IMIESA Nov/Dec 2020

Taking Tshwane’s waterloss programme to the bank

Dr Erik Loubser

Senior Executive, GLS Consulting

The arrival of the digital twins

IN THE HOT SEAT

As geologists, we’ve known about the Table Mountain Group and related aquifer systems for decades; however, we’ve never really started to demonstrate their true potential until now.”

Dr Chris Hartnady Technical Director, Umvoto Africa

Human-centred solutions

FOR TODAY’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGES

Tirisano is a consulting engineering firm. We improve and impact the lives of others by enabling our clients to create engineering solutions through a human-centred approach.

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2020

Projects with a value between R50 million and R250 milion

OUR EXPERIENCE

With more than 20 years’ experience in all major engineering sectors and the social ma�ers that influence them, Tirisano is perfectly qualified to take care of your unique needs.

OUR TEAM

Consis�ng of a mul�disciplinary team of professional engineers, technologists and technicians, we priori�se your success through a dis�nc�ve human-centred process.

OUR NETWORK

Our past track record and vast network of professional associates enable us to deliver a best-in-class service to our clients, making sure they reach their specific goals and targets.

YOUR PROJECT

We take all aspects of the project into account, and take a leading role through all phases, concluding with an extensive maintenance focus, making sure everything keeps working perfectly.

ON THE COVER

Established in 1999, Naidu Consulting’s growth has been founded on innovation and excellence, with success driven by a core investment in talent and mentorship. Along the way, this winning formula has been acknowledged by various industry associations, the most recent being the 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards. P6

IN THE HOT SEAT

Dr Chris Hartnady, technical director at Umvoto Africa, outlines how geophysical surveying, geological mapping and hydrogeological monitoring techniques are helping shape a sustainable water supply model. P22

Ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water, non-payment for services and rising water demand present myriad challenges for the City of Tshwane. Dr Erik Loubser, senior executive, GLS Consulting, discusses the development of a multipronged intervention that provides a viable return to profitability model and a bankable document for potential funders. P8

Tracking water consumption is made easy by Water Wise

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) aims to reduce water demand and increase supply to our growing population and economy to ensure water security by 2030. Currently, our waterstressed country faces economic water scarcity due to issues with the country’s water infrastructure, an ever-increasing demand on a limited supply and other environmental factors.

Keeping track of water usage through the Water Footprint Assessment, founded by Arjen Hoekstra, is a step in the right direction that shines light on water use patterns in different aspects of society. With a deeper understanding of water consumption patterns and water balance, water utilities and municipalities can work towards improving their existing water-supply models, as well as addressing water wastage such as non-revenue water, and excessive use and leakages, in order to reduce water losses in large distribution networks.

End-users such as homeowners also encounter

leaks, which can be easily detected if households monitor their water use by taking regular water meter readings. To assist people with this, Rand Water’s environmental brand, Water Wise, has developed a Water Wise calculator, which serves as a simple tool to estimate household water use and assist people in detecting high water-use activities and even leaks. The calculator, through a question–answer system, generates a water usage chart and an estimated cost (R) of the household’s water bill in a month. This estimated value should not be used to dispute municipal bills, however, as the value generated is based on general South African water use statistics. This calculator aims to assist the end-users to be responsible in ensuring optimal use of the water they receive.

Achieving this will contribute to the bigger picture of reduced water demand, ensuring a sustainable supply of water for South Africa.

MANAGING EDITOR Alastair Currie

SENIOR JOURNALIST Danielle Petterson

JOURNALIST Nombulelo Manyana

HEAD OF DESIGN Beren Bauermeister

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders

CONTRIBUTORS Glynis Coetzee, Chris Kirchhoff, Erik Loubser, Gundo Maswime, Kevin Meier, Peter Newmarch, Ivan Reutener, Bhavna Soni, Altus Strydom, Carel Viljoen

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New beginnings

The increasing sound of air traffic overhead is a welcome sign that we’re beginning to see a new form of normality returning. The happenings of 2020 were certainly unprecedented in our lifetime, but we know there are endless examples in history of wars and disease that have challenged us. Despite the cost, humanity has always persevered. In most cases, major events like these also serve as catalysts for positive change, shaking up the status quo, especially in terms of science and technology.

In the immediate term, South Africa faces a shrinking tax base and a burgeoning public debt burden, compounded by continued policy uncertainty, which heavily dampens business confidence.

During his 2020 Medium-term Budget Policy Statement, Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni put a new set of numbers on the table. This makes provision for a five-year fiscal consolidation pathway with the goal of stabilising the ratio of debt-to-GDP at around 95% during this period. Currently, South Africa borrows at a rate of some R2.1 billion per day, but where is the return on investment?

What is clear is that there’s a high degree of volatility and unpredictability in the economic data coming in. That’s not surprising given the abnormal experiences and repercussions of the hard and extended lockdowns. As a result, the trends are now much harder to predict. South African economists, for example, are now talking about a return to pre-Covid-19 levels around 2025. But who really knows?

Zero-based budgeting

That’s why we must focus on the things we can control in making the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan a resounding success. That includes a complete change in thinking on public procurement and SOE investment.

For example, government’s proposal to move to zero-based budgeting is a sound one and will be piloted at the Department of Public Enterprises and National Treasury during 2021.

To make expenditure work, it makes sense to prioritise funding on a project-by-project basis. That will also help to reduce the risk of recurring wasteful and fruitless expenditure. In this respect, Tsakani Maluleke’s appointment as the new Auditor-General (AG) of South Africa is a crucial one to take forward the commendable role played by the late outgoing AG, Kimi Makwetu. Let’s put his recommendations into practice.

Engagement

So much depends on the private sector to help drive South Africa’s recovery. For this reason, we must move into 2021 with a new participative approach that allows for joint stakeholder decision-making on how our socioeconomic landscape unfolds.

Looking for similar solutions, a record number of voters turned out for the USA 2020 Presidential Election. We can hope for a similar result for South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections as voters push for change within their towns and cities.

In the meantime, a special thanks to all our readers and advertisers for their support during 2020. Here’s wishing you a well-deserved festive season and a happy and constructive 2021.

(Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa & International Association of Water, Environment, Energy and Society)

NEthics and engineering

On 1 November 2020, I took over the role of IMESA President for the 2020-2022 period. This was a defining moment for me, personally, and for our institute, as I am the first woman president in its 60-year history.

ormally, the inauguration would have taken place at our annual conference, with Outgoing President Randeer Kasserchun handing over the chain of office. Instead, a small ceremony was conducted at our Durban head office, together with exco and branch representatives. I would like to thank everyone for their vote of confidence.

The early years

Reflecting on my formative years, I’m not sure if I chose engineering, or engineering chose me. My vocational journey began as a civil engineering student at South Gujarat University in India, the country of my birth. In those days, it was less common for women to study any field of engineering. In fact, of the 500 firstyear undergraduates registered for my class, only 12 were women, 11 of whom graduated with me in 1987. Since then, a number have gone on to complete their doctorates.

After university, my early career in India was in the structural engineering field, which provided me with an excellent grounding in concrete technology. On immigrating to South Africa, I continued in the same field, designing a range of structures – from high-rise buildings to bridges and silos.

I joined eThekwini Municipality in 1997, again as a structural engineer, designing structures such as reservoirs. My manager at the time could see the passion I had for hydraulics and encouraged me to accept a position in bulk infrastructure planning. That was a major turning point for me, and I’ve been fortunate to work on some of the city’s most iconic projects

in recent times, especially the Northern and Western Aqueducts.

A holistic process

The impact of Covid-19 has highlighted the key service delivery gaps. As municipal engineers, our task is to execute the best solutions available for communities and the environment. In my current role as deputy head: Engineering Services at eThekwini Water and Sanitation, I’m acutely aware of this responsibility.

From experience, I know that engineering cannot take place in isolation. We must also take cognisance of the financial and social implications of good and bad service delivery. Perfecting the right model is a holistic process and one to which IMESA is firmly committed in finding the right balance.

Code of conduct

The quest for excellence can only be achieved through ongoing mentorship and training. That remains a core focus going forward, and we’ll be making greater use of virtual platforms to reach as many municipalities as possible through e-learning and continuous professional development (CPD) programmes.

In addition to this, we want to make ethics a compulsory CPD component, because adhering to an ethical code directly influences how current and future infrastructure projects are funded, managed and delivered.

As municipal engineers, we have a responsibility to ensure that the best solutions are delivered at the best price. Projects need to be managed professionally, on time and within budget. The future operating costs of the

infrastructure delivered must also provide a good return on investment. If a system design subsequently fails to deliver, the municipal engineer needs to be able to defend their decision to specify a product or process. Adhering to a code of conduct is the norm in any professional discipline, and ours is an especially onerous, yet highly rewarding, one that directly affects how our communities and economies function. That’s leadership in practice.

Bhavna Soni, president, IMESA

The way forward hinges on creativity

Established in 1999, Naidu Consulting’s growth has been founded on innovation and excellence, with success driven by a core investment in talent and mentorship. Along the way, this winning formula has been acknowledged by various industry associations, the most recent being the 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards.

Meeting the objectives of South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 is a longer-term priority for all industry sectors and an imperative for micro- and macroeconomic growth. The more immediate one, however, is the execution of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan as a strategic response to the socio-economic fallout caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Major infrastructure investments are a core part of the response and the construction sector is standing by to deliver. Implementation is the key, which makes selecting the most practical and efficient design and construction methodologies essential.

“Rather than dwelling on the problems that constrain infrastructure delivery, we focus on creating value-engineered solutions that work. The emphasis is on getting the job done, on time and on budget, and bringing the community on board at all stages,” says Devan Govender, Pr Eng, Technical Executive: Economic Development.

“For this reason, we’re especially proud of our 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence

Awards since they affirm the success of our operating philosophy. We know we faced tough competition so, in accepting these awards, we’d like to acknowledge and thank all CESA firms for their invaluable role in collectively rebuilding and recapacitating South African infrastructure. It’s a winning team approach,” Govender continues.

Delivering for the community

Tackling South Africa's triple challenge of inequality, poverty and unemployment presents major opportunities for creative engineering. This includes the more widespread adoption of alternative techniques like labour-intensive construction (LIC).

The latter is a core specialisation for Naidu Consulting, which was instrumental in implementing LIC for the first time on several Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) projects for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport (DoT). LIC positively changed the DoT’s understanding and acceptance of this approach for SAQA training and SMME development within disadvantaged communities.

“We constantly research the best-fit technologies. Historically, for example, we designed the first green roads rehabilitated highway in Africa through several innovative recycling techniques, including the adoption of recycled asphalt,” says Govender.

A ‘glow in the dark’ bridge

The eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge is a classic example of how Naidu Consulting’s out-of-the-box thinking adds value. The project won the category ‘Projects with a value less than R50 million’ at the 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards.

Although delivering a new sanitation service was the main mandate from eThekwini Municipality, Naidu Consulting saw the opportunity to further enhance the community experience by incorporating photoluminescent ‘glow in the dark’ polymer concrete handrails and posts in its design proposal.

A first-time application in South Africa, the technology was envisaged by Naidu Consulting and developed by Resocrete Polymers. In addition, the footpaths leading to the bridge also incorporate the same material.

The final execution can best be described as an exceptional interpretation of social engineering. “Using photoluminescent polymer concrete as a lighting solution will eliminate conventional electricity costs, as well as vandalism and cable theft,” says

2020

CESA AON ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Category: Projects with a value less than R50 million

Winner: eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge

Category: Projects with a value between R50 and R250 million Commendation: Mabhobhane River Bridge

Category: Business Excellence Winner

Category: Mentoring Company of the Year Winner

Category: Mentor of the Year

Recognition: Pierre Cronje (Pr Eng)

The longest composite bridge over the Tugela River: Mabhobhane River Bridge

ABOVE Mentorship is applied throughout the organisation, including the flagship Academy of Excellence Programme targeting student technicians

ABOVE RIGHT Using photoluminescent polymer concrete as a lighting solution for the eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge

Josh Padayachee, Pr Eng, Director: Bridges and Buildings. “It’s also a solution that is maintenance-free with a long-term cost saving to the client.”

Standing approximately 10 m above the existing riverbed, the 160 m long box girder deck accommodates a 1 000 mm diameter HDPE gravity sewer pipeline. The deck is prestressed and comprises six equal spans.

Mabhobhane River Bridge

In the same vein, Naidu Consulting’s Commendation Award at the 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards for the Mabhobhane River Bridge is another prime example of community empowerment. The project was entered in the category ‘Projects with a value between R50 and R250 million’.

Naidu Consulting was also the first company in South Africa to win both the CommunityBased Projects Award and Technical Excellence Award for this bridge at the SAICE Branch Awards in 2019.

Historically, members from the Bangindoda community, situated on the Eshowe side of the Tugela River, had to cross the river by boat to access basic services such as schools, clinics, and pension pay points. When the boat was out of operation or the river was impassable, community members had to travel approximately 28 km to the nearest town of Eshowe.

Once placed, the steel trusses were used to temporarily support the construction of the concrete deck slab, completing the composite deck section. This facilitated the construction of the deck without the constraint of falsework and formwork supported from the riverbed, which is known for flash flooding.

The talent that drives innovation Training and mentorship to professional registration are the foundations for engineering excellence. Without a sustained talent pool, firms cannot operate. And without a steady supply of technicians, technologists and engineers, the construction industry cannot function.

At Naidu Consulting, mentorship is key, transferring skills at every level via a top-down and bottom-up approach. Transformation is central to this, providing a platform for men and women from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to imagine and achieve a career in engineering.

Receiving the Mentor of the Year Award at the 2020 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards validated this commitment. The focal point was the recognition award bestowed on Naidu Consulting’s Perrie Cronje, Pr Eng, as Mentor of the Year.

“We’re one of the few consulting engineering companies in South Africa to establish an Empowerment Unit as well as a formal training programme that assists other professional firms to enhance job creation through virtual and augmented platforms. We also run LIC courses for industry because Naidu Consulting’s philosophy is to capacitate industry to make a real difference,” says Morag Horne, Pr HRP, HR Executive.

The client’s brief was to develop an economical solution that would accommodate the environmentally sensitive area and accelerate the construction process. The final design entailed the construction of a 330 m long composite structural steel truss and reinforced concrete slab deck, with spans of up to 40 m. This is the longest composite bridge to be constructed over the Tugela. Selecting a composite, modular bridge deck solution meant that the 350 t of structural steel could be prefabricated off-site, concurrently with the construction of the substructure. www.naiduconsulting.com

“Consulting engineers play a pivotal role in assisting government to ensure the best spend on infrastructure projects and to deliver on government’s corridor development strategies. Our commitment as consulting engineers is to unpack and mobilise delivery,” Govender concludes.

FUTURE LEADERS THAT SHAPE OUR WORLD

Nokwanda Khumalo, B Tech, Project Manager Nokwanda is an aspirant young engineering technologist who leads from the front. After completing her practical training for a National Diploma in Civil Engineering with Naidu Consulting, Nokwanda was subsequently awarded a bursary to complete her BTech. She is currently registered for an MTech, with a key focus on LIC.

“At Naidu Consulting, the emphasis is on out-of-the-box thinking. The company is constantly looking for ways to evolve. That suits my personality perfectly. It’s an exciting experience working here and seeing the real difference our engineered responses make for communities.”

Hhlengiwe Cbekhulu, BTech, Youth Programme Leader Hhlengiwe joined Naidu Consulting through the Academy of Excellence Programme and overcame major personal challenges to become an engineer, having grown up in a traditional, rural environment.

“I realised the challenges facing women, particularly the negative perception of our ability to perform in a historically male-led industry. I drew inspiration from women who have gone against the grain and gained success in the industry.”

Hlengiwe receiving her completion certificate from Mentor of the Year Pierre

Naidu Consulting as a designer. “BIM has revolutionised the way engineers can design, interrogate and refine buildings and structures using virtual and augmented reality. Working for Naidu Consulting exposes me to the latest smart technologies. It’s great to work for such a futuristic company.”

Cronje

Philani Mkhize, Pr Tech Eng, BIM Lead: Roads and Highways Business Unit Philani joined

Ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water, non-payment for services and rising water demand present myriad challenges for the City of Tshwane. Dr Erik Loubser, senior executive, GLS Consulting, discusses the development of a multipronged intervention that provides a viable return to profitability model and a bankable document for potential funders.

Taking Tshwane’s water-loss programme

South Africa’s largest municipality in terms of landmass, the City of Tshwane (CoT) has 240 water distribution management zones (DMZs) either supplied by a reservoir, water tower or direct connection to a bulk pipeline. The supporting infrastructure network is extensive, comprising 658 km of bulk pipeline, 9 943 km of reticulation pipes, 183 pumping stations, 151 reservoirs and 31 water towers. The construction value of the system is estimated at more than R20 billion.

From the onset, the scope of our water-loss reduction feasibility study was to analyse each DMZ as the starting point for system improvements. To achieve this, a DMZ database was compiled and populated with all the requisite water-use/billing, water-loss, water pressure, customer debt and water system condition information. Once completed, this was then used to develop a set of rulesbased decision-trees to determine first-order, optimal water-loss interventions and costs for each DMZ.

TABLE 1 Possible water-loss interventions

POSSIBLE WATER-LOSS INTERVENTION

The capex, opex and water-loss reduction benefits associated with each indicated intervention (Table 1) were formulated in a 20-year cash flow model. These incremental cash flows were then discounted to net present value (NPV) terms. Each DMZ model considered their unique characteristics, including average tariff earned, collection rate and water balance.

City-wide modelling was also performed to evaluate the impact of four alternative DMZbased intervention implementation strategies.

