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Speaker Profiles
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PROFILES
38 Paper 1: Jayant Bhagwan Rajiv Paladh
Paper 2: Tjeerd Driessen
Paper 3: Jacques Rust 39 Paper 4: Lennin Naidoo
Paper 5: Burgert Gildenhuys 40 Paper 6: Sboniso Masuku Esaias Oosthuizen
Paper 7: Geoff Tooley
Paper 8: James van Eyk
Paper 9: Dr Kevin Wall 41 Paper 10: Matt Braune Lauren de Bude 42 Paper 11: Amanda Gcanga Dr James Cullis
Paper 12: François Figueres Timothée Cargill 43 Paper 13: Nomthandazo Makhushe
Paper 14: Shuaib Yunos
Paper 15: Altus de Klerk André Kowalewski 44 Paper 16: Yeshveer Balaram
Paper 17: Dr Nezar Eldidy
JAYANT BHAGWAN
South African Water Research Commission
PAPER 1
Jayant Bhagwan is the executive manager of the key strategic area of Water Use and Waste Management at the South African Water Research Commission, which focuses on the management of water and wastewater in the domestic, mining and industrial sectors.
He has been instrumental in creating a portfolio of research projects and innovations related to water supply and wastewater management. He completed his master’s in tropical public health engineering from Leeds University, UK.
With his knowledge and experienced gained in the implementation of water and sanitation projects, he has played a role and participated in the shaping of national water policy and legislation. He held the posts of president of the Water Institute of Southern Africa, chairperson of the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Water Advisory Committee, as well as international advisory positions with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, IWA- Global Development Agency and UNEP.
He continues to be actively involved in a broad range of areas in the field of water supply, wastewater and sanitation, with his current focus being on sanitation technologies for the future, technology innovation and application, social franchising of O&M, conduit hydropower, benchmarking, reuse and reclamation of effluents. He is a founding member of the FSM Alliance and serves on the supervisory board. He also founded the IWANSS Specialist Group, of which he is chair.
RAJIV PALADH
Bosch Capital
PAPER 1
Rajiv matriculated in Howick (KZN) and thereafter obtained his BSc in Engineering (Chemical). He thereafter joined the wastewater operations at eThekwini Water and Sanitation. Rajiv is currently working at Bosch Capital and has completed numerous projects in the water sector. He has also been involved in several transactions across the energy, industrial, sugar and property sectors.
Rajiv has been involved in the development of complex financial models, project structuring, development of business plans and capital raising for a variety of projects. Rajiv was the project leader for the study commissioned by the Water Research Commission for the conceptualisation of independent water production in the South African water value chain. He also recently received the Knowledge Tree award as an emerging researcher for projects that have provided appropriate evidence-based information to inform policy and guide decision-making.
TJEERD DRIESSEN
Royal HaskoningDHV
PAPER 2
Tjeerd Driessen has an MSc in Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. In addition, he has two minors in climate change and natural resource management. In his MSc thesis, he researched the hydrological response of the River Meuse to climate change. Tjeerd has 12 years of project experience in flood modelling, flood risk assessments, water management and climate adaptation in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
By combining this experience with his specialised knowledge on hydrology and hydrodynamics, he is able to advise in the best possible way on the effects of interventions or events and on possible mitigation measures. This experience ranges from working in the Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans and developing a flood early warning system in the Caribbean to flood risk assessments in Myanmar, Thailand and South Africa.
Tjeerd is an IPMA-D certified project manager with 11 years of experience. For the last four years, he enjoyed living in Johannesburg, South Africa, and currently has the role of leading market director at the consultancy and engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV, where he is responsible for the African market on climate resilience.
JACQUES RUST PAPER 3
Envirosan Sanitation Solutions
Jacques Rust matriculated from Middelburg High School in 1991 and received a bursary from Iscor Vanderbijlpark to study civil engineering at what is now Vaal University of Technology. He completed his S-course NDip in Civil Engineering, which further led him on his way in this field.
During his time with Iscor, completing his practical and working off his bursary, he soon realised that his main field of interest is town development and, more importantly, community upliftment programmes. He relocated to Durban in 1999 to work with eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Division, as the divisional engineer for Labour Based Construction.
He joined Envirosan Sanitation Solutions in 2007, realising the opportunity to be part of a dynamic team to develop enhanced sanitation solutions that can provide dignity and create a healthy, hygienic and safe environment for all.
LENNIN NAIDOO
Naidu Consulting
PAPER 4
Lennin Naidoo began his civil engineering journey work for a local start-up civil engineering consulting company based in the Phoenix township, later moving to eThekwini Municipality Water & Sanitation, where he obtained his engineering qualification.
