www.infrastructurene.ws
IMESA The official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY
INDUSTRY
INSIGHT
Cement & Concrete
What’s eating our buildings?
Achieving continuity to deliver continual excellence
Chris Botha, Aveng Grinaker-LTA
Roads Construction Meeting the challenge of seasonal seal work
Jozi@Work
SBS TANKS Liquid storage partner in drought relief
Innovative job creation initiatives
ISSN 0257 1978
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CONTENTS www.infrastruc
turene.ws
IMESA
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The officia l magaz ine of the Institu te of Munici pal Engine ering of Southe rn Africa
INFRASTRUCTURE
VOLUME 41 NO. 1 JANUARY 2016
MAIN DEVELOPMENT •
TENAN
ERY CE • SERVICE DELIV
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MUNICIPAL FOCUS A Re Yeng
ARGUS AFRICA Maximising sealwork throughout the year
ent & Concrete
IND US TR Y
SIGHT INBotha, Chris
uity Achieving contin ual to deliver contin excellence
Cem buildings? What’s eating our
Aveng Grinaker-LTA
SBS TANKS
partner Liquid storage in drought relief
Argus Africa 2016 Sustainable bitumen and road building
Municipal Focus ent Gauteng – Developm re through infrastructu
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( i n c l . VAT ) 016 • R50.00 .1 • January 2 Vo l u m e 4 1 N o
Regulars
For over 17 years, SBS Water Systems has provided quality liquid storage solutions to municipalities across South Africa. Mava Gwagwa of SBS Water Systems reports a massive demand increase for its modular water storage reservoirs from municipalities and other affected industry sectors, particularly in areas hit hard by the recent lack of rain and high temperatures. P6
Editor’s comment President’s comment Africa round-up Index to advertisers
3 5 8 84
CESA Infrastructure Indaba overview 59
Industry Insight Aveng Grinaker-LTA – Achieving continuity to deliver excellence
A Re Yeng Jozi@Work JRA Flagship Projects Free Wi-Fi in Gauteng
Aveng Grinaker-LTA Achieving continuity to deliver continual excellence. P10
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DAMS & WATER STORAGE Katanga wastewater treatment project
54
CESA
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Municipal Focus | Gauteng
INSIGHT
46
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Infrastructure Finance Optimising the supply chain
INDUSTRY
34 37 42
Dams & Water Storage Holding water Katanga wastewater treatment project
Cover Story SBS Tanks – Liquid storage partner in drought relief
Industry Insight – Ammann Mthatha Airport Deconstructing unemployment
12 16 20 22
Cement & Concrete
25
Construction Vehicles & Equipment
Municipal Engineering IMESA Conference
Argus Africa 2016 Cover Story – Much Asphalt: Achieving the long haul Maximising sealwork throughout the year
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CEMENT & CONCRETE Changing the way we build
28 30
What’s eating our buildings? A successful expansion strategy Changing the way we build Boosting African penetration
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66 68 69 72
Climbing the aluminium stairway to safety
75
Partnering for better roads
77
Powerful digging meets smooth control
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CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT Powerful digging meets smooth control
Hear from the most influential executives active in investing and developing mining projects on the African continent:
MARK BRISTOW MARK CUTIFANI Chief Executive Chief Executive Officer Anglo American Randgold Resources
DAVID AWRAM Senior Executive Vice President and Director Sandstorm Gold Ltd.
EVY HAMBRO Chief Investment Officer, Natural Resources Equity Team BlackRock
ALAN DAVIES Chief Executive Rio Tinto
RICK MENELL Chairman Credit Suisse Securities Johannesburg (Pty) Ltd
ROBERT FRIEDLAND Executive Chairman and Founder Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.
JULIAN TREGER Director and Chief Executive Officer Anglo Pacific Group PLC
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EDITOR’S COMMENT
New year’s
PUBLISHER Elizabeth Shorten EDITOR & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Nicholas McDiarmid SENIOR JOURNALIST Beatrix Knopjes JOURNALISTS Liesl Frankson, Frances Ringwood HEAD OF DESIGN Beren Bauermeister CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders SUB-EDITOR Morgan Carter CONTRIBUTORS Duncan Daries, GD Van Zyl, HG Fourie, SJ Bredenhann, Emile Horak, Stephen Emery, Arno Hefer, Sarel Lacante, Piet Agema CLIENT SERVICES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh Botma PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise FINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban MARKETING & DIGITAL MANAGER Esther Le Roux MARKETING SPECIALIST Philip Rosenberg ADMINISTRATION Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________________________
resolutions
S
ETTLING IN TO 2016 in the infrastructure sector will mean, for many, the contemplation of some significant changes, notably to the procurement and supply chain regimes that have been in the spotlight of late. While these are intended to boost South Africa’s public infrastructure delivery, we operate in a country with more than 1 000 procurement entities, operating in sometimes highly differentiated ways.
ADVERTISING SALES Jenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223 Email: jennymiller@lantic.net ___________________________________________________
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No April fool As reported on www.infrastructurene.ws last November, new infrastructure standards and regulations are to be ratified, fit for the purpose of matching budgets and spend, in an effective manner. National Treasury’s chief procurement officer, Kenneth Brown, announced this at CESA’s inaugural indaba, in which he made the following significant statement: “We need to find a way to completely separate our procurement process for infrastructure, as a lot of energy is currently spent on routine low-value goods services.” This remarkable statistic, and its implications for job creation within the contracting sector, but also the quality of the decisions currently being made, demands that national government intervenes.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R550.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS HEAD OFFICE: Manager: King Singh P.O. Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER Secretary: Celeste Vosloo Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2433 Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266 Email: celestev@buffalocity.gov.za EASTERN CAPE Secretary: Susan Canestra Tel: +27 (0)41 585 4142 ext. 7 Fax: +27 (0)41 585 1066 Email: imesa.easterncape@gmail.com
No time like the present
KWAZULU-NATAL Secretary: Penny Pietersen Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: imesakzn@imesa.org.za
Our featured region in this edition is Gauteng, which deserves recognition for the work it has already undertaken to improve procurement and expenditure. Provincial Treasury MEC Barbara Creecy revealed some key findings from the open tendering pilot projects undertaken recently. Gauteng aims to have total tender transparency by 2017, and certainly has its work cut out for it in attempting to achieve this: “We learnt that we needed to be a lot more careful in what we put out
NORTHERN PROVINCE Secretary: Rona Fourie Tel: +27 (0)82 742 6364 Fax: +27 (0)86 634 5644 Email: imesanorth@vodamail.co.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO Secretary: Henrietta Olivier Tel: +27 (0)79 390 7536 Fax: +27 (0)86 629 7490 Email: imesa.southcape@gmail.com WESTERN CAPE Secretary: Erica Albertse Tel: +27 (0)21 444 7114 Fax: +27 (0)21 444 9470 Email: Erica.albertse@capetown.gov.za
in the original tender specification, as this is where expenditure irregularities, identified by the Auditor-General, would later appear, as the original criteria for specifications was not used in the scoring process of the tenders,” noted Creecy. “Training and development needs to be done with our supply chain management officials,” she pointed out. Creecy added that local government realised the need for a properly set-up procurement hub. “It will be particularly beneficial for emergent enterprises,” she said. We can expect a lot of the proposed changes, both in supply chains and procurement, and we have clear lessons to guide the way, at all tiers of government. We can’t expect it overnight, however. And those in the private sector, who actively use the pages of IMIESA to let the public sector know that they are ready and able to make deep contributions to municipal entities and the communities they serve, can now expect the same in kind from their public sector counterparts. IMIESA has done the groundwork and, in the coming issues this year, you can expect to hear from Brown, and many others, about how the public and private sectors can best leverage each other’s capabilities for optimal outcomes. There has already been much to admire in recent months, when obser ving the innovations and achievements of several key metros. In the 2015/16 financial year, national government will proceed to invest R5.95 billion, through the Public Transport Network Grant, in 12 identified cities. We wish you all the best for 2016, in this important election year, and look for ward to delivering the outcomes of all that is planned.
Nicholas McDiarmid
To our avid readers, check out what we are talking about on our website, Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and have your say.
FREE STATE & NORTHERN CAPE Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27 (0)83 457 4362 Fax: +27 (0)86 628 0468 Email: imesa.fsnc@gmail.com
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All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers. a (WSSA) is a a (Pty) Ltd Afric South Afric in Southern n Services water services Sanitatio ble Water and of sustaina d provider specialise
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INSIGHT
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What’s eating our buildings?
Achieving continuity to deliver continual excellence
Chris Botha, Aveng Grinaker-LTA
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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 Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223.
SBS TANKS Liquid storage partner in drought relief
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IMIESA January 2016
3
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PRESIDENT’S COMMENT
IMESA
2015
Conference A big thank you to the local organising committee and our head office staff component for a ver y successful annual conference held at Grand West Casino complex in Goodwood, Cape Town.
T
HE FEEDBACK I HAVE received from delegates, sponsors and exhibitors alike has all been positive and in praise of the smooth running of the event, as well as the quality and content of the presentations. Our keynote speakers delivered addresses that really touched on the salient points that we as a country need to grapple with. Alderman Ian Nielson, a civil engineering graduate, now executive deputy mayor and responsible for the City of Cape Town's c element that helps to create the finance, covered the following issues: ative of the proportions of the logo, • rapid urbanisation ortion of width and height of 2-to- and the need for effective and sustainable een the GRID elements is 1/3 of the infrastructure solutions • sustainable funding and the present unequal growth between economic and infrastructure needs • the changing role of the municipal engineer in a rational political leadership. I am on record pushing for the municipal engineer to return to his previous position of influence and authority on all issues related to infrastructure planning, design, provision and maintenance. Having heard what the alderman had to say gives us a perspective on what reality we have to take into account in pushing for our profession to regain lost ground. Gone are the days of part-time councillors with limited capacity to interrogate the professional inputs of knowledgeable officials. Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, Aurecon’s African City Ambassador and former mayor of Tshwane, addressed the need for consultation/collaboration on the advancement of integrated urban development in Africa. This initiative is a dialogue that is initiated, developed and owned by Africa, with the intention of fostering a shared understanding across government and society about how best to manage
Duncan Daries, IMESA president
on ‘The municipal engineer as the caring parent: Duty to manage risk of damage and injury’, which looked at how the municipal engineer needs to familiarise himself with a wide range of legal frameworks in order to perform his duties and reduce his risks. In the past, the municipal engineer often acted as if he were immune from civil suits Transport authority or criminal prosecution. However, the Bill of Melissa Whitehead, Transport for Cape Town Rights has changed the face of the munici(TCT) commissioner, was a special invited pal engineer from an absolute authority to speaker who addressed the conference with a reasonable and responsible person. The regard to the challenges faced in creating a conduct of a reasonable person is, therefore, transport authority (TA). She identified the an element in determining negligence on the five-year policy agenda within municipalities part of a municipal engineer. The GRID is a graphic element that helps to create the as the main issue affecting the roll-out of The liability of the local authority with ZEST indentity. Derivative of the proportions of the logo, transport infrastructure whose planning andit is based respect on to road safety has a proportion of been widthhighlighted and height of 2-toimplementation horizons are much longer. 3. The in distance a numberbetween of courtthecases, GRID collectively elements is 1/3 of the The four essential elements or princi-height known municipal cases. ECSA also preof anaselement. ples that ensures a TA has all the delivery scribes rules of conduct to registered protools are: fessionals. From these, we have learnt 1. Power: Derived from the TCT by-law devel- the following: oped using the enabling legislation within • It’s the duty of the municipal engineer to the National Land Transport Act, Financial manage risks. Management and Standards. • There are specific legal duties to guard 2. Longevity: The by-law aligns with the adminagainst harm. istration, which goes beyond the political • The Bakkarud case introduced a new conterm of office. cept of blame-worthiness in the municipal 3. Investment: Transportation operating costs liability sphere. are a reflection on inefficient urban form. • The municipal engineer performs a role Investment and infrastructure development similar to that of a parent who is the must, therefore, be manoeuvred and leverskilled person – diligence paterfamilias aged to enhance efficiency. (careful head of the family). 4. Partnership: There should be a good part- • The Professional Engineers Ontario’s Code nership between a power decision-maker of Ethics is a useful reference point for (political) and the administration. professional conduct. • There is a statutory duty in terms of the Risky business Occupational Health and Safety Act (No. We had many other presentations that cov85 of 1993). ered the full ambit of municipal engineering, • Common law, ECSA rules of conduct and but I will only discuss Louis Roodt’s paper case law are all applicable. urbanisation. Through the partnership of Aurecon, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the South African Local Government Association (Salga), this initiative was launched on the evening of 28 October 2015, during the IMESA Conference. IMESA has also endorsed this initiative.
The GRID What is it?
IMIESA January 2016
5
COVER STORY
SBS TANKS
Liquid storage partner
in drought relief Encountering droughts, water shortages and other water emergencies in water-scarce South Africa is par for the course. However, the current drought gripping the country is unparalled in its severity and requires expert solutions and partnerships.
F
OR OVER 17 YEARS, SBS Water Systems has provided quality liquid storage solutions to municipalities across South Africa. Mava Gwagwa, new business and key account director, SBS Water Systems, reports that the company has seen a massive demand increase for its modular water storage reservoirs from municipalities and other affected industry sectors, particularly in areas hit hard by the recent high temperatures and lack of rain. “The unique ability of our storage tanks and reservoirs to be rapidly fabricated, delivered to rural sites and quickly erected is key to our customers, who are urgently in need of large-scale storage solutions to aid in the implementation of drought relief measures to communities in need.” says Gwagwa.