WHEN APPROPRIATE

Install bulk meter(s) for SIV/water-loss calculation No bulk meter/for loss calculation

Log bulk meter No logging/determine MNF/calibrate AADD

Pressure management

Leak detection and fixing

Pipe replacement

Meter audit/replacement

Connection replacement

Retrofitting

Water management devices

Billing data clean-up

Check DMZ boundary discreteness

Rezoning/sectorisation

Punitive tariffs

High static and/or dynamic pressures

Indication of high real losses/high MNF

Indication of deteriorating pipe condition

Indication of old and/or improperly sized meters

Indication of old and/or deteriorating connections

The evaluation was based on the projected cash flows of the city’s water services as a whole. This evaluation considered its ability to service the resultant debt, and to generate future excess cash for future interventions without the need for external funding.

Water resource

Most of CoT’s bulk water is purchased from Rand Water via the Vaal River system, but there are also minor supplies from Magalies Water, plus 13 water treatment plants (WTPs), various boreholes and fountains.

Developing or extending CoT’s own water resources would reduce the load on the Vaal River system. On the other hand, though, increased sewer return flows into the Crocodile River basin are important for current and future downstream users, which include proposed Eskom coal-fired power plants in Lephalale via the Mokolo Crocodile Water Augmentation Project.

Indication of high MNF/UWDs and cost recovery risk

Indication of excessive UWDs

Indication of many unbilled stands/areas

Indication of cross-boundary flows

Large zone or potential PRV sub-zone

Indication of excessive UWDs (overconsumption)

(AADD = Annual Ave. Daily Demand; SIV = System Input Volume; MNF= Minimum Night Flow; UWD = Unit Water Demand)

Current (actual) water demand and water balance

Data from the 2017/18 financial year was available as the basis for this study. The actual water balance for CoT as shown in Table 2 was determined using invoices from Rand Water and Magalies

Water, inputs from own water sources, bulk meter data, billing data, and estimated supplies to unbilled areas.

The authorised consumption includes supply to informal areas (44.3 Mℓ/day) and unbilled unmetered customers (33.7 Mℓ/day).

The total water loss was thus determined at 27.3% or, on average, 244.3 Mℓ/day (for 2017/18). It is not possible to ‘measure’ the contributions of real versus apparent loss, and the worldwide accepted metric is to assume that 72% is real loss and 28% apparent loss. Thus, in the case of CoT, real loss is estimated at 175.9 Mℓ/day and apparent loss at 68.4 Mℓ/day. The unavoidable real loss (URL) for CoT is estimated per industry-standard formula as 35 Mℓ/day, meaning that the estimated recoverable real loss (RRL) is 140.9 Mℓ/day.

Cost of water supply

An analysis of the costs of water input by the city was conducted and revealed the actual current cost of water input to be R12.73/kℓ. If this is adjusted to account for water losses (27.3%) and collection rate (86.3%), the total cost of water per kℓ billed and collected amounts to R20.39/kℓ

CoT’s actual cost (R12.73/kℓ), before adjusting for NRW and collection risk, aligns with that of other South African metros, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Current weighted average water tariffs billed (R18.47/kℓ) only partially cover the equivalent actual cost of water supply. In light of deteriorating infrastructure and staff capacity constraints, the current weighted average water tariffs billed are unlikely to be sustainable, as repairs and maintenance spend increase and vacant posts are filled.

Water demand and cost recovery risk

Using bootstrap techniques on the empirical data, rather than fitted probability density functions, the actual empirical distribution of demand in each DMZ was determined, with confidence bands for annual average daily demand (AADD) and billed income for stress testing the financial modelling of the NPV of water-loss interventions in each DMZ. The same technique was also used to determine the actual empirical probability density function of current billed income.

The various DMZs were categorised into a cost recovery risk matrix shown (per Figure 1) as: High Consumption/Low Recovery Risk (Green); Low Consumption/Low Recovery Risk (Light Green); Low Consumption/High Recovery Risk (Yellow); and High Consumption/High Recovery Risk (Red).

Future water demand and risk

The available Spatial Development Framework (SDF) at the time of this study represents more

than a doubling of the city over approximately 45 years at a rate of around 2% per annum. For this study, a 20-year horizon was considered. Based on future assumptions, a 95% confidence band for the additional future anticipated 20-year AADD was established as between 304 Mℓ/day and 612 Mℓ/day. This information was requisite input into the stress testing of the financial viability of proposed water-loss reduction interventions in each DMZ and was also aggregated input to the city-wide analysis.

Detailed terms of reference per DMZ

After the first-order intervention analysis, a much more detailed analysis per DMZ was done to ensure the appropriateness of each indicated intervention and to refine the scope of works for each DMZ. Each DMZ was considered a ‘subproject’ and this resulted in detailed terms of reference (ToR), capital and recurring operational costing.

For each DMZ, a detailed map showing all capex works required and other relevant information, a detailed bill of quantities, and a scope of works were developed.

Potential benefits per DMZ

In order to evaluate the bankability of each intervention subproject, an estimation of the benefits of the intervention was required. Potential benefits considered were: • reduction in SIV

* Informal supply

TABLE 2 Water balance for CoT in 2017/18 (in Mℓ/day)

• reduction in water demand

• increase in metered/billable water consumption.

The ToR, costing and benefits were used as inputs into a financial model, which determined the NPV for each DMZ subproject. This allowed for the subprojects to be ranked in accordance with their ‘bankability’ (i.e. their NPV).

The interventions, and their respective costing breakdowns are listed in Table 3. These include leak detection and repair, pressure management and pipeline replacement. It is clear from Table 3 that pipe replacement, as it is done in CoT (wholesale replacements per suburb), requires significant capex but results in a relatively minor impact on water-loss reduction benefits.

DMZ level financial modelling

The DMZ level financial model calculates both a project and equity NPV based on the net incremental cash flows over the envisaged 20-year period. Project NPV is based on only the present value of incremental cash flows between costs and revenue potential benefits of the interventions.

The equity NPV is based on project cash flows after indicative funding terms for the capex required for interventions per DMZ. All interventions were assumed to be implemented in project year 1 for comparability across the results of the 240 DMZs evaluated. These project NPV results were used to rank the financial preference of each DMZ for implementation of the technical suite of interventions.

The results of the 240 DMZs with all the technical interventions, as recommended based on the technical decision-trees explained earlier, revealed an aggregate funding

requirement of R3 422 million. The majority of the DMZs, however, do not achieve a financial viable cash flow profile that can be expected to settle the debt required to fund their interventions. This funding requirement is significantly reduced with the exclusion of the pipe replacement intervention. The number of DMZs with a positive project NPV increased and the ability to settle debt funding is also improved as a result. Table 4 shows a summarised comparison of the key results of the DMZ modelling, including and excluding the pipe replacement intervention.

City-wide financial modelling

The city-wide study was based on the projected cash flows of CoT water services as a whole. It considered CoT’s ability to service the resultant debt and ability to generate future excess cash to allow for future interventions to be implemented without the need for external funding. Four implementation strategies were considered for the roll-out of the suite of

technical interventions: all DMZs or only those DMZs that revealed a positive project NPV, and whether the suite of interventions should include pipe replacement or not (per Tables 3 and 4).

A recommended feasibility scenario was developed after rigorous financial analysis and consultation with CoT officials, engagement with the technical work stream members on the practical roll-out recommendations of interventions, and consideration of the funding implications of staggered implementation over a five-year period. This final selected scenario is based on the roll-out of interventions, excluding pipe replacement, to all 240 identified DMZs in CoT. The aggregate capex requirement of this scenario amounts to R471.4 million.

Funding timeline to 2033/34

The profile for the five consecutive annual tranches of project finance to fund the capex requirements of the suite of recommended interventions shows a funding peak of R404.4 million in 2024/25. Once all the facilities have been drawn, the maximum required repayment per annum occurs in 2026/27 at R95.2 million. All funding tranches are projected to be repaid by the close of 2033/34, and a consolidated NPV in excess of R2.3 billion is projected for all cash flows over the 20-year horizon.

While pipe replacement has been excluded from the financial packaging of the recommended scenario, it remains a very important intervention in the context of proper asset management, and CoT is encouraged to consider the recommended pipe replacements in each of the DMZs indicated, should other sources of funding be available. The same applies to the implementation of master plan items, where required, to eliminate capacity backlogs in parallel with the waterloss interventions.

FIGURE 2 Recommended five-year feasibility scenario – Funding exposure

FIGURE 1 DMZ recovery risk categorisation

Monitoring and evaluation of results

As and when the proposed water-loss intervention projects are implemented, the success (or not) of the interventions will have to be monitored. The primary key performance indicators (KPIs) in this regard have been identified as:

• SIV

• Authorised AADD (billed, unbilled)

• MNF

• Water loss (volume, %)

• SIV saving (kℓ/day, ZAR/a)

• Total billed amount (ZAR/a)

• Customers with 60d+ debt (%)

• Total collected revenue (ZAR/a)

• PRV/Critical point/Average pressures. The identified KPIs have been calculated in this feasibility study (where possible) for each DMZ in base year 2017/18, using an analysis of the billing and bulk meter data, and analysis of data loggings.

CoT currently has a web-based platform on which all information related to water and sanitation is stored, including models of

existing systems, master planning of systems (based on SDF), and all billing and waterbalance-related data. There is an existing contract to maintain this data (on a monthly update frequency basis). This platform also links to an existing remote monitoring system for flows and pressures, and is ideally suited for the monitoring of the proposed water-loss KPIs.

It is envisaged that the DMZ data, which is already available and being updated on the web platform, be extended (where necessary) to include the KPIs that need to be monitored. The proposed SQL database is designed so that all KPIs can be date-stamped in order to allow for trend monitoring over time.

All this detailed data collection and analysis now opens the door to the next most critical phase, namely implementation. We believe the models presented have been stress tested and are highly workable and bankable. According to a CoT press statement issued on 11 November 2020, the Mayoral Committee approved the implementation of this waterloss reduction strategy and programme.

The interventions/projects identified from this feasibility study will, however, require more resources for long-term operations and maintenance, specifically for plumbing teams, where CoT faces major resource constraints.

SERVICES:

Data surveys (electronically)

Database analyses

CLIENTS:

Municipalities

Commercial developers

Residential developers

Transport operaters (e.g. Taxi industry)

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) development

Development planning

Travel demand management and modelling

Community service (conflict handling, mediation and facilitation)

OFFICES IN:

Training and capacity building

Economic analysis, municipal finance

Public transport management

Policy and strategy development

Development of cooperatives

Development and implementation of route colour coding systems

COLOUR CODING SYSTEM

BEFORE AFTER

WONDERBOOM

SIYAZI

PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLANNING:

Operating licence strategies (OLSs)

Public transport plans

Integrated transport plans: Freight, public transport (taxis, buses and private cars)

Needs determination of users and operators System design

Taxi rank and bus terminus design

Taxi industry facilitation

Taxi rank management strategies

Determine transportation vision, goals and objectives on various spheres of government

Policy development

SIYAZI is a registered member of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).

TRAFFIC ENGINEERING:

Modal integration strategies

Taxi recapitalisation plans

Impact studies for developments such as shopping centres, filling stations and residential areas

Setting and synchronisation of traffic lights

Parking studies, including issues such as parking layout, parking demand and parking supply

Designs for pedestrian and bicycle facilities

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Academing empowerment of students Blankets for gogos

Empowering SA through sustainable transport solutions

As an award-winning South African transport solutions provider, SIYAZI offers public transport planning, development and traffic engineering solutions for everything from municipal to residential and commercial developments.

SIYAZI was founded in 1996 and has grown into a professional transport engineering solutions specialist operating throughout South Africa, with offices based in the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West.

A registered member of the Engineering Council of South Africa, SIYAZI offers the following professional services:

• data surveys

• database analyses and geographical information systems (GIS) development

• development planning

• public transport planning and project management

• travel demand management and modelling

• traffic engineering

• community service (conflict handling, mediation and facilitation)

• training and capacity building

• economic analysis, municipal finance

• public transport management

• policy and strategy development

• development of cooperatives.

Empowering communities

SIYAZI places a strong emphasis on empowering communities and individuals through the implementation of sustainable transport solutions.

“Our solutions offer sustainable approaches that empower local communities. Together with the various role players in the projects we work on, SIYAZI makes a difference in the delivery of effective solutions to meet the needs of people from grassroots level all the way up to executive management,” says Sias Oosthuizen, CEO, SIYAZI.

“It is in working together that we will build a strong, equitable and prosperous South Africa,

characterised by effective and convenient mobility solutions.”

This view is embraced within the organisation as well. SIYAZI’s holding company, SIYAZI Legacy Holdings, has a 40% shareholding by previously disadvantaged individuals through Ukusebenzisana Investments, 91% of which, in turn, belongs to a SIYAZI workers’ trust.

The company is strongly committed to ensuring sustainable Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment and has formulated a strategy aimed at establishing local offices in provinces across the country in order to empower and develop previously disadvantaged individuals.

“We strongly believe that knowledge shared is knowledge gained, and skills development is key to unlocking the sustainable wealth contained in a resilient South African economy,” says Oosthuizen.

Solid foundations

SIYAZI’s service offering is built on solid in-house skills. As CEO, Oosthuizen has more than 40 years’ experience in the transport sector. He has been instrumental in the planning of numerous integrated public transport plans for various municipalities, the development of guidelines for the first Current Public Transport Record surveys done in Gauteng, and negotiating and managing transport provision for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in eThekwini.

as a transport and traffic engineer. Roets has extensive experience working with private and municipal entities – and in ensuring cooperation between the two – and has also been involved in projects concerning the taxi industry for most of his career.

“SIYAZI was founded with the express goal of empowering communities and individuals through the implementation of sustainable transport solutions. Our mission is to become a key transport specialist in South Africa and the continent through effective, sustainable empowerment and skills transfer to provide transport solutions that favour job creation,” concludes Oosthuizen.

“Together

with the various role players in the projects we work on, SIYAZI makes a difference in the delivery of effective solutions to meet the needs of people from grassroots level all the way up to executive management.”

Oosthuizen was also involved in the development of the first taxi liaison committees in the East Rand, and SIYAZI has gone on to design several taxi ranks for the City of Ekurhuleni. He is backed up by technical director Leon Roets, who has over 25 years’ experience

Sias Oosthuizen, CEO, SIYAZI

Reigniting excellence

Elected to the office of Executive Mayor of Tshwane in November 2020, Cllr Randall Williams has mapped out a plan of action to move the city forward. A 10-point service delivery intervention spearheads these initiatives.

From the onset, Williams and the Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) will focus on turning around major financial shortfalls. For the financial year ended 30 June 2020, the city recorded a deficit of approximately R4.4 billion.

“A crucial objective of mine is to enhance project management in the city by developing a robust internal capacity to ensure that city projects are completed,” said Williams.

“I have even gone so far as to develop specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that I want departments to track. This will ensure that they report on exactly what I ask of them,” Williams explained.

According to the city, capital budget spending for the past financial year was one

THE 10-POINT SERVICE DELIVERY INTERVENTIONS ENTAIL:

- Prioritising the electrical grid and water infrastructure

- Implementing a robust Covid-19 management strategy

- Creating a reliable waste and refuse removal service

- Providing stringent financial management and oversight

- Enhancing city safety and emergency services

- Promoting employment and economic growth in the city

- Supporting the vulnerable and providing social relief

- Fast-tracking development by cutting red tape

- Applying expansive financial cost-cutting across city processes

- Maintaining and expanding road infrastructure

of the lowest in recent years. Going forward, the emphasis is on making sure available funds are tracked and spent in stimulating growth and job creation.

Key strategic projects include stabilising operations at Wonderboom Airport, which has been under the ownership of the city since 2000, and the ongoing refurbishment of water and sanitation infrastructure. In terms of the latter, this includes the ongoing upgrade of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works.

The city has also approved a strategy to address non-revenue water losses, which in the past financial year had risen to approximately 30.2%. This programme will be backed by infrastructure investments within the city’s 240 water distribution management zones.

Cutting the red tape

To help combat administrative bottlenecks that constrain effective delivery, the city is implementing a Development Application Management System (DAME). Phase I commenced in November 2020 and will progressively transition the city to an automated online planning system. Key areas will include zoning applications and township establishment. At this stage, the DAME launch date is scheduled for April 2021.

Revenue collection is another top priority as the city strives to manage a mushrooming debtor’s book, which has increased by over R5 billion during 2020. The situation has been compounded by the financial pressures placed on households and businesses during the Covid-19 lockdown.

We pride ourselves on adding value and achieving the best return on investment for our clients through technology and innovation. Our designs are sustainable and fit for propose.

OUR SERVICES

Bulk Water Supply Pipeline & Water Re�cula�on Design

Electrical & Mechanical Engineering

Opera�ons & Maintenance: Water & Wastewater Treatment Plants

Roads: Low Volume & Paved

Development of Pavement Management Systems

Stormwater Master Planning

Structural Engineering

Water & Wastewater Systems Design

Solid Waste Management

Turnkey Solu�ons

ENGINEERING FOR THE COMMUNITY

Based in Potchefstroom and working nationally, Korone Engineers is a BBBEE Level 1 consulting engineering firm that is committed to building sustainable infrastructure for South African communities. IMIESA speaks to the company's founder, OB Adejinmi (George), about the unfolding vision.

Amultidisciplinary company, Korone Engineers was founded in 2009 and is now a well-established consulting and project management firm offering core services in the civil and structural engineering, project management, development services, electrical and mechanical fields.

“We believe in a process-driven approach when planning projects that combines bestfit technologies with the right construction methodology,” says Adejinmi. “Time and cost management are priorities, as is developing the best return on investment (ROI) for our predominantly municipal clients. Within our engineering teams, we support this through the ongoing training, development and mentorship of our personnel.”

Following local and international trends, Korone Engineers specialises in the delivery of turnkey contracts that package and produce efficient results. “To achieve this, project and financial management are core skills we’ve focused on,” says Adejinmi. “With turnkey, we can manage the full process holistically.”

Design, build, operate and maintain

Since inception, water and sanitation projects have numbered among Korone’s milestone contracts. Ageing water and wastewater treatment facilities need critical attention. Developing new facilities is equally important to meet population growth in urban centres.

