction perspective

FIGURE 8: Walls and columns in place.

Note the sluice in the foreground, to promote scour of silt transported by stormwater

FIGURE 9: The detention pond site after grass reinstatement. The manhole is one of two access points to the chamber

Implementation One of the greatest challenges in retrofitting stormwater infrastructure is the presence of existing services. Many undocumented services were encountered and the design had to be amended as construction proceeded.

FIGURE 11: Open space in Meyrick Bennett Park allowed sloes to be battered back safely without the need for shoring

Conclusion Although the new infrastructure has only been operational for part of the wet season, some relatively intense storms have been successfully withstood. To date, no flooding has been observed in the locations that had seen repeated flooding prior to this construction.

•B lick, S. A., Kelly, F. and Skupien, J. J. 2004. New Jersey Stormwater Management Best Practices Manual. Trenton: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

•C omputational Hydraulics International, 2010. PCSWMM 2010 Standard. Ontario: s.n.

•D ouglas, I., Alam, K. and Maghenda, M. 2006. Climate Change, Urban Flooding and the Rights of the Urban Poor in Africa, Johannesburg: ActionAid. • E thekwini Municipality, Coastal Stormwater and Catchment Management Department. 2008. Design Manual: Guidelines and Policy for the Design of Stormwater Drainage and Stormwater Management Systems. Durban: Ethekwini Municipality.

• F HWA. 2010. Hydraulic Toolbox Version 1.0. Lakewood: Federal Highways Administration.

• F read, D. L. and Hsu, K. S. 1993. Applicability of Two Simplified Flood Routing Methods: Level-Pool and Muskingum-Cunge. San Francisco: ASCE National Hydraulic Engineering Conference.

•H ellberg, L. W. 2010. Glenwood Stormwater Modelling.

Durban: SiVEST. •H ellberg, L. W. & Barichievy, K. R. 2011. Durban Flood Risk Mapping. Durban: SiVEST. •M arais, M., Armitage, N. and Wise, C. 2004. The measurement and reduction of urban litter entering stormwater drainage systems: Paper 1 - Quantifying the problem using the City of Cape Town as a case strudy.

Water SA, 30(4):469-482.

•M cEnroe, B. M., Wade, R. P. and Smith, A. K. 1999.

Hydraulic Performance of Curb and Gutter Inlets.

Lawrence: Kansas Department of Transport; University of Kansas.

•R oberson, J. A., Cassidy, J. J. and Chaudhry, H. M. 1997.

Hydraulic Engineering. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

•R ooseboom, A. and Salberg, D. B., 1989. Roadway water drainage installation. United States of America, Patent No. US4986693 A. • S anral, 2006. Drainage Manual. 5th ed. Pretoria: The South African National Roads Agency.

• T ucci, C. E. M. 2003. Flood Control and Urban Drainage Management, Porto Alegre: Institute of Hydraulic Research, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.

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PANEL DISCUSSION

Roads construction, maintenance and management Improving and developing South Africa’s road and freeway infrastructure is a large business and is essential to the continued growth and development of the nation. This IMIESA panel discussion brings expert input from across the value chain to provide insight into planning and design, equipment and materials, maintenance and resurfacing.

Planning and design All roads start with planning, design, project management and construction. Optimising the complete life cycle of roads and highways is multidisciplinary and requires specialist technical services, such as geotechnics, environmental consulting and transport planning. Roads and highways are built to exacting standards to ensure that they are capable of carrying modern heavy traffic loads.

They also need to be built in consideration of user comfort and safety, while preserving the environment around them. New, highly sophisticated software allows engineers not only to see 3D models of their designs, but also put themselves in the driver’s seat and have the user experience before the first turf is dug.

a variation in storage temperatures for different environments and road-making techniques. This panel discussion gives producers and managers of asphalt/bitumen on-site storage equipment, transportation techniques and vehicles, space to share their latest developments and product offerings.

The addition of aggregates in both bitumen and cement roads is also highly specialised and calls for accurate selection, sizing and blending, according to the specification of the road in question and the life cycle design. Aggregates make up 95% of the volume of asphalt mixture, but are also used as road bases, coverings and stabilisation.

Understanding the different types, qualities and uses of aggregates is central to road building and maintenance.

Materials The correct production, transportation and storage of bitumen/asphalt is a complex business, involving different formulations for different applications and allowing for

Cement innovations Although bituminous products and mixtures have historically been the material of choice for road building, cement roads also have a long history, but the cost and perception

of the material have worked against it. New cement products have been entering the market to change those perceptions, such as the reduction in granular plasticity. These innovations have led to products that are more durable and much cheaper than classic cement. So much so that SANRAL has recently prescribed the use of such a cement product in certain roads in the Western Cape.

Equipment New technologies and innovations are allowing road-building equipment to do things never thought possible – for example: ultrasound sensors allow for even material distribution, machines that pulverise old road surfaces for reuse and new foam bitumen technology.

Maintenance and general services The panellists all answer question about maintenance management, techniques and general repair, as well as other services.

We would like to thank all our panellists for their participation.

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PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Mike Fisher, Key Accounts Manager – National Construction, Cement | Dirk Odendaal, Technical Sales, Cement | Herbert Groenewald, Product Manager, Readymix | LAFARGE SOUTH AFRICA Q. How do your products and/or services aid in the construction of roads, bridges and stormwater management infrastructure (SMI)?

Lafarge South Africa is the local presence of the international Lafarge Group, the world leader in building materials. We have a well-established reputation for providing the local construction industry with innovative products, solutions and services from all of its cement, aggregates and readymix business lines. As expressed by our Group’s brand signature – ‘Building better cities’– we are committed to being a leading solutions provider that contributes to building more durable, better connected cities.

Cement With regard to road construction, Lafarge South Africa's cement product used extensively for soil stabilisation is the specialised cementitious binder, RoadCem CEM II 32.5N, which is contributing to the stability and longevity of bitumen and concrete road surfaces. The product is backed by a bulk spreading service and the highly regarded technical resources, such as Lafarge roadbinder RoadCem is being used in the rehabilitation of large sections of the R23 national road

its soil testing service, of the Johannesburg-based, Lafarge Quality Department Southern Africa (QDSA).