His career journey saw him join a leading engineering consulting company, Naidu Consulting, in its Water & Sanitation Division, where he gained further technical and professional skills. He progressed on to the company’s Economic Development Division, where he found his passion and has further played a significant role in the development of labour-intensive construction and most notably the MISA LIC Capacitation Programme.
Lennin is passionate about people. He believes that the labour-intensive component in the industry, if executed in the correct manner, is a significant mechanism to alleviate much socio-economic damage in the country.
PAPER 5
BURGERT GILDENHUYS
BC Gildenhuys & Associates
Burgert is the MD of BC Gildenhuys & Associates and of Spatial Data Services Africa NPC.
Burgert is an internationally recognised expert in municipal planning, spatial and economic development, as well as local government finances. He holds degrees in urban planning as well as municipal administration, backed by more than 40 years’ experience. Burgert is a professional town and regional planner, and a member of the Institute for Asset Management (London).
Burgert has a long-standing involvement with the municipal sector in South Africa and deals with spatial planning and municipal service delivery issues. He specialises in integrating spatial planning with municipal finances and infrastructure planning, focusing on the long-term capital and operating impact of spatial planning and municipal service delivery.
The growth and development challenges of South African towns and cities give rise to the establishment of Spatial Data Services Africa, which is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting government and business in better understanding and utilising data and digital technologies to promote spatial transformation and strengthen development and policy outcomes in service delivery.
Burgert regularly contributes to articles and opinion pieces, and firmly believes that it is more important to tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.
SBONISO MASUKU
Siyazi Group
PAPER 6
Sboniso Masuku started his career in 2014 after completing his BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. As a project manager, he is involved in developing integrated transport plans, conducting public transport studies and designing public transport facilities.
In 2018, he presented his research on the ‘Impact of scheduling of minibus taxi operations’ at the Southern African Transport Conference. As a growthoriented individual, he has committed to developing both his technical and management abilities, holding postgraduate degrees in transportation engineering and business management. His contributions and mindset in the workplace have made him one of the young provincial directors at Siyazi Group of Companies.
GEOFF TOOLEY
eThekwini Municipality
PAPER 7
Geoff Tooley is a professional engineer with more than 32 years of experience in the civil engineering field. He holds a BSc Civil Engineering from the University of Natal. He has experience in project and asset management, as well as design and construction experience in the fields of stormwater and river training works.
Geoff started work at the Durban Corporation (now eThekwini Municipality) in 1990 and currently holds the position of Senior Manager: Catchment Management within the Engineering Unit for eThekwini Municipality. Geoff is part of the team that developed the water sector Municipal Adaptation Plan for climate change for the eThekwini Municipality.
He on the IMESA Exco as Vice President: Operations. He has also sat on numerous Water Research Commission Reference Groups related to stormwater issues over the past 15 years.
PAPER 6
ESAIAS OOSTHUIZEN
Siyazi Group
Esaias Oosthuizen is a public transport specialist with an MEng (Transportation) and is especially well known for his success in the development of liaison structures between the authorities and the taxi and bus industries. He has an effective way of working with the industry at all levels, particularly at grassroots level. It is acknowledged that he understands the taxi operations better than most planners.
He is uniquely equipped to interpret the real operations and shortcomings of the public road transport system owing to his involvement in the planning of infrastructure and also the many surveys he conducted in different parts of South Africa over more than 30 years, coupled with his close relationship with members of the taxi industry. He could help to improve the accuracy of taxi-related modelling, for example in conjunction with specialised computer packages used for modelling purposes. The results and applications of the ITP process could be of great value and would probably outperform any other similar combination.
JAMES VAN EYK PAPER 8
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
James van Eyk matriculated in Gqeberha and obtained his NDip: Eng (Civil) from Nelson Mandela University, where he became the chairman of the SAICE Nelson Mandela University student chapter. He started working for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as an intern in 2018, in Roads & Stormwater: Design and Implementation. Since January 2020, he has developed his career in Water & Sanitation: Bulk Water Supply. James is a part of the team that manages the repairs, maintenance, operations and upgrades of NMBM water treatment works, bulk water pipelines and reservoirs. He is primarily responsible for the Nooitgedagt water supply system, and upgrades to all pipelines.
James is passionate about developing his career and his persona. In his leisure time he enjoys building project cars, activities in the great outdoors and gardening for beauty and crops.
DR KEVIN WALL
University of Pretoria
PAPER 9
Dr Kevin Wall (PhD [UCT]), a civil engineer and town planner, is an extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria, a Fellow of IMESA and a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering. Until earlier this year, he was also a non-executive board member of the City of Ekurhuleni’s wastewater treatment entity.