Alongside new construction works, Korone Engineers has responded by providing an operations and maintenance (O&M) service, which includes the technical training of municipal maintenance personnel. Here, researching the best technology options is a core priority.

“Selecting the right technologies when it comes to pumps, motors and systems automation is essential. We always stress the need to install locally proven components that have full service and parts backup,” Adejinmi continues.

“We also believe that an existing treatment works or pump station must be fully refurbished and brought to its original design operational capacity before soliciting for an upgrade. This approach inhibits fruitless expenditure for government,” he continues.

Currently, Korone Engineers is managing three treatment works on an O&M basis.

These comprise two wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) and a water treatment plant, all of which are in North West province.

Korone Engineers is also in the process of upgrading the Ekangala WWTW in the City of Tshwane. In addition, a new reservoir is under construction in Fortwest, Pretoria West.

Roads market

The roads construction market is a major business area and is vital in supporting South Africa’s socio-economic growth. This is especially the case for rural communities, where low-volume road networks are a vital element in enabling communities to access markets, jobs, educational and medical facilities.

“Rebuilding gravel and secondary municipal roads is listed as an immediate priority in government’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan and, as such, this is a key focus for Korone Engineers going into 2021,” says Adejinmi.

On Korone Engineers’ current roads projects, labour-intensive construction techniques form part of the design in accordance with Expanded Public Works Programme guidelines. Four projects are currently in progress – one in North West and the balance in Tshwane. The North West project entails the upgrading and resurfacing of an approximately 10 km road in Moretele Local Municipality.

“We have a reputation for value engineering, with a major emphasis on socially engineered outcomes. That’s always been the foundation for Korone Engineers’ growth to date,” Adejinmi concludes.

Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, is beautiful this time of year. Imagine cycling through purple streets, lined with Jacaranda trees, and arriving at work refreshed and energised for the day. By

Ivan Reutener*

Integrated

mobility for a highly effective city

And yet the City of Tshwane’s roads are clogged with too many private cars that emit unnecessary greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cocoon their single occupants from the beautiful landscape around them.

Globally, transport accounts for around a quarter1 of global CO2 emissions. Shifting transport to more sustainable and suitable modes for the specific trip required (e.g. walking or cycling when travelling less than 500 m or catching a bus for a 10 km trip) and number of people is vitally important. Let’s consider how we can achieve that in a single city.

According to the Tshwane Household Travel Survey (THTS) 20132, the main modes of transport back then were:

• Train: 3.0%

• Bus: 5.7%

• School bus: 4.6%

• Minibus taxi: 22.1%

• Private car: 33.1%

• Walking: 29.3%

• Other (cycling, skateboard, etc.): 2.1%

Since the survey – the most recent official data available – additional transport modes have been established, like the A Re Yeng (meaning ‘Let’s go’) bus rapid transit system. Disruptive transport and mobility technology, such as e-hailing services (e.g. Uber and Bolt), micro-mobility solutions (e.g. electric bikes and scooters for hire), and CASE (connected, autonomous, shared and electric) mobility, would have also altered this landscape. And then there’s the impact of Covid-19 on the global workforce, with many more people working from home today than in 2013.

I look forward to the results of the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS 2020)3, which took place between January and March 2020, to see how things have changed.

Until then, we need to investigate how disruptive technology can be integrated into the city’s existing transport network to ease the CO2 burden in line with the Paris Agreement – which South Africa is a signatory to4 – to reduce GHGs and limit the global temperature increase to below 2°C. The Climate Action Tracker5 currently rates South Africa’s target as ‘Highly Insufficient’.

Leveraging urban mobility to create better cities

This is the focus of my research after completing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology course. Using data from the THTS and other readily available sources, preliminary results from my desktop study on ‘Leveraging Urban Mobility Disruptions to Create Better Cities’ indicates that a 40% reduction in GHGs is achievable.

We achieved this result using shared mobility principles6, integrating transport modes for different parts of the journey, and introducing appropriate modes of choice depending on the distance travelled.

Here, I discuss four key elements of the study: transit, micro-mobility, electric vehicle share, and remote work.

Transit

Mass public transit must form the backbone of an integrated public transport system, which should also include shared and on-demand modes. This redefinition of public transport is necessary to provide seamless, door-todoor journeys that eliminate the need for a private car. Cities with efficient, integrated and accessible public transport systems reduce

private car ownership and, therefore, traffic congestion and emissions.

There are a number of advantages to having public transport as a main line. Commuters can travel longer distances, transport operators can carry more people, and a strong transit stop serves as an ideal catalyst for a mobility hub. Open application programme interfaces have created a new class of transit apps for route discovery. They not only calculate the best routes for trains and buses, but are also increasingly including micro-mobility options, transportation network companies (TNCs) like Bolt and Uber, and private vehicle-sharing.

To work efficiently, transit services must be frequent and reliable, with the ability to comfortably support high-capacity passenger loads.

To promote public transport as the transit backbone, policies that drive the city’s goals and objectives must be in place, with a commitment to make transport safe and equitable. For example, free Wi-Fi on transit modes will make these solutions more accessible to more people, and integrated safety features, like an in-app panic button, ensure safety.

Micro-mobility

Transit as a main line is not flexible and must be supplemented by various feeder services. Micromobility is ideal, with its flexibility as a first- or last-mile service to and from the mobility hub. It creates the opportunity to include other services and is also key to reducing GHGs in urban areas.

The Three Revolutions in Urban Transportation report7 identifies vehicle electrification, automation, and widespread shared mobility as the three revolutions that will change urban transportation across the world and help to reduce GHGs by a staggering 80%.

Bicycle- and e-bike-sharing systems can reduce and shorten vehicle trips, and congestion pricing and technology can discourage single-occupant private car use within high-density core areas. Micro-mobility services are the disruption within the disruption and are ideal for multimodal integration. According to The New Automobility report8, TNCs and microtransit services can be valuable extensions of – but not replacements for – fixed-route public transit.

There are, however, issues with fare integration and the perception that micro-mobility will poach commuters from main transit lines. This is why promoting the benefits of micro-mobility is important.

Electric vehicle share

Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future of transport. But market forces alone will not support the

substantial uptake of EVs9 because of affordability concerns. Among the key factors are battery costs, which will make EVs more attractive if reduced.

In fact, some manufacturers, like Volvo, have halted R&D on internal combustion engines, but have left their EV budgets intact.

However, the Three Revolutions report found that while vehicle electrification and automation may produce potentially important benefits, without a corresponding shift toward shared mobility and the greater use of transit and active transport, these two revolutions could significantly increase congestion and urban sprawl, while also increasing the likelihood of missing climate change targets.

Remote working

The THTS indicated that 33.5% of people were already working from home in 2013. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly increased this number, forcing many people to work from home (WFH), even though businesses were concerned about productivity, engagement and workforce monitoring. However, communications technology and inclusion are shaping the future of remote work.

Covid-19 allowed for a real test of the practicality of implementing a WFH policy. A LinkedIn survey10 found that 82% of workers want to work from home at least once a week, and 57% want to work from home at least three days a week. In the desktop study, we used a flexible working scenario with 60% of workers working from home and 40% working from the office at any given time.

To allow for successful implementation of the WFH scenario, various company policies and agreements must be put into place.

References:

Policies should cover things like monthly data communication allowances, flexi-desk office arrangements, daily remote check-in sessions with managers and team members, and online training.

From a behavioural aspect, some personal changes will have to be made to ensure a healthy work-life balance, not only from a mental aspect, but also from a physical health perspective. It’s important to organise virtual coffee dates with colleagues, as limited office interaction will be experienced.

As major contributors to climate change, cities are also the ideal starting point to turn things around. But we need buy-in from citizens, the government, and businesses, and a renewed collaboration and commitment to be the change the world needs right now.

*Ivan Reutener, Pr Tech Eng, is a leading professional: Smart Mobility at Royal HaskoningDHV.

1 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-climate-change-cut-carbon-emissionsfrom-your-commute

2 https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0320/P03202013.pdf

3 http://nhts.statssa.gov.za

4 https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/southafricasignsparisagreementonclimate

5 https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/south-africa

6 https://www.sharedmobilityprinciples.org

7 https://itdpdotorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/UCD-ITDP-3R-Report-FINAL.pdf

8 http://www.schallerconsult.com

9 http://energy.mit.edu/insightsintofuturemobility

10 https://financesonline.com/work-from-home-trends

Housing a strategic integrated project

The result of a successful public-private partnership between Balwin Properties, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the City of Tshwane, the Mooikloof Mega City will provide housing for the region’s ‘missing middle’.

With a total project value of over R84 billion, Mooikloof Mega City is one of the 62 Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) that were gazetted at the end of July 2020. These SIPs, which are backed by R340 billion in private sector funding, are part of government’s plans for an infrastructure-led recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marking the importance of the Mooikloof Mega City development, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially launched the project earlier this year.

“The success of any future mega housing development rests with public-private sector collaboration. Private sector resources and expertise will aid government’s efforts to meet the housing demand. The public sector can incentivise further investment by providing the necessary bulk infrastructure to enable development. It is this approach that has made it possible for this development to take off,” said the president.

“The reality is that the fiscus cannot on its own support the rising housing demand in the country. Covid-19 has only worsened an already dire situation. We will be looking at how best to leverage private sector resources and skills to help government deliver [on] its mandate to provide decent housing to our people. Mooikloof is an excellent example [of] how public-private sector interests can be aligned and work for mutual benefit.”

Project overview

Mooikloof Mega City is situated in the eastern part of the City of Tshwane’s municipal area and covers approximately 200 ha across two townships. Balwin Properties sees this as a significant project to incorporate a large portion of previously disadvantaged South Africans into the mainstream economy.

“This development has all the key features of spatial

integration. It is located in one of the most sought-after addresses in the City of Tshwane, with some of the highest average house prices. It is a nodal development, giving residents and tenants easier access to vital transportation corridors,” said Ramaphosa.

The development will be undertaken by Balwin as part of its Green Brand Initiative, with the external bulk infrastructure publicly funded. The City of Tshwane has facilitated the approval of appropriate zoning and the provision of water, wastewater and energy bulk infrastructure, while the Gauteng Provincial Government is funding the expansion of Garsfontein Road to accommodate the projected increase in vehicle traffic generated by the development.

The mega development will be built in line with green building principles, making use of recycled materials and solar energy technology. It will also make optimal use of green belts and green spaces for residential recreation.

With 50 000 sectional title units planned, the mega city will consist of a mixture of studios, and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which will sell for between R499 000 and R799 000 each. These are targeted to assist the ‘missing middle’ – people who earn too much to qualify for fully subsidised housing but who don’t earn enough to afford debt-financed housing in areas of their choice. Potential homeowners will also be able to apply for assistance from government’s Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme.

“Once completed, the Mooikloof Mega City may end up becoming the world’s largest sectional property development, with land also earmarked for schools, shops and offices,” said Ramaphosa.

The first phase will see 16 000 apartments constructed over the next few years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and ministers Lindiwe Sisulu and Patricia de Lille at the Mooikloof Mega City launch (Credit: GCIS)

President Cyril Ramaphosa lays a brick at the launch of the Mooikloof Mega City development (Credit: GCIS)

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR TASEZ

The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) in Silverton is a hive of activity as construction companies race to meet the June 2021 deadline to complete the economic zone.

TASEZ is ‘Africa’s First Automotive City’ and is envisaged to become the preferred investment destination for the automotive industry on the African continent. Its proximity to an established automotive industry allows for increased economies of scale and scope, and lowers the cost of doing business. The special economic zone will also serve as a catalyst for employment, transformation, socio-economic development and industry growth.

Automotive investment

As the largest manufacturing sector, vehicle and component production accounted for 27.6% of South Africa’s manufacturing output in 2019, while the broader automotive industry’s contribution to GDP stood at 6.4%.

Receiving significant foreign investment, the automotive industry plays an increasingly important strategic and catalytic

role in the overall South African economy. TASEZ therefore forms part of government’s automotive master plan that is geared towards shaping Tshwane as a smart city, while creating over 20 000 jobs.

The R4.3 billion project was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in November 2019 and brings together the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Gauteng Provincial Government, and the City of Tshwane in a public-private partnership with Ford Motors Company South Africa (FMCSA).

Local development

Strategically situated next to the Ford headquarters in Silverton, TASEZ will house a number of automotive component manufacturers, who will supply parts to FMCSA, and is set to boost Ford’s ambition to create the world’s largest Ford Ranger plant.

According to Msokoli Ntombana, executive manager, TASEZ, the project currently has 12 investors, who, combined, make up the investment of R4.3 billion. Government will

TASEZ’S UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION:

• Over 162.6 hectares of ideally located real estate

• Access to over 60 000 graduates in the City of Tshwane and the rest of Gauteng

• Access to regional markets in subSaharan Africa

• Three minutes to Ford Motor Company, 30 km to BMW, Nissan, TATA and IVECO

• 30 km from the Rosslyn Automotive Supplier Park, which provides good opportunities for collaboration

invest a further R3.8 billion. At least R1.5 billion of the procurement spend has been set aside for SMMEs that reside within the area, and construction is expected to create 8 557 jobs.

Monitoring, modelling and managing groundwater

Day Zero crisis

In recent years, the City of Cape Town and other municipalities have commissioned exploration studies of the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer system. Dr Chris Hartnady, technical director at Umvoto Africa, speaks to IMIESA about how geophysical surveying, geological mapping and hydrogeological monitoring techniques are helping shape a sustainable water supply model.

Surrounding parts of Cape Town’s sprawling urban footprint, the TMG aquifer system has been developing over millions of years and stores vast volumes of water rising from depths exceeding 10 km. It is a layered and interconnected system that includes the upper Nardouw and lower Peninsula aquifers. Further afield, the TMG extends for over 100 km via fractured fault lines interspersed with thermal springs. There’s also evidence of potential seismicity in some areas.

“As geologists, we’ve known about the TMG and related aquifer systems for decades; however, we’ve never really started to demonstrate their true potential until now,” says Hartnady.

Umvoto’s involvement with the city began in 2002, as a member of the professional team working on the TMG Aquifer Feasibility Study and Pilot Project. Groundwater exploration was undertaken at various target sites. These included Steenbras Dam, located in the Hottentots Holland Mountains above Gordon’s Bay, Nuweberg near Eikenhof Dam in Grabouw, and Wemmershoek Dam near Franschhoek. Umvoto’s final exploration reports were submitted to the city in 2011/12. While the proposed pilot phase was placed on hold, the essential groundwork had been completed.

“At that stage, no one imagined that Cape Town would be hit with a near ‘Day Zero’ drought event that would make groundwater abstraction such a crucial response to the city’s security,” Hartnady continues. With the situation looking increasingly dire, in 2017, Umvoto was appointed to undertake the emergency groundwater development of the Cape Flats Aquifer, upgrading of existing wellfields within the Atlantis Aquifer, and undertaking long-term development of the TMG aquifers in areas easily accessible to the City of Cape Town. This entailed implementing the drilling and testing contracts for the boreholes, designing wellfield layouts, monitoring drilling and testing programmes, and analysing the hydrogeological data collected.

During the initial feasibility study, Umvoto focused exclusively on the deeper Peninsula Aquifer. Although more expensive to reach and abstract, the deeper water – being isolated from surface wetlands when in deep confined basins – was deemed less environmentally sensitive. However, given the urgency of the drought emergency project in 2017, the decision was taken to abstract from the shallower Nardouw Aquifer as well. The purpose is to augment water supply to the city and for aquifer storage to be managed conjunctively with water stored in the dams of the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS).

Borehole drilling depths for the Nardouw Aquifer ranged from 150-300 m. In contrast, the deepest Peninsula Aquifer boreholes exceed 900 m. The longer-term planning will continue to target the deeper-lying Peninsula Aquifer groundwater as the primary source.

Steenbras Wellfield

Allied to the City of Cape Town’s Water Strategy is the ongoing development of the Steenbras Wellfield (SW) as a further contingency response in the aftermath of the city’s 2015-2018 drought emergency. Intended as a large-scale augmentation (≈20-25 million litres per day

(Mℓ/day)) of the WCWSS, the SW is initially focused around the two Steenbras reservoirs to facilitate relatively easy integration with Cape Town’s surface water supply infrastructure. Further wellfield development is anticipated north-eastwards in the form of the Eikenhof-Nuweberg Wellfield (ENW) towards Grabouw and the Klipfontein Wellfield (KW) near Theewaterskloof.

“In the absence of the original pilot phase, an extended commissioning period for the Steenbras Wellfield is under way. Monitoring of water levels will continue during the commissioning phase, when groundwater is discharged into the Steenbras Dam, and will provide valuable information to refine aquifer properties and update numerical models, in line with the ‘monitor, model and manage’ approach. This is planned for the summer of 2021,” says Hartnady.

Fractured fault lines

The SW and ENW both target a large-scale hydrotect of high hydraulic conductivity and geothermal significance, namely the SteenbrasBrandvlei Megafault Zone (SBMZ), as a source of deep artesian groundwater from the TMG aquifer system. The Brandvlei thermal spring lies along this potentially hydroseismic fault line.

Within the Western Cape, Brandvlei is the strongest (≈4 million cubic metres per annum or ≈11 Mℓ/day) and hottest (≈70°C) thermal spring and is located along the northeastern segment of the SBMZ. Another thermal spring, Toorwater, located along the Cango Fault near De Rust, is linked to a major earthquake that occurred around 11 000

Dr Chris Hartnady, technical director, Umvoto Africa

“The historical record of large earthquakes in the south-western Cape, namely in 1809-1811 near Milnerton, Cape Town, and in 1969/70 in the Tulbagh-Ceres region, demonstrates a need for a better seismotectonic understanding of

large-scale TMG hydrotect structures in the Western Cape,” Hartnady explains.