Readymix concrete The Readymix concrete business line can also supply any specification of concrete required for construction of road paving and the associated infrastructure.

Two Lafarge products that are commonly used for readymix production are the premium technical cement Powercrete Plus CEM II 42.5R, and the unique high early strength cement Rapidcem CEM II 52.5N. For SMI management, the Lafarge Readymix porous concrete product, HydromediaTM, has introduced advanced drainage technology to the local market.

Aggregates The Aggregates business line operates 20 quarries located throughout South Africa to service all sectors of the local construction industry.

The quarry materials fall into three categories: • road materials • concrete materials • specialised materials.

What construction related services do you offer?

We offer a range of spreading equipment, as well as mobile project batch plants for efficient concrete supply to project sites in more remote locations. Our smaller concrete plants are ideal for projects ranging in size from 2 000 to 10 000 m³.

The units can be installed and commissioned in two days.

Civil engineering laboratory QDSA is one of the largest and most respected civil engineering

testing facilities in South Africa, accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS). Complying with ISO/IEC 17025, the facility has a proud 18-year track record of continuous ­accreditation.

What specialised technologies/equipment does your company bring to the market?

In addition to conventional spreading equipment for soil stabilisation products, Lafarge South Africa offers road construction contractors a worldclass spreading service with the Stoltz Site Spreader. The unit’s radar-guided computer-controlled spreading gives consistent, precise even spreading of roadbinder cement. Its impressive performance is not attainable with any other equipment currently operating in South Africa. The enhanced productivity achievable with the Stoltz Spreader gives road contractors a competitive advantage on larger road projects.

Concerning research and development, what innovations do you bring to the roads, bridges and SMI construction industry? For SMI, Lafarge research achieved a technology breakthrough with HydromediaTM, a fast draining porous concrete.

It provides rapid stormwater removal from streets, parking surfaces, driveways and walkways. It outperforms traditional permeable pavements, minimising the cost and long-term maintenance for local authorities and developers of stormwater management infrastructure.

What products does your company supply

Lafarge developed a concrete solution for rapid repairs to N14 intersections

to ancillary roads infrastructure (e.g. culverts, pavements)?

Lafarge South Africa developed the innovative Rapidcem CEM II 52.5N cement for the precast concrete industry, the only extended 52.5 MPa class cement in South Africa.

It features high early and ultimate strength, combined with the good workability and good finishes achievable with a fly ash extended product. For smaller projects, the formulation is available in bags as Fastcast.

What specialties does your company bring to the discipline of road maintenance? We will customise a concrete mix to meet the specific needs of our customers. A recent example of a successful customised solution was the repair of intersections on the N14 freeway between Sannieshof and Delareyville, in North West Province. The concrete specification was 25 MPa in 24 hours, while the key requirement was to have high early strength in order to allow the intersections to be opened in as short a time as possible. Our customised solution allowed the contractor to reopen intersections within 20 hours of placing the concrete.

IMIESA February 2014

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EST. 1981

Leaders in manufacturing, supply and application of Bituminous road binders, emulsions, primes, pre-coats and modified binders throughout Southern Africa

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With more than 30 years’ experience, we offer a wide range of products for all your surfacing needs

Penetration grade bitumen Cutback bitumen (blending of MCs offered at our KZN and Cape Town branches) Cationic and Anionic Emulsions Polymer modified binders (SE-1 & 2, AE-1 & 2) Modified emulsions ( SC-E1 & 2) Environmentally friendly primes and invert primes (OptiPrime and SP1i)

Environmentally friendly pre-coating fluid (Opti-Cote) Supply of all products in bulk or drums Application of all products with our fleet of bitumen distributors Hire of on-site static tanks On-site production with our mobile plants Quality assurance and product testing in our fully equipped and calibrated laboratories

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PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Steven Single | Managing director | SprayPave Q. How do your products and/or services aid in the construction of roads, bridges and stormwater management infrastructure (SMI)? SS SprayPave is one of Southern Africa’s leading manufacturers, suppliers and applicators of all bituminous road binders, emulsions, primes, pre-coats and modified binders and emulsions. Our products are therefore essential in the construction of all roads incorporating asphalt and chip-seal designs. Whether these roads are new, rehabilitated or require minor maintenance, our products – and world-class technology used to manufacture and apply them – are vital in the supply chain that makes up the road construction industry.

What construction related services do you offer? We incorporate the use of technically advanced sprayers, operated by highly trained staff, to apply the various products we manufacture and supply.

What specialised technologies/equipment does you company bring to the market? As mentioned in the previous point, we boast a proud fleet of distributors, fitted with the world-renowned Etnyre spraybar system, to apply our products. In order to ensure that our footprint

is not limited to our branches in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, our mobile plants allow for the production of emulsions and modified binders throughout Southern Africa. With more than 33 years’ experience, our success lies in our commitment to providing quality product within specification and tested as such. Our laboratories, at all branches, including our mobile plants, are therefore fully equipped to perform all required quality control tests and are soon to be SANAS accredited. Our Cape Town laboratory will also be fitted with specialised equipment that will enable us to test the quality of raw bitumen with regards to their SARA (Saturate, Aromatic, Resin and Asphaltene) properties. This enables us to identify which bitumen feedstock may be inferior, thus compromising the quality of the roads they are intended to construct. This is a first in Africa and will go a long way in facilitating the performance grading (PG) of South African bituminous products. Complementing the aforementioned will be our ability to re-engineer bitumen, not only in terms of taking a bitumen with inferior SARA properties and manipulating it in order to obtain a bitumen of superior quality, but also to taking one grade of bitumen and converting it into a more scarce grade such as a 10/20 that is essential in the perpetual

BELOW One of SprayPave's mobile modified binder production plants, on site for Much Asphalt in Standerton

pavement/high modulus asphalt design (HIMA).