Municipal installation in the Eastern Cape, SBS Tank Model ST 28-08 (2 393 kilolitre capacity)
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IMIESA January 2016
Going the extra mile A prime example of the company’s ability and willingness to go the extra mile is a recent urgent request from a municipality in rural KZN to provide 100 kℓ of storage to a droughtstricken area where water availability was down to a meagre four hours per day. SBS took on the challenge to complete the fabrication, delivery and installation of the required tank in just eight days. “When our customers call on us, SBS meets the challenge head on, even when facing the most impossible of demands,” says Gwagwa. With the primary cause of the country’s current water woes, the El Niño phenomenon, set to peak only in December 2015, South Africa may only see relief from this crisis towards the second quarter of 2016. Gwagwa notes, “The key factors that our leaders
must now focus on, in both urban and rural areas, will be educating all citizens about the dire need for water conservation, rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling and ensuring the strict and fair management of our existing water supply.” He continues: “With the introduction of our smaller, residential-size tanks (3 kℓ, 7 kℓ and 12 kℓ capacities) and with storage capabilities right up to the flagship 3 300 kℓ tank, SBS is now assisting customers on every level to conserve and harvest our most precious resource.”
Increased capacity With service delivery and quality always at the core of its ethos, the company has ramped up capacity at its already formidable, world-class production facility and added manpower to its army of certified professional installers to insure that none of its valued customers are let down when they are most in need. Judging by the current inflow of enquiries and orders, it is clear to SBS that the company has garnered a steady reputation as a partner in the provision of liquid storage solutions to this sector. Says Gwagwa, “Of that, we are very proud. But, more importantly, as a company,
COVER STORY
RIGHT SBS Tanks are easily transported to remote sites. Rural KZN installation of ST 16-02 (200 kilolitre capacity) BOTTOM RIGHT Municipal installation in the Eastern Cape, SBS Tank Model ST 28-08 (2 393 kilolitre capacity)
we look beyond where our work ends. We value the human element in every municipal installation that we do and we contribute to restoring the dignity and the provision of basic human rights to citizens in the most vulnerable communities. In the end, our liquid storage solutions are more than just tanks; they become beacons of upliftment and optimism for communities.”
Liquid storage SBS Water Systems started its municipal success story 17 years ago, when it pioneered the acceptance of modular Zincalume liquid storage solutions in the South African market. Gwagwa states that the company’s municipal offering extends beyond the provision of only potable water storage solutions, “We have successfully provided solutions in sewage and effluent, as well as wastewater treatment solutions.” The company has also entrenched itself as a supplier of choice across various industries, providing liquid storage solutions to the mining, fixed fire protection, water conservation, and food and beverage industries. The key to the company’s success – in the municipal sector in particular – lies in the modular design of its professionally engineered product. Gwagwa explains, “The communities we serve that do not have access to water and sanitation are situated in remote, rural areas. In many instances, we have facilitated installations in areas with little or no road infrastructure. The advantage of our product is that it is transportable using lightweight delivery vehicles. It can safely be lifted by hand, by small teams. There is also the added benefit of safe and rapid installation using our proprietary installation equipment. “In reality, a 3 Mℓ water storage solution can be manufactured, installed and commissioned in a remote location in a little as 10 weeks. A concrete water storage solution with the same capacity can take as long as a year to construct. A year is a long time to wait when
the situation is dire, which it is in most cases,” he points out. Another important element for SBS Water Systems is community engagement. Says Gwagwa, “We endeavour to engage with the local community in an effort to give back. Often, members of the local community will be made part of the installation team. As a result, they obtain invaluable skills and experience, which will assist them in securing employment going forward.”
“Our liquid storage solutions are more than just tanks; they become beacons of upliftment and optimism for communities.”
Durability
Durability is a key consideration in the harsh African climate. SBS Tanks have a life expectancy in excess of 65 years. The product is manufactured using only the original Bluescope Zincalume steel in both the body panels and roof sheeting. Zincalume is recognised internationally as a superior corrosion-resistant product. Its durable coating is comprised of 55% aluminium, 43.5% zinc and 1.5% silicon, providing improved corrosion resistance over more commonly used galvanised products. The company also
prides itself in its SABS ISO 9001:2008 quality management system, which ensures complete control – from design and manufacture right through to installation. Clients are also assured by means of a conditional 10-year, no-leak guarantee and a one-year parts and workmanship warranty. In closing, Gwagwa concedes that the road ahead will not be an easy one. “We, as a nation, are feeling the devastating effects of this drought on many levels. In the agricultural sector, many provinces have been declared disaster zones. There is no doubt that, in addition to the human suffering, our economy will be affected. However, SBS Tanks remains optimistic about partnering with government on various levels, as we have done in the past, in doing what we can to alleviate the suffering of our fellow citizens.”
IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27 (0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.
www.sbstanks.co.za
IMIESA January 2016
7
AFRICA ROUND-UP
INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT BOTSWANA
spent on the project, with section three expected to be completed by March 2016.
Programme to broaden industrial base Minister of Trade and Industry Vincent Seretse says Botswana supports the implementation of the recently adopted Industrialisation Strategy Roadmap. Speaking on the sidelines of the Southern Africa Development Community Committee of the Ministers of Trade, Seretse explained that foreign direct investment was important for Africa and SADC. “In Africa, we have commoditydriven economies and what we are focusing on as member states to our regional blocs is to get investors to promote these products,” he noted. He highlighted that government was providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. He pleaded with his colleagues to create an enabling environment for the private sector to prosper and attract investments provided for by the revised fiveyear Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.
KENYA Phase II of port terminal to begin in 2017 Work on Phase II of the Mombasa Port second container terminal will begin in early 2017, according to Kenya Ports Authority managing director Gichiri Ndua. He said this will involve construction of Berth 22, at cost of Sh22 billion (R3 billion). This follows ahead of schedule work on Phase I, which commenced in 2012 and is currently 92% ready, with a onemonth early completion date of February 2016. It will cost Sh27 billion (R3 billion) when complete and
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IMIESA January 2016
NIGERIA Massive job cuts imminent in Nigeria's construction industry The managing direc-
Work on Phase II of the Mombasa Port second container terminal will begin in early 2017
will comprise berths 20 and 21. “It will provide additional capacity of between 470 000 TEUs and 550 000 TEUs (a measure of a single container capacity) annually,” Ndua says. He said Phase III would then follow, which will see the development of Berth 23, with a 300 m length and a side berth of 80 m. The entire project is estimated to cost Sh91.8 billion (R12.8 billion).
NAMIBIA B1 construction cost up by N$95 million The projected cost of constructing the B1 dual carriageway between Windhoek and Okahandja has
increased by N$95 million (R95 million), due to changes to the design. The road will now have two full lanes on both sides, running side-by-side, once the project is completed, thereby scrapping the initial converging dual and single lanes that were set to be constructed on some parts of the road. Roads Authority corporate communications manager Hileni Fillemon told Nampa that the cost of construction was initially projected at about N$240 million, but increased due to additional earthwork. The total cost of the project is now estimated at about N$335 million. So far, N$209.7 million has been
Current financial struggles in Nigeria’s construction sector may lead to massive job cuts
tor of Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Detlev Lubasach, has revealed that Nigeria's current financial struggles may lead to massive job cuts in the country's construction sector. On the account of huge debts owed, his company and other construction firms in the country may have to resort to staff downsizing to stay afloat. President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria Bobboi Bala Kaigama added that it was not enough for President Muhammadu Buhari to go after corrupt individuals. He must also feel the pulse of Nigerians concerning their job and food security. Lubasach said that, beyond the current economic constraints, the immediate past administration was unable even to meet payments for jobs already completed and handed over to the government.
AFRICA ROUND-UP
RWANDA
Rwanda has received $26 million that will go toward improving infrastructure, like border posts, that will boost relations with the DRC
Government gets $26 million for border upgrade Rwanda has received $26 million that will go to facilitating trade between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. “These funds are to help with regional integration in the western part of our country. The resources will help in making improvements on the Kamembe Airport in Rusizi District. It will help us facilitate the trade with the DRC, which has been the highest in terms of informal trade,” Rwanda's Minister of Finance, Claver Gatete, says. This is part of the international development regional financing of a $79 million grant and credit that was approved in September 2015 by the World Bank Group's board of executive directors. “The financing will go towards improving core trade infrastructure and facilities to provide efficient and secure flow of pedestrians, passengers, and commercial vehicles at border crossing points," Carolyn Turk, World Bank country manager in Rwanda, explains.
TANZANIA Vodacom puts $1 billion in network infrastructure Vodacom has invested over $1 billion in the country in building its second- and third-generation infrastructure coverage during the past few years, the company announced yesterday. Announcing the firm's vision to lead into the digital age and change lives using technology, managing director Ian Ferrao said the investments have helped the company to maintain its tempo as Tanzania's leading mobile telecommunication operator in terms of subscribers. He said the company invests at least Sh200 billion in the country each year, noting that
the trend will continue as the company rolls out its new coverage and new technologies, including the fourth-generation (4G) fibre networks. "To date, Vodacom has invested over $1 billion into the Tanzanian market, building the widest 2G and 3G coverage, with 87% of the population now covered. Supported by our distribution partners and 85 000 M-Pesa agents, Vodacom has already connected more than 12 million subscribers and is currently the highest taxpayer in the industry," he said.
ZAMBIA Over $400 million to be spent on roads countrywide More than
infrastructure development in the education and health sectors, respectively," Mvunga said.
ZIMBABWE $2 billion highway project raises eyebrows A lack of transparency in the selection of the winning bidder for the multibilliondollar Beitbridge-Masvingo-HarareChirundu highway dualisation project has raised fears that, apart from being over-valued, the project may be awarded to an undeserving bidder. This follows recent pronouncements by the new Minister of Transport and Infrastructure
Development, Joram Gumbo, that a special committee chaired by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa will shortly be coming up with the winner for the tender to dualise one of the busiest roads in sub-Saharan Africa. This fast-track process is being carried out outside the standard state procurement processes. However, the speed with which the process is moving, the secrecy surrounding the process and the rate at which the projected costs have been increasing have raised suspicion among industry players that a ‘winner’ could have been in place before a decision was made to cancel a tender that had been given to a consortium of local contractors.
$400 million from the $1.25 billion Eurobond has been allocated for the improvement of road infrastructure countrywide. Finance Deputy Minister Christopher Mvunga said the money would be channelled towards improving urban and rural roads. Mvunga was responding to UPND Member of Parliament Austin Milambo, who wanted to know which projects would be financed using the bond issued. "The major allocations include $410.7 million for the improvement of road infrastructure, including rural roads; $268 million for domestic debt swap and clearance; $40 million on canal maintenance and maritime equipment procurement; and US$45.2 million and US$20.3 million for
To date, Vodacom has invested over $1 billion into the Tanzanian market
IMIESA January 2016
9
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Achieving continuity
to deliver continual excellence Taking top honours at last month’s Best Projects Awards, Aveng Grinaker-LTA is in remarkably good shape just two years into its challenging restructuring. In this Industr y Insight, Chris Botha sheds light on the strategy behind its response to a market few are getting right. Chris Botha, Aveng GrinakerLTA’s group managing director: Construction and Engineering, discusses the company’s successful diversification strategy based on robust core principles
T
HE MULTIDISCIPLINARY and engineering subsidiary of the Aveng Group, Aveng Grinaker-LTA, took top honours at the Construction World Magazine’s annual Best Projects Awards in November last year. Aveng was also named Best Contractor of the Year at the 8th Annual South African Construction Awards (SACA) in October 2015. At the SAICE-SAFCEC Awards for the Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievements for 2014/15, Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s Department of Environmental Affairs Head Office project was awarded the Best Project Management and Construction Award in the SAICE Technical Division and in the Specialist Contractor category.
Turning the tables Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s position today is in strong contrast to where it was in early 2012. With an unpromising order book and several legacy loss-making projects draining its resources, it was certainly not the stable contributor it is today.
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IMIESA January 2016
Chris Botha was appointed to lead a strengthened management team in January , which continues to implement a targeted programme that was put in place to restore sustainable cash generation and profitability. “The approach addresses financial recovery, operational efficiency and effective project execution, strengthened risk management and a client-solutions-based philosophy to business development and effective value chain integration,” explains Botha. “Our strategy has been well defined from the start, and diversification is proving to be increasingly important, in terms of regional spread and in our infrastructure segments,” explains Botha. “Managing risk is increasingly intricate in the construction sector, and a company’s sustainability depends on how responsive it is to the dynamics of both the sector as a whole and in the functioning of each area of its operations.” Aveng Grinaker-LTA's selective approach to new project acquisition is intended to improve profitability and cash flow, even at the expense
of revenue growth. In addition, the operating group is applying innovative methods to project development, bidding and execution to optimise project performance.
Controlling risk in diverse markets Aveng Grinaker-LTA offers multidisciplinary services in numerous African markets, and has established offices in Namibia, Mozambique and Mauritius. The key to its success in other African markets is down to its high level of selectivity when choosing projects. Botha is enthusiastic about the significant increase of opportunities in several sectors in the region: “We’ve just completed a R1.2 billion railway line in Mozambique and we are seeing excellent opportunities in the building space, industrial, oil and gas, and general infrastructure development,” he explains. Again, discretion is the key to success and the likelihood of consistency and reliability, especially in terms of payment, need to be examined. “We are cautious about working for government entities directly outside of South Africa and often look to funded projects and private developers,” he elaborates. “The level of contractual and commercial risk in the South African market is on the increase and – with labour disruptions, weather-related project delays and, in some circumstances, changes in project scope – we have had to find ways to safeguard against projects that could turn into liabilities.” The recent completion of several legacy loss-making projects brings into focus the operational side of Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s strategy.