Due to the link between thermal springs and earthquakes, it has been recommended that the SBMZ is monitored to assess the

potential for the reactivation of this fault and to establish and monitor any interactions between long-term groundwater abstraction and movement on associated hydrotect structures within the TMG, not only in this area but also elsewhere.

Monitoring via GNSS

The stability of the Lower Steenbras Dam wall is currently monitored by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network within close proximity to the permanent Steenbras (SBAS) station. SBAS is part of the national, continuously operating reference station (CORS) array, TrigNet, into which the planned SW geodetic network will be tied.

Umvoto’s SW GNSS monitoring network development follows the company’s pioneering study in Hermanus and implementation near Oudtshoorn. The main hydrogeological function is to measure the surface deformation induced by confinedaquifer depressurisation and vertical compression during groundwater abstraction. By employing GNSS, the bulk compressibility and storage properties of the aquifer can be estimated and compared with data obtained during test pumping.

Within the SW footprint, CORS equipment is being installed on the Nardouw and Peninsula Aquifer production sites (H1A2, H1A3b, H8A13, H8A4, H8A5) and monitoring (H3A2) boreholes (see Figure 1).

The SW geodetic system will be supplemented by a seismographic monitoring network (Figure 1, white circles) as an essential element in the safe and prudent management of SW infrastructure. This will be a permanent monitoring system that will contribute to a future ‘critical zone observatory’ in the region.

“Using GNSS technology, we’ll be able to precisely determine the storage coefficient and better calibrate the theoretical and computer-based numerical models using the real data coming out of the boreholes,” adds Hartnady.

“Once we have the full picture provided by continuous monitoring and modelling, we’ll have developed the predictive basis for managing this critical resource in a sound and sensible way,” Hartnady concludes.

FIGURE 1(b) A 3D schematic of the Table Mountain Group aquifer system

Peninsula Aquifer production borehole drilling in progress, with a view of the Lower Steenbras Dam in the background

FIGURE 1(a) Footprint of the SW showing the geodetic network in relation to the geology

The future of surveying

The future of the surveying profession hinges on a question: “What is its relevance to society or to a consumer?” Without relevance, one has no future. By

Peter Newmarch*

Surveyors, also known as geomatics practitioners, have had relevance for centuries.

Many people, however, now ask about the future of geomatics given the rapid rate of technological advancement and automation.

Little really changes – at the core remains the position of a thing, right, restriction or responsibility. How we survey it has of course dramatically changed, as well as the speed. Coupled with such new tools is the value add that can be extracted from that data. Advances in technology have simply added more work possibilities/opportunities for the surveyor.

It has recently been determined that – in order to solve poverty, land issues and many others – meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is required to ensure a better world for all. Geomatics is a key requirement to almost all 17 SDGs,

which have highlighted the importance of positional information to society’s problems and, in turn, the future of surveying.

As the world transitions to thinking in new ways, as governments address SDGs with a tangible means of benchmarking progress –geomatics comes to the fore in it all.

We have moved into a visual world where designs need proper placement and management. It is estimated that 70% of all economic activity happens on land (in its broadest sense). The management and visualisation of such activity is becoming vital for the proper functioning and administration of society. Land management, land administration and data management are moving into the fore. Be it a bridge, road, pipe, house, farm or dam – all need management – either from the public or private sector.

We now have advanced tools such as lidar, radar, drones, ground-penetrating radar,

near-infrared and infrared satellite imagery, GPS, and robotic total stations. No doubt such terms will evolve with new technologies we have not yet thought of or invented. But they are just tools and can only yield the desired results when used by a qualified professional. Otherwise, the adage of “junk in, junk out” remains.

That is what surveyors are trained for –to correctly apply fundamental theory and practice of position to the project at hand. Automation or artificial intelligence cannot do the higher-level job functions of a surveyor and this will remain the case for many years to come.

Digital twin

New technologies have allowed for faster

Peter Newmarch, president, South African Geomatics Institute

workflows and vastly more data collection possibilities, which has now yielded the concept of a digital twin – where the physical world can be modelled almost exactly in the digital world. As models become more complex, the ability to translate these back to the physical world will be vital for projects.

A relatively simple case in point is the recording of an underground pipe. Some 20 years down the line, the pipe is no longer in the same position due to tectonic plate movement. Data needs maintenance and management to remain relevant. In the world of autonomous cars (and their mapping sensors), non-maintenance and nonmanagement of the digital twin will be fatal to human life!

With the advances in autonomous vehicles and data collection sensors – real-time swarm mapping possibilities are likely just a few years away, which will require advanced skills from the surveyors.

Good and bad data

Data overload from a vast array of sensors by all manner of persons acquiring data will lead to what we call data pollution. What is good data and what is bad data? Only a professionally trained person will have the skills to determine whether the data represents the physical world correctly and vice versa.

Once again, data management skills will be critical. Companies don’t want to be basing their decisions on non-certified data – even if it ‘looks good’ or the accompanying report says it is good. I have seen many a report

Automation or artificial intelligence cannot do the higher-level job functions of a surveyor and this will remain the case for many years to come

saying the mapping is accurate to 3 cm while, in reality, it was actually incorrect and a complete waste of money.

Office investment will increase, as access to a vast array of data sets (public and private) becomes available. Software investment and utilisation will increase, along with specific tool sets. This will be a niche market area for use by surveyors, as they would be the only ones to understand certain intricate information.

Change is inevitable

All professionals, across the built environment, bemoan the rapid changes happening in their professions. It is not unique to South Africa – it’s a worldwide issue, as is the shortage of skilled professionals.

This has motivated the discussion in some forums of the possibility of a ‘global professional’. The theory is that professionals should have country-entry status similar to ‘diplomatic’ persons, free of visa requirements and work permits, allowing them to freely offer their skills on the world stage as development demand ebbs and flows in specific regions.

So, returning to the ‘future of surveying’: this is extremely positive, with the surveyor

playing more of a management role, with mass collected geospatial data, extracting value-added services and taking this further with analytics into a host of related issues – more so on an international stage, if the ‘global professional’ comes to the fore to address different rates of development around the world.

Geospatial outlook

From a cadastral perspective, land or land administration will be the core future focus; from an engineering perspective, it will be data management and analytics. The tools and workflows will evolve, but the future is indeed an exciting and expanded one for surveying.

The surveyor will take a commanding data role in almost every sector of society – be it engineering, health, human settlements, finance, agriculture, aviation or mining (among many others). And as consumers get used to the digital twin world, they will increasingly demand it for everything, leading to data overload and big data issues. Once again, this presents a further need for surveyors to filter and manage the data. Data is clearly becoming a commodity of value and needs professional management – some would even say auditing and certification. And perhaps ‘geospatial auditors and certification professionals’ may be the future name of surveyors – it would be the same job, just wrapped up in a modern term.

*Peter Newmarch is the president of the South African Geomatics Institute (SAGI).

Engineering software trusted by professionals worldwide

Model Maker Systems is a proudly South African company providing advanced software to surveyors, contractors and civil engineers in 89 countries since 1989. CEO and founder Carel Viljoen expands on the evolutionary benefits.

Model Maker Systems is committed to the development of the highest-quality software in the fields of surveying, engineering, mining, town planning, landscaping, quantity surveying, irrigation design and construction. Initially, the Model Maker, Road Maker and Pipe Maker suite of survey and engineering software programs were developed. Then, at the end of 2004, the development of Survey Maker started.

During 2014, the Point Cloud Viewer program and a limited version of our IrriMaker program, named IrriExpress, were added. With close cooperation from clients, the software was developed to provide end-users with an easy-touse, high-productivity tool.

A commitment to outstanding user support has made Model Maker Systems a leader in the field of survey, engineering and construction software development. The programs consist of individual modules. Users need to purchase

Pipe Maker

only those modules required for their application.

The competitive edge

- Our marketing policy is based on fair pricing and outstanding technical support.

- Development is guided by user requests and practical application.

- An annual support subscription is optional, and the lowest in the IT industry for similar software, at 9% of the original purchase value.

- The software may be purchased with a perpetual licence or it may be leased on a month-to-month basis. Below is a brief rundown of our products:

Model Maker

Originally, Model Maker was developed to reduce tacheometric survey data to XYZ points and generate contour plans. Today, it has 21 modules enabling the user to do basic digital terrain modelling, CAD drawings and various design and quantification functions in survey, mining, engineering and construction disciplines.

Some of the specialised functions are irrigation design, rural powerline design, mass earthworks volume calculations in mining and construction, mine planning and rehabilitation, a geological borehole manager, township infrastructure design, and coordinate conversions. Data exchange formats allow for the transfer of data to and from other software packages.

Road Maker

Not only roads, but any project involving cross and long sections can be handled by Road Maker. Complex single- and dual-carriageway roads can be designed by the engineer and the contractor can do setting out and quantification of all types of projects. Networks of roads are intelligently managed to ensure intersection levels are correct and construction drawings are easily created.

Sewer, stormwater and water networks, together with other services, can be designed with full clash checking, quantification and drawings. Networks are intelligently managed to ensure levels and connecting lines tie up.

Survey Maker

Although all basic survey calculations for technical and land surveyors are catered for, Survey Maker specialises in the quick and easy generation of township development, as well as sectional title plans and diagrams.

From town planning drawings to final submissions to the Surveyor General, we believe there is no other product that can match Survey Maker.

Point Cloud Viewer

New survey technologies, generating millions of survey points, are becoming available. In response, we identified the need for a utility that can easily manage huge data sets in various formats and audit and convert them for easier use in conventional digital terrain modelling packages like Model Maker.

Point Cloud Viewer is an inexpensive alternative to the costly software supplied by scanner manufacturers to filter and audit point cloud data.

IrriMaker/IrriExpress

Four modules from Model Maker make up the IrriMaker package for the complete design and quantification of irrigations systems. It is perhaps the only package in the world that caters for digital terrain modelling, CAD and irrigation design of pivots, drip and solid set systems in one integrated package.

IrriExpress is a scaled-down version but can produce almost the same results as the full IrriMaker package.

For more information on the different packages, pricing, getting a 30-day trial version or an obligation-free quote, visit www.modelmakersystems.com or email info@modelmaker.co.za

The true value of spatial data professionals

Land surveying instrumentation and associated software technologies are constantly evolving, making it faster and easier to capture data. However, the professional skill set required to interpret the vast quantities of spatial data collected remains constant. In fact, it’s becoming more complex, says Terrence Elliott, marketing director for GeoAfrika Surveys, given the unprecedented growth in data volumes produced by tools like drones and other remote sensing technologies.

“Well-informed clients fully appreciate the value that spatial data experts bring to the table from a risk management, project execution and asset management perspective,” says Elliott. “That all depends on cadastral and engineering data accuracy, which has to start from the inception of any planned construction works. For example, unexpected land legal issues can derail a project before ground is ever broken.

“Collecting the data is one thing, professional interpretation and verification is another –

tasks that only specially trained and registered spatial data professionals are equipped to perform,” he continues, adding that every member of GeoAfrika’s data analytics team is registered with the South African Geomatics Council.

Professional indemnity insurers also increasingly specify that their clients retain the services of a registered and competent survey specialist to verify cadastral, design and build parameters. “It’s a proven fact that poor data accuracy poses a major risk to the entire project outcome,” says Elliott.

For larger clients, GeoAfrika offers a survey consulting service. This includes drafting survey specifications and procuring survey service providers for public infrastructure projects.

Quality assurance

GeoAfrika’s quality assurance programmes place major emphasis on accurate representations of aerial and land-based surveys and these are backed by a certification

system. Certification reports clearly state that data accuracy and tolerances have been verified according to the brief supplied.

“Certification is important because it’s a confirmation of the true accuracy that can be achieved for a specific outcome – the final data analysis having been verified by field checks,” says Craig Silva, CEO of GeoAfrika Surveys. “To get the best result, the right technology is essential.”

Within industry, there’s often confusion and misinformation regarding the differences between the measuring accuracy of equipment used for data capture and the actual accuracy of the final survey data handed as a deliverable to the client. This again emphasises the importance of employing experienced spatial data professionals.

“Going forward, surveyors will increasingly become the custodians of spatial data on projects, ensuring consistency and one point of data truth for the professional team to rely on,” Silva concludes.

IMIESA November/December 2020 27

The pitfalls and Acts that affect sectional title schemes

registered land surveyor in rectifying the extension to and addition of structures on an existing scheme are legally governed and complex. The municipal planning and building departments play a big role in this process. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

By Altus Strydom*

Sectional title ownership is a legal way of owning part or parts of a building. Many schemes are quite old and extensions and additions to units are a basic need to some owners. Unfortunately, many extensions have been executed but do not adhere to the Sectional Titles Act, building standards, regulations and town planning schemes, as prescribed by the different Acts.

New legislation, which can lead to legal action against individuals, places a big onus on members of the body corporate and trustees to follow the correct procedures to approve the extension of units and extra buildings.

The land surveyor is the person that must ultimately confirm via certificates issued to the Surveyor General that all building plans are correct and in compliance with the town planning scheme. One of our biggest problems is that body corporates appoint non-qualified persons or agents to do the work and, at the crucial stage, the land surveyor cannot certify the plans and the process starts from scratch.

What pitfalls can be expected with buildings and property in a sectional title scheme?

• Levies are calculated incorrectly.

• The bank can demand an up-to-date building plan and sectional title plan.

• The municipality can force you to demolish illegal parts of buildings (new additions with no approved plans).

• In case of fire or any other disaster, you might find that the insurance company may use it as reason not to compensate for damages.

• The body corporate and/or trustees will be held responsible for anything going wrong (which is clearly stated in the Sectional Titles Management Act).

• It becomes a costly exercise if every unit that does an extension lodges their own application.

Bond holders’ consent (10% rule), according to the Sectional Titles Act – Section 24 (6) (d) (i), prescribes that a land surveyor or architect must confirm that the proposed extension does not exceed the 10% extension to a unit. According to Section 24 (6) (d) (ii), should the extension exceed 10% then the conveyancer must provide a certificate confirming that all mortgagees have consented to the sectional plan of extension of the scheme.

Acts that affect sectional title schemes

There are principal Acts that affect sectional title schemes and these all have an influence on the participation quota schedules, management rules, duties, actions, responsibilities and risks of body corporates and trustees.

SECTIONAL TITLES ACT

(NO. 95 OF 1986)

Definition

To provide for the division of buildings into

the acquisition of separate ownership in sections coupled with joint ownership in common property.

A sectional title scheme must comply with the Sectional Titles Act sooner rather than later. This means that all buildings and their extensions must be represented on the sectional plan and all participation quotas are correct. A sectional plan of extension of the scheme plan must be lodged with the Surveyor General.

In terms of the Sectional Titles Act, you may increase, subdivide and consolidate units.

Exclusive use areas

If the scheme has no exclusive use areas, it is necessary to have this attended to before extension of the units and approval of structures in gardens (exclusive use areas) can be dealt with.

Extension of the sectional title scheme

The Sectional Titles Act allows for extending a scheme, as well as the consolidation and subdivision of units on condition that the scheme legally complies with other Acts.

Town planning schemes

Every municipality has a registered town planning scheme that regulates the use of property. The scheme is enforceable and regulates certain aspects of the property, such as the use, coverage, building lines, floor area ratio, future planning and many more aspects. Additional buildings or structures might cause the buildings on-site to exceed the allowable coverage or floor area ratio, or encroach over building lines. The land surveyor must survey and confirm whether the specified criteria are met. In the submission to the Surveyor General, the surveyor must certify that the town planning criteria were met. The land surveyor might appoint other professionals to assist with the process.

Common terms that need to be understood comprise the following:

• Coverage: Every structure with a roof is part of coverage (bird’s-eye view). It is expressed as a percentage of the area of the property.

• Floor area ratio: The total floor area of all buildings is used for the floor area ratio calculation. It is expressed as a percentage of the area of the property.

• Building line: The distance from the boundary where no buildings are allowed. If necessary, a rezoning must be done to legalise the scheme.

NATIONAL BUILDING REGULATIONS AND BUILDING STANDARDS MANAGEMENT ACT (NO. 103 OF 1977)

Definition

To provide for the promotion of uniformity in the law relating to the erection of buildings in the areas of jurisdiction of local authorities; for the prescribing of building standards; and for matters connected therewith.

Illegal buildings and structures

Any addition to an existing or new building needs body corporate approval, an approved site development plan (SDP) and building plan.

Owners can be instructed to attend to this individually before a certain date. If not done, the body corporate can take action by informing the municipality about the illegal buildings on the terrain. The worst-case scenario is that it will be demolished. This phase is necessary before the survey may be lodged at the Surveyor General.

When is a building plan required?

The relevant explanation to clarify the national building regulations is found in SANS 10400-A: 2010. ‘Minor building work:’ (p17) describes minor building works in B10 (p57), which states that building plans are not required for minor works. In general, anything with a foundation is a structure and requires a building plan.

The council requires a building plan for any permanent structure:

• Wendy houses, pergolas with a slab, are considered a permanent structure. If no slab is installed, then it is not considered a permanent structure

• For swimming pools, an approved building plan is required, and the SDP needs to be updated. Compulsory safety features are required, such as a boundary fence or safety cover. A de-mountable swimming pool above ground level does not need an approved plan.

• A garden wall is a structure.

• Carports and lapas with roofs are structures.

As pertains to permanent structures, the following steps should be taken:

• Obtain confirmation as to whether the town planning scheme will allow further extensions (coverage, floor area ratio, building lines).

• Appoint an architect or technologist to draw up plans.

• Appoint an engineer to certify plans.

• Get plans approved by the body corporate and lodge with city council.

SECTIONAL TITLES MANAGEMENT ACT (NO. 8 OF 2017)

Purpose of Act

To provide for the establishment of bodies corporate to manage and regulate sections and common property in sectional titles schemes and for that purpose to apply rules applicable to such schemes; to establish a sectional titles schemes management advisory council; and to provide for matters connected therewith. The effect of this

is that the body corporate and not the trustees or managing agent is ultimately responsible if any illegal actions occur.