Optimisation of a road’s complete life cycle begins at the planning stages. Can you describe the variables involved?

After confirming the need for the road in question to be constructed, the main factors taken into account include: • the purpose of the road and number of heavy and equivalent light vehicles (ELVs) that it needs to cater for • whether the road is new or an upgrade to an existing pavement • the topography • earthworks on new roads • geographical area and climate.

When considering area, the availability of materials and service providers for construction and maintenance is also a key factor, as both their cost and availability have a direct influence on lifespan through effective maintenance throughout the intended life cycle. Location-wise, you also need to consider the proximity to residential areas, as aspects such as noise reduction will also play a vital role in determining the appropriate seal design. Our contribution obviously lies in our substantial geographical footprint and ability to provide quality product at highly competitive rates.

Concerning research and development, what innovations do you bring to the roads, bridges and SMI construction industry? Pertaining to roads and more specifically, the bituminous products we specialise in, R&D is always a key focus of ours.

The industry itself is constantly presenting new challenges and demands, with aspects such as meeting supply requirements,

quality and pricing playing a major role. Our commitment to R&D is most certainly one of the main reasons we are still going strong 33 years down the line, and why we will continue to do so well into the future.

How do your company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of road and bridge construction, the materials worked with and the inherent maintenance requirements? As we are predominantly a supplier, SLAs and subcontracts are rarely formalised. However, another key factor contributing to our success is our commitment to providing our clients with products that are proven to be of the highest quality and always within specification.

Every batch is tested for quality assurance with certificates of analysis made available to our customers. Our dedicated team is constantly striving to provide the best possible service.

Some locations demand that local materials be used – usually due to scarcity of conventional materials. How has your company approached such situations and what innovations have resulted? Our ability to service a large geographical area and the remotest of sites has always been a focus and speciality of ours. Whether it be supplying fit-for-purpose product in bulk or drums, or conceptualising and fabricating our own mobile plants to manufacture on site, we have both the technological/physical ability as well as the expertise to do so.

IMIESA February 2014

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J&G, a firm which combines time-honoured engineering with cutting-edge solutions.

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PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Paul Olivier | Director | JEFFARES & GREEN | CEO: DYNATEST AFRICA Q. How do your services aid in the construction of roads, bridges and stormwater management infrastructure? PO Jeffares & Green (J&G) is an engineering and environmental consulting company providing professional services in the planning design and construction supervision of infrastructure projects. With a 92-year history, the firm has planned, designed and supervised many thousands of kilometers of roads, including the related bridges and stormwater management infrastructures.

These projects cover all classes of roads from multi-lane freeways, (both national and urban), national roads, urban arterials, industrial roads, local townships and upgrading of informal settlement roads. We also provide services to the mining industry, which includes heavy haul roads.

For the past 30 years we have also been involved in the maintenance management planning and the development of maintenance management systems for roads, structures and stormwater.

What construction-related services do you offer?

We offer project management, construction administration and supervision of construction projects, from the tendering process through to final sign-off. J&G has ISO:9001 accredited quality

control procedures. We also have extensive experience in the various forms of contract and general conditions of contract, hence we advise our clients on the most appropriate procurement forms of procuring construction services.

In addition we provide professional services on solutions to problems related to the construction of roads and bridges.

What specialised technologies does your company bring to the market? At the beginning of the 1990s, J&G recognised the need for improved pavement assessment technologies and in 1994 entered into a partnership with Dynatest International to form Dynatest Africa, a joint venture firm specialising in pavement engineering services and testing equipment in Southern Africa. Dynatest International was responsible for the initial development of the now commonly used Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), which is one of the best non-destructive testing devices and is used to determine the in-situ strength of any road pavement. Using the FWD together with sophisticated analysis techniques and software, it is possible to assess the current structural condition and predicted performance of a pavement and determine the appropriate rehabilitation measures. Today,

Dynatest International spans the globe providing pavement testing equipment such as the FWD, laser-based road profilers for roughness and rutting measurements, skid resistance and, most recently, Laser Imaging of the pavement surface. Advanced software has also been developed to process and analyse this data. They also offer global consulting services. Our local engineers are continually interacting with the international offices to ensure that the latest technologies are incorporated into our analysis and designs.

What specialist technical services does your company deploy and how are they all coordinated? We provide specialist services with respect to pavement engineering and materials. With our advanced software products we are at the forefront of pavement management systems and performance prediction of pavements. We are very involved in performance based contracts where the concessionaire or contractor has to maintain and rehabilitate the roads efficiently to ensure minimum performance levels. Using our technologies we provide multi-year performance predictions and economic analyses to determine optimum maintenance and rehabilitation strategies to ensure contractual compliance to the specified criteria. We also have trained engineers in the assessment of bridges and other road-related structures providing maintenance management planning and rehabilitation design services of bridge and related structures on roads.

Recycling of existing base and surface in progress on the N4-14, between Rustenburg and Swartruggens

While we have offices across the country and in Mozambique, we have centres of excellence with key technical staff providing the specialist services to all our offices. We work on a “one bottom line” business philosophy, hence we provide seamless technical input across all our projects and offices.

Concerning research and development, what innovations do you bring to the roads, bridges and SMI construction industry? We ensure our staff is on the cutting edge of industry developments by providing ongoing training through bursaries for graduates and post-graduates, and sending delegates to seminars, workshops, conferences, etc. An example of J&G’s ability to stay fully up-to-date is seen in our involvement as the technical advisors on the first Ultra-Thin Friction Courses surfacing first applied to South African roads in 1999 and which has now become a very popular surfacing.

To ensure success, J&G sent technical staff to France where the product was first developed and then to Australia, to observe how the product had performed over time in a climate similar to South Africa’s. We were designers and construction supervisors of one of the famous arch bridges (The Groot River) constructed in the Eastern Cape along the Garden Route. We also designed and supervised construction of the Mkomaas River Pedestrian Bridge. This is the only pre-stressed concrete ribbon bridge in Africa with a span equal in length to the world record of 150 m.