Building better, building safely Aveng Grinaker-LTA has an extensive track record of successful contracts, and has the resources, skills and project management capabilities to deliver diverse, multidisciplinary projects. Its systems and procedures are primed
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
OPPOSITE PAGE Nacala Railway Line, Tete, Mozambique ABOVE The Department of Environmental Affairs, Tshwane – a construction project undertaken by Aveng Grinaker
for tendering, engineering, procurement, project management and construction management, and all adhere to ISO 9001:2008 requirements. Extending its quality and safety standard consistently into new markets, and ensuring its efficiencies and management processes are sustained wherever it operates, the company has a strong focus on selecting the right skills to start a project management team, within a context of local participation. “As with the railway line in Mozambique, we insist that the business unit concerned supplies the bulk of the resources and most of the management supervision and oversight. However, we utilised an 85% local staff contingent and only invited key individuals in key areas of control from South Africa. This way, South Africans oversee the projects and locals build them.” Skills transfer and development of smaller contractors is important throughout Africa and presents a variety of challenges. “We are obliged to submit training plans and skills transfer plans, and are committed to the process. But, the problem is that infrastructure development often lacks continuity.” Botha believes that the only way to create an ongoing cycle of sustainable skills transfer is through successful and continuous projects.
developments. “We have recently seen encouraging growth in the public sector, backed by large investment,” says Botha. “But, the familiar challenges at municipal level, including corruption and a lack of technical skills, will take some time to overcome.” Botha notes that while the projects Aveng Grinaker-LTA have undertaken with agencies like the Development Bank of Southern Africa have been working well, the municipal complications are still encountered, and fall under the same scope of risk as direct municipal contracts do. “There is no doubt that the moves by National Treasury to improve the procurement regulations and develop a more consistent supply chain environment across the public sector are important and encouraging, the results will only be seen in the future.”
stable work at perhaps lower, though still acceptable, margins,” says Botha. In practice, this has seen the company gravitate its engineering services towards operate and maintenance contracts. The latter may promise higher margins, but the current high-risk environment makes them less attractive to other players.
Construction excellence with a long-term future It is impossible to gauge the current success of Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s sustainable growth strategy without seeing the longer-term outlook. “Growth in the South African construction and engineering industry will continue to be subdued and 2016 will be a year of consolidation,” explains Botha. However, the configuration of its project portfolio, the consistent and fast-tracked completion of its negative-earnings legacy projects, and the substantial diversification of its markets that it has achieved in two short years should bode well for the future. Perhaps most important, however, is the improved success of Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s construction projects, from an architectural and engineering design, delivery to time and budget, and client satisfaction point of view. If the number and credibility of the awards it has won throughout 2015 is anything to go by, this construction and engineering heavyweight has a lot to be proud of. “Winning these awards is testament to the quality of our workmanship and the project management capacity within Aveng Grinaker-LTA,” concludes Botha.
“Winning prestigious awards is testament to the quality of our workmanship and the project management capacity within Aveng Grinaker-LTA.”
Project funding and development in South Africa Botha notes that public infrastructure spend has seen a shift in focus towards building more hospitals, schools and integrated housing
Botha also notes government’s waning interest in public-private partnerships has seen a decline in these types of contracts being awarded. “The public sector procurement environment is chronically inconsistent, often changing from municipality to municipality; at this stage, it’s up to the individuals themselves, many of whom put self-interest first.” Again, these factors are reflected in the diverse spread of its local order book, which include flagship building projects such as Old Mutual's head office in Sandton and the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital north of Durban. In response to the shift in government expenditure, from large, national programmes to smaller, municipal infrastructure projects, Aveng GrinakerLTA has become more active in the provincial and municipal market, securing work in Ekurhuleni and the Western Cape. “The key to sustainable growth comes back to diversification and finding
www.grinaker-lta.com
IMIESA January 2016
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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
A Re Yeng, meaning “Let’s go!” in Setswana, is the City of Tshwane’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system and highlights the potential of collaborations between the public and private sectors. BY BEATRIX KNOPJES
D
ESIGNED TO MOVE large volumes of people quickly and safely through urban areas, A Re Yeng aims to link the city into an integrated network. The system features dedicated bus-only lanes, as well as bus stations that are safe, comfortable, protected from the weather and friendly to passengers with special needs, such as children, the elderly, and the sight and hearing impaired. It is part of a public-private partnership in which cities build and maintain the infrastructure, stations, depots, control centres and a fare collection system. Private operators own and manage the buses, hire staff and provide services on long-term contracts.
Inception phase The first phase completed runs between the Pretoria CBD and Hatfield. This phase
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IMIESA January 2016
A Re Yeng: flexibility and convenience
comprises approximately 7 km of BRT trunk route, with seven median stations and feeder routes going via Hatfield, Groenkloof, PTA West, the CBD and Steve Biko Hospital. The inception phase has been well received by the commuters. The average number of passengers per day has been consistent, since Februar y 2015, ranging between 3 000 and 4 000, and increasing to 4 495 passengers daily in October 2015. The infrastructure completed, so far, lies between the Pretoria CBD and Wonderboom, which is situated north of Pretoria. This phase comprises 9 km of BRT trunk route and five median
stations and non-motorised transpor t (NMT) facilities. The next phase to be constructed will be between Hatfield and Menlyn, going to the east of Pretoria. Construction of the first section of this phase, running from Atterbury Road between Lois Avenue and Januar y Masilela Drive, will commence around the second quarter of 2016. The
ABOVE Safety is a priority for A Re Yeng users BELOW Construction of the A Re Yeng trunk route on Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria
MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
REDUCING THE COST OF SERVICE DELIVERY
The development of an integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) is intended to transform the public transport system and reduce the cost of service delivery by doing the following: • formalising the use of public transport • reducing traffic congestion currently causing delays, increased travel costs, fuel consumption and deterring investment • reducing overcrowding and excessive journey times on existing public transport • reducing over-reliance on private transport • improving pedestrian and bicycle facilities • increasing inner-city revenue through the provision of integrated public transportation • reducing travel time and providing efficient and easy access to various employment, retail, business, social and tourist activities in the inner city • reducing user costs to access the inner city • reducing the carbon footprint of inner-city transport, as well as fuel consumption • making the inner city pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly, as well as catering for people who are physically challenged.
ABOVE Construction of the A Re Yeng trunk route on Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria RIGHT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM The stations and buses are all universally accessible The vertical element outside the stations assists all visitors to identify their current location, plan their trips and see places of interest along the way The memory box stations are located in the CBD along Paul Kruger and Nana Sita streets
construction period of this phase will be approximately 32 months.
Solving challenges The planning of a BRT system is guided by the principles of prioritising public transport, pedestrians, cyclists and private vehicles, in that order. For these principles to be achieved, efficient use of road space is required, as well as the acquisition of existing lanes used by private vehicles. Developing such a system is not without its challenges. “There was opposition to the proposed trunk routes from some sectors of the public that didn’t support the BRT alignment traversing through their neighbourhood due to perceived fears of increased traffic congestion, safety concerns and increased noise
pollution, among other things,” states Carly Maeko, spokesperson for A Re Yeng. The project involved extensive roadworks construction in an old built-up area, with an extensive network of old underground services that required upgrading or relocation at significant costs and time delays. This also required extensive traffic management during construction to minimise the impact on traffic congestion. “The Pretoria CBD is old, as are its surrounding areas; therefore, planning of the project needs to take into consideration heritage assets in the form of existing buildings, jacaranda trees as well as underground artefacts, which need to be preserved during the planning and construction stages,” explains Maeko. A case in point is the exposure of the tram lines in the Church Square, which, after being exposed, have to be incorporated into the construction of the final road surfacing. BRT trunk routes are located along key mobility routes with high pedestrian volumes. Designing of the routes in compliance with universalaccess standards to accommodate persons with special needs (the elderly, persons with prams or wheelchairs, partially sighted persons) requires additional space for NMT facilities. “To accommodate these requirements with the limited road reserve, some of the
The planning of a BRT system is guided by the principles of prioritising public transport, pedestrians, cyclists and private vehicles – in that order
IMIESA January 2016
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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
existing on-street parking was removed, leading to a number of legal action challenges by aggrieved businesses and the public,” he says.
Safety first Safety is a priority for A Re Yeng users. CCTV cameras are situated at the stations and the busses and route are constantly monitored by staff at the interim central control centre. “Each A Re Yeng bus is also equipped with CCTV cameras monitored by the interim central control centre, which all A Re Yeng bus drivers are in contact with at all times. The control centre allows the communication of important messages to the bus drivers,” says Maeko. The drivers are in total control of the bus, including the doors, ensuring that passengers can embark and disembark safely. The drivers can also control and align the boarding bridges of the buses with the station doors.
Supporting emerging contractors A Re Yeng supports emerging contractors and stimulates job creation. Maeko explains: “One of the procurement policies of the City of Tshwane regarding construction contracts makes it a condition to use local SMMEs for subcontracting to a minimum value of 25% of the works during the implementation of construction work.” The main contractors are required to appoint subcontractors from an existing database of local SMMEs. A number of small-to-medium contractors were, therefore, sourced from this database during the construction of the works. They were appointed for construction work including, among others, paving, kerbing, trenching, streetlight upgrades and the relocation of services. Central to the planning and operations of the A Re Yeng system was job creation. “Additional job opportunities for the A Re
Overall, A Re Yeng has created a positive impact on thousands of people working in the transport industry
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Yeng operations team included customer service staff, fare collection, station management, bus controllers and other admin staff,” stresses Maeko. Overall, A Re Yeng has created a positive impact on thousands of people working in the transport industr y. “The City of Tshwane undertook this project on the understanding that there would be no loss of employment in the sector. To date, over 2 500 general labour jobs have been created,” enthuses Maeko.
Integration Payment integration to better link A Re Yeng with other public transport systems is planned. “Integration would be achieved through the implementation of the Euro MasterCard Visa (EMV) by different role players in the transport industry,” says Maeko. The EMV payment mechanism would be facilitated through banking infrastructure. “Under the EMV regime, commuters would be able to use a single card to pay for fares at all operators, which have implemented an EMV-based
IMIESA January 2016
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automated fare collection system,” she says. The National Department of Transport is working with various operators, including the City of Tshwane, to ensure the successful implementation and operation of the EMV automated fare collection system. “A Re Yeng uses the Mifare system, similar to the Gautrain, and is in the process of procuring EMV.
Improved mobility “What sets A Re Yeng apart from other BRT systems is its use of low-floor buses to improve mobility and reduce the impact on the streetscape. The station designs are also unique to the local BRTs and Tshwane, with their identifiable structures supported by universal graphic signage and way-finding, making it easy to find them. The vertical element
outside the stations assists all visitors to identify their current location, plan their trips and see places of interest along the way,” elaborates Maeko. The station artwork tells the story of Tshwane from different perspectives and cultural backgrounds, through the lens of the context and artist. A Re Yeng is unique from other systems because of its types of stations. “The system has memory box-type and retro tram-type stations. The memory box stations are located in the CBD along Paul Kruger and Nana Sita streets. This concept includes imagery and information relating to the historic buildings located in the vicinity. The retro tram station was chosen for stations outside the CBD,” says Maeko. This concept evokes the imagery
of the old tram lines realised in a modern style. Its distinctive design and allegory of trams suggest a timeless quality that is rooted in the past but extends to the future. A Re Yeng will provide the city with a muchneeded service that will alleviate commuting challenges experienced daily by the residents of Tshwane. “We are aware that A Re Yeng, on its own, will not be the entire solution to our public transport challenges,” stresses Maeko. “Yet we acknowledge that, once it is integrated with existing transport options, it will result in greater flexibility, convenience and affordability. Trains, buses and taxis all have important roles to play in providing comprehensive public transport and we are optimistic that commuters will choose to use A Re Yeng when it extends to other areas,” she concludes. IMIESA January 2016
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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
Jozi@Work The City of Johannesburg’s Jozi@Work initiative is a unique programme that engages and empowers communities by allowing them to form community-based start-ups to take on work packages that constructively deal with the realities of poverty, inequality and unemployment. BY BEATRIX KNOPJES
P Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau showcases Jozi@Work sites
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HINDILE CHAUKE, MAYORAL communications for the Office of the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg says, “Jozi@ Work is a City of Johannesburg programme designed to create an opportunity for communities to partner with the metropolitan in the deliver y of municipal ser vices in their own neighbourhoods in a bid to boost ser vice deliver y and promote entrepreneurship.” It does this by transforming otherwise haphazard subcontracting arrangements into a genuine tool for development, while at the same time unravelling significant parts of the value chain.
ser vice design to directly build community responses to ser vice deficits and, in the process, building micro-economies and local value chains throughout the city.” By using this platform, thousands of new market entrants are enabled. “These will, in turn, draw on the hundreds of thousands of unemployed and underemployed people available as part of the city’s labour pool,” explains Chauke. This is designed to inject income and promote commercial activity in all clusters of the city, which run the full length of value chains and cross from the most deprived into more prosperous areas.