SPATIAL PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT ACT

(NO. 16 OF 2013; SPLUMA)

SPLUMA aims to develop a new framework to govern planning permissions and approvals, sets parameters for new developments, and provides for different lawful land uses in South Africa. SPLUMA is a framework law, which means that the law provides broad principles for a set of municipal laws that will regulate planning.

Certain municipalities have included sectional titles in their by-laws. SPLUMA cannot override the Sectional Titles Act, but the scheme must comply with all town planning scheme stipulations. In general, these by-laws are much stricter when it comes to compliance with the Sectional Titles Act and building regulations. If there are illegal structures, the council might require additional actions like new building plans, environmental impact studies and the upgrading of services.

COMMUNITY SCHEMES OMBUD SERVICE ACT

(NO. 9 OF 2017; CSOS)

The CSOS is the ombudsman for all

community schemes in South Africa. It provides a dispute resolution service, regulates and monitors the quality of all community scheme governance documentation, provides training and consumer awareness. (This Act will not be discussed in Part 2 of this article series.)

DEEDS REGISTRIES ACT (NO. 47 OF 1947)

Once all criteria have been met and the sectional title plan has been approved at the Surveyor General, the extension of the scheme can be registered in the Deeds Office.

Way forward

To ensure compliance, the following steps must be followed in conjunction with the services of a professional, registered land surveyor:

- Obtain a copy of the approved sectional title plan from the Surveyor General.

- The body corporate must supply a copy of the approved building plan and zoning certificate to the land surveyor.

- The land surveyor will scrutinise the sectional title plan, site development plan, building plan and town planning requirements. (Land surveyors perform these tasks because they are ultimately responsible for sign-off before issuing certificates.) The land surveyor might

appoint an architect, town planner and other officials to assist.

- Appoint an engineer and fire specialist to do a site inspection to identify any areas that needs attention or any problems that might arise.

- The body corporate is required to assist the land surveyor by preparing a bill of quantities for various professionals for quotation purposes. Body corporates must ensure that the necessary funds are available for the various processes.

Property ownership founds and builds societies. This is the rationale for the multifaceted legislation that exists in South Africa and worldwide. Employing a professionally registered land surveyor ensures that owners have security of tenure. The same applies when it comes to the legal approval of any building or extension.

*Altus Strydom is a professional land surveyor and chairperson: Northern Provinces at the South African Geomatics Institute (SAGI).

• Highly economical

• Easy assembly, even at elevated

• Robust steel tank with high life expectancy • Replaceable liner allows for extended life

A leading provider of geospatial technologies and value-add services

OPTRON offers a wide range of advanced positioning solutions, ideally suited for the municipal engineering environment. These solutions comprise the latest-technology hardware and software combined with customeroriented, value-add services, to streamline workflows and maximise productivity.

In partnership with Trimble, OPTRON supplies and supports geospatial products and services in most countries across subSaharan Africa, directly and indirectly through a select network of local resellers and agents.

Over the past 34 years, the company has been specialising in location-based products and services – helping geospatial professionals improve performance and supporting best practices in various industries, as well as local municipalities.

OPTRON provides end-to-end solutions through an in-depth understanding of customer requirements and challenges. This includes professional services like technology consultation, software development, workflow integration, data and IT architecture, and business process design – to ensure that organisations derive maximum business benefit from the latest technologies on offer.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once said: “The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again.”

This statement rings especially true in the geospatial environment, where some amazing technologies have matured over the past few years.

Trimble SiteVision

An example of this is the new Trimble SiteVision augmented reality system. This solution unlocks and simplifies the use of geospatial information by allowing you to see your data in the real world – from property lines to underground services to conceptual designs – making it the ideal tool for public and contractor engagement during the planning process, as well as throughout the project life cycle.

SiteVision enables you to confidently access and visualise the full potential of your data, both above ground and below in real time and in the real world – using your mobile device. With the demand to capture and update geospatial data accurately and reliably, SiteVision helps to create efficient deliverables and drives good decision-making based on the best information available.

Whether it’s planning, inspection, collaboration or reporting, SiteVision enables the user to quickly access data to view and share –no more searching for plans and drawings. If it’s in the model, the user can simply tap and view the attributes to confirm database integrity, improve safety and enhance awareness on-site.

The solution promotes engagement and collaboration between government offices, inspectors and public stakeholders, which ultimately helps save time and money.

Imagine if you could see things that are hidden or that don’t actually exist yet. With Trimble® SiteVision™ you can SiteVision brings geospatial data to life so you can easily visualise, explore and understand complex information with unrivalled accuracy, right from your mobile device

The arrival of the digital twins

Imagine Fornite meets Minecraft meets the real-world city you live and work in – what a computer game that would be. Imagine working in a data-rich 5D on-screen world that updates in real time and in which you can play ‘what if’ scenarios. We’re actually there right now. By Chris Kirchhoff*

Take an accurate 3D representation of reality, be it your factory, sewage works, a portion of the CBD or an entire city. Now add to this the fourth dimension of how this world and its surrounding environment – such as weather, traffic, population growth and supporting services – drive changes over time. Then, layer behind this income, expenses and flow of money, as the fifth dimension, and you have yourself a digital twin.

The growing internet of things (IoT) enables data to stream backwards and forwards between our real world and our computers. That enables this ‘game’ to work. The IoT enables us to livestream data from the urban environment. This is what’s moved our old-fashioned 3D maps into live digital representations of the real world. This is how a digital twin becomes a dynamic everchanging representation of reality, providing us with both reactive and predictive feedback.

For reactive feedback, we can consider that as live traffic data comes in, we can adjust

traffic flows to ensure better peak-time use of the current roads in our city. Predictive feedback is when we use our digital twin to do future planning. Examples include simulations of population growth or cost increases or droughts to understand how best to allocate the finite resources available in the most sustainable manner.

You can look at a digital twin as a Wi-Fi-enabled Lego set. Are you considering a new taxi rank? Imaging putting together a Lego model of the planned rank. As you make changes, you have a dashboard of data showing you how many people you can move through the rank, how peak-time traffic flows around the rank will change and, critically, how your residents can save time moving through the rank.

Once the taxi rank is built, you can add sensors such as traffic count, temperature, water and sewage flows, and cameras. This allows for your digital twin to suggest, in real time, how to reactively use the resources in the rank most efficiently.

Modelling evolution

In the last century, the first digital 3D models of our environment began to emerge. Over the past 40 years or so, the 3D CAD model has grown into a building information model (BIM). The latter includes a 3D illustration of our building or environment, as well as implanted metadata about the components that make up the model. So, what are the tools needed to create a digital twin?

As a foundation, you need accurate, up-todate geospatial data – the ‘where’. The upside is that mapping has become super-efficient. By combining laser or lidar scanning with aeroplaneor drone-based aerial mapping, a 3D model of the built environment can be efficiently collected.

There are three main mapping tools to consider. Within the subsurface world, ground-penetrating radar is the main one. Radar and electromagnetic pulses reveal the location of services such as electrical and communication cables.

Above ground, terrestrial laser scanning enables you to collect accurate street- and ground-level information such as roads, building footprint service access points, street furniture and terrain models.

For larger areas, traditional aerial mapping – using a combination of lidar (laser) and photogrammetric techniques – is the best way to build the 3D model upwards from ground level. Recent advances in cameras now allow for the vertical view and the sides of buildings to be captured. This means the digital model can now accurately depict building façades and provides more understanding on how a building interacts with its outside world.

The ‘what’ and ‘why’

The beauty of drone mapping is its costefficiency and data collection simplicity, as well as the continual updating of the digital twin as the environment changes. Without a strong foundation of good, continually updated 3D data, the trust in the predictive ability of the digital twin will be eroded.

The next step in the twin is the ‘what’. What is changing in the data flow? To understand this, a collection of sensors and data-gathering tools are positioned in the real world. The digital twin is then updated with these sensor positions. Again, this highlights the importance of good 3D mapping. If the 3D model is poor, it will be hard to understand where the sensor data is coming from.

Sensors will measure parameters like weather information, pedestrian foot flows, traffic counts, services use (such as water, sewage and electricity) and internet data use, which

are all fantastic for determining human density and rate of movement. This data can be combined with social media monitoring for feedback on how the cityscape is being used, as well as user behaviour. Think of these as the nerves of the twin.

The third step is the ‘why’. Why is the world changing? The resultant changes, shown in the sensor information, are the basis for informed decisions taken by the users of the digital twin model. This is where the changing relationship between people and the built environment is being modelled in real time. A combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence allows for the insights being collected by the geospatially positioned sensors to be converted into actions.

assist in the justification of an improved maintenance budget.

• Public feedback: municipalities can export the digital twin dashboards into a public forum where communities can provide feedback in an interactive manner that promotes buy-in from residents.

This is the last step in the data value chain that has been created by the building of a digital twin. Multiple data sources with position, time and cost information are now combined and synthesised into actionable data. This is the ‘brain’ of the twin.

“The influence of a digital twin is in its ability to help decision-makers derive new insights and inform better decisions, providing a holistic visualisation of infrastructure asset information and performance,” says Robert Mankowski of Bentley Systems.

Benefits for municipal infrastructure

To appreciate the influence that digital twins can have on improving municipal management, consider the following possibilities:

• Clear insights for improved infrastructure: instead of different departments each having some form of spreadsheet that shows costs and work done, this is all combined and the historic data can be used to predict growth bottlenecks and the allocation of limited resources. The decisions made are based on data-driven insights.

• Make infrastructure last longer and be more resilient: by understanding how the built environment is being used and where the pressure points are, it is possible to plan for early maintenance that will allow for the infrastructure to last longer. Rather than reacting to failures in infrastructure, the digital twin will model the cost of early maintenance and

• Improved planning: by using the historic data collected by the digital twins, with predictive modelling methodologies, far better scenario planning can be carried out. Using 3D visualisation techniques from virtual gaming, it is possible to provide a far clearer future vision and to test these models with different financial and resource inputs. Virtual testing of scenarios minimises wasted physical materials, labour and energy.

• Improved team coordination and communications: by having a central realtime data source, all departments can look at and understand operational decisions as they are made.

In closing, by breaking down existing silos and combining them into a single source, digital twin information is democratised and becomes a facilitator. A recent smart cities report prepared by Sue Tabbitt perfectly summarised this, stating that “A state-of-the-art digital twin is essentially an integrated, centralised platform (or ‘nerve centre’), where diverse information about assets and associated services is combined, monitored, analysed and acted upon. It can be a critical facilitator of transformation – delivering benefits across all phases of the life cycle of designing, running and maintaining/ improving local infrastructure, whether within a single organisation or across an entire city.”

*Chris Kirchhoff is a professional land surveyor (PLS0962) at 5DGEO Professional Land Surveyors. Email: chris@5dgeo.co.za

Planning for KZN’s bulk water needs

The approximate 30-year projection for potable water supply in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is 3 000 Mℓ/day. In order to meet this, Umgeni Water compiles an annual Bulk Water Infrastructure Master Plan (IMP) to highlight the infrastructure needed and ensure adequate planning. By Kevin Meier*

The total bulk water supply capacity for KZN at present is only about 1 500 Mℓ/day. The shortfall between demand and supply can be attributed to the following:

• increasing water demand as service levels in communities improve

• ageing infrastructure and lack of maintenance causing high levels of water loss

• insufficient resource or infrastructure supply capacity constraints

• unserved (backlog) areas that still require a reliable source and supply of water.

In June 2020, an update of the Umgeni Water IMP was published to include not only planning within Umgeni Water’s supply area, but also the remaining areas within KZN. This IMP is available on Umgeni Water’s website: www.umgeni. co.za/infrastructure-master-plans.

The pragmatic approach to developing this IMP follows below.

Identification of supply systems

Water resource supply considerations are as important as the infrastructure supplying the demand. The raw water source must be planned to supply the present and future demand of an area for the full length of the planned forecast period. In compiling the Bulk Water IMP for KZN, Umgeni Water divided the province into supply systems (as shown in Figure 1). These systems include water resource areas (catchments) and the water supply ‘footprints’

(homogeneous areas supplied with water from a node/reservoir).

Unfortunately, municipal boundaries do not follow water resource/supply system boundaries and the plans for supply to a municipality may have to be drawn from more than one of the 10 volumes of the Umgeni Water IMP.

Demand assessment and forecast

Umgeni Water has determined supply footprints (as shown in Figure 2) throughout the province. A supply footprint is a

homogeneous supply area that has the same source of water and same level of service.

In areas where water supply is metered, the actual volume of supply is used as a baseline and a 30-year forecast is determined from that baseline.

In backlogged or unreported rural areas, demographics were used to determine an expected demand based on a minimum supply of 100 ℓ per capita per day. The 30year forecast is determined for each of the supply footprint areas using natural growth estimates, migration to or from the area, and potential development of the supply footprint.

FIGURE 1 Systems as defined in the Umgeni Water IMP

Water resources yield determination

It is important to determine the amount of water that can be supplied within a supply system or subsystem during drought years. Whether the source of water is run of river or from a dam or a borehole, the amount of water that can be abstracted during a drought is affected by the size of the catchment, dam, river or aquifer, as well as the capacity of the catchment to return water to these sources.

The amount of water that can be abstracted in a drought year is termed ‘yield’ and should be determined for all water resource supply areas at a minimum of a 1:50 return period drought (worst drought in 50 years).

These yield values were identified from studies or were estimated for supply notes when compiling the IMP. As an example, the yield of the Mgeni System at a 1:100-year return period is presented in Figure 3, together with the projected demand of the system. It is clear that the current resource has to be augmented to increase the yield so that the future demands can be supplied (increased yield in 2015 as a result of the construction of Spring Grove Dam). The project identified to increase this yield is the uMkhomazi Water Project.

Development of water supply schematics

Water supply schematics are developed for each supply system or subsystem. These schematics include a base case, which depicts the infrastructure that currently exists to supply the area and additional schematics to show the infrastructure that should be developed over the 30-year forecast period.

Specific infrastructure capacity constraints

Within each supply system, the capacity constraints of each individual infrastructure component are assessed and recommendations are made as to whether these components should be upgraded over the demand period.

In the example shown in Figure 4, the historical supply from the Midmar Water Treatment Plant is analysed to determine how often the plant has operated above the optimum operating capacity and how often it has operated above the design capacity (0% of the time in this scenario), so that potential augmentation can be planned well in advance.

FIGURE 2 Situational analysis: demographics and growth rates

It must be noted that details of much of the infrastructure positioned outside of Umgeni Water’s operating area are not well documented and hence this type of analysis could not be undertaken for many of the plants managed by water services authorities (WSAs). However, this in itself has highlighted a need to confirm infrastructure attributes or operating parameters and discussions have and will continue to be held with WSAs to ensure adequate metering of supply points such as water treatment plants.

Recommended projects

Using the information and analysis described above, recommendations are made as to infrastructure that should be developed to meet the 30-year supply need for all areas. Some of these projects take the form of infrastructure to augment existing systems. In other cases, entire bulk water supply

schemes are recommended for supply to areas that do not have a reliable supply.

Universal access to water supply throughout KZN

As a parallel process to the development of the IMP, Umgeni Water has commissioned three phases of a Universal Access Plan (UAP) for water in the province, which can be found here: www.umgeni.co.za/ infrastructure-planning.

The UAP is a strategy that has been developed by Umgeni Water, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The first phase of this UAP was completed in 2014 and included recommended short-term interventions that could be developed to ensure universal supply throughout the province.

The second phase highlighted potential bulk supply schemes that could be developed to ensure universal access to water throughout the province. This version only included the source of water, the water treatment plants and the supply to a command reservoir. The third phase of the UAP, to be completed in

FIGURE 3 Yield of the Mgeni System showing the projected growth in forecast demand

October 2020, further extends the bulk water supply components to include the secondary bulk infrastructure required to deliver water to specific water supply footprints/nodes.

Many of the plans developed in the UAP phases have formed or will ultimately form recommended projects in the future updates of the IMP. The total estimated cost of developing bulk water supply infrastructure

to achieve universal access in the province is approximately R100 billion. This includes the capital needed to construct bulk and secondary bulk infrastructure but does not include estimates for reticulation.

The above plans are a good starting point to developing the infrastructure needed to supply all consumers in the province. These plans will be further developed in the future updates of

FIGURE 4 Twelve-month operating statistics for the Midmar Water Treatment Plant

the Umgeni Water IMP and, where possible, detailed feasibility studies will be undertaken to start these projects along a path that will ultimately lead to full construction. The real challenge now is to determine not only how this infrastructure can be funded, but also how it can be maintained once it is developed, as many of the WSAs in the province do not recover sufficient funds from water sales to support even the operating costs of this infrastructure.

Acknowledgements: Umgeni Water’s Planning Services Department and other staff for developing the format and content of this valuable plan. The team of Umgeni Water, DWS and CoGTA for facilitating development of the UAP phases.

*Kevin Meier is a manager: Planning Services at Umgeni Water.

Save water this festive season

As companies shut down and families head off on holiday, it is important to ensure continued water conservation over the holiday season.

The National Water and Sanitation Master Plan states that, in order to achieve water security, all water users in all sectors in South Africa must use water more efficiently. It also states that, on average, each person in South Africa uses 64 litres per day more than the global average. It is, therefore, vital to practise water-wise behaviour over the holiday period, when domestic consumption often rises.

Tips at home:

- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

- Take short showers.

- Install water-efficient showerheads and faucets.

- Fix leaking taps and toilets, which are major water wasters.

- Use hand sanitiser where possible.

- Check for leaks regularly and monitor your water consumption on your meter.

- Only run your dishwasher when it’s full.

- Minimise how often you wash your car.

- Collect rainwater in buckets or tanks for watering the garden and flushing toilets.

- Only water your garden before 06:00 or after 18:00 and use a rain meter to monitor how much water you use.

- Don’t allow children to use water-based toys, such as slip-and-slides, which waste large amounts of water.