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8577/E

WE DIDN’T DANCE LIKE CRAZY WHEN HIS TEAM SCORED THE WINNING GOAL We didn’t shout our lungs out for his favourite team We didn’t shed a tear when the game looked lost We didn’t hold his arms high when the equaliser was scored

WE DID HELP CREATE THE STADIUM WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED CREATING POSSIBILITIES

With the planet as one of our core values, we assess the carbon footprint of each and every one of our operations and products while actively striving to drive down our impact on the environment.

www.afrisam.com

PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Amit Dawneerangen | Customer Support Manager: Centre of Product Excellence | AfriSam AfriSam trucks are fitted with spreader bars that make it easy for the application of cement during road construction

desirable in attaining designed service life of such structures.

What specialist technical services does your company deploy and how are they all coordinated?

Q. How do your products and/or services aid in the construction of roads, bridges and stormwater management infrastructure?

AD AfriSam manufactures and supplies construction materials. We offer a range of cement products, aggregate materials and readymix concrete to cater for the different applications and needs in the industry. All these products are integral in the construction of any civil or structural project and play a major role in infrastructure development.

have acquired technical skills that we believe are beneficial to the industry. From our Centre for Product Excellence (CPE), we

AfriSam’s CPE has a strong focus on product quality and an even stronger focus on the correct and optimum use of our products.

CPE has a customer support function that consists of technical consultants who proactively visit our customers in order to demonstrate the correct use of our products as well as identify any cost saving opportunities.

We run an ISO-accredited laboratory that we use for various tests to our customer’s benefit.

Through years of experience, we have acquired technical skills that we believe are beneficial to the industry offer our customers technical support and training. We work closely with them to develop user-specific solutions and to resolve technical queries.

What construction-related services do you offer?

What specialised technologies/equipment does your company bring to the market? AfriSam formu-

We offer pumping services for our readymix concrete. We have a pump fleet with some of the longest boom reaches in the country, capable of pumping concrete into those hard-to-reach places. For road stabilisation, we offer cement-spreading services. Our trucks are fitted with spreader bars and our drivers are trained to work with site managers to ensure an even spray of cement during road construction.

All our products are supported by a technical services offering.

Through years of experience, we

lated a cement product designed to assist in stabilisation of layer works. The product acts by ameliorating local soils containing undesirable clays, enabling the use of these soils in the road building layer works. This product is called Roadstab Cement and is available nationally. In the construction of bridges, durability of structures is of outmost importance to prevent premature costly repair work. The AfriSam High Strength Cement has been engineered to render a concrete with a dense matrix, which is

We also offer technical training services to our customers.

How do your company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of road and bridge construction, the materials worked with and the inherent maintenance requirements? We understand that any delays in deliveries to a road or bridge construction

site can be costly. Therefore, we work closely with our customers to understand the project requirements and from that, we schedule deliveries accordingly.

We then plan for and prioritise these deliveries as such.

As a product supplier, what developments have there been in the materials you supply? We have focused our product development efforts on making sure that we sustainably produce our products and reduce our carbon footprint. Much effort has gone into reducing our carbon emissions and making sure that we are energy and resource efficient. We are the leaders in green cement technology and pride ourselves in providing our customers with products that are environmentally friendly.

As a supplier, what is your viewpoint on product quality? AfriSam prides itself on its incomparable product quality. All products are rigorously tested at our SANAS-accredited laboratories to ensure that quality and consistency are always of the highest standard.

All efforts are made to ensure that cement is spread evenly on a surface during road construction

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PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Stephanie Britz | Managing Director | Colas South Africa NEW LEADER AT THE HELM

Colas would like to welcome Stephanie Britz as the new managing director for Colas South Africa, reporting to Thierry Madelon, who is now in charge of the Southern and East Africa region for Colas.

After graduating with a BSc Engineering (Civil) degree from the University of Natal, Stephanie went on to obtain her MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. She holds a Certificate in Arbitration from the Association of Arbitrators, South Africa, as well as a MCICES (UK). Britz’s extensive professional experience covers a varied career. She started out as student engineer for Group 5 and went on to various project management roles in Africa and Europe. In March 2013, Britz was appointed director (Commercial) of Murray & Roberts Civil Construction, incorporating Concor Civils, Concor Roads & Earthworks and Concor Opencast Mining.

Q. What specialised technologies/equipment does your company bring to the market? SB Being part of the global Colas group, the products produced by Colas South Africa are the culmination of many years of research and development to ensure optimal, cost-effective performance on the road. Our Colmat microsurfacing, quick-set slurry system is just one example of a unique and costeffective product being offered to the Southern African road surfacing industry. The manufacturing and application equipment employed by Colas is unequalled on the African continent in terms of

reliability and sophistication. The new 30 tph emulsion plant at our Chamdor factory was successfully completed and commissioned in 2012, and Colas Johannesburg now has the most modern emulsion plant in South Africa, able to manufacture all of the emulsions available in the Colas range. The plant is equipped with heat exchangers which allows rapid cooling of the products after manufacture. The new emulsion factory can also produce all the cutback bitumen products, including MC 30. The main purpose of the heat exchangers is to cool the cutback bitumens that we produce to a safe temperature, before

THE COLAS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Kobus Louw, Research and Development Manager

dispatch. The latest stage of the Chamdor factory upgrade was the installation of our new fully automated high shear polymer modified binder plant, which has been fully operational since January 2013.

This type of polymer modified binder plant brings the latest stateof-the-art technology to the South African market.

Concerning research and development, what innovations do you bring to the roads, bridges and SMI construction industry?

The Colas research and development laboratory in Cape Town has recently been equipped with new equipment for the evaluation of conventional and polymer modified binders. In addition, a laboratory emulsification unit was purchased that enables the preparation of bitumen emulsions that are currently not available on the South African market. This equipment complements the sophisticated emulsion manufacturing units installed in all the Colas plants.

