Editor’s comment

MANAGING EDITOR Alastair Currie SENIOR JOURNALIST Kirsten Kelly JOURNALIST Nombulelo Manyana EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Ziyanda Majodina HEAD OF DESIGN Beren Bauermeister DESIGNER Lizette Jonker CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders CONTRIBUTORS Tian de Jager, Willie de Jager, Vernita Govender, Kobus Kotze, Thivaska Padayachee, Roger Parsons, Bhavna Soni, Astrid van der Laan PRODUCTION & CLIENT LIAISON MANAGER Antois-Leigh Nepgen GROUP SALES MANAGER Chilomia Van Wijk BOOKKEEPER Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS Novus Print Montague Gardens

ADVERTISING SALES KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER Joanne Lawrie Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 / +27 (0)82 346 5338 Email: joanne@3smedia.co.za

PUBLISHER Jacques Breytenbach 3S Media Production Park, 83 Heidelberg Road, City Deep Johannesburg South, 2136 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 www.3smedia.co.za

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R600.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

IMESA CONTACTS HEAD OFFICE: Manager: Ingrid Botton P.O. Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za

BORDER Secretary: Celeste Vosloo Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2433 Email: celestev@buffalocity.gov.za

EASTERN CAPE Secretary: Susan Canestra Tel: +27 (0)41 585 4142 ext. 7 Email: imesaec@imesa.org.za

KWAZULU-NATAL Secretary: Narisha Sogan Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: imesakzn@imesa.org.za

NORTHERN PROVINCES Secretary: Ollah Mthembu Tel: +27 (0)82 823 7104 Email: np@imesa.org.za

SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO Secretary: Henrietta Olivier Tel: +27 (0)79 390 7536 Email: imesasck@imesa.org.za

WESTERN CAPE Secretary: Michelle Ackerman Tel: +27 (0)21 444 7114 Email: imesawc@imesa.org.za

FREE STATE & NORTHERN CAPE Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27 (0)83 457 4362 Email: imesafsnc@imesa.org.za All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

Novus Holdings is a Level 2 BBBEE Contributor: novus.holdings/sustainability/transformation

The need for a renewed FOCUS ON ROADS

Arenewed focus on road and bridge maintenance, and new construction, is one of the most crucial infrastructure investment priorities for the South African government. This initiative is vital for socio-economic development in both the local urban and rural context, together with the key importance of transport conduits for cross-border trade and ensuing worldwide connections via regional port and air hubs.

The national tolled and non-tolled routes managed by Sanral are maintained according to world-class standards. However, the condition of municipal and provincial roads varies from the occasional pothole to situations where a complete failure has occurred, with in situ recycling and reconstruction required.

Routine maintenance versus temporary repairs

As experts point out, key reasons for these failures include a lack of routine maintenance, compounded by the fact that many roads across South Africa are nearing the end of their serviceable life. In this edition, Johan Hattingh from PHB Consulting Engineers talks about the occurrence of potholes, as well as their causes, with a major emphasis on determining the right repair interventions. Without a detailed engineering insight, combined with expert experience, potholes simply become temporary patch repairs and in certain instances accelerate the deterioration of the surround pavement.

The upside is that routine maintenance lends itself to labour-intensive construction, skills transfer and SMME development. However, the extent to which programmes can be executed effectively depends on up-to-date condition assessment surveys, training and the availability of suitably qualified technical personnel within municipal and provincial roads departments.

Industry initiatives

Initiatives like Sabita’s first Roads Maintenance Forum, launched in April 2022, are invaluable in facilitating knowledge exchanges between engineers, contractors and municipalities. The second in the series will be held virtually on 5 October and is highly recommended for all industry practitioners in this segment. Collaboration is the foundation for future success.

Road conferences to attend

Upcoming local conferences like SATBinderrr 2022 (21 to 22 September) and the 7th Regional Conference for Africa (18 to 20 October) provide opportunities for more in-depth public and private sector engagement, while serving as a platform for showcasing South Africa’s best-in-class expertise to the world.

Project pipeline

At present, there is a shortage of work available within the roads sector, despite an obvious need. That made the headlines recently when five Sanral tenders amounting to some R17 billion were unexpectedly put on hold.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) was subsequently appointed “to act as the infrastructure procurement and delivery management support agency” to help get these projects back on track. DBSA’s scope includes the evaluation of compliance, plus independent construction management oversight once the tenders have been awarded. Hopefully, a fresh pipeline of Sanral work will start flowing through towards the end of 2022 and into 2023.

In the meantime, municipalities with urgent road maintenance requirements, available budgets, but limited internal capacity, should reach out to private sector investors and construction industry practitioners for the best advice and solutions.

Alastair

www.infrastructurenews.co.za

IMESA IMESA

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

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • SERVICE DELIVERY • ROADS • BUILDING • MAINTENANCE • ENERGY

Bitumen & Asphalt

First road-legal CounterMix plant for Southern Africa AECI MUCH ASPHALT

Solutions for sustainable asphalt

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

@infrastructure4 Infrastructure News

Cover opportunity

In each issue, IMIESA offers advertisers the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the journal. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings, contact Joanne Lawrie on +27 (0)82 346 5338.