- If you have a pool, don’t fill it to the top –splashing leads to waste – and use a pool cover to reduce evaporation by up to 90%.

Tips while travelling and staying in holiday accommodation:

- Ensure all taps are tightly closed before leaving home and check for any leaks. If possible, shut off the supply at the water main to prevent any water wastage.

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- If you have a sprinkler system, install a timer and set it to turn on after 18:00.

- Don’t use bottled water – it requires significantly more water to produce. Use a refillable water bottle instead.

- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

- In hotels or holiday accommodation, use your towels for three days before asking for them to be washed.

- Use hand sanitiser where possible.

- Report leaking taps and wasteful water usage to the facilities/hotel management.

- When in hotels or other accommodation, practise the same water saving that you do at home – e.g. take short showers rather than bathing. Every drop spared helps the country save water.

- Dispose of all disposable masks in a responsible manner to help reduce pollution.

Changing attitudes

With most water systems in South Africa already at the point of overutilisation, changing the attitudes and behaviour around water use and conservation is vital. To achieve this goal, Rand Water’s Water Wise campaign has been forging partnerships and developing relationships for over two decades, bringing its messaging to Gauteng and South Africa.

All water users – from bulk customers (such as municipalities and mines) to business, the hospitality industry, local authorities and individual households – must use water efficiently and sustainably.

Challenges, opportunities and practical implementation

The president has made an audacious undertaking in placing infrastructure at the centre of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

By Gundo Maswime*

The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan will involve a deliberate removal of regulatory barriers that increase costs and create delays and inefficiencies in infrastructure delivery. This intervention should, according to the plan, unlock private sector investment and enable massive infrastructure roll-out with a strong localisation drive. The plan was announced with impressive detail and follows on the

back of an unprecedented infrastructure investment summit and a launch of an infrastructure development fund based at the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Over the last six months, Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, head of the Infrastructure Investment Office in the Presidency, has graced more than 30 virtual interactions with various stakeholders on the sharpened vision the state has for the development of the construction sector. On each

platform, the theme is succinct, and the message consistent:

• The government will make it easy for the public sector to raise money from the private sector and is thus calling all private sector players to the table.

• The government is calling on all municipalities to be more coordinated and deliberate in their infrastructure plans within their regions to optimise the impact of the projects.

• The government will do this using local material and will ensure transformation even on the supplier’s side of the value chain.

• The government will ensure that wateruse licenses and environmental impact assessments are not causing delays in project commencement.

Removing barriers

There is no doubt that infrastructure can anchor sustained economic growth and provide employment opportunities, more so noting the direct reference to labourintensive construction and localisation targets for construction materials.

However, the drive to transform the country into a construction site has brought into sharp focus the main issues that limit the optimisation of the construction industry. It was therefore a relief to the sector that the president had something to say about the main impediments to the optimisation of the sector’s contribution to the industry. To this end, the diagnostic abilities and the policymaking acumen of the state are commendable.

But there is a certain type of anxiety that the sector can be excused for having. Listening to the president outline the Economic Recovery Plan, it is unsettling to realise that there is no issue raised in the speech as a challenge in the industry that was not already covered by the 1997 green paper entitled Creating an Enabling Environment for Reconstruction, Growth and Development in the Construction Industry.

In the 2020 Economic Recovery Plan, the president refers to removing regulatory barriers and approving a waiver on stringent and unnecessary licence approvals. The 1997 green paper already noted that the regulatory framework inhibits innovation, initiative and impedes industry development. In fact, on 30 April 2015, the Office of the Presidency issued a statement saying that “regulatory delays were being improved through efficient issuing of water-use licences and more focused environmental impact assessment”.

The president refers to adapting an infrastructure procurement framework to enable private funding and public-private partnerships. The 1997 green paper had

already noted the “ambiguity in the legal framework governing procurement as a reason for lack of innovation and inability of the sector to attract external funding”. In practice, it remains impossible to raise funding from the public sector for infrastructure development without exposing the municipality to an audit finding or internal strife being found to have overlooked one of the many requirements that seem to be intended to ensure external funding doesn’t happen.

In government, any ‘avantgarde’ transaction such as private funding for infrastructure will be scandalised by the media. Smart meters will be an immediate example that Dr Ramokgopa (as mayor of Tshwane) can relate to and bus rapid transit is one that Minister Patricia de Lille (as mayor of Cape Town) can attest to. For this reason, all self-preserving officials would rather do nothing and be accused of a lack of service delivery rather than unauthorised expenditure, which is called corruption in the media.

Major challenges

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes that we have made as a country on the infrastructure front was to fail to differentiate infrastructure procurement from general procurement. Infrastructure projects worth billions of rand sit with supply chain departments across the country, waiting in the queue with furniture, stationery and fleet tenders to be evaluated and adjudicated. It is the same supply chain personnel that do both.

The constant stoppages of projects by subcontractors are the other albatross on the neck of the construction sector. This problem was also clearly anticipated by the 1997 green paper and the state allowed a decentralised contractor development process to unfold. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government led the pack with its well-organised Vuk’uphile Contractor Development programme.

But just when thousands of emerging contractors were starting to develop and assert themselves as future construction industry champions, National Treasury promulgated a regulation prohibiting set-asides. All contractor development programmes were frozen in mid-air and

the contractors that had tasted real money decided to recruit thugs to take the fight to various construction sites. That was the birth of the so-called construction mafia.

Today, these have managed to cost the industry billions of rand in stoppages and contract cancellations. I suspect that this risk has a significant sway in the delay of the expansion of the Gautrain rail network because the investors are not sure how they will resolve the problem of violent stoppages that have become the norm in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and many other regions. Even the police do not seem to know what to do about the issue.

The industry’s self-regulation includes professional associations that, in their proliferation, are characteristic of the industry’s damaging fragmentation. There are many role players laying claim to self-regulation. All past attempts at standardisation have yielded very limited success. Now, this whole scenario is also straight out of the 1997 green paper but is probably just as true today.

Moving forward

There are three important pointers that inspire confidence that, this time around, there is hope for success. The first one is that the government has shown an appetite to confront the ghosts that have spooked the industry for a while. The second one is the appointment of a head of infrastructure investment in the presidency that is evangelising the industry and becoming a pivotal point for the industry to anchor itself. Dr Ramokgopa and Minister De Lille have become a new axis for all things infrastructure.

This is an open policy window that the sector must take advantage of to make lasting changes to the industry. State officials can take the message literally by finding ways to pay contractors on time. Onerous requirements and elaborate documents and approvals must be put into perspective. Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms must be adopted to eliminate delays in project completion.

*Gundo Maswime is a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and a researcher in public infrastructure.

t: +27 (031)266 3263

e: conference@imesa.org.za marketing@imesa.org.za www.imesa.org.za

Awards

honour the best in engineering

The country’s leading built environment professionals recently gathered for the 2019 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards to celebrate South Africa’s excellence in engineering.

This year’s awards, hosted virtually by Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) and sponsored by Aon South Africa, celebrated innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship, and professionalism.

“The awards focus on consulting engineers and their clients who participate in or initiate projects that promote the advancement of our nation and the people of the continent. CESA recognises contributions of young professionals to the engineering profession and initiatives to transform and sustain the future,” says Chris Campbell, CEO, CESA.

The project entries and winners are as follows:

Mega projects with a value greater than R1 billion

WINNER: SMEC South Africa | Provision of Water and Sanitation to Informal

Settlements and Schools in eThekwini Municipality (Phase

3)

Before 2007, the eThekwini Health Department was tasked with rolling out a project aimed at providing communal ablution share blocks to informal settlements.

The Sanitation Phase 3 project directly addresses the need to remedy the severely adverse conditions experienced by the inhabitants of numerous informal settlements within eThekwini Municipality through the provision of basic water and sanitation facilities. This is demonstrated through the delivery of over 430 communal ablution facilities to over 34 informal

SMEC South Africa delivered over 430 communal ablution facilities in eThekwini

settlements, serving more than 118 000 people across the city.

The overall project budget exceeded R1.7 billion and continued over a fourand-a-half-year period. The project was geared towards contributing to the municipality’s social and economic agenda and demonstrated this successfully through the inclusion of labour-intensive construction methods and thereby the provision of economic opportunities for the local community.

OTHER ENTRIES:

Zutari | Lower Thukela Bulk Water Supply Scheme

Projects with a value between R250 million and R1 billion

WINNER: Zutari | Upgrade and Extension of Stellenbosch Wastewater Treatment Plant

In 2011, the Stellenbosch Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) was operating over-capacity, dilapidated and struggling to meet effluent compliance. With the limited funds at hand, Stellenbosch Municipality appointed Zutari (formerly Aurecon) as consulting engineer, to upgrade the plant in 2014.

The project comprised an upgrade of the plant to a full biological nutrient removal process that is capable of handling up to

35 Mℓ/day average dry weather flow. This upgrade comprised a new inlet works, a new 27 Mℓ/day membrane biological reactor (MBR) lane, the rejuvenation of the existing plant to an 8 Mℓ/day conventional activated sludge (CAS) plant with UV disinfection, and new sludge treatment facilities.

The plant is fully automated with a stateof-the-art control system and is designed to be energy efficient. In addition, it was designed so that it can be easily retrofitted with a direct potable reuse facility and biogas-to-energy facility in the future.

The Stellenbosch WWTW was commissioned in March 2019 and is currently the largest MBR WWTW in South Africa.

COMMENDATION: Zutari | 144 Oxford Road, Office Building

OTHER ENTRY: SiVEST SA | Sappi Saiccor Mill – Woodyard Upgrade

Projects with a value of between R50 million and R250 million

WINNER: Tirisano Consulting Engineers | Additional Shopping Area for Wonderpark Spar

Despite constrictive workspace, the construction of the superstructure experienced no downtime and activities could be staggered to accelerate the programme, so that the client was able to

open its doors for business two days sooner than the original deadline.

Ingenuity, originality and innovation are displayed by the utilisation of the extremely limited space: three entrances, lower-level parking, and a first of its kind ‘travellator’ in Middelburg to transport customers –especially the disabled – under cover.

Effective utilisation of the ‘plan, do, check, improve/act’ planning cycle and values embraced by the Tirisano team prevented unnecessary and costly mistakes. The implementation was smooth and effortless due to the modular design philosophy and detailed information on the drawings. In turn, complex problems were solved by simple solutions – the trademark of an experienced designer.

As testimony to these and allied elements, the project was awarded ‘Super Spar of the Year’ on the criteria of innovative design, aesthetic appeal, energy and resourcesaving concepts.

COMMENDATION: Hatch | Midmar Water Treatment Works Upgrade

COMMENDATION: Naidu Consulting | Mabhobhane River Bridge over the Tugela River

OTHER ENTRIES:

• Hatch | uMshwathi Regional Bulk Water Supply Scheme Phase 2

• Knight Piésold | Stock Road: Govan Mbeki to R300

• Nathoo Mbenyane Engineers | Lusushwana Bulk Water Scheme

Projects with a value less than R50 million

WINNER: Naidu Consulting | eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge

Located in the Philani valley of uMlazi, a sewer trunk line encased in reinforced concrete and acting as a low-level pedestrian crossing was rendered vulnerable and impassable. Restoring and protecting the existing sewer line from further damage was not cost-effective, and a pedestrian crossing was desperately required by the communities.

eThekwini Municipality appointed Naidu Consulting to deliver a much-needed solution for the safe crossing of the eZimbokodweni River in conjunction with an upgraded sewer line.

The deck of the resultant 160 m long eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge is pre-stressed and comprises six equal spans. The bridge stands approximately 10 m above the existing riverbed, with a box girder deck that accommodates

The newly upgraded Stellenbosch Wastewater Treatment Plant, completed by Zutari

a 1 000 mm diameter HDPE gravity sewer pipeline.

The bridge is the first bridge in South Africa to utilise photoluminescent ‘glow in the dark’ polymer concrete handrails and posts. This illuminates the bridge and approaching foot paths at night, increasing pedestrian safety and eliminating the high costs of conventional electricity, as well as vandalism and cable theft. It is also a solution that is maintenance free, with a long-term cost saving to the client.

OTHER ENTRY: SMEC South Africa | V&A Waterfront Swing Bridge

Best international project

WINNER: MPAMOT Ruben Reddy Architects

JV | Cote D’Or National Sports Complex

The Cote D’Or National Sports Complex was initiated to provide Mauritius with world-class venues for the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games. It now provides legacy sporting facilities for Mauritius and the wider Indian Ocean region.

The Indian Ocean Games JV, formed by Mott MacDonald Africa (now MPAMOT) and Ruben Reddy Architects, was responsible for the complete architectural and engineering design services for the project, and drew on team members based in nine countries.

Ingenuity was crucial in dealing with the limited resources available in Mauritius. Much of what was needed to make the project a reality had to be imported from a dozen countries, and meticulous management of intercountry

The eZimbokodweni Pipe and Pedestrian Bridge uses photoluminescent polymer concrete handrails and posts

logistics ensured they were on-site exactly when needed.

Despite facing multiple challenges, the Côte D'Or National Sports Complex was inaugurated on 15 July 2019.

OTHER ENTRIES:

• Knight Piésold | Construction of Neckartal Dam and Phase 1 Bulk Water Supply

• Zutari | Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam and Hydropower Station, Nigeria

Lifetime industry achievement award

RECOGNITION: Llewellyn Pike

Visionary client of the year

RECOGNITION: Western Cape Department of Health

Engineering technology and innovation | HVAC in building design

COMMENDATION: AOS Consulting

Engineers | New Orange Data Centre and Office, Botswana

Business excellence

WINNER: Naidu Consulting

OTHER ENTRY: BVi Consulting Engineers

Small/medium company of the year

WINNER: ROMH Consulting

OTHER ENTRY: Daveng Consulting Engineers

Mentor of the year

RECOGNITION: Pierre Cronje | Naidu Consulting

Mentoring company of the year

WINNER: Naidu Consulting

OTHER ENTRY: Nathoo Mbenyane Engineers

Young engineer of the year

JOINT WINNER:

SMEC South Africa | Yolan Pillay

JOINT WINNER: Zutari | Lloyd Fisher-Jeffes

OTHER ENTRIES:

• HN Consulting Engineers | Ntembeko Zifuku

• ROMH Consulting | Kholwani Dube

Publisher of the year

WINNER | TRADE PUBLICATIONS: Creamer Media

WINNER | DAILY NEWSPAPERS: Independent Online (IOL)

Constructing the additional shopping area for Wonderpark Spar in a very constrictive workspace

New V&A bridge swings into operation

Both fixed and moving bridges within South Africa’s oldest working harbour, the V&A Waterfront, have become a memorable part of any visitor’s experience. To keep up with increasing foot traffic, a new 4 m swing bridge was commissioned to replace a smaller, much-loved 2 m wide swing bridge built in 1997.

As the V&A Waterfront expanded, the number of people crossing the swing bridge was increasing yearly; by 2016, the previous 2 m wide walkway was carrying 2.4 million people annually. To keep pace with the demand, a new, wider bridge was commissioned. The challenge set by the client was:

• The new bridge had to be as quick, efficient, effective and reliable as the existing one.

• The construction cost had to stay within a tight budget.

• The works had to limit disruption to the public, the V&A and the environment.

Selecting the right design

SMEC South Africa was appointed to design the new bridge, and the team worked through various options for the new link. The bridge had to be capable of operating in wind speeds of up to 60 km/h, designed for impact by a

vessel from both directions and swing free in such a way as to protect the mechanical equipment.

A swing bridge was deemed to still be the best solution in terms of the speed of operation and electrical energy needed to operate it. Two different types of swing bridges were considered and compared. The first option was to replace the existing bridge with a wider version of itself, while the second option was to design a completely new swing bridge that used a conventional slewing bearing to rotate the bridge deck.

In the final review, the slewing bearing option was preferred, as it was considered to offer a more sustainable solution. Slewing bearings are tried and tested in both pedestrian bridge and industrial applications. Their large diameter provides greater overturning moment resistance and hence a cablestayed bridge with no backstays could be conceived. This was attractive in that

The new bridge being placed into position

it limited the works that had to be done on the quayside. It also allowed for the bridge superstructure to be fabricated and assembled off-site and then barged and lifted into place, complete, on a single day.

This was important, as the existing bridge had to remain operational for as long as possible during the construction of the new bridge, in order to minimise disruption to the V&A and its visitors.

It was decided that the new bridge should be positioned adjacent to the original one, allowing for the new foundations to be constructed while the original bridge remained operational. The nose of the new bridge had to, however, land at the same spot as the existing one.

Final design

After considering the functional aspects of making the bridge move, the design team took on the task of developing a final form that would add to the experience of the

Waterfront. Both architect and engineer had the idea to combine the pylon and spine beam into a single form, tensioned by the stays.

The desired effect of a continuous sweeping line was created by running a continuous capping element along the length of the pylon and spine. The capping element was detailed to sit proud of the structure so that its lines could be easily followed. The recess created was used for architectural lighting that would accentuate the continuous line at night.

The deck is cable-stayed with a single plane of four locked coil cables connecting to the central, upstand spine beam. The reclining pylon is in the continuity of the main central beam and its stiffness transfers the cable loads into the piled substructure. The steel with timber deck is rotated on a slewing bearing, which is stressed down on to a doughnut-shaped pile cap by 34 vertical Freyssibars.

The bridge is supported on eight piles, positioned in a ring.

The slew bearing and hydraulic motors are in a plant room, created by the pile cap ring. By forming the pile cap in this way, it was possible to house the mechanics within the depth of the foundations, reducing the required excavation depth and keeping the foundations above sea level.

Construction challenges

Two of the unique difficulties experienced by the contractor were the limited available space on-site and the proximity to the public. Piling a metre away from pedestrians using a functioning moving bridge comes with challenges. Noise, vibrations and debris therefore had to be closely monitored throughout the process.

One of the key considerations during the piling operations was the stability of the quay wall. The 19th century quay is a stone-packed wall positioned on the

South Africa

The recessed lighting effects

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Surpassing 100 years of product excellence.