Scope of work
Capability support agents
“Jozi@Work is a developmental ser vice deliver y model, which combines a progressive supplier development approach to procurement with local economic development,” says Chauke. “The programme works as a community-driven
The Jozi@Work programme transfers skills though contracted capability suppor t agents (CSAs). These CSAs are tasked with the super vision and mentorship of the cooperations that would other wise not have the necessar y skills, materials and
MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
equipment to complete the work timeously and to the required standard. Chauke explains, “This introduces an additional cost to the deliver y model (in the form of CSA fees) but it is ultimately an investment into the developmental nature of the programme.” CSAs are procured as ordinar y contractors, but with their scope specifically stating they will act as CSAs in the Jozi@Work system. “They may or may not have a wider contracting role within the city. For ever y work package assigned through the Jozi@Work programme, the entities doing the work are suppor ted by a CSA, which will handle all invoicing and payments, make sure work is done to quality standards, and also make sure community-based entities can rent the equipment and purchase the raw materials they need to do the work,” explains Chauke. CSAs finance materials and equipment up front and recover costs from payments made to it by the city, subtracting these costs from payments to the microenterprises. The CSA will also, over a one- or two-year period, provide training, advice, and support as well as access to low-cost loans to make sure cooperatives and community-based companies can grow beyond the programme and do business with customers other than the city and/or ser ve the city as a contractor through the ordinar y procurement process.
Jozi@Work holds regular meetings for each region in Johannesburg
forums at 35 sites, city-wide, ever y four to six weeks. At these forums, communities are briefed about upcoming work packages and given feedback on existing ones.
the countr y. “If any of them are considering adopting their own Jozi@Work-like concept, it is advisable that they be bold and recognise that they can direct their spending power more towards the development of their communities,” encourages Chauke.
Partnerships The city is open to forming partnerships with the private sector to boost the sustainability of community-based entities currently contracted under Jozi@Work, whereby it provides opportunity ladders within its own value chains that these enterprises can graduate into. The City of Johannesburg is a municipality open to sharing any innovative ideas with counterpar ts across the province and
Challenges The 2014-15 implementation of Jozi@ Work was concentrated into the final three months of the financial year. During this implementation, the extent to which projects fulfilled the programme objectives fell on a sliding scale due to poor grass cutting packages, where issues with pricing
Engaging the public The Jozi@Work programme relies heavily on engagement from the public. The commitment to the project to date suggests a shifting perspective, where indigent communities are no longer reliant on hand-outs from government but are active participants in their socio-economic growth. To achieve this engagement, the city holds regular regional
IMIESA January 2016
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IMESA/CESA BIENNIAL PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARDS
IMESA CALL FOR ENTRIES Tuesday, 25 October 2016 – East London ICC
CATEGORIES 1. STRUCTURES AND BUILDINGS 2. WATER/WASTEWATER 3. ROADS/STORMWATER 4. ENVIRONMENTAL 5. COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT EXPLANATION Give recognition to well-engineered civil engineering projects for infrastructure. Portray the art and science of civil engineering for infrastructure to the general public and indicate how the profession finds answers to challenges. The project must be in Southern Africa. CLOSING DATE 10 JUNE 2016 (Only completed projects as at 30 June 2016 will be accepted for the Awards) ENTRY FORMS / AND AWARD CRITERIA will be available for download in early December 2015 on www.imesa.org.za QUESTIONS Debbie Anderson – IMESA – 031 266 3263 • conference@imesa.org.za
IMESA t +27 (011) 463 2022 f +27 (011) 463 7383 www.cesa.co.za
t +27 (031) 266 3263 f (031) 266 5094 www.imesa.org.za
MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
and division of work scope between cooperatives needed to be corrected. This also extended to where enterprise development components were not as strong as they could be. Where there have been failures on the part of CSAs, these have been addressed through channels built into the contracts. “This is part of the programme’s learning cur ve,” says Chauke. She notes, “One important lesson can be drawn from the experience of Region B, which includes both highly deprived and ver y prosperous neighbourhoods. Though the programme seeks to engage all communities, the response rate to the same processes from more prosperous neighbourhoods and ver y deprived neighbourhoods differs greatly, with much stronger interest from Riverlea and Westbur y, for example, than from Rosebank and surrounding neighbourhoods. This has established the practice of allowing communitybased entities teams from the wider region to ser vice these areas.”
Fair distribution According to Chauke, the Jozi@Work rules stipulate that no community-based enterprise can be awarded more than 5% of work value in a region, and no individual
TABLE 1 As at last quarter of the 2014/15 financial year, the compiled results for the seven regions
Region A B C D E F
Amount spent per region (rands) 11 485 695.19 5 042 637.00 12 333 991.00 50 239 415.00 9 237 559.79 3 019 799.80
Number of co-ops/ enterprises engaged 18 15 11 26 16 4
478 109 236 1 021 467 94
G Total
16 150 043.00 R107 509 140.78
22 112
91 2 496
can get more than 2% of the work value. “The segregation of decision-making deliberately counteracts corruption. The cooperatives are nominated according to a transparent scoring mechanism by a Regional Steering Committee, but their appointment is subject to scrutiny from a CSA. Above and beyond, whistle-blowing by the public is welcomed,” she emphasises. The scoring of entities is out of 100 points and can be explained as follows: • 20 points are awarded for localisation. City officials use the distance between the worksite, where the work package will happen, and the home addresses of each community-based company or
JOZI MY BEGINNING
Jozi My Beginning – a City of Johannesburg community innovation fund – has begun accepting submissions of innovative ideas from local residents and communitybased entities. • The R50 million fund, an extension of Jozi@Work, is designed to explore innovative ideas geared towards improving service delivery in Joburg in-line with the city's drive to partner with communities in the delivery of municipal services. • “ The submission date was extended from 26 October 2015, following the awareness workshops – where it was established that people needed some more time to prepare their proposals for submission,” Mayor Tau said. • The city has partnered with the University of Johannesburg, which has availed its entity, Resolution Circle, to administrate the fund, handle submissions, shortlist, evaluate, and support as a sector expert. • Mayor Tau said the criteria to be used to evaluate submissions will include innovation, economic empowerment of the impacted communities, as well as the idea’s alignment with green/blue and smart city principles. • The intellectual property (IP) of the innovator is expected to be protected, while the IP rights will stay with the individual or company that submitted an idea. • The city will, however, have the right to make use of the IP for a year after the grant has been made. • “ The fund will secure expert services to assist with the development of submitted ideas to a bankable proposal. The outcome of the supported proposals will be a demonstration to the city,” Mayor Tau said, adding that the innovator will be required to be part of the development and implementation phase.
Jobs created
cooperative. The closest entity on average gets 20, the furthest gets zero, the rest are scored somewhere in-between. • 10 points are given for opportunity creation. The entity that will create the most livelihoods gets 10, the company that will create the least gets 0, ever yone else is scored somewhere in-between. A livelihood through partnership or membership of an entity counts more than a livelihood created through labour. • 10 points are given for an entity having a good strategy for mobilising its community around the work package in question. 5 points if the strategy is incomplete and 0 if no strategy is presented. • 10 points are awarded if ever y member of an entity is registered for social grants or the city's expanded social package. 5 points if only some members are on social assistance, zero if none are. • The remaining 50 points are based on functionality. 20 points for understanding of the work package; 20 points for skills and experience, although, for the entr y level packages, ever yone will get 20; and 10 points for how credible the proposal is to the steering committee. The CSA must use the highest scoring cooperatives, but it can motivate why that was not possible if, for example, the cooperatives or companies have misrepresented themselves, or if they are not willing to conduct the work. In that case, or if the cooperative has already been appointed for another area and/or cannot manage the work because of its existing workload, the CSA continues down the list in order of score. In certain cases, those with the highest localisation scores, who may not have scored high on functionality, will be added on as another layer of local subcontractors below the main entity given the Jozi@Work opportunity in the area.
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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
JRA: Solving service delivery issues The JRA makes an invaluable contribution to the socio-economic development of the City of Johannesburg, with the goal of becoming the best roads authority in Africa. BY BEATRIX KNOPJES
T
HE CITY OF JOHANNESBURG remains the most advanced commercial city in Africa and the driving force of the South African and regional economy. The city has committed R110 billion to infrastructure upgrades across the city over the next 10 years. The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) envisions becoming the best city roads authority in Africa, enabling vibrant and sustainable economic growth. JRA launched its Flagship Bridge programme on 6 August 2015. Executive mayor Parks Tau said, “A total of R1.4 billion has been budgeted to improve roads, stormwater infrastructure and bridges in the 2015/16 financial year. In making the announcement of the projects roll-out in Newtown, Cllr Tau said, “All
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IMIESA January 2016
these major infrastructure projects will be undertaken by the JRA.” These infrastructure projects are in line with a holistic strategy to overhaul the city’s roads infrastructure and ensure geospatial transformation in the city. “The upgrade of our roads infrastructure is part of our efforts to create a better future for our residents where we can link jobs to people and people to jobs – in line with the objectives of our spatial transformation programme, the Corridors of Freedom,” he said.
Critical infrastructure Speaking at the launch, acting managing director of the JRA Mpho Kau pointed out that “enhancing road infrastructure and improving movement within the city is a
ABOVE Johannesburg mayor Cllr Parks Tau on-site with the JRA OPPOSITE PAGE Acting managing director for JRA Mpho Kau, MMC for transport Christine Walters, Cllr Parks Tau and Jackie Manche at the launch of the JRA Flagship Bridge programme
necessity in an emerging market such as South Africa” – adding that, at a micro level, it would alleviate challenges such as stormwater drainage and, to some extent, congestion. He added, “Roads and bridges form a critical part of the transport infrastructure of a growing city. Their maintenance and rehabilitation is important. It ensures that
MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
the movement of people, as well as goods and services, continues effectively and efficiently – having a positive impact on local economic growth.” The private sector can collaborate with the JRA to ensure that these goals are met. “The JRA will shortly be advertising in the media for a Panel of Partnership for SMME Development. The purpose of the panel is to have partners that will assist emerging contractors with identified challenges, namely: business management, construction management/technical skills, and funding,” says Bertha Peters-Scheepers, ops manager: Marketing and Communications, JRA.
Empowering women and SMMEs Speaking at the Flagship launch, JRA board chairperson Jackie Manche emphasised the importance of women empowerment within flagship projects. “In recent years, JRA has conducted training for women in construction and, in 2013/14, nine women in engineering participated at the Women Engineering Conference. JRA also has a programme that aims to develop SMMEs owned by women, called Women in Construction.” The programme aims to increase the pool of construction women, to enhance: • employment equity • skills development • SMME supports and strategies • social responsibilities. “Fifty women who registered for the programme were empowered with skills in construction such as signage, kerbing, paving, and basic health and safety. After their period with JRA, they advanced to the South African
Women in Construction (SAWIC) for registration, mentoring, and support. It may be small steps, but the difference each of these women makes in their communities is immense,” said Manche. The number of regional totally womenowned SMMEs constitutes 9.46%, while those that are half women-owned make up 7%. “JRA aims to push the bar when it comes to dealing with women-owned SMMEs.” Women contractors in the regions will participate in the programme work packages identified by JoziI@Work and a minimum of 10% of the budget allocation will be reserved for these. In addition, JRA will soon be launching an SMME Development Desk, which will address critical challenges faced JRA board chairperson Jackie Manche at the by SMMEs and cooplaunch of the JRA Flagship Bridge programme eratives, such as: • limited business acumen • lack of technical ABOUT THE JRA expertise Functioning as a state-owned entity, the Johannesburg Roads • lack of access to funding. Agency (JRA) is responsible for the construction, operation,
Bridging the gap
control, rehabilitation and maintenance of the roads and stormwater infrastructure in the City of Johannesburg. This mandate includes the erection and maintenance of bridges, traffic signal systems, footways, and road signage and markings. The JRA is also accountable for identifying, documenting and repairing road faults throughout the city.
During recent inspections of 814 bridges in the city, which boast an asset value of R15 billion, JRA found that some required rehabilitation such as upgrades, construction and expansion. Work will also be carried out on the Nelson Mandela, Booysens Road, Queen Elizabeth, and Le Roux Avenue bridges. R50 million
has been allocated for the resurfacing of the M1 freeway, and R10 million will be spent on improvements to the M2. Overall, R222 million will be spent, this year, on road resur facing across the city. Work is also under way on the Naledi Bridge in Soweto, to link the communities of Naledi and Protea. Pedestrian and vehicular bridges in Soweto prone to flooding, including the Jabulani/Molapo, Kinini-Leselinyala, Zulu, Mzilikazi, Kaalfontein, Klipspruit West, Slovo Park and Diepsloot bridges, will all be raised above the flood line. A further nine bridges have been repaired and reconstructed at a cost R49.4 million after being damaged due to flooding last year. Work on bridges on Cornelius Road over the Klein Jukskei River in Weltevreden Park, Ballyclare Drive over the Braamfontein Spruit in Bryanston and the Riverside Road Bridge in Ivory Park was also carried out.
IMIESA January 2016
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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | GAUTENG
Bridging the
digital divide
P
ROVIDING BROADBAND access is not something that is outside of government’s mandate. According to Knott-Craig, GDP grows by 1.28% for every 10% of broadband availability. It is a way to connect job seekers to the job market, boost e-commerce and provide access to educational resources. Up to 80% of the free Wi-Fi in the City of Tshwane is accessed via mobile phones. The social benefits of Internet access may be outweighed by the potential this has for municipalities to achieve streamlined communication with residents, speed up service delivery and improve maintenance.