Some locations demand that local materials be

used – usually due to scarcity of conventional materials. How has your company approached such situations and what innovations have resulted? Our microsurfacing/slurry units operate throughout South Africa and across its borders.

These units require aggregates that have to conform to strict specification requirements to ensure optimal performance of the final surfacing. The units often operate far away from approved aggregate sources and we are regularly requested to evaluate locally available aggregate sources. Fortunately, Colas has a fully equipped laboratory in Cape Town that can evaluate aggregates for microsurfacing/ slurry applications. On a number of occasions, we have identified and approved alternative local aggregate sources that would otherwise have been sourced from the regular, approved sources at great cost.

The Colas Research and Development department recently took possession of a Denimo Tech laboratory emulsion manufacturing unit from Denmark. This unit is a state-of-the-art laboratory plant capable of producing bitumen emulsions that are representative of the emulsions that we produce in our factories. It is an excellent research tool that enables us to produce emulsions in the laboratory that we were not capable of producing before. Although our emulsion factories are capable of producing highly specialised emulsions, we could previously not reproduce these emulsions in the laboratory. With the new plant, we can accurately simulate the manufacturing conditions that we have in our factory units.

The plant is equipped with a touch screen, which simplifies the operation considerably. All operations of the unit are controlled by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which makes the proportioning of the emulsion components very accurate. A technician from the supplier of the equipment in Denmark recently visited Colas in Cape Town to train all the Research and Development personnel in the operation of the equipment.

The Research and Development department is very excited about the new acquisition and is confident that the equipment will play a major roll in the development of new generation emulsions that are currently not available on the South African market.

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PANEL DISCUSSION

ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Leon Alberts | Business Development & Marketing Director | MUCH ASPHALT

Q. What differentiates Much Asphalt in the asphalt product market?

LA Established in 1965, Much Asphalt is southern Africa’s largest commercial manufacturer of hot and cold asphalt products. The company’s 17 static asphalt mixing plants are complemented by three mobile plants for remote projects.

Our market leadership is based on: • serving a wide customer base including national, provincial and local government, state owned companies, the private sector from large corporations to one-man businesses, and the public • a wide variety of specialist and differentiated products • the provision of specialist technical services through a focused technical division • the ability to develop appropriate, individualised solutions for our customers • proven testing and quality control processes

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IMIESA February 2014

• training for asphalt users to ensure quality along the value chain • our ISO 9001 accredited quality management system combined with the OHSAS 18001 safety management system.

The company recently underwent a change of ownership. How will this affect the business and its clients going forward? Much Asphalt became an independent entity on 1 November 2013, following the acquisition of the business from Murray & Roberts by a consortium led by Capitalworks Private Equity. The consortium includes Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) and senior executives of Much Asphalt. This is a significant empowerment transaction with more than 25% of the investment being owned

by MIC, a 100% black-owned investment firm. Our strategy remains to continue positioning static and mobile asphalt plants

in the developing regions of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The new shareholders have invested on the basis that the company has a successful track record and will continue to provide clients with a substantial geographic footprint, quality products and services, and focus on reducing the cost of building and maintaining South Africa’s roads and runways.

What added value do you bring to your markets – municipalities in particular? We have given significant attention to warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology in recent years as we regard this as one of the most important technologies of the future.

Lower mixing temperatures for WMA reduce fuel consumption, conserving non-renewable fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving cost.

Research has shown that lowering the production temperature can also significantly reduce

Celebrating Much Asphalt’s change of ownership are (from left): Capitalworks partner Garth Willis; Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) CEO, Mary Bomela; and Bennie Greyling, managing director of Much Asphalt. The picture was taken at the company’s flagship Benoni plant, with the Astec warm mix asphalt plant shown on the right

carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.

Other products well suited to municipal applications are high-modulus asphalt (HiMA) – superior load spreading characteristics and high resistance to permanent deformation; and cold mix asphalt – for the filling of potholes, trench reinstatement and emergency road repairs.

On the training side, we also launched our Best Practice workshops on hand-laid hot mix asphalt in 2006. This free programme continues to attract large numbers of delegates sev-

PANEL DISCUSSION

en years later, due to extraordinary demand by individuals looking for new skills, as well as SMMEs, emerging contractors, and local and provincial government departments wishing to educate their own staff or their contractors.

What innovations do you bring to the road construction industry?

OR Tambo: In 2013, Much Asphalt produced a trial mix for use at OR Tambo International Airport containing the highest known proportion of recycled material in a hot or warm mix asphalt product in South Africa.

The mix, manufactured using Benoni’s Astec warm mix asphalt plant, involved 500 tonnes of bitumen treated base (BTB) containing 55% recycled asphalt (RA). The trial mix was produced

on 9 March 2013 and paved at the OR Tambo cargo area, resulting in a subsequent order for an additional 2 000 tonnes.

The mix chosen is based on the standard COLTO gradation for asphalt bases using warm-mix foam technology. The decision to use 55% recycled material was made bearing both cost effectiveness and product performance in mind. All specialised requirements were met and test results as well as feedback from the external laboratory and paving teams showed that the 55% RA BTB exceeded expectations, producing a very consistent and stable mix. The workability of the mix has also been noted to be well on par with standard hot mix asphalt products at greatly reduced temperatures.

HiMA alternative: Much Asphalt has acquired the

rights to produce an alternative to HiMA – GB5 – which was developed in France. The technology is a cost-effective alternative to HiMA as it utilises locally sourced bitumen which is polymer modified, as well as an optimised aggregate grading that requires lower binder content. This technology is well entrenched in Europe with an

Practical training in hand laid hot mix asphalt by Much Asphalt

excellent track record and trials are planned for early 2014 in Durban. This exciting technology is aimed at providing a cost effective solution for the highly trafficked BRT/IRTs being constructed around the country.

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TOGETHER WE CAN...

That’s our ethos at Much Asphalt.

Your national supplier of choice for quality asphalt – produced safely, sustainably and cost effectively.