• Pipes

• Culverts

• Manholes

• Poles

• Retaining walls

• Roadside furniture

edge of a rock shelf. The fill material behind is mostly loose rocks, sand and stones. The piling operations were carefully considered and monitored to ensure that the quay wall would not be compromised during construction.

The ODEX (eccentric overburden drilling) piling technique with predrilled and grouted pilot holes was chosen at this bridge site due to the ground conditions. The pilot holes were grouted up to: improve the drill hole integrity; reduce the potential for the piling bit becoming ‘stuck’ within the loose fill material; and prevent blowing out the quay wall through the air pockets within the fill.

The steel superstructure was fabricated off-site and brought to the V&A Waterfront in three pieces where it was assembled and welded together on a nearby jetty. A trial assembly at the fabrication yard ensured a good fit on-site. The deck was fully assembled on the jetty, complete with stay cables, handrails and timber decking. The cables, however, could not be stressed until the deck was stressed down on to the foundations.

While the deck was being completed on the jetty, the adaptor ring and slewing bearing were installed.

Final installation

On Tuesday 21 May 2019, the existing bridge was decommissioned, and disassembly began. That Friday, the new bridge deck was loaded on to a barge parked adjacent to the jetty. Early the next morning, the barge transported the bridge deck to site where it was lifted and placed in position.

For one month, the public was ferried across the channel while the cables were stressed, the deck level adjusted, the deck and handrail details completed, the pier head side abutment constructed, and the new barriers and gates installed.

The new V&A Waterfront swing bridge was officially opened to the public on 11 July 2019. The new 4 m wide walkway has improved pedestrian flow, while the mechanical system is able to open and close the bridge at the same high speed as its predecessor, which was shipped to Mauritius where it will continue its life at the Port Louis Waterfront.

The bridge’s integrated form is simple, unique and serves as an important link that is considered a positive landmark for both the V&A Waterfront and Cape Town.

Pile cap reinforcement

Restoring an iconic reservoir

Constructed in 1971, Durban Heights Reservoir 3 is one of the largest concrete structures of its kind in Southern Africa. With a storage capacity of 350 Mℓ, it supplies potable water to over 500 000 people in the surrounding area. This makes optimising its design life a key priority.

Durban Heights Reservoir 3 was recently restored following an approximately 14-month refurbishment programme

Shaped like a circus tent, the reservoir’s design is unique, with the roof made up of 120 steel post-stressed cables that radiate from the centre roof to the outer base support.

In 2003, a full diagnostic survey of the concrete roof panels was done. A variety of issues were identified, but of interest was the existence of a microclimate within the reservoir. This microclimate, with wet-dry cycles, creates a favorable environment for contaminants to be absorbed into the reinforced concrete panels, causing corrosion of the reinforcing.

Umgeni Water appointed Royal HaskoningDHV as the project engineer for the rehabilitation programme, with the works carried out by Smart Civils Construction. Based on the original diagnostic survey, rehabilitation proposals and the subsequent product trials, Sika’s solutions and products were deemed optimal for the project.

To gain access to the underside of the reservoir’s roof, Smart Civils erected some 550 tonnes of scaffolding

Repair process

To gain access to the underside of the reservoir’s roof, Smart Civils erected some 550 tonnes of scaffolding, in a bird-cage configuration, from the floor to just under the soffit. The scaffolding provided access to a quarter of the roof at any given time, before being dismantled and re-erected as the works progressed.

A decision was made to use SikaTop Armatec-110 EpoCem as the primary rebar protective coating for the concrete repair to protect the reinforcing of steel and inhibit corrosion. Due to the difficult conditions, Sika MonoTop-610 was used as a primer to the concrete substrate.

The decision to use Sika MonoTop-412 NFG as a repair mortar was due to its unique properties as an excellent wet spray mortar. This application method improved the compaction of repair mortar and increased the application rate of the product. Sika MonoTop-412 NFG also differentiates itself

as a one-component, polymer-modified, fibre-reinforced, low-shrinkage, structural repair mortar with Sika’s world-renowned Sika FerroGard-903 Plus corrosion inhibitor. Sika FerroGard-903 Plus delays the start of corrosion and reduces the corrosion rate when it occurs. It also increases the service life of a reinforced concrete structure

Sika’s carbon fibre fabric, impregnated with structural epoxy resin SikaWrap-230C, was used due to the age of the structure and minimal concrete cover.

The perfect product for refilling the ducts was Sika Injection-307 – a low-viscosity, elastic, polyacrylic injection resin that can be adjusted to set at a predetermined time, forming a passivating, permanently elastic matrix.

Panel coatings

Two protective coating systems were applied to the panels, namely Sika FerroGard-903 Plus and Sikagard-705 L, as the final protective coating. The latter is a singlecomponent, low-viscosity, solvent-free and reactive impregnation product for concrete and cementitious substrates based on silane. Its unique properties allow for moisture vapour to escape from the concrete panels, ensuring that they stay dry – thus preventing further ingress of contaminants.

The end result of all these interventions is a fully functional reservoir with a new lease on life.

An internal view of the reservoir

Precast systems that blend in

Unlike monolithic cast in situ structures, the precast concrete products designed for environmentally engineered projects are purpose-built to match the terrain. Two classic examples are permeable pavers and retaining-wall block systems.

The wall reaches up to 7.1 m at its highest point

Space

HARBOUR BAY SHOPPING PRECINCT

The blocks were placed on a layer works comprising a 100 mm sand fill, 100 mm G5 sub-base and a 50 mm laterite layer

A section of the Terracrete driveway

Permeable precast pavers not only promote effective stormwater drainage, but add an important aesthetic element to low-volume road designs. The installation techniques are also well-suited to labour-intensive construction techniques and SMMEs for a wide range of other project requirements. In addition to residential and commercial developments, these include riverbank erosion protection and steep embankment stabilisations, such as bridge abutments.

“A key feature of hard-lawn pavers is the way they blend in, providing a unique parklike or pastoral effect that adds value to any living space at a competitive cost compared to conventional, impermeable concrete block pavers,” says Holger Rust, founder of precast concrete manufacturer Terraforce. “Within the residential space, this makes our TerracreteTM interlocking hard-lawn blocks equally applicable for affordable housing and upmarket projects.”

Manufactured locally and internationally by Terraforce licensees, Terracrete was introduced to the South African market in 2002 and has a well proven track record for durability. The units, available in varying shapes and sizes, can be laid in different patterns and used with or without ground anchors, depending on the application.

Glen Dirk Estate case study

Terraforce evaluates the durability and sustainability of its installed products on an ongoing basis as part of its research and development programme. A recent example is a site visit to the Glen Dirk Estate in Constantia, Cape Town.

Late in 2017, 4 000 Terracrete blocks were installed to form driveway and parking areas. Some three years later, the vegetation is well established, and the system is functioning optimally.

For this installation, the blocks were placed on a layer works comprising a 100 mm sand fill, 100 mm G5 sub-base and a 50 mm laterite layer, cut to shape as needed around corners, and neatly finished with E1 edging. For the grass planting phase, the blocks were filled with topsoil and seeded with Cynodon dactylon, also known as Bermuda grass, which is a hardy, water-wise species.

“Acting as a natural filter, these versatile blocks positively contribute to the biodiversity and ecological value of the area, as well as provide a practical engineered solution,” adds Rust.

Harbour

Bay

Soil retention strategies are the mainstay of environmental engineering. Property developments, for example, often require cut and fill slopes that consequently need to be stabilised to prevent erosion by the elements.

A prime example is a project in Simon’s Town, which entailed the construction of a new lifestyle and shopping complex. Built into a hill in the Dido Valley, several steep and exposed cut slopes had to be stabilised. Terraforce’s retaining-wall system was subsequently specified and installed by the appointed contractor, Dassenberg Retaining Systems.

“The platform was handed over to us by Civils 2000 in late 2017,” comments Georg Brand of Dassenberg Retaining Systems. “We then hand excavated the footing and filled it with 25/19 MPa reinforced concrete. The bottom

third of the structure was installed with a double skin of Terraforce L11 blocks, which were also filled with 25/19 MPa concrete.”

Added reinforcement comprised Findrain 2 m c/c, Rockgrid 200/200 as tiebacks, and 3% sand-/cement-stabilised backfill. As a result, the Terraforce wall can carry a surcharge of 10 kN/m², 1.5 m away from the top, which comes in at 7.1 m above the parking area.

“One of the challenges we faced on-site was presented by a natural spring situated in the hill above the development,” adds Brand. “A soak-away had to be designed by Fred Laker of ICOS Engineering and a long-time Terraforce wall design specialist to effectively redirect the excess water towards the subsurface drainage. In total, 11 400 Terraforce L11 blocks were installed by our team, expertly overseen by team lead and foreman Rudi De Klerk,” Rust adds.

Finally, landscaping of the wall focused on the water-wise and indigenous vegetation of the area. Today, the sour figs trailing over the top and fynbos shrubs lining the foot of the wall add a softening touch to the retaining systems.

“Greening structures is a growing trend locally and internationally. Here, our systems provide the perfect balance in terms of engineering, aesthetics and the environment,” Rust concludes.

Available in varying sizes and shapes, Terracrete blocks can be laid in different patterns and used with or without ground anchors, depending on the application

The evolution of the student pod

South Africa’s backlog in student housing, estimated to be around 300 000 beds, presents new opportunities for innovative building technologies (IBTs) that can accelerate the process without compromising on quality and the living experience. Spearheading the change is STAG African, a multidisciplinary leader in student accommodation.

By Alastair Currie

The starting point for any student housing project is the cost of construction and how much clients can afford to spend. Other key considerations include the future operational and facilities maintenance expenses, plus the return on investment for property owners.

“We don’t introduce a product or building system without first researching what the market can afford,” explains Sean Kenealy, director and professional architect, STAG African. “Our starting and end point is to ensure absolute efficiency in terms of the design, technology and methodology, whether the client opts for a conventional concrete-framed brick and mortar structure, or an IBT prefabricated approach,” he continues, adding that STAG African is a signatory to the African Green Campus Initiative. Worldwide, the demand for IBT systems is growing, largely due to their lower cost and faster build times. “The scale and scope of the project will best determine the construction technique; however, in the case of both conventional and IBT, green technologies still apply,” adds Kenealy.

Within the IBT space, STAG African has gained extensive experience over the past decade in executing light steel frame buildings (LSFBs). This has had a major influence on the direction of its research and development (R&D) initiatives on student pod accommodation designs. Since many components of these systems are made to order in the factory, the key advantage of LSFBs is a major saving on construction waste

Nkosi Johnson House, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Campus

Sean Kenealy, director, STAG African

– typically less than 0.1% of building bulk. That compares to some 25% for traditional brick and mortar. Being made of steel, LSFBs are also recyclable.

Facilities management

However, the construction cost is just one part of the equation. Institutional building administrators also need to know what it costs per month per bed to run student residences. When STAG African designs its projects, the future operating cost projections are incorporated into the model. That has a direct bearing on the materials and products specified during construction, as well as the energyefficient technologies employed. Examples of the latter include STAG African’s specification of alternative hot water heating systems. For recent projects, these have included heat pumps. Now, the company is investigating the potential of inline water heating, which only activates on demand, passing on electricity savings.

“Including the facilities management team at the initial project planning stage is a crucial part of optimising the overall life-cycle costing,” Kenealy explains.

Stellenbosch University

LSFB milestones for STAG African include

the development of three residences for Stellenbosch University. The most recent is Nkosi Johnson House, completed in 2017, which received an EDGE green building rating. An innovation of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, EDGE stands for ‘Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies’ and is a highly soughtafter accolade.

“Our design for Nkosi Johnson House incorporates a host of green features. These encompass the use of natural ventilation, solar energy, greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, low-flow water fittings, and LED lighting, with the LSFB cladding panels manufactured from recycled materials,” Kenealy explains. Each self-contained pod within this three-storey building caters for eight separate, singleoccupancy bedrooms.

By ruling out the use of mechanical ventilation, and optimising thermal efficiencies, the heating and cooling costs have been reduced by almost 70%. Then, from a facilities management perspective, all services are mounted externally to maximise ease of maintenance.

Precast pods

While LSFBs clearly have their advantages, STAG African’s R&D team has been investigating even more affordable and efficient IBT alternatives for pod designs. Working with Cape Town-based manufacturer Concretex has led to the development of a lightweight, cellular, concrete-wall-panel system.

Each 150 mm thick wall panel is formed in a mould under strict quality control conditions, with the final product incorporating electrical conduits and plumbing connections according to specific building design layouts.

“We’ve built a prototype two-storey building using the wall technology, so we know it works in terms of concept and assembly,” says Kenealy.

The ground-floor surface bed is established conventionally by forming a concrete slab and brickwork foundation wall. The panels are then installed in their planned sequence, without the need for any scaffolding on-site.

Proof of concept

Having brainstormed and refined the optimal building methodology with the contractor, structural engineer and its technology partner, STAG African is now moving to the proof of concept stage.

This will entail the construction of a 24-bed, three-storey building in Rosebank, Cape Town, which will aim to attract University of Cape Town students. Each floor will comprise one self-contained pod, comprising eight doubleoccupancy beds. Construction is scheduled to commence in January 2021.

STAG African will be using the same contractor currently employed on its 2 050-bed student accommodation village project for the University of Fort Hare in Alice. This is believed to be the largest student housing project undertaken at a public university to date in South Africa. The final phase of the project is due for completion in December 2020.

“On every project, our objective is to create a living environment that promotes student well-being and a sense of community, as well as contributes to academic success. Our latest pod design meets these performance criteria and presents one of the most affordable solutions to date in the IBT field,” says Kenealy.

“Ultimately, we believe it’s going to be a game changer in helping to fill the student housing gap, providing a proven, credible and affordable alternative to conventional walling,” he concludes.

The Nkosi Johnson House project has a facility to recycle greywater

South Africa’s hybrid power solution

Globally, growth in the renewable energy market is rapidly gaining momentum. In South Africa’s case, however, there’s a greater sense of urgency, as power utilities and municipalities struggle to meet the growing energy gap. Janice Foster, technical director: Energy Generation at Zutari, expands on key regional trends.

By Alastair Currie

South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan 2019 presents a realistic forecast of the future energy mix, which includes the evolving renewables segment. Given the abundance of South Africa’s coal reserves, though, and the major investments that

have been made in newer power stations like Kusile and Medupi, the plan clearly states that thermal energy will be with us for decades.

A similar scenario exists for other developed and developing nations that have existing large-scale thermal power capacity – prime examples being the USA and India. (As an aside, the latter remains a major coal export market for South Africa.) However, most countries, including South Africa, remain committed to the Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2016 and acknowledge the need to transition to greener power sources. Alongside renewables, these include natural gas, cogeneration, hydroelectric power and hydrogen.

“In addition to climate change concerns, the spiralling cost of fossil-fuel-based energy is another factor motivating the switch to renewables. Solar and wind plants are prime examples, since they are much more affordable power generators,” Foster explains.

For South Africa, renewable and alternative forms of power are part of the medium- to

longer-term solution to the current energy crisis, as Eskom struggles to maintain and run its ageing coal-fired plants and distribution networks.

“As power generation experts, our role is to work with public and private sector clients to manage and build existing and future capacity via a multiplatform approach,” Foster continues. “The transition from conventional coal-fired energy to a wider application of renewable power is a complex process. It must be able to integrate and deliver consistently in terms of national baseload and peak demand.”

RMIPPPP opportunities

The Department of Mineral Resources & Energy’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) will certainly help to simulate activity in that direction. To meet South Africa’s power gap, the RMIPPPP makes provision for the purchase of some 2 000 MW from the open market for activation during 2022.

Janice Foster, technical director: Energy Generation, Zutari

The Reisa Kathu Solar PV installation designed by Zutari

“While not exclusively focused on renewables – gas and cogeneration being among the alternative options – the RMIPPPP could potentially be a game changer for the South African grid in terms of how power is supplied,” says Foster.

Zutari (previously trading as Aurecon) has extensive experience in renewable energy projects. This is underscored by the fact that Zutari has played a role in approximately 70% of the solar and wind projects awarded so far in terms of South Africa’s Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). This includes present REIPPPP Round 4 projects being installed.

Reisa Kathu solar project

One of South Africa’s first utility-scale solar PV projects was the 75 MW Renewable Energy Investments South Africa (Reisa) Kathu development in the Northern Cape. Zutari was appointed as the owner’s engineer in 2012 and was responsible for construction, commissioning supervision

and the provision of technical assistance during commercial operations. The production of the first kWh took place in August 2014.

As part of its ongoing asset management support strategy, Zutari is using advanced digital diagnostics to analyse plant performance. This analysis will help further refine the return on investment model for IPPs and municipal clients.

The viability of going off the grid

For renewables investors securing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), the key issue is about the financial viability of their projects, whether it be a REIPPPP or RMIPPPP project. With numerous municipalities securing the right to go the renewables route, the question will be how best to make this commercially viable for all parties.

To make it attractive, investors need a realistic payback period from their PPAs. Here, the terms of the PPA period are especially important since this ultimately

The Cookhouse wind farm development

determines the tariffs charged to residential and commercial users. As a rule of thumb, a 20-year PPA is a realistic model, but each project needs its own individual assessment.

“In most instances, municipalities are unlikely to have the capital on hand to build their own renewable plants, so IPPs are the obvious choice,” Foster explains. “Here, Zutari’s power generation team works with municipalities to develop the best approach. This includes possible power studies or tariff analysis, so we can develop the best fit from a service delivery and profitability perspective. To work effectively, contractual and performance guarantees must be agreed on and adhered to.”

Storage,

and more storage

The good news is that battery technology is constantly improving, and prices are dropping as technology and efficiency improve and demand continues to grow worldwide. This is opening the door to new opportunities for both utility-scale storage solutions and renewable energy projects.