A past president of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), he has received both the Gold Medal of SAICE and the Lifetime Award of the National Science and Technology Forum – the highest honour that can be bestowed by the science, engineering and technology community. Early next year, he is scheduled to receive a Doctor of Engineering (honoris causa) from the University of Pretoria.
Much of his work over the last two decades has been on the effectiveness of government spending on infrastructure, and ways to improve the quality, reliability and sustainability of that infrastructure. For example he led the research for the three SAICE Infrastructure Report Cards on the condition of infrastructure in South Africa, which have been published since 2006, and is playing the same role for that which will be published later this year.
MATT BRAUNE PAPER 10
Matt Braune graduated in 1982 with a BSc Civil Eng. He worked at SRK Consulting from 1985 till 2016 before opening Bio Engineering Africa Consulting and Training Academy in 2016.
In 1988, Matt became a professional registered engineer and joined IMESA, becoming an Associate Member. In 2016, he became a registered ECSA Mentor.
Matt has specialised in urban stormwater management and municipal engineering over the last 35 years, working on numerous projects that include: compiling integrated stormwater master plans for all major metropolitan councils within Southern Africa; carrying out several river upgrading projects throughout South Africa; initiating the application of Best Management Practices (BMPs) within most local municipalities; applying the SUDS principle to assist in implementing cost-effective and environmentally friendly stormwater control measures; carrying out several dam safety studies as well as flood risk and floodline studies; and carrying out several asset management projects that included detailed field surveys, visual inspections and asset registers.
Matt has also won the Best Technical Paper award from IMESA, for his paper ‘Best management practices applied to layout planning and stormwater control in the new South Africa’.
LAUREN DE BUDE PAPER 10
Lauren de Bude is a candidate civil engineer who received her BEng from the University of Pretoria in 2019. She currently works for BIO Engineering Africa. Starting her career in stormwater master planning and having further expanded into hydrology, hydraulics and water resource engineering, she has found a passion for SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) designs.
Lauren has a great love for nature. During her free time, she can be found hiking, camping, bird watching or volunteering for various nature conservation programmes. With the natural environment being close to her heart, green engineering is always at the top of her mind.
PAPER 11
AMANDA GCANGA
World Resources Institute
Amanda Gcanga is a country lead for the Urban Water Resilience Initiative and a senior urban policy analyst working with WRI teams in Africa and the headquarters. In her capacity as a policy analyst, she plays a central role in liaising with key stakeholders at national and local government levels to create conducive ground for WRI’s support on urban development policies, providing technical support to key partners and the identification of WRI’s policy-level interventions in Africa.
As a country lead, she guides the implementation of the Urban Water Resilience Initiative in South Africa, including the identification of strategic intervention and collaboration areas for WRI's work.
Amanda has experience in water governance as a practitioner and a researcher. Prior to joining WRI, Amanda led a water programme at the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership based in Cape Town. Before this, she co-led water governance research projects with the Water Institute of Stellenbosch University, the Centre for Sustainability Transitions, and the Centre for Water and Sanitation Research.
Amanda holds a master’s in international land and water management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
PAPER 12
FRANÇOIS FIGUERES
SUEZ Group
François Figueres is graduate from the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) of Strasbourg with an MSc in Civil Engineering.
He is currently responsible for the business development of the smart and environmental solutions of the Suez group.
He started his career in Suez with hydraulic design and master planning of water and wastewater networks in Argentina and several South American countries.
During the following years, he participated in numerous water supply projects and contracts in South America and ran Suez engineering departments in Casablanca (Morocco), Bordeaux (France), and the technical direction of the water supply improvement programme in Mumbai (India).
Based on this extensive experience in network design and operation, he has recently been dedicated to the development and deployment of R&D and innovation products in the operational context.
He specialises in hydraulics, pressure management, asset management and non-revenue water reduction.
DR JAMES CULLIS
Zutari
PAPER 11
Dr James Cullis is a water resources engineer with nearly 20 years of experience working on water resource and climate change related studies across Africa.
He is a technical director at Zutari in the Water Resource group based in Cape Town, South Africa, and the expertise leader for Sustainability at Zutari. For two years, he served as the global service group leader for Water for Aurecon before the demerger of Zutari from the global Aurecon group in 2019.
James has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town, an MA (oxon) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and an MSc in Environmental Change and Management both from Oxford University in the UK. He obtained his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in the USA in 2011.
PAPER 12
TIMOTHÉE CARGILL
SUEZ Group
Timothée Cargill has been working in international positions since 1997 in the environment industry, aerospace and defence and telecommunication ones. As senior vice-president in charge of International Development of the Suez Group, he is dedicated to the development of SUEZ Group worldwide, in Water, Waste & Smart Environmental Services, most particularly in frontiers markets. The directorate’s role consists of identifying and monitoring until closing international must-win projects for the company. As such, he is also responsible for the coordination of the whole business developer’s community of the Group.