Groundbreaking projects The City of Tshwane announced, on 30 October 2015, that its groundbreaking Free Wi-Fi Project had hit one million unique connections since November 2013. The City of Tshwane partnered with Project Isizwe to roll out the largest government-funded public free Wi-Fi in South Africa. The City of Tshwane has 711 Free Internet Zones (FIZ) across the city, and many more
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IMIESA January 2016
sites are added on a continual basis. Each FIZ location allows users with Wi-Fi enabled devices to access free Internet without any logins or passwords. Users are provided with easier access to online content centred around education, economic opportunity and social cohesion via Tobetsa, Project Isizwe's curated content platform. Tshwane’s free Wi-Fi provides each user with a 250 MB daily cap. Once a user reaches their daily limit, they can still enjoy unlimited access to Tobetsa. Internet access is no longer a privilege but a human right. Blessing Manale, mayoral spokesperson for the City of Tshwane states, “The executive mayor of Tshwane, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, has argued that Internet access must be viewed as a basic service, undeniably analogous to that of water and electricity.” It is for that reason that, in November 2013, the City of Tshwane successfully deployed Phase 1 of the Tshwane free Wi-Fi network, beginning with a capacity of 25 000 users spread across five locations in Soshanguve, Mamelodi and Atteridgeville.
“The simplest way to deal with inequality is to bridge the digital divide,” Alan Knott-Craig Jnr, founder and CEO of Project Isizwe, said in an interview. In this spirit, the City of Tshwane has launched projects to roll out free Wi-Fi to residents in Gauteng. BY BEATRIX KNOPJES Today, the Tshwane Free Wi-Fi Project has reached unprecedented heights of one million unique connections on 28 October 2015, at over 700 sites across the city. The free Wi-Fi daily cap has been increased from 250 MB to 500 MB per day.
Social inclusion The provision of free access to the Internet promotes social inclusion, stimulates inclusive growth and supports learning through the accessibility of digital education material; for example, citizens are now able to telecommute and study afterhours near their places of residence, as opposed to having to
find transport to traditional places of study. The economic benefits of free Wi-Fi are the result of improved market efficiencies due to the reduction of information asymmetries. The provision of free Wi-Fi has levelled the playing field for citizens to actively engage in matters concerning their communities and the running of the city. “The service has made two-way developmental communications with residents possible and further encourages active participation on the city’s various social media platforms at no charge, thus allowing ordinary citizens to engage with the city,” says Manale. The city also launched a groundbreaking app called Namola, on 10 November 2015, to fight and increase the response time to crime. The functionality of the app is currently limited to the Metro Police Department but will ultimately be extended to the residents and all emergency departments.
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Advantages of free Wi-Fi The advantage of using technology is that various functions can be added to better resolve existing problems. “With the expertise of the city’s partner, Project Isizwe, the idea of installing other functionalities, like reporting service delivery issues and interruptions remotely, is not far-fetched,” says Manale. In this way, technology can be used to assist the municipality to leverage its asset management through apps that allow residents to report potholes/water leaks. Technology and access to free Wi-Fi change the way a municipality is able to interact with its citizens. “We believe that our commitment to universal access has significantly contributed towards the success of engaging Tshwane residents in what we have come to term the Digimbizo. The #AskRamokgopa Digimbizo, a first of its kind, utilises platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and video, via Tshwane Wi-Fi TV.” This platform has provided the city with the opportunity to engage with communities across all age and race groups in Tshwane, in particular, and in South Africa, in general. “Since January of this year, we have held four digimbizos and, to date, we have reached in excess of two million people with an average of 300 inputs received per engagement,” explains Manale. “We encourage municipalities to make this investment within their constituencies, as it diversifies the platforms available for the community to interact with them,” he concludes.
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46 IMIESA January 2016
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80TH IMESA CONFERENCE
EAST LONDON 26 - 28 October 2016
CALL FOR PAPERS THEME:
Siyaphambili | Engineering the Future • Political, Legal and Regulatory • Ecological and Environmental • Financial and Social
• Transport and Traffic • Water and Sanitation • Roads and Stormwater
A B S T R AC T S S U B M I T T E D BY Friday 1st April 2016 Melanie Matroos | marketing@imesa.org.za | tel +27 (31) 266 3263 Call Melanie Matroos for an entry form or download from the website. www.imesa.org.za
IMESA t +27 (31) 266 3263 email marketing@imesa.org.za
MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING
79
TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE INSTITUTE OF MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
The highlight of the civil engineer’s calendar, the 2015 IMESA Conference, took place from 28 to 30 October 2015 at the GrandWest Hotel and Casino in Cape Town. The conference, themed “Changing the face of the Municipal Engineer”, focused on the economic, social, environmental and political challenges facing the industry. IMIESA brings you all the highlights from this prestigious event.
ABOVE Bertie Byker receiving the IMESA Fellow Award LEFT From left to right: Duncan Daries, Debbie Anderson, NASA’s Jakob van Zyl, Melanie Matroos and Prof Kobus du Plessis BELOW Opening function cocktails
IMIESA January 2016
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MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING
RIGHT SA Leak Detection’s Deon Pohorille (left) and team BELOW Aveng exhibition stand BELOW RIGHT Gala event at Shimmy Beach Club
LEFT Lidwala Consulting Engineers – Winner of Best Small Exhibition Stand BELOW LEFT i@Consulting – Golf Day sponsors BELOW Gibb’s impression artist
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IMIESA January 2016
Road Development | Sustainable Bitumen Supply | Routes to Africa
AFRICA
Achieving the long haul IMIESA November/December 2015
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ARGUS AFRICA | DIVISIONAL COVER
Warm-mix asphalt – achieving the long haul Where asphalt has to be hauled vast distances, conventional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) often cools down too much to allow for successful placement and compaction. Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technologies introduced in South Africa in recent years are widely recommended to alleviate this problem.
ABOVE Joanne Muller, QA supervisor at Much Asphalt Benoni LEFT A section of Moses Kotane Street, taken 12 months after resurfacing
J
OANNE MULLER, QA supervisor at Much Asphalt Benoni, looks at how the manufacturer, consultant and contractors work together to maximise the advantages and avoid the pitfalls of warm-mix technology on a South African road project. She points out that the major benefit of WMA noted by contractors is the extended compaction window, while the reduced impact on the environment and surrounding communities is a major advantage for manufacturers.
production and paving temperatures may lead to increased rutting susceptibility. The reduced temperatures and possible incomplete drying of raw materials have also raised concerns around increased moisture susceptibility. Muller points out that producers and users of warm-mix additives and technologies should bear this in mind when determining which process is to be used as well as the targeted temperature reduction.
Moses Kotane Street, Bethal Advantages and pitfalls As the main characteristic of WMA is a reduction in mixing and paving temperatures, there are environmental and social benefits at the production plant. Economic benefits include the use of higher percentages of recycled asphalt into the new asphalt pavement, extended reach from a central base as well as a longer paving window. The increased paving and compaction window enables contractors to reduce the effort required to reach specified layer compaction and eases some of the difficulty when paving in cold environments. Not all technologies affect the material in the same fashion and, although some additives assist with permanent deformation resistance, it is believed that the reduction in ageing of the binder caused by lower
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IMIESA January 2016
One of the most heavily trafficked roads in Mpumulanga is the Bethal main road, Moses Kotane Street, located on the main coal supply route to Majuba power station. Up to 100 trucks an hour are counted on this stretch of road. “Due to the extreme traffic conditions, the asphalt mix design for the rehabilitation was critical,” says Muller. A rut-resistant mix with strong particle interlock between the hard weathering dolerite was required. An A-P1 modified binder would provide further protection against fuel damage for the surfacing. The nature of the asphalt mix necessitated supply from Much Asphalt’s Benoni plant, about 140 km from the project, making WMA technology an obvious choice. The workability and temperature retention were achieved by foaming the binder, facilitating
layer construction of the harsh wearing course mix. The temperature reduction for the long haul mix was set at 10°C below the equivalent HMA production temperature. “Other than the environmental benefits of producing asphalt at a lower temperature, the improved workability characteristics of the mix at low temperature and increased haul distances have significant benefit to construction processes and applications,” says Bruce Morton, executive director: Construction at Basil Read, main contractor on this project. “The longer haul distance allows for modified mixes to be specified and transported to previously non-feasible sites due to the size of the project being too small for the establishment of a dedicated plant or the distance being too excessive to maintain operating temperature."
Data/results and interpretation Due to the severe roadway conditions and concern over rut resistance, the consultants on the Bethal project, Aurecon, specified severe technical and performance requirements and the mix was subjected to stringent specialised testing. To monitor the workability and compaction window provided by the addition of foam to the asphalt mixture, one must look at the rate of cooling achieved during the trial phase of the project. The foamed mix cooled at a slower, more consistent rate than the standard HMA beneath the outer surface shell (see results in Figure 1).
ARGUS AFRICA | DIVISIONAL COVER
As the targeted temperature reduction was not as vast as one would expect of conventional WMA, the effect was found to be less pronounced than anticipated. The second point of monitoring (also shown in Figure 1) was at the surface of the foamed and conventional mixtures. Here both mixtures, subjected to the same ambient conditions, had consistent rates of cooling. The temperature-compaction relationship obtained during the trial phases was then considered. Here both mixtures, subjected to the same ambient conditions, had consistent rates of cooling. The temperature-compaction data obtained pointed to a temperature range of 125°C to 130°C (Figure 2) as the reference compaction temperature for the foamed mix compared to volumetric properties of the HMA reference mix. Further testing during the first day of supply was consistent, and the initial data and reference compaction temperature to be used for the Marshall control testing was pinned at 127°C. The paving contractor’s data agreed with trial phase data on mix temperature retention, with truck temperatures taken on arrival on-site showing an average decrease of 7°C from dispatch temperature. Mix temperature data showed a slow decrease overall and dispatched mix that had been on-site for up to seven hours still had temperatures of 140°C. This may also be linked to the predominantly dolerite aggregate composition of the mixture and great care was taken to prevent over-compaction of the surfacing material. To protect both the mix and the base structure from moistureinduced damage, mixture permeability needed to be carefully controlled. The air and water permeability of the mix was monitored and results on all lab-tested mixes as well as core samples met specification. Due to the high traffic loading and concerns over rut potential of certain WMA products, a high level of resistance to permanent deformation was imperative. The contract requirements specified the rutting parameter to be monitored through MMLS3 testing. Results determined that the mixture conformed to the requirement of <1.8 mm rut depth at standard, severe and, due to temperature conditions, extreme parameters. Mixture stiffness and fatigue life properties were found to be good compared with typical
CSIR values. At high test temperatures, the stiffness values obtained surpassed typical values, again indicating a reduced likelihood of permanent deformation. Within the lower temperature testing band, the stiffness was found to be below the typical values available for stone skeleton mixes manufactured with A-P1 binder. This aspect could indicate an improved resistance to crack formation, assisting the mixture to withstand moistureinduced damage. This long-haul mix was shown not only to be workable in practice, but also durable
Jan Louw, associate at Aurecon, adds that all the objectives and expectations were fulfilled and he expects the 50 mm surfacing to meet its design life. “This project shows that potential pitfalls, such as correct level of compaction, possible increased susceptibility to moisture damage as well as varied effects on rutting resistance, can be managed and planned for in advance,” points out Muller. FIGURE 1 Rate of cooling comparison for A-P1 foamed and un-foamed mix FIGURE 2 Compaction temperature curve
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
in the long term. In situ monitoring of the pavement will continue to ensure that the benefits obtained in the construction phase continue in the long term.
Team observations “The large compaction window created by the warm-mix technology takes a lot of pressure off the contractor, particularly when you get plant breakdowns, inclement weather and other disruptions,” says Kleinjan Ferreira, contracts manager at Actophambili Roads, the paving contractor on the project. “The WMA was a pleasure to work with. It held its temperature for long periods of time and compacted well, even at low temperatures – using only two steel- wheel rollers.”
“There is no doubt that warm-mix principles have great potential for hauling asphalt over long distances and providing improved workability and extended compaction windows for contractors. It is possible to provide high-performance asphalt solutions that can be used in severely trafficked and extreme climates while still having the long haul and compaction improvement advantages.”
www.muchasphalt.co.za
IMIESA January 2016
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ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
Maximising seal work An embargo on seal work during winter periods is enforced by road authorities throughout the world. In South Africa, the embargo period generally accepted is from May to August, due to low day and night temperatures. BY GD VAN ZYL, HG FOURIE AND SJ BREDENHANN
T
HE AVERAGE EFFECTIVE life of a bituminous surfacing is 10 years, which means that 10% of the surfaced road network should be resealed per annum. The surfaced road network of South Africa is approximately 150 000 km, of which more than 80% is covered with surfacing seals. This implies that 12 000 km should be resealed per annum. The high demand for bitumen and aggregate during the summer period and the problems arising from local refineries being unable to meet the South African demand consistently result in project delays and available funds not being spent. A task team was appointed by Sanral to investigate possible solutions and develop an appropriate strategy to maximise seal work throughout the year. The concept of having an embargo period to prevent seal work during winter was introduced due to the high risk of stripping during winter. Therefore, in order to maximise seal
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IMIESA January 2016
work throughout the winter and minimise risk, risk levels had to be defined. The most important factors influencing the risk of sealing roads in South Africa during winter are climatic conditions, traffic volumes, seal and binder type selection, and the quality of design and construction.