T: +27 21 900 4400 F: +27 21 900 4468 E: info@muchasphalt.co.za www.muchasphalt.co.za

At first glance you’d probably think we’re referring to supplying cement. But that’s only part of what we do. Our main business is about building customer relationships that eventually grow into lasting friendships. Where our customers are comfortable speaking to our staff and management because of our friendly hands-on approach. This is the type of “can do” attitude that gets things done, and we’re proud to introduce it to the industry.

Call us on 0861 32 42 52

www.sephakucement.co.za

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

KEEPING PROJECTS ON TRACK

Projects’ life cycle process Planning is vital to the success of any project. Companies can now get dedicated support throughout the entire life cycle of a project with the help of a four phase system.

By Johan Breytenbach, project manager, Hach Goba

A

T HATCH GOBA, there exists what is called the Project Life cycle Process (PLP). This unique service provides a consistent project delivery approach across all functions, including engineering, procurement and construction management.

The PLP uses four phases – dubbed Front End Loading (FEL) – each one building on the previous phase. Each project starts with a business plan before beginning phase one.

The initial planning phases are vital to ensuring that the best concept is implemented.

The four phases Phase one: conceptual phases • identify various concepts which could feasibly meet the project imperative.

Phase two: prefeasibility phase • identified concepts are developed into a final option.

Phase three: feasibility phase • basic engineering begins and the project is fully defined in detail • the project execution plan and schedules are developed and cost estimates are refined.

Phase four: execution phase • the project is implemented according to the plan developed in the previous phase.

To ensure that the highest standards of quality are maintained on a consistent basis throughout the project, stringent gate reviews between each phase are essential. These are useful in comprehensively reviewing the processes and the work carried out in the

previous phase, in order to ensure that all the objectives have been fully met and the correct outcomes are achieved.

Operational support A first-class construction company goes beyond simply constructing a facility; it provides operational support for the lifetime of the project. It is essential to assist the client with operational readiness and to be closely involved with the first stages of operating the facility once built.

Employee support In addition to operational support, training initiatives to assist a client company’s employees in developing their skills and expertise are also a key service. When a project is being established, it is important to establish a parallel training programme framework for the benefit of all employees that are involved.

The initial planning phases are vital to ensuring that the best concept is implemented

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EVENTS

Enhancing municipal performance Utilities and municipalities, like any other business, need to have a customer service strategy that is integrated into daily operations.

T

HE ELECTRICITY Company of Ghana (ECG) has achieved great success over recent years with a noteworthy reduction in system losses from 27.2% in 2011 to 23.4% in 2012 and 21.43% in April 2013. ECG’s five-year Distribution System Loss Reduction Project intends to reduce distribution system losses from 20% to 10%, saving an estimated US$85 million

90

(R942.14 million) per year. One of the ways in which they are going to achieve this impressive goal is with the use of mapping. Mapping in ECG has been a vital tool in field investigations and monitoring. It has been used over the years to trace the location of ECG’s assets and to monitor and regularise activities to ensure efficient energy distribution.

Revenue protection tools Isaac Adu-Botchway, Regional Commercial Manager of ECG, who will be presenting an update on ECG’s progress at the 14th annual African Utility Week (being held from 13 to 14 May 2014 in Cape Town), stated that: “The ECG has only about 1% of its customer population being industrial customers billed on special load tariff. However, these industrial customers, though only 1%, constitute about 48% of the company’s income monthly.

It follows, then, that any systemic defect in

the metering infrastructure of these industrial customers will translate into huge losses to the municipality. No wonder the company battled for a long time with system losses hovering around 32%.” Adu-Botchway hopes that his presentation will answer the question of how to engage revenue protection in metering and he will deconstruct how to use metering infrastructure as income and revenue protection tool.

Mapping the solution Irregularities in the system, such as illegal connections and unbilled meters, are detected through updates by periodic sweeps through settlements with the aid of these maps. This has culminated in the true reflection of the ground situation being represented on the maps and on ECG databases. Reports generated are processed to enable the activities of such customers to be regularised onto ECG’s

IMIESA February 2014

WAYS TO RECEIVE 1. PRINT

Email your details to subs@3smedia.co.za to receive a copy of IMIESA every month.

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To receive your digital copy of IMIESA every month go to www.3smags.co.za

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EVENTS

system, hence resulting in improved efficiency through better customer service delivery and reduction in commercial losses.

Asset mapping project ECG maps thus serve as the base on which different divisions with the responsibility to reduce losses and improve customer ser vice delivery rely on to carry out their operations.

Utilities generally require accurate and consistent assets registers to assist in managing efficient operation and maintenance of its system as well as to derive customer satisfaction. The proper management, analysis and valuation of these assets are necessary for a range of purposes such as: • providing stakeholders with information about the values of assets

• assessing and analysing the performance of business units and their contribution to the overall financial performance.

In ECG’s quest to upgrade its maps to be compatible with current developments in mapping, professional sur veyors have been engaged to provide georeferenced maps in a format that can easily be migrated onto GIS and other related technologies. This has led to the birth of the ECG Asset Mapping Project.

• providing accurate information to regulators as part of the process of determining appropriate levels of revenue (tariffs setting)

Driving revenue Companies such as Kamstrup and Landis+Gyr, which are loyal exhibitors at African Utility Week, have developed technologies that can further assist organisations in mobilising their metering infrastructure into revenue drivers. The 14th annual African Utility Week will draw over 5 000 visitors, showcasing technologies, services and products that will enhance your municipalities’ performance.

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SmartBuild: Sustainable Building Materials & Construction Technologies African Pride 15 on Orange Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa | 26th – 28th February 2014 Follow your own agenda with a choice of two streams over the two days:

Benefit from the Practical Experience, Case Studies and Expert Presentations from these Leading International Organisations:

Stream One: Smart & Sustainable Materials This stream will cover cost effective, locally sourced natural, reusable and recyclable materials and innovative new ways in which they are being used in construction projects.