He is moreover in charge of public relations with governmental bodies, as well as with diplomatic representations both in Paris and abroad. Over the course of his career, his action has been instrumental to the expansion of multinational groups in South-east Asia, the Middle East and Africa, as well as central Asian countries.
NOMTHANDAZO MAKHUSHE
iX engineers
PAPER 13
Nomthandazo (Thandazo) Makhushe is a registered scientist, who started her career at iX engineers Pty Ltd. She has gained working experience in the waste and environmental engineering fields, and has been working within both the public and private sectors through projects. She has gained various skill sets in a variety of multidisciplinary projects.
She earned her BSc (Environmental Earth Science) degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and furthered her postgraduate studies at the University of South Africa. She recently obtained her project management certification from the Enterprise University of Pretoria.
Outside of her professional activities, she is interested in cosmetology and creative art. She also enjoys being outdoors, and spending time with family.
ALTUS DE KLERK
GLS
PAPER 15
Altus de Klerk is a senior civil engineer at GLS with 14 years’ experience. He completed his MSc (Eng) at Stellenbosch University.
He is proficient in the computer analysis, planning and management of water distribution and sewer reticulation systems, and is co-lead of the in-house software team, focusing on the development of specialised engineering tools in the water field. Recent research and development was conducted for the implementation of a hydraulic fire compliance risk determination on a per property level.
SHUAIB YUNOS
Baker Baynes
PAPER 14
Shuaib Yunos has a great passion for design, infrastructure and technology, and his passion has gained him recognition as the champion of BIM for civil infrastructure here in Africa. Shuaib is currently pursuing his MEng (Civil) and is an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI), learning content developer, international speaker and webinar host.
Last year, Shuaib won the Green Hat Award at the BIM Africa Innovation Awards Ceremony 2021 from 289 nominations from various countries across the African continent. The Green Hat Award is recognised as an Exceptional Individual of African descent with outstanding achievements and remarkable service to advocating the adoption of BIM and digital technologies across Africa.
At Baker Baynes, Shuaib is a senior BIM technical specialist involved in numerous projects encompassing BIM for civil infrastructure, GIS, reality capture/scan-to-BIM, as well as VR and visualisation.
PAPER 15
ANDRÉ KOWALEWSKI
Drakenstein Municipality
André Kowalewski is the manager: Water and Waste Water Services at Drakenstein Municipality in Paarl, Western Cape. He has more than 38 years’ experience at the municipality.
His expertise is in civil engineering construction and planning, design, tender process and administration, as well as municipal administration and management in water and wastewater services.
PAPER 16
YESHVEER BALARAM
ARRB Systems Africa
Yeshveer Balaram (Yesh) is a registered professional engineering technologist with 17 years’ experience in road pavement management, including design, construction and maintenance.
In his present role as GM of ARRB Systems Africa, he works with roads agencies towards achieving a well-maintained, safe road network aimed at reducing road accidents and road-user costs. Yesh has a working understanding of various pavement management systems, tools and techniques, as well as non-destructive road surveillance equipment, such as the FWD, GPR, digital laser profilers and traffic speed deflectometer devices.
He has overseen construction works on several road maintenance and rehabilitation projects, ranging from single-seal treatments to cold in-place recycling. Having acquired an understanding of how roads are designed, built and maintained, his career turned towards to road asset management systems (RAMS), where he has been the RAMS implementation project manager for a number of provincial and municipal roads agencies, effectively aligning annual maintenance budgets to optimised road maintenance strategies.
Yesh has co-authored and presented peer-reviewed papers in the field of pavement engineering and road safety at local and international conferences, workshops and seminars. In 2018, he gained iRAP accreditation, and now has the largest accredited team in Africa under his directive.
PAPER 17
DR NEZAR ELDIDY
SOBEK
Dr Nezar Eldidy has been in the engineering consultancy industry for more than 34 years. His voyage from Cairo to Cape started in the 1990s, passing through various countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering, a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a doctoral degree in civil engineering from the University of Johannesburg.
Nezar is a member of several international professional bodies such as the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), International Water Association and the American Water Works Association, among others. This gave him extensive exposure to international water markets, the water sectors of Africa, as well as close working knowledge of international funding institutions such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
In addition to being a professional civil engineer, he is currently an executive director for the Sobek group of companies, which specialises in infrastructure development and the related information technology.
Nezar’s interests lie predominantly in the water sector as can be attested to by his body of works and particularly the numerous papers he has penned. He has a vast experience in water supply, dams, water and wastewater engineering and management, acquired in various African countries, and internationally.
He served as a board member of WISA and held the position of deputy chair till December 2020.