The role of climate seal and binder types Average annual air temperatures vary from less than 13°C in the central mountain areas to 17°C in the broader central and south coastal areas, and to 22°C or more in the western, northern, and eastern parts of the country. Hot binders such as 70/100 penetration grade bitumen and hot polymer-modified bitumen require, according to the standard specifications, a road sur face temperature of 25°C and above to ensure good adhesion with the aggregate. Although the binder could be sprayed at high
temperatures, it rapidly cools down to the road sur face temperature. Several sets of measurements taken of the reduction in hot binder temperature, after application, indicate that the binder reduces to the road surface temperature within 15 minutes. In all cases where the road sur face temperature was below 30°C, the binder temperature reduced to less than 50°C (approximately 40°C), within two minutes. Numerous cases where aggregate loss occurred soon after construction reported either a sudden drop in temperature or rain during the night after construction. Although winter rainfall areas are particularly vulnerable, short cold spells often occur during autumn and spring as a result of rain or a combination of wind and high humidity. Certain types of seals are much more risky to construct during winter periods due to their proneness to stripping. Therefore, if selected for specific reasons, these seal types should rather be constructed in favourable conditions. Road surface temperatures increase rapidly during the daytime, particularly in the summer rainfall areas, and could easily reach 30°C in these areas for several hours per day.
Taking the road less travelled During the planning phase of the seal project, a risk level has to be assigned, taking
ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
the factors into account. Although it has been proven that seal work could be done at any time of the year, in almost all parts of the country, the philosophy is to minimise risks and follow a conservative approach. The transition period between a conventional summer seal strategy and a winter seal strategy needs to be managed. This implies detailed monitoring of the climate and selecting appropriate binder combinations for the transition period. All aspects relate either to minimising the horizontal forces on individual stones, resistance to rolling over, or increasing the adhesion (binder-stone contact area). The least sensitive seal type for stripping would be a graded aggregate seal (e.g. slurry, microsurfacing, Otta seal, grit seal) or one where the aggregate is closely packed after orientation and where the voids in the seal matrix are filled with binder, small aggregate, or mastic such as slurry (e.g. Cape seal or double seal with the second layer 1/3 or less of the larger aggregate). The selection of binders is mainly influenced by traffic volume, type of seal and
position in the seal structure, expected climatic conditions during construction, experience of contractor, quality of equipment, and aggregate properties.
Factors governing the selection of binder types Possibility of run-off: This is dependent on the viscosity of the binder at spray temperature, rate of application, the gradient of the road, the existing macro texture and, to some extent, the road surface temperature. Emulsions currently available in South Africa are sensitive to steep gradients. It must be noted that the gradient refers to the maximum gradient resulting from the vertical alignment and camber/ elevation of the road, and not only to the vertical alignment. Existing guidelines for selecting binder types for maximum gradients are currently being investigated. In the case of emulsions, the current guidelines are not considered appropriate.
Presence of solvents (cutters) in the binder of double and Cape seals: In the case of Cape seals, cutters should be omitted from the tack coat. In the case of single seals, the options exist to either apply one layer of binder (tack coat) or to split the binder into a tack coat and a cover spray. Experience and experimentation during this study confirmed that split application of the binder reduces the risk of aggregate loss. However, numerous roads, sealed with precoated stone and winter grade bitumen rub-
The most important factors influencing the risk of sealing roads in South Africa during winter are climatic conditions, traffic volumes, seal and binder type selection, and the quality of design and construction ber or winter grade polymer-modified binder, have performed well over the past 15 years, without any fog sprays. IMIESA January 2016
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ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
Dependent on the climatic conditions during construction and the gradient of the road, either hot binders or emulsions can be used in the tack coat.
Quality of design and construction Seal work is a specialised activity, requiring good equipment and experienced staff. The higher the traffic volume, the more critical it becomes to design and construct to perfection. Therefore, it is not recommended to utilise inexperienced designers or contractors on high-volume roads or for the construction of sensitive seal types. Certain seal types and binders are more forgiving, e.g. using MC3000 or emulsions when aggregate is dusty or chip spreader and rollers do not follow immediately after the distributor; non-selfpropelled chip spreaders could be used with graded aggregate or sand seals. Key aspects to take note of during construction are the following distances of the chip spreader and rollers after spraying the binder, monitoring the bond strength development, and controlled opening to traffic. With regard to following distances and rolling, numerous guideline documents emphasise that the aggregate must be applied and rolled while the binder is still soft and tacky. During cold weather sealing, using hot binders, this is even more important as the temperature of the binder rapidly reduces to the road surface temperature. Observations on-site and measurements (pull-out tests) during the construction of winter seal experiments highlighted the need to increase the number of rollers to ensure, in the case of hot binders, at least one full coverage of the pneumatic tyred rollers before the binder temperature reduces to below the ring-and-ball softening point. This means, in most cases, when using hot modified binders and spraying a full lane width, that three rollers are required on-site. It is further recommended that the first roller pass is executed at a low speed. Orientation of the aggregate through
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IMIESA January 2016
correct spreading and rolling increases the surface area in contact with the binder and, therefore, the bond strength. It also reduces the horizontal force on individual stones and increases the resistance to rollover due to the interlock of adjacent aggregate particles. Although not generally recommended on single seals or where the road is undulated,
During the study to investigate possible solutions and develop an appropriate strategy to maximise seal work, throughout the year, a section of the road was sealed with a 20/10 double seal during winter (2013), as part of the winter seal trials, using 2% LFS in a hot polymer modified binder and opened to traffic late afternoon.
The transition period between a conventional summer seal strategy and a winter steel wheel rolling is highly effective in the orientation process. seal strategy needs to be The development of bond managed. This implies detailed strength governs the engineer’s monitoring of the climate and decision on when to open the road to traffic, to minimise the risk of selecting appropriate binder aggregate loss. combinations for the Following the guidelines regarding transition period pull-out testing, several tests have been conducted with different binders and stone sizes to establish the rate of bond strength development. Although more work is required to issue formal guideline values for different aggregate sizes, the test immediately highlights whether emulsion has not yet properly cured or where precoated aggregate has not fully adhered to the binder. A laboratory study on pull-out testing has already proven that this test could become a standard test on-site and has already confirmed several opinions resulting from observations during the winter seal trials. Controlled opening to traffic provides the ultimate insurance to minimise the risk of early aggregate loss.
Stripping of the 10 mm aggregate occurred the next morning, just before sunrise, at an ambient temperature of -7°C. The adjacent section, not yet opened to traffic, was split into two further trials with the following additional treatments. Section 4a: • application of an additional fog spray using a 65% cationic emulsion and sprayed at 1.0 litre/m2 • open to traffic during the daytime and closed during the night-time for three consecutive days. Section 4b: • no additional binder application
ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
Aggregate must be applied and rolled while the binder is still soft and tacky (and warm), which is why the current philosophy in South Africa is to take a conservative approach that minimises potential risks associated with operating in lower temperatures
• open to traffic during the daytime and closed during the night-time for three consecutive days. Prior to nightfall on the fourth day, the road was sprayed with water and left open to traffic. The minimum ambient temperatures recorded for several days after opening varied between -5°C and -8°C. No aggregate loss has occurred on these sections for two years. The conclusion drawn from this exercise is that controlled traffic compaction is of utmost importance and that, if possible, the lateral movement of traffic be controlled by the placement of delineators.
The study to maximise seal work throughout the year and the construction of several winter seal trials have proven that seals could be
constructed during winter in the coldest part of the country if sufficient attention is given to detail. IMIESA January 2016
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Argus Africa Bitumen 2016 22-24 February | Cape Town, South Africa “Bringing together senior government officials, suppliers, distributors, traders and consumers of bitumen across the continent”
Just some of our confirmed attendees:
Shell • Tosas • Colas • Total • Engen Petroleum • Kenya Road Boards Road • Development Agency (Zambia) • ALBR3CGT Supply Concepts • Basil Read • Much Asphalt • SABITA • SANRAL • United Raw Materials • Linetrale Petroleum • South African National Roads Agency • N3 Toll Concession • Nynas • National Asphalt • Roads Authority (Malawi) • Massenza • Galp Energia • Anton Paar • Bitumen SuppliesandServices•BurganCapeTerminals•HillaryConstruction•IMCDSouth Africa • Ghana Highways Authority • Mabanol Bitumen • TEC Container Sales • Pioneer Global • Helvindo Consulting • SECO • SMB BF • SprayPave and more...
Join them this year at www.argusmedia.com/africa-bitumen email bitumen@argusmedia.com | #AfBitumen2016 Oil Products
illuminating the markets
Market Reporting Consulting Events
ARGUS AFRICA | INDUSTRY INSIGHT Ammann SA’s value to the South African road building market, driven by leadership and technical expertise across the complete supply chain, lies in its uncompromising commitment to delivering the primary standards of its Swiss parent company, with the agility and fit-for-purpose needs of its local clients.
T
HE AMMANN SA TEAM has brought the full strength of its South African market experience to overcoming the understandable caution our market has developed around imported road building equipment and technology,” explains managing director Rocco Lehman. “I think our most remarkable achievements have been in our focus on the appropriate localisation of discrete elements of Ammann’s product range, establishing and operating a highly effective supply chain of parts and spares, and our availability to our customers throughout the procurement and commissioning phases.” Lehman says, “The technologies and equipment we are delivering are regarded globally as world-leading. Ammann, with its Swiss tradition of technological excellence, across a history as long as road building itself, has the finest technological, engineering and manufacturing expertise the world has to offer. Its unique, inclusive approach to research and development has resulted in phenomenal designs, geared towards the end user and technician's hands-on experience and practical functionality.” Ammann’s catalogue of road building equipment is not only diverse; it is expansive in its range of client levels. From small, emerging contractors to the biggest market players in the world, Ammann brings the same values and expertise to its handheld equipment and walk-behind rollers as it does to its largest smart compaction range. “The other important consideration is the people that make up Ammann SA; as individuals and as teams, they have effectively established a local company, delivering global standards, in a very short space of time,” say Lehman.
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IMIESA January 2016
Global standards for building SA roads MANAGING PLANTS
Service manager Hennie Greyling represents Ammann SA during the commissioning of new asphalt plants, and on-site technical support.
Hennie Greyling, service manager, Ammann SA
How would you characterise the advantages of Ammann’s asphalt plants in South African conditions? HG Ammann’s continuous and batch plant facilities are comprised of the leading technologies available in the world today and are, therefore, unmatched in their capability to produce asphalt of the highest standards.
What is it about Ammann’s plants that makes them so appealing? In summary, alongside their leading technologies, they are also very easy to understand and operate, while being incredibly adaptable. The possibilities for Ammann plants are endless; any customer requirement can be met by our engineering team in Germany. From a customer-experience point of view, what are the technical and operational advantages in commissioning an Ammann plant? During commissioning, we are backed by our technical teams in Germany and Switzerland, who will recreate the situation off-site and advise the best possible solution. When I was commissioning a plant in the DRC, the guys in Switzerland were so effective in their assistance that a complex problem was solved incredibly swiftly. We can connect with this assistance globally, across a variety of technologies. What is taken into consideration when specifying plants for customers, and what can they expect down the line? Specifications are as detailed and granular as the client requires, and we do this in person, taking as much time and care as the job requires. Our goal is to ensure maximum continuous production time for our clients, and we will go to any lengths to get a plant up and running as quickly as possible in the case of a negative event. The rule we live by is simple: when it comes to our customers, we are ‘Partners for Life’.
ARGUS AFRICA | INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Office administrator Nadia Cornelius is the critical point of contact for Ammann’s clients, and understands the power of effective client relations. Which touchpoints do you coordinate at Ammann? NC My specific touchpoints are customer relations, marketing, event coordination and sales and accounting assistance.
Nadia Cornelius, office administrator at Ammann
How do you listen out for potential misunderstandings between your team and the client? You need to be in tune with both your clients and your team. Communication cancels out all misunderstandings.
What is your strategy for managing your internal processes in order to meet clients’ needs? Generally, your workforce depends on the client’s expectations. Understanding the expectations and requirements of your client is vital to determine how you manage your internal processes. What is your role in ensuring timeous delivery? I make sure the correct information is given and that what has been provided to the client is what was requested. What is your role in the delivery of equipment and commission? I review the costing of transport, delivery times and assist with determining when the equipment will be commissioned. How do you ensure the client’s need are met within often challenging technical and operational circumstances? We collect as much information as possible from the client. The right information and effective communication result in operational improvements and a strengthening of client relations. The more feedback you provide to the client, the more interest the client feels you are showing, which is mutually beneficial. How do you see Ammann’s obligations and responsibility to its clients? Ammann takes into account the individual needs and circumstances of each client. We have the skills to carry out our clients’ requests and we work with them to provide services that protect their interests. Customer complaints are dealt with promptly, fairly and effectively.
Zac Zacchino – leading Ammann SA’s equipment division “Ammann offers strong after-market support through its dealer network, with spares and ser vice available in all major centres. Part of the Ammann offering is in-depth operator and application training, with technical assistance also available from the Ammann International Training Centre in the Czech Republic,” illustrates Zacchino. “Typically, upon commissioning of the paver, one of our machine specialists will stay on-site until the paving team is comfortable with the machine's operation, with full follow-up training made available as well,” he continues. "Ammann SA offers an easy-to-use paver suited for local conditions and its operators and technicians.”