Tony Fillmore Head, Business Development South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)

Stream Two: Prefabrication & Innovative Technologies This stream explores the cutting edge development of sustainable construction technologies, pre-fabrication and modular construction and addresses the key challenges of their application to new and existing projects. Furthermore, the stream also discusses the solutions to reduce energy consumption through the use of innovative energy efficient technologies. Also, it explores the latest developments in pre-fabrication and modular construction works.

Rudolf Pienaar Director of Office Sector Growthpoint Properties, Africa

Exclusive Site Tours:

Lawrence S. Ng Principal Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, USA

Vasudevan Suresh Director HIRCO Project Companies, India Vice Chairman National Building Code Of India Former CMD HUDCO, India Francois Retief Technical Head Green Building Council South Africa

All CIOB members who attend can add this event to their CPD hours.

Site Tour One: Mannenberg Human Settlements Contact Centre Site Tour Two: No.1 Silo

This event is supported by the Project Management Institute South Africa (PMI SA) with 7 PDU points per day.

Site Tour Three: Portside

Supporting Organisations

Endorsers

A WDC 2014 Officially Recognised Event

For more information and registration, please contact Esther Wong Tel: +603 2723 6736 or Email: EstherW@marcusevanskl.com

Media Partners

Online Media Partner

IMESA

IMESA

BIENNIAL PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARDS Tuesday 28th Oct 2014 | Durban ICC

IMESA in collaboration with Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)

is calling for project entries C AT E G O R I E S 1. Structures and Buildings 2. Water/Wastewater 3. Roads/Stormwater 4. Environmental 5. Community Upliftment

EXPLANATION Give recognition to well-engineered civil engineering projects for infrastructure.

Portray the art and science of civil engineering for infrastructure to the general public and indicate how the profession finds answers to challenges. The project must be in Southern Africa.

CLOSING DATE 11 JUNE 2014 (Only completed projects as at 28 June 2014 will be accepted for the Awards) ENTRY FORMS / AND AWARD CRITERIA Download from IMESA website www.imesa.org.za QUESTIONS Debbie Anderson – IMESA – 031 266 3263 • conference@imesa.org.za

IMESA

t +27 (031) 266 3263 f (031) 266 5094 www.imesa.org.za

t +27 (011) 463 2022 f +27 (011) 463 7383

www.cesa.co.za

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Excelling above targets

Localising the energy sector MANUFACTURING and engineering company DCD has received recognition for its continued efforts and contributions in promoting localisation in the energy sector.

DCD was presented with the Distinguished Contribution to the Advancement of Local Content in Wind Energy Award by the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) late last year.

The company received the award for its continued efforts and contributions towards promoting localisation in the energy sector. The award recognised the company’s new Wind Towers subsidiary, which was established to support the localisation of wind tower manufacturing in South Africa.

The R300 million, 23 000 m2 wind tower manufacturing facility is a joint initiative between the DCD Group, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)

(From left) Dipolelo Elford, Minister of Energy, with Ben Martins and Simon Graaff of DCD

and the Coega Development Corporation. “We are immensely proud to receive this award in recognition of the fact that we have contributed towards localisation through the establishment of the Wind Towers division and through our continued commitment to creating an official local content threshold, which is exceptionally important to the industry,” says Rob King, DCD Group managing director.

Localisation in the wind energy sector helps stimulate the local economy and creates new skills and sustainable employment.

“What’s more, a successful localisation programme can serve as a platform for the South African wind energy sector to achieve exponential growth across the African continent,” King concludes.

A STATE-OWNED development corporation is on a sustained upward path after its best per formance ever in the last financial year.

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) went beyond expectations in seven of eight key per formance indicators, growing its revenue by just over R70 million in the last financial year.

“Our sustained upward path – in spite of mercurial global economic fluctuations – has led to us achieving our best ever per formance across the board in [the last financial year]. The life- and economychanging aspects of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) are really being felt across the region. With the support of our investors, we are creating hope for South Africa and the real prospect of a better life for South Africans,” says the organisation’s chief finance officer Bongeka Jojo.

The CDC attracted eight new investors and trained 13 607 people over the last year. 124 interns also benefited from mentored training; and the organisation’s driver training programme showed a large growth coupled with a proportionate increase in the number of people who

Pepi Silinga, Coega Development Corporation’s chief executive

passed their drivers licences.

Commitment to local labour placements on construction and other projects benefited people living close to the Coega IDZ and a record high of 13 569 jobs were created. Small businesses also benefited from a 41% overall share of the CDC’s procurement on both IDZ and external projects.

CDC chief executive Pepi Silinga says that a new fiveyear strategy will inform future decision-making and that projected developments planned for the next five years “will have a major positive and lasting impact” on the region and the countr y.

A look at cement market prospects for 2014 PROSPECTS FOR GROWTH in the South African market in the foreseeable future are neither as buoyant as many would like, nor quite as positive as they were forecasted at this time last year.

However, Lafarge South Africa’s CEO Thierry Legrand is positive about the long-term prospects for the South African cement market.

The company brought its capacity to 3.6 million tonnes a year in 2009, but has not been able to fully utilise this capacity since then, because the market has not grown at the expected rate. However, the company has determined that it will have enough capacity to maintain its plant until 2020.“There are interesting times ahead for the cement industry

in South Africa, as short-term prospects for growth in the country’s economy remains subdued, and major infrastructure projects are slow at coming to fruition. Nevertheless we have no doubt that our 3.6 Mt cement capacity will be critically needed when the infrastructure programme is at full momentum,” says Legrand.

Lafarge is focusing on cost reduction and optimisation of opportunities. It views the increasingly competitive market as a healthy situation for the county and believes South Africa and the construction industry would benefit greatly from the acceleration of the infrastructure ­programme.