“For South Africa, the roll-out of renewable energy, coupled with energy storage solutions, will take major pressure off South Africa’s coal-dominated grid and prepare the way for a carbon-free energy mix,” Foster concludes.

Zutari’s Stortemelk hydropower project

Energy storage no longer optional

The advancement of technologies employed to sustainably release stored energy for practical use, and the efficient utilisation of that energy storage, is fundamentally changing where and how the energy industry is moving, both locally and globally. It is the key to unlocking our 100% renewable energy future.

By Glynis Coetzee*

Global renewable energy capacity is set to expand by 50% between 2019 and 2024, led by solar energy, and the proportion of clean energy storage to clean energy generation is a key indicator to predict how fast the world will achieve 100% renewable energy provision. Installed energy storage capacity across the world doubled between 2017 and 2018 to 8 GWh. Globally, the move to energy storage is happening faster than anticipated. In 2019, the International Energy Association (IEA) estimated that, in order to keep global warming below 2°C, the world needs 266 GW of energy storage by 2030. Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that the global energy storage market will hit that target, and grow quickly to a cumulative 942 GW by 2040.

Renewable technologies

Pumped hydro storage still makes up the bulk of the global energy storage capacity, accounting for 96.2%. However, because it is not transportable, work is being done

to advance other technologies that are not limited by specific conditions of location.

With these developments in the storage market, as with renewable-energy-aligned technologies in general over the past decade, the cost of energy storage has dramatically decreased, and will continue to decline.

Technologies employed globally are pumped hydro, compressed air, thermal storage (molten salt and other), ‘solid state’ lithium-ion, sodium sulfate (NaS) and lead acid batteries, as well as vanadium flow batteries. Hydrogen, which is a relatively recent entrant to the energy storage market, is rapidly gaining traction.

Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses. Factors to consider of the various technologies include initial cost, lifespan, energy density and consequential cost per kilowatt hour, positive by-products (such as hot water from the thermal system), and environmental damages caused by the original material required, among others.

Table 1 highlights technologies that can currently provide large storage capacities of at least 20 MW.

Table 2 details the use case and appropriateness of application for energy storage across the segments of utility and behind-the-meter scale and the various technologies. It is this range of ancillary, grid and customer services that are starting to provide a compelling business case for the inclusion of storage into projects, even at a mini- and micro-grid scale, facilitated by the advancements in IoT (internet of things) in the renewable energy space.

With the advent of micro- and mini-grid IoT intelligence technology, which soundly integrates renewable generation with energy storage, systems are now able to provide reliable, dispatchable energy, at a distributed local level to communities, commercial and industrial, as well as agriprocessing environments, at a viable cost.

South African context

South Africa’s IRP 2019 contemplates that storage will play a significant role in

TABLE 1 Characteristics of

(Source: World Energy Council, adapted by TouchPoint Research)

the energy mix in both the short and long term and makes provision in years 2022 and 2029 for the introduction of additional energy storage capacity of 513 MW and 1 575 MW, respectively.

Eskom recently releasing its first Battery Energy Storage System-only RFP for the Skaapvlei facility in the Northern Cape indicates the utility’s recognition of the urgent need for large-scale battery storage on the grid, to compensate for both the unreliability of the ageing fossil fuel fleet and the variable dispatchability and intermittency of renewable energy. The IRP has identified this battery-storage pilot project as the test

case for the assessment and development of the technical applications, benefits and regulatory matters associated with a utility scale energy storage technology.

All these factors suggest that any immediate and future planning of renewable energy infrastructure, whether at grid level or behind-the-meter, must include storage. Developers of systems must also place flexibility – not individual technologies –at the core of policy design. Not to do so would be to ignore the inevitable and rapidly changing market, at your peril.

Genesis Infrastructure Renewable Energy Group subsidiary TouchPoint Energy has

recognised this need and is developing small- and medium-scale projects for residential and mixed-use developments, C&I applications, agri-processing, and mining applications, which include battery storage as part of the hybrid solutions, for load shifting, mini-grid forming and stabilisation, and inclusive of all the ancillary services (Table 2) applicable to the scale of the projects.

*Glynis Coetzee (B.AS (UCT), Member CIOB (UK)) specialises in project development at TouchPoint Energy. Email: projects@ touchpointenergy.com

TABLE

TABLE 2A Energy storage services per segment (Source: FEL 100 –Energy Storage Monitor Team 2018)

ENERGY ROUND-UP

NXUBA WIND FARM OPERATIONAL

Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown, the 140 MW Nxuba Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape has begun generating and delivering energy.

Nxuba Wind Farm is one of five projects awarded to Enel Green Power (EGP) South Africa in the fourth round of the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) Programme. The wind farm boasts a full production capacity of 460 GWh per year, to be added to the grid.

“Nxuba Wind Farm is yet another example of EGP’s commitment to renewables and sustainability in South Africa and globally. We are particularly excited about unlocking the potential of the abundant renewable energy sources in South Africa, as well as supporting the local economy,” says William Price, head of EGP in South Africa.

Price explains that the pre-assembly stage involves the installation of as many as 17 concrete tower keystones (portions of sections).

This is followed by the main erection of the structure that includes the installation of the five pre-assembled tower sections and other related operations (horizontal joints and tensioning cables), which can take up to two weeks to complete in optimal weather conditions.

The completion of the project amounted to 2 million man-hours with zero incidents and involved significant skills transfer. EGP enlisted the services of individuals and SMEs from the Blue Crane Route and Raymond Mhlaba local municipalities, which comprise Adelaide, Cookhouse, Somerset East and Bedford, to help construct the plant.

WIND FARM ADDS 110 MW TO GRID

The first wind farm from Round 4 of the REIPPP Programme to begin commercial operations, Perdekraal East Wind Farm, will add 110 MW to South Africa’s national grid.

Situated in Witzenberg Municipality near Matjiesfontien in the Western Cape, Perdekraal East has 48 turbines generating approximately 360 GWh of energy each year – enough to supply power for 111 000 South African homes.

The facility, which is co-owned by renewable power-generation company Lekela and the local community, which has a shareholding though a community trust, has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Eskom.

The wind farm will eliminate approximately 410 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually compared to traditional fossil-fuel power plants.

Perdekraal East is one of Lekela’s eight projects on the continent, with four in operation in South Africa, and a further four under construction or development in South Africa, Senegal, Ghana and Egypt.

The 140 MW Kangnas Wind Farm in the Northern Cape will reach its commercial operations date later this year. It will use 61 turbines, each producing 2.3 MW, to add around another 500 GWh of clean, economic and renewable energy to the national grid each year.

Perdekraal East and Kangnas will join Lekela Power’s three other South African operations already in operation: the 80 MW Noupoort, 140 MW Loeriesfontein 2, and 140 MW Khobab wind farms, all in the Northern Cape.

SA’S SECOND SIGNIFICANT GAS CONDENSATE DISCOVERY

Total has made a significant gas condensate discovery on the Luiperd prospect, located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa. This follows the adjacent Brulpadda play discovery in 2019, which proved to be a significant new petroleum province in the region.

Block 11B/12B covers an area of 19 000 km2, with water depths ranging from 200 m to 1 800 m. The Luiperd well was drilled to a total depth of about 3 400 m and encountered 73 m of net gas condensate play in well-developed, good-quality Lower Cretaceous reservoirs. Following a comprehensive coring and logging programme, the well will be tested to assess the dynamic reservoir characteristics and deliverability.

“We are very pleased with this second discovery and its very encouraging results, which prove the world-class nature of this

offshore gas play. With this discovery and the successful seismic acquisitions, Total and its partners have acquired important data on the Paddavissie fairway, which will help to progress development studies and engage with South African authorities regarding the possible conditions of the gas commercialisation,” says Arnaud Breuillac, president: Exploration & Production at Total.

Paving SA’s renewable future

The fourth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme has proved busy for Concor, which is now completing its 10th wind farm project.

According to Joe Nell, contracts director, Concor, the company was awarded five projects during Round 4, and was able to successfully implement four of them at the same time, mainly under EPC contracts.

“This performance is testament to our highly skilled and experienced teams on the ground, and our strong balance sheet to apply all necessary resources to each project’s particular demands,” says Nell.

The company’s contracts began with one of the country’s first wind farms – the 60-turbine project at Jeffreys Bay. More projects followed near Noupoort, De Aar and Loeriesfontein –often remote and with challenging conditions

related to geology or weather. Four projects were then run concurrently, namely Perdekraal East in the Witzenberg district, Excelsior near Swellendam, Golden Valley near Cookhouse, and Kangnas near Springbok.

“The most recent wind farm is Roggeveld, in the mountains between Matjiesfontein and Sutherland, where cold conditions and snowfalls forced the site’s closure on numerous occasions,” says Nell. “This

ABOVE Preparing the levels to cast a wind turbine base at Perdekraal East Wind Farm

ABOVE LEFT Casting of foundation WTG 6 at Roggeveld Wind Farm

created its own challenges, which added to the experience of our teams.”

The wind farms Concor has constructed now contribute over 1 000 MW of electricity to South Africa’s grid capacity.

At Zutari, our motivation isn’t awards. Rather it’s the impact we create. And when it’s truly exceptional, it gets noticed. It’s confirmation that our clients are getting the world-class engineering they deserve. zutari.com

Zutari was recognised by ENR as #1 international design firm in Africa for 2020.

by

Zutari was recognised

Fortune magazine on the global Change the World list for 2020.

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The Streumaster SW 318 MC has an 18 m3 container capacity

Precision spreaders

Streumaster’s latest-generation MC and TC binding agent spreaders set a new standard for performance in the roads market when to comes to soil stabilisation and cold recycling. Key features include a new highspeed pneumatic filling device and container design.

Each of the unit’s two filling connectors is designed to handle up to 2 t of binding agent per minute. In addition, an optional automatic filter system is available to make the filling process dust-free.

A fully automatic metering system ensures that the binding agent is discharged precisely, irrespective of the machine’s travel speed. In combination with the Weightronic electronic weighing device, it is possible to simultaneously calculate both the distance travelled and the area covered with binding agent. A further plus is that the metering feeders are self-cleaning. This guarantees an even, high-performance process with high spreading accuracy.

“In addition, the spreading unit’s three partial spreading widths can be controlled separately, making it possible to adjust the spread rate of each section individually,” explains Waylon Kukard, sales manager, Wirtgen South Africa. (Streumaster forms part of the Wirtgen Group.)

Streumaster’s new control panel combines all the binding agent spreader’s operating elements into a single unit. Individual operating values and function keys can be created via the 12-inch colour display’s user interface. In addition, the control panel features a split-screen mode, which enables the operator to display different camera images from the optional camera/ monitor system.

“Designed either as truck-mounted or trailer units, the Streumaster series challenges the conventional practice of manually spreading binders by hand. Going the Streumaster route ensures consistent, high-precision spreading results, which is an essential requirement in achieving quality pavement structures,” adds Kukard.

Models in the TC and MC series are capable of spreading up to 60 ℓ/m² at a maximum spreading width of 2 360 mm.

Emerging contractor sets strong example

Enterprise development beneficiary assistance plays a key role in transforming South Africa’s construction sector, as well as supporting SMME growth. For Cape Town-based company SR Civil Contractors, it’s been a major factor in growing business.

Sidney Roberts considers himself fortunate to be part of this initiative, but his journey has not been an easy one.

While studying towards a BTech in Civil Engineering at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Roberts worked for a wellknown Cape Town-based roads construction company as an intern.

“After spending three months in the mechanical workshop learning how earthmoving and materials handling equipment worked, I was sent to Namaqualand to work on a roads project,” he explains.

Once he qualified, Roberts worked with other contractors and gained valuable experience in roads and services

construction all over the Western Cape. A stint with JVC Plant taught him a lot about the contractual side of the business and, as a senior site agent, how to work to the highest standards of quality.

“But, in the back of my mind, I had a long-held dream of being self-employed and I actually registered my future business, SR Civil Contractors, in 2013 – while still

SR Civil Contractors’ Bell 315SL backhoes deployed on a Cape Town infrastructure project

employed,” he says. “I only resigned from full-time employment after landing a solid contract in 2014 for a water pipeline in Cape Town’s Tokai suburb.”

A turning point

SR Civil Contractors focused on finding work in roads, paving, water reticulation and related services fields, subcontracting to larger, more established contractors. “And so it happened that one Friday afternoon I received a call from Enrico Bossi, managing director of Umzali Civils, and he told me my name had been mentioned as a possible replacement for another small contractor who was battling to complete subcontracting work and so holding up a major project,” he says. “I grabbed this opportunity and successfully completed our side of the contract, building concrete manholes for Drakenstein Municipality.”

Enrico identified that Roberts’ company needed earthmoving equipment and he called Fiona Johnson, sales representative: Cape Town, Bell Equipment, to find out whether the OEM could assist. With input from John Collins, GM: Cape Region and Namibia, Bell Equipment, and Bruce Ndlela, director: Business and Public Sector Development, as well as the Bell Equipment factory in Richards Bay, Roberts took delivery of a Bell 315SL tractor loader backhoe (TLB) and a Bomag BW120 AD-5 tandem vibratory roller in 2017. The deal was structured so that he could pay it off within 36 months.

“I really have to thank Enrico Bossi of Umzali Civils for making this happen.

We’re getting continued support from his company with subcontracting work,” Roberts adds. “Not having to hire in equipment creates better cash flow for us and has assisted us in steadily moving up the CIDB competency scale to now reach Grade 5.”

Machine performance

The equipment has expanded SR Civil Contractors’ repertoire of skills and the young company has been engaged in diverse projects such as pipeline, paving and parking area construction, where both the Bell 315SL TLB and Bomag roller are used extensively.

“I’ve been impressed with the Bell 315SL’s fuel consumption of between six and seven litres an hour, although that does increase slightly when we use the backhoe for trenching when installing pipes and other services,” Roberts says.

“The Bomag BW120 AD-5 roller gives us great compaction over a 1.2 m width; for our type of work, we really don’t need any heavier compaction at this time,” he adds.

The year 2018 saw SR Civil Contractors land more work. To this end, Sidney bought another Bell 315SL TLB and, later in the same year, a Bomag BW 65-H pedestrian double-drum vibratory roller. Both these machines were bought using Bell Finance through Wesbank.

“I have happily stayed with Bell Equipment for a number of reasons besides the great design and ruggedness of the company’s products,” Roberts says. “I have a good relationship with Bell personnel – from Fiona Johnson in sales to all the product support and workshop and spares department staff. I feel I can speak to anyone at any time, which matters to me.

“I will be looking to further expand my growing fleet of Bell machines and will possibly look at acquiring a small excavator in the near future, which could be useful to hire out on a plant hire basis as well,” Roberts concludes.

Sidney Roberts (left) with Fiona Johnson, sales representative, Bell Equipment

Concrete courses via e-learning

The Concrete Institute’s School of Concrete Technology (SCT) has finalised its programme of online training courses for 2021. Fourteen courses are planned, including the start of the pinnacle of concrete diploma courses: Advanced Concrete Technology.

John Roxburgh, senior lecturer at the SCT, says the school ran its last lecture-driven course at the end of March 2020 and was forced, due to lockdown regulations, to abandon lecture room training after that.

“But we fortunately had experience in delivering e-learning courses through SCT41 and SCT42 – the UK’s Institute of Concrete Technology’s General Principles and Practical Application courses – which the school has presented on an e-learning basis for several years,” Roxburgh explains.

“This proved invaluable for a fast conversion of the more popular SCT courses on to an e-learning platform. Within two months, the SCT

John Roxburgh, senior lecturer at TCI’s School of Concrete Technology

could offer 10 different courses online. These courses, where applicable, have been granted the same CPD accreditation as the lecture-roombased courses,” he continues.

Online advantages

Roxburgh says the SCT quickly learnt that the online course versions offer some surprisingly good advantages. These include:

• substantial reduction in costs (major online discounts will still apply next year)

• flexibility for the student with work or time constraints

• no travel and accommodation needed

• more time available to study

• better understanding of the subject through a three-pronged approach that includes selfstudy with tests, videos that can be watched repeatedly, and face-to-face contact with the lecturer on electronic meeting platforms.

“Because of these significant benefits, the concrete and concrete-related industries have welcomed online training and the school’s training has resulted in many satisfied students graduating and receiving online course certificates in 2020,” says Roxburgh.

Preparation for Advanced Concrete Technology course

The school is gearing up to present its

next Advanced Concrete Technology (ACTSCT50) course for the Institute of Concrete Technology at the beginning of 2022. As acceptance for this prestigious programme requires a pass in the SCT41 and SCT42 courses, it is advisable for prospective ACT-SCT50 students to complete the SCT41 and SCT42 courses next year. The examinations for these will be written in May 2021.

“For those looking for a career in concrete technology, there are many opportunities available. South Africa has a massive need for competent concrete practitioners in admixture sales, laboratories, construction companies, readymix and precast concrete suppliers, concrete repair facilities, cement and aggregate production, and mining, to name just a few sectors,” adds Roxburgh.

“The SCT has structured a progression of course levels that will allow for a prospective student to enrol at a level that matches their competency. There are no shortcuts to becoming a good concrete technologist. Study is essential. The SCT has all the educational requirements to help meet these goals,” he concludes.

For more information and the full 2021 online training programme, visit www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za.

Your Water Filtration Solution

The Dynasand Continuous flow filter is a well proven technology augmented by the latest water filtration innovations consisting of an Open Vessel with low head. Water can be pumped into the system, or should the location allow, be fed by gravity. It runs by simple operation without any moving parts. In addition, the need for back wash pumps and operations is eliminated. Only air is added to the air lift pump, resulting in a highly reliable and consistent filtration quality. There is no “first filtrate” and there is no filtration interruption for back-washing. Continuous Contact filtration occurs, and no pre-sedimentation is required where incoming flows have a turbidity of up to 60 NTU for potable water. Footprint is also reduced by up to 50%, due to the higher capacity per unit of filter area.