Ammann AFW wheeled pavers The Ammann AFW350 and AFW270 wheeled
pavers are ideally suited for small-to-medium job sites, narrower suburban roads, and housing developments. Both these machines are offered as wheeled or tracked drives. They are also offered with electric or gas screed heating. These medium-sized pavers are designed for ease of operation. They all feature automatic work mode, allowing the operator to control all the paver production functions with a solitar y switch on the dash. All functions are toggle-switch controlled, making repairs in the field ver y easy. (No electronics means the client’s technical staff can work on the machine.) Ammann AFW500E paver owned by Rand Civils in Port Elizabeth, working in Mthatha; this was the first asphalt job for the team, which was trained by Zac Zacchino. Ammann AFW150G mini paver working in Blaire-Atholl Estates, doing cold-mix paving on the roads; this one-man operation is able to do thin layers accurately.
Ammann ASC single-drum roller range The Ammann ASC range of single-drum rollers is designed with the operator and technician in mind. All the machines offer the highest compaction output at the lowest operational costs. The ASC single-drum roller range has the highest compaction efficiency in all weight classes; offers easy and safe operation and maintenance, boasts an impressive fuel efficiency and superior stability due to there being no rear axle. It has a heavy-duty propulsion system with traction control, a simple operator station and the engine mounted lower, making service and repair access the best in the industry. A tilting cab makes access to hydraulics very convenient and all machines can be fitted with Padfoot shells or supplied as PD machines. Ammann Compaction Expert (ACE) options are available on most machines such as the Ace Pro which gives stepless compaction control, amplitude and frequency adjusts on the run and the Ace Force, which only provides compaction measurement. GPS mapping is also available.
Ammann Elba Elba is the newest member of the Ammann family. The factory in Ettlingen, Germany, produces a quality range of concrete plants and accessories. The range consists of: • stationary concrete mixing plants • mobile concrete mixing plants • special plants • single-shaft compulsory mixers • twin-shaft compulsory mixers • planetary countercurrent mixers • laboratory mixers • radial scrapers • linear storage bins • weighing conveyor belts.
Success story A recent proud achievement of Ammann SA is an ASC100 (10 tonne class) machine working in a coal application reaching 28 000 working hours with minimal downtime. Even in this abrasive application, the drum has only worn by 2 mm, which is absolute proof that the Ammann Traction Control stops drum spin, and the lower centre of gravity means superior drum-ground contact. The vibration goes directly into the ground. This equates to fewer passes, faster compaction, and huge production and running cost savings over the life of the machine.
www.ammann-group.com
IMIESA January 2016
35
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ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
Clear the runway Mthatha Airport was a small, regional airport in a remote part of South Africa, close to the home of the late Nelson Mandela. It was expected to play a key role during Mandela’s funeral, but the existing airside infrastructure was inadequate to cater for the international high-visibility event. BY EMILE HORAK, STEPHEN EMERY, ARNO HEFER, SAREL LACANTE & PIET AGEMA
T
HE ANTICIPATED FUNERAL of Nelson Mandela prompted government to fast-track the planning, design and build project of a new FAA Group V/ICAO Code 4E runway at Mthatha Airport. Ndodana Consulting Engineers (NCE) was appointed to design and execute the works. The preliminar y and detailed design phases had to run concurrently with the actual execution of the project. Normal procurement procedures were adapted to fast-track the process, and NCE had to form a joint venture with the contractor, Rumdel Cape Construction, for design build procurement in line with normal FIDIC contract documentation. The Eastern Cape Depar tment of Transport (DoT) further fast-tracked the process by allowing the newly formed
joint venture to use the recently tendered bill of quantities and rates, based on an ongoing major roads contract in close vicinity, basically as a supplement. Both par ties to the Ndorum joint venture (NCE and Rumdel) were fortuitously involved on that roads contract for the client, the Eastern Cape DoT. This roads project was within 20 km from the airport, which further enabled fast establishment. The development plan and conceptual designs went through many scenarios, associated draft work packages and time frames, since mid-2011, during various
interactions with senior role players from a number of government departments. The final scope of works identified in April/May 2012 was described as separate work packages to enable a phased completion, yet integrated final capacity improvement, over a short time period. It was a requirement that the existing airport be kept fully operational during the construction period.
The preliminary and detailed design phases had to run concurrently with the actual execution of the project
Scope of works The project scope was to provide a new 2 720 m x 45 m runway (parallel to the existing runway), with 7.5 m wide sur faced shoulders on each side, 240 m runway end
IMIESA January 2016
37
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ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
TOP & ABOVE LEFT Throughout the capacity improvements, the airport was still fully operational ABOVE Aerial view of Mthatha Airport (Source: Ndlelantle Pinyana - Eastern Cape GCIS Vukuzenzele)
safety areas (RESA), new link taxiways, a new apron and extensions to an existing apron, and a new helipad. The design concept that had to be employed for the funeral regarding the forecast peak traffic was to use Mthatha Airpor t mainly as a drop-and-go aircraft logistic facility, with limited aircraft parking. The project scope was to deliver facilities that could accommodate the funeral logistic requirements occurring at any time through the project, obviously without prior notice. Protocol arrangements implied that there would only be a 10-day window for final clearance of any ongoing work before providing a functional runway during any stage of the planning, design and construction. This was tackled by first widening the existing runway so the aircraft type could be increased from 30 to 100 seat capacity. This runway would eventually ser ve as
the parallel taxiway, once the new runway was completed. The existing runway and apron were also too close to the terminal buildings. At the same time, work started on the foundations for the new runway, which would increase the aircraft size capability to 300 seat capacity at least.
The main environmental concern was minimising the impact of the works on the wetlands on-site
Maximising capacity A rapid, phased construction approach maximised the capacity in as short a period as possible. The widening of the existing runway was the easiest and quickest, done by in situ milling and cement stabilisation of the gravel shoulders. These strengthened shoulders were then provided with a bitumen slurr y sur face as a blast protection for up to ICAO Code C aircraft. All the other phases had to be completed within eight months, with ever
increasing capacity improvements in that deliver y period. Staged capacity improvements had to be done to provide a new basic 2.72 km runway in the first five months of construction and having the existing 2 km runway as either another Code C runway or a parallel taxiway in the final stages. The additional apron Golf with taxiway Charlie was completed after month five, which significantly improved the drop-andgo throughput potential. Acceleration of work was enhanced by having two shifts per day (10 hours per shift) totalling 20 hours. This was done to accommodate the still fully operational airport, which was fortunately limited to daylight operations.
Overcoming geometric design challenges The undulating topography meant considerable fills of up to 9 m in height were required. The new parallel runway (14-32) was 45 m wide with sur faced 7.5 m wide shoulders, to bring the total sur faced width
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ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
to 60 m. The existing 23 m wide runway received 3.5 m wide shoulder hardening to give a total sur faced width of 30 m. The new runway was positioned 205 m nor th of the existing runway. This offset distance was selected to ensure future possible upgrades or conversions to precision landing systems or upgrade to a 4F ICAO aerodrome class. The airport boundaries had originally been set to
40
IMIESA January 2016
accommodate a runway 3 000 m in length without provision for RESAs. There were more restrictions imposed by environmental aspects, but the runway length had to be reduced to 2 720 m to accommodate the RESAs. The design aircraft included those expected to be used by various heads of state, and included aircraft up to Boeing 747 and Airbus A330 size. Given the airpor t elevation of 730 m
above sea level, and the warm temperate climate with average monthly maximum air temperatures of 28.5째C, the available 2 720 m runway length was deemed acceptable.
Environmental considerations The main environmental concern was minimising the impact of the works on the wetlands on-site. The runway of
ARGUS AFRICA | ROADS CONSTRUCTION
2 720 m in length was moved longitudinally, approximately 200 m away from the initial 14 end position eastwards, to accommodate the wetland area in the western end of the premises. An independent wetland environmental expert was appointed to monitor the impact and condition of the wetland sections on the premises. This moving of the runway came after one month of construction and caused additional fill requirements on the 32 end, particularly with the RESA. There were a number of swampy areas towards the middle section, which were identified as man-made, and permission was given to improve the drainage to prevent the unsafe situation of birdlife attraction close to the airport. The decision to use rock fill and a 600Â mm pioneer layer throughout the runway length was validated within the first two months of construction. An abnormal high-rain period during the winter season added to the usual high water table levels, but this did not affect the work tempo, as excess water drained freely and the fill work could continue virtually unaffected. Construction vehicles could drive on this layer at all times. The shoulders were dedicated as haul roads. Various culverts were constructed at low points, with precast culverts or precast concrete pipes linked into the existing drainage network. Excessive rains during and after the construction proved that all drainage was functioning ver y well. The rock-fill layer was covered
with a geotextile sheet to prevent the selected subgrade layer from collapsing or filtering into the rock-fill porous areas. This project was successfully completed within the eight-month time limit and interim goals of possible emergency use. The technical challenges led to a number of innovative material and design utilisations in a logistically challenged remote rural area. The
TOP & MIDDLE The airport was completed within eight months ABOVE Refurbished hangars fitted with ceilings and air conditioning to accommodate VVIPs
project was set within a fast-tracked procurement process and shifting responsible client government implementing agencies.
IMIESA January 2016
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PROFILE
Deconstructing unemployment
D
EON PAGEL, MANAGING director of Tosas, fervently believes that “nothing has the power to create more sustainable jobs than the roads industry.” Pagel explains, “Road building and maintenance is an ongoing cycle. Roads require maintenance and upkeep the moment construction finishes. This is why the roads industr y has the ability to create permanent, sustainable jobs rather than just temporar y ones.” He emphasises that, while temporar y employment may be better than no employment for the indigent communities most in need of economic upliftment, it is little more than a plaster over a gaping and festering wound.
Chipping in to create jobs The solution requires vision and impetus, and that is precisely what the manual chip spreader provides. “It occurred to me, some years ago, that it was possible to create many thousands of permanent jobs in the roads industry – in road surfacing, in particular – but that it would be necessary to have the right equipment at the right price, and that it should not only complete the job on a par with mechanical application methods but also that sound engineering principles should apply in the design and selection of materials. This could then, furthermore, result in the building of new enterprises and would also empower communities, adjacent,” says Pagel. The cost of road surfacing equipment is, in many cases, an insurmountable entry barrier for emerging contractors. The manually operated chip spreader (or ‘Chippy’ as it has fondly become known) was developed and introduced in 2004. While numerous roads have been surfaced with modified binders and graded
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IMIESA January 2016
Creating gainful employment that is fit for purpose, dignified and sustainable is a high priority for government. The creation of employment should foster a sense of importance and pride within individuals and communities alike, and achieving this requires a different kind of thinking and approach that is cognisant of South Africa’s unique characteristics and potential. stone seals, the application of single and double seals for new roads and for maintaining existing road networks has also been well proven. Pagel received the Sabita Excellence Award in 2005 for inventing and introducing the Chippy to the roads industry. “Surfacing roads with specialised mechanical equipment requires highly skilled operators, which hinders employment creation for an unskilled labour force,” explains Pagel. The Chippy is easy to use and, depending on the nature of the project, can create as many as 65 jobs on a gravel road surfacing project.”
significantly lower. Emerging contractors can achieve a greater level of independence and pride in their operations this way,” he says. What is more, the Chippy is so integral to the fabric of South African road construction methodology and the cidb’s description of labour-based road construction that the technology informs several chapters of the construction industry’s policies and guidelines, as contained in Manual 4, which was compiled in conjunction with the CSIR and the International Labour Organisation.
A brand-new binder Dignity and opportunity It may come as a surprise that deconstruction and demechanisation are solutions to the specific social and economic challenges that South Africa faces. “It seemed clear to me that highly specialised, automated machinery would have value to emerging contractors if we could deconstruct the machine around the principle of dignified activities for various workers undertaking meaningful actions to provide themselves with a permanent livelihood. The Chippy creates entrepreneurial opportunities for smaller contractors in the road surfacing arena because the start-up costs are
Pagel was also very closely involved with its practical deployment in the early stages and, as a result, gained first-hand knowledge on what was further required to make full use of this employment tool. It was, therefore, no surprise that, in his capacity as managing director of Tosas, one of the items on the list to-do was to develop an improved emulsion binder even more fit for purpose than the existing commercially available types. The ideal was that it would have lessened flow characteristics, yet retain very low viscosity for ease of hand application. His technical team has now found the perfect solution and has developed just
PROFILE
that – a special emulsion with low flow characteristics, which will be commercially available to the market early this year. The product not only has very low flow characteristics and low viscosity but also boasts excellent adhesion. Pagel feels strongly that, if labour-intensive methods are to work, they need to add value as jobs and contribute to expanding opportunities rather than simply creating temporary employment.
Paving the way forward South Africa has a road network of 750 000 km, of which only around 160 000 km is surfaced. The remaining gravel roads present an untapped opportunity for the communities who rely on them and are the key to unlocking economic growth across the country. “The road to South Africa’s future is about people. If coupled with quality, fit-for-purpose equipment, materials and methodologies, then it can’t fail,” Pagel stresses. “However, innovations such as this will not reach the levels needed unless driven by sustainable and ring-fenced budgets from the public sector.
OPPOSITE PAGE The labour-intensive nature of the Chippy makes it ideal for job creation RIGHT The Chippy represents entrepreneurial opportunity for smaller and emerging contractors BELOW Road building is a sure-fire way to provide permanent livelihoods
Once these are in place, it will be very easy for the private sector to engage as a partner to create the much desired sustainability. The technology needs to be championed to allow South Africans to pave their own future,” concludes Pagel.