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I M E S A A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S

IMESA

AECOM AJ Broom Road Products Arup SA Aurecon Aveng Manufacturing Infraset Bigen Africa Group Holdings BMK Consulting Bosch Munitech Bosch Stemele Brubin Pumps BVI Consulting Engineers Civilconsult Consulting Engineers Concrete Manufacturers Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa Development Bank of SA DPI Plastics EFG Engineers Elster Kent Metering Engcor Engineers Fibertex South Africa (Pty) Ltd GIBB GLS Consulting Hatch Goba Herrenknecht Huber Technology Hydro-comp Enterprises I@Consulting ILISO Consulting INGEROP Integrity Environment Jeffares and Green Johannesburg Water Knowledge Base Lektratek Water Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates Maragela Consulting Engineers

vanessa.partington@aecom.com ajbroom@icon.co.za rob.lamb@arup.com danie.wium@aurecongroup.com cgroenewald@infraset.com otto.scharfetter@bigenafrica.com brian@bmkconsulting.co.za info@boschmunitech.co.za bsdbn@boschstemele.co.za sales@brubin.co.za marketing@bviho.co.za mail@civilconsult.co.za cma@mweb.co.za secretary@corrosioninstitute.org.za divb@dbsa.org.za mgoodchild@dpiplastics.co.za eric@efgeng.co.za keith.bailey@za.elster.com masham@engcorengineers.co.za rcl@fibertex.com yvanrooyen@gibb.co.za nicky@gls.co.za leratom@goba.co.za schiewe.helene@herrenknecht.de cs@hubersa.com dan@edams.co.za louis_icon@mics.co.za hans@iliso.com mravjee@ingerop.co.za info@integrityafrica.co.za dennyc@jgi.co.za rtaljaard@jwater.co.za info@knowbase.co.za general@lwt.co.za mmakhaotse@mna-sa.co.za admin@maragelaconsulting.co.za

Mhiduve cgroenewald@infraset.com Mott Macdonald PDNA mahomed.soobader@mottmac.com Much Asphalt john.onraet@murrob.com Nyeleti Consulting ppienaar@nyeleti.co.za Odour Engineering Systems mathewc@oes.co.za Pumptron info@pumptron.co.za Pragma nicojobe.mabaso@pragmaworld.net Rocla karen.devos@murrob.co.za Royal HaskoningDHV francisg@rhdv.com info@sabita.co.za SABITA SARF administrator@sarf.org.za.co.za SBS Water Systems terri@sbstanks.co.za Sektor Consulting cradock@sektor.co.za Sight Lines sales@sightlines.co.za SiVEST SA garths@sivest.co.za Siza Water Company tionette.bates@sizawater.co.za SMEC capetown@smec.com SNA temple.d@sna.co.za Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology director@sasst.org.za SRK Consulting jomar@srk.co.za Sulzer Pumps Wastewater sales.abs.za@sulzer.com Syntell julia@syntell.co.za Thm Engineers East London thmel@mweb.co.za TPA Consulting roger@tpa.co.za UWP Consulting craign@uwp.co.za Vetasi south-africa@vetasi.com VIP Consulting Engineers esme@vipconsulting.co.za VOMM commerciale@vomm.it Water Institute of Southern Africa wisa@wisa.org.za Water Solutions Southern Africa ecoetzer@wssa.co.za Wilo South Africa tracy.vanderLinde@wilo.co.za WorleyParsons chris.brandsen@WorleyParsons.com WRP ronniem@wrp.co.za WSP Group Africa dirk.hattingh@mbs-wsp.co.za Zebra Surfacing andrew@zebrasurfacing.co.za

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Builders App gets silver at social and digital media award A CEMENT PRODUCER won the silver award in for the Most Innovative App at last year’s New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards.

PPC’s Builders App is a first to market mobile application and was developed by Digital Solutions.

The Most Innovative App category recognises applications that offer extensive functionality, enable efficient use of various applications and that are pioneers of innovation in the field of development.

“We are thrilled to have won this award for our PPC Builders App in our first year of entry. The recognition is an affirmation of how our hard work and dedication has paid off,” says Sibongile Mooko, general manager of Marketing Services at PPC. The mobile app allows users to effectively measure how many cement bags are needed for a specific job. It also has additional tools such as Weather Watch, giving current weather conditions, allowing builders to plan their project; and Where to Buy, which determines the closest store according to the builder’s current location.

“Builders and contractors are under extreme pressure to complete their projects on time and deliver on budget. At PPC, we offer strength beyond the cement bag, as this application ensures that we are there for our customers at every step of the way,” explains Mooko.

Cement producer gains momentum

A load of Sephaku cement

Building successful partnerships A ROAD-BUILDING boom and successful partnership has equalled growth for a Zambian import company.

The partnership between Pilot Crushtec International and Zamm Imports has grown from strength to strength.

Zamm Imports was looking for a turnkey plant to produce high volumes of aggregate. Owner Jignesh Soni approached Pilot Crushtec for advice and it was not long before his enterprise took delivery of, what was at the time, the largest crushing and screening plant ever to be produced by Pilot Crushtec International.

Soni says his first two crushing and screening plants are already operating in Ndola and Kitwe, and a new plant is being commissioned in Luanshya. “Zambia is experiencing a construction and road building boom like never before and we expect that the current high demand for aggregate will only increase. We are also crushing a substantial amount of limestone for the mining industry for use in leaching plants and smelters.”

“Pilot Crushtec International has been vital to our success.

It understands our needs and consequently designed plants to meet our requirements,” he says.

Zamm Imports plant with all crushing equipment supplied

by Pilot Crushtec International

A SOUTH AFRICAN cement producer has dispatched its first bags of cement to customers across Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Sephaku Cement has gained momentum in production. Its Technical Laboratory based at its Delmas plant does product testing and special mix design support as part of its value-driven service approach. The aim is to ensure that customers get the best from the product.

“Building cement operations from the ground up has given

us the opportunity to ensure that we use the most hightech cement manufacturing equipment. We can dictate product quality rather than be dictated by existing operational constraints that other producers face,” says the chief executive of Sephaku Cement, Pieter Fourie.

The R3.2 billion company has over 200 years of experience with a shareholding of 64% by Dangote Cement and 36% by Sephaku Holdings.

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