IMIESA January 2016
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Wire rope
Quadguards
alpha 70K TMa
end TerMinals
Isando: 011 974 8511 | Cape Town: 021 531 9071 Durban: 031 705 6355 | Port Elizabeth: 041 486 3674 Web: www.armco.co.za
PROFILE
Making roads safer Most roads are dangerous places. With many accidents on the roads ever y year, the risk to road construction workers and equipment is high. Armco Superlite, supplier of quality road safety products, has ever ything you need to make your road construction site significantly safer.
T
HE ALPHA 70K truck-mounted attenuator (TMA) is a lightweight attenuator system designed for installation on the back of trucks with a GVM of between 5 tonnes and 12 tonnes. The Alpha 70K TMA meets NCHRP 350, Test Level 2 criteria and offers protection for workers, motorists and equipment. “We are creating safer, more forgiving roads for road users and construction workers alike,” says Roelof Potgieter, sales representative: Road Safety Products, Armco Superlite. The system comprises three basic components: an aluminium cartridge with a Durashell bumper, a backup, and a backup support structure. The entire system has a total weight of 550 kg. The design allows for quick and easy attachment and detachment from the truck.
Benefits The Alpha 70K TMA provides impact protection for up to 70 km/h, by absorbing collision energy during rear-end impacts. It prevents impacting vehicles from underriding the truck and greatly reduces expensive equipment damage. The tapered nose shape minimises corner damage. Its
ABOUT ARMCO SUPERLITE
Armco Superlite has been in existence for over 70 years. The company has three separate business units: Construction Products, Galvanising and Road Safety Products (the last having been launched in 2005). The Road Safety Products Division supplies a variety of products to the road industry, such as guardrails, wire-rope systems, crash cushions and steel barriers. Armco is listed in accordance with the SANS ISO 9001:2000 quality scheme, which guarantees quality across all products.
SPECIFICATIONS
Length * Height * Width* Weight – complete system Road clearance
254 cm 57 cm 236 cm 450 kg to 550 kg
1. Support frame
4. Rear jack
2. Backup
5. Aluminum cartridge
3. Durashell nose
6. Underride frame
6 1
2
28 cm to 33 cm
* Cartridge only
aluminium construction withstands harsh weather and corrosive elements. A lightweight cartridge provides easy handling and convenient replacement, in the event of an accident. “The Alpha 70K TMA makes a significant difference to the safety of both the equipment and workers, without losing valuable time,” stresses Potgieter.
Highest quality The Alpha 70K TMA is subjected to strenuous testing to ensure optimal quality. “This is the only tested system available in South Africa. This is important because, in the event of an accident, an untested system leaves the user open to liability,” explains Potgieter. Each TMA cartridge is subjected to three tests in sequence: a vibration test, a
3
5 4
moisture test and a corrosion test. All of the tests are conducted prior to bidding, with test data meticulously recorded, preserved and certified by a professional engineer. This data is then submitted with the bid to show that the TMA cartridge assembly has met all the test requirements according to the necessary specifications. Every available means should be utilised to prevent unnecessary deaths on roads, especially during construction, while simultaneously protecting equipment from costly damage. “More than 20 units have been sold in 2015; that is to say, there are 20 road construction sites that are now significantly safer,” concludes Potgieter.
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DAMS & WATER STORAGE
Holding water
S
OUTH AFRICA HAS experienced lower than average rainfall since the beginning of 2015. So far, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State have been the worst affected, but North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga have also been declared drought disaster areas. As illustrated by these disaster areas, water shortages – whether natural or the result of mismanaged infrastructure – have potentially grave consequences for industry, agriculture and the economy as a whole. The problem is layered between ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water, difficulty in holding on to rainwater and contaminated groundwater.
Minister of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Nomvula Mokonyane recently briefed the media on the status of the drought ravaging the country, its intensity and the various measures her department will be taking to mitigate the risk of water shortages.
schemes nationally. The majority of these systems are currently in a positive water balance, with the national average dam storage measured at 66% of full supply capacity. In the second category are users served by local water supply schemes consisting of smaller dams and/or groundwater resources. These schemes are more vulnerable to the effect of droughts, as there is generally less water storage capacity, smaller water catchment areas and only limited water sharing/augmentation opportunity. The final category are users with standalone or rudimentary water supply, such as individual boreholes, rainwater tanks, springs and run-of-river abstractions. These Water security users are most vulnerable and may be The DWS has divided users into three key impacted within relatively short time frames BY BEATRIX KNOPJES areas of prioritisation, depending on locaby falling groundwater tables, reduced river tion and where their water supply comes base flow and depleted water storage. An from, to determine levels of estimated 6 500 stand-alone rural DROUGHT RESPONSE MEASURES water security. communities are currently experiTo address and mitigate the potential impacts of this In the first categor y are encing water shortages. These are drought, there are immediate/short-, medium- and users who are served by large mostly situated in the KwaZululong-term measures are being put in place. These regional water supply schemes Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo measures include: comprising of major dams and and North West provinces. This • strict implementation of drought operating rules at all large bulk infrastructure netnumber could increase to over dams, including restrictions • increased water mix, especially groundwater utilisation works. These systems have 11 000 rural communities as the (drilling of additional boreholes), rainwater harvesting, a higher assurance of supply dry period extends and local water reuse of return flows and packaged desalination plants due to their multiyear water resources get depleted. • reduced operational risks, via proper infrastructure storage capacity and lower operation and maintenance with associated skills Water restrictions risk of water variability due to development in Gauteng a larger spatial footprint and • implementation of water conservation and demand management programmes (including the war on leaks and The current water restrictions inter-basin water transfers. drop the block interventions) implemented by Rand Water and The bulk of the economic • emergency interventions by tankering Tshwane are a result of cautionnodes and national growth • climate research as well as hydrological and geoary measures rather than actual points are ser ved by such hydrological monitoring. drought. The current heat waves schemes, totalling 238
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IMIESA January 2016
DAMS & WATER STORAGE
may create a drought situation in Gauteng, if not carefully managed. As yet, bigger water schemes such as the Vaal, which primarily feed the region, have not been as affected by the low rainfall. It is the smaller water schemes with smaller catchment areas that have been left more vulnerable. Most of Gauteng’s water is supplied by the Vaal and Crocodile West river systems. Currently, the average dam levels are at 84% and pose manageable shor t-term water security risk. “No hydrological drought is experienced currently. A number of projects are, however, underway to address service delivery problems,” according to Mokonyane. The restrictions that have been implemented by Tshwane and Rand Water are as a result of the current high-temperature weather conditions, which could lead to a drought situation. Mokonyane further adds that the City of Tshwane implemented water restrictions due to the heat wave towards the end of the first week of October 2015. With no major rainfall expected, the water restrictions have continued to be implemented.
Towards the end of October, Rand Water informed the three metros in Gauteng (the cities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekhuruleni) of the low levels in the water reservoirs due to very high temperatures and little or no rainfall. According to Mokonyane’s report, the key measures to be implemented to mitigate
This dire situation requires a fastidious plan of action. This includes the drilling of boreholes, spring rehabilitation and packaged desalination plants. Severe restrictions have also been put in place in towns and cities. Water loss through non-revenue water has been expounded upon and needs to be addressed urgently, to increase the country’s resilience to changing weather patterns.
Ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water, difficulty in containing rainwater and contaminated groundwater contibute to water shortages potential drought impacts are: “Water conservation and water demand management programmes; Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project; the eradication of unlawful water use in the irrigation sector; desalination of mine water and reuse of return flows.”
KwaZulu-Natal Records show that KZN has experienced one of its driest years since 1960. As such, dam levels have significantly dropped and large water schemes are at risk, including Hazelmere Dam at 27%, Goedertrouw Dam at 35% and Hluhluwe Dam at 30%.
Western Cape The report states that the average dam level in the Western Cape is currently at 70%. This is significantly lower than the 89%
of last year. Agriculture in the Vredendal, Garies and Bitterfontein areas have been the hardest hit by the drought, and farmers have applied for drought relief for their stock. A delay in winter rains has also posed a threat to the Central Karoo areas of Merweville, Laingsburg, Prince Albert, Beaufort West, Drakenstein, Stellenbosch and Loxton.
Dam levels across the country have dropped significantly, as shown here at Wolwedans Dam in the Western Cape
IMIESA January 2016
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DAMS & WATER STORAGE
“Other municipalities, such as Mossel Bay, Beaufor t West, Ladysmith and Bitter fontein, have proactively addressed the impact of the drought through groundwater exploration, desalination and the reuse of return flows,” says Mokonyane.
Waterless sanitation Waterless sanitation is a process that dehydrates waste through a natural biological system that processes the waste into a compostable by-product. The system is ideal for outhouses in rural and township areas, where water reticulation is unreliable or non-existent. Lance Joel, managing director of Enviro Loo, suppliers of waterless sanitation in South Africa for the past 20 years, states that, in light of the country’s current water crisis, “it makes no sense to flush clean drinking water down the drain.”
However, the drought conditions that South Africa is currently facing have simply served to remind us that water is a scarce, finite resource. “We need to change our perceptions of water use. Water is not a renewable resource; there's a finite amount of water. The amount of water on Earth will
The majority of Gauteng’s water comes from the Vaal and Crocodile (shown) rivers
always remain the same. However, the quality of our water is diminishing through pollution and use. Even when the drought turns IMIESA January 2016
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L ANDFILL
FIND OUT ABOUT AQUATAN’S INNOVATIONS IN THE GEOMEMBRANE LINING BUSINESS In the 50 years since Aquatan was founded, it has consistently been recognised as the most innovative company in the geomembrane installation industry. It has been an IAGI-approved installation contractor for three years and is ISO 9001/2008 certified. Aquatan has also been awarded the SABS Certificate of recognition for its 20 years of loyalty, commitment to and compliance with the SABS Quality Management Certification scheme. Aquatan is the only Geomembrane installer in South Africa equipped to find discontinuities in a geomembrane lined facility below a capping layer. Aquatan’s unmatched experience in the Geomembrane installation business underscores our reputation for professionalism and reliability. Aquatan provides the TOTAL SOLUTION! In addition to our Geomembrane innovations, Aquatan’s HDPE, LLDPE, RFPP and EVA geomembranes are used in applications ranging from hazardous liquid or solid waste leach facilities, tunnels, canals, water features and underground water storage facilities.
We also construct floating covers for potable water, molasses storage and biogas containment reservoirs, small dams and tanks. ENHANCED BARRIER SYSTEM® Aquatan’s patented Enhanced Barrier System® (EBS) for waste sites is a technology that has gained international recognition for its dedicated and focused performance characteristics. The principle is to draw a fluid at a negative pressure through the geosynthetic barrier system to achieve: 1. Heat removal from Geosynthetic components 2. Post-loading hydration of the Geosynthetic Clay Liners 3. Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds This innovative technology, for which Aquatan holds the worldwide patent, expands conventional containment barrier boundaries for protecting the environment far into the future.
For more information: Tel: +27(0)11 974 5271 Fax: +27(0)11 974 4111 E-mail: aqua@aquatan.com www.aquatan.com
NO LS0798
DAMS & WATER STORAGE
Solving the current water crisis in SA will require the drilling of boreholes, spring rehabilitation and packaged desalination plants
and the dams fill up, we need to keep using water responsibly,” he stresses. Waterless sanitation’s most obvious benefit is its waterlessness. It can be used to conser ve water and in areas where there is little or no water. But, Joel explains that
50
there are many more benefits: “Waterless sanitation is environmentally friendly, it holistically addresses sustainability, and the by-product is safe and can be used as compost for resale or in community gardens. It creates a mind-shift change that embraces recycling and reuse through natural processes over discarding and compounding the problem. Nothing is wasted; there is no contamination of soil or underground water.”
Water tankers It has become necessar y to deploy water tankers to areas where water supply has dried up. These are short-term emergency
The Department of Water and Sanitation has deployed water tankers to areas hit by the drought (Source: eNCA)
measures taken to alleviate grim water shortages in affected areas. The Department of Water and Sanitation, through its National Water Resource Infrastructure Unit, is managing the procurement of for ty-five 18 000 litre water tankers. A total of 682 water tanks with stands will be distributed to Ugu, Umkhanyakude, iLembe and Harr y Gwala district municipalities.
IMIESA January 2016
Trenchless Technology Specialist
Our range of services include: • Pipe Bursting • Horizontal Directional Drilling • Pipe Rehabilitation
• Pipe Ramming • CCTV Inspection • Dewatering
• HDPE Welding • Deep Excavation and Shoring • Underground Service Detection
• Slip Lining
• Industrial Pipe Cleaning
• Close-fit lining: COMPACT PIPE
For more information you can contact us: +27 (0)21 761 3474 F +27 (0)21 797 1151 E info@tt-innovations.co.za www.tt-innovations.co.za
PROFILE
Future Tanks installed by SFP Tanks (PTY) Ltd., the official Aquadam Agent in KwaZulu-Natal, for the University of the Free State (UFS).
One step
ahead
Amid impending water restrictions and potential disruptions in municipal water supply, the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein introduced two new emergency reservoirs in July 2015, to provide the campus with water.
Steel storage tanks for prompt and reliable emergency water supply
Durable and designed to last.
T
HE OFFICIAL AGENT FOR Aquadam in Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal, SFP Tanks, was contracted in by Mfomo Construction to offer a practical and dependable water storage system using Aquadam’s branded Future Tank range of Zincalume-coated tanks. “Zincalume tanks are highly corrosion-resistant tanks and are locally manufactured by Aquadam for South African conditions,” says Pieter Jordaan, GM, SFP Tanks. “We aim to provide dependable advice for all clients considering the purchase of water storage tanks. We have over 20 years of experience in the water storage industry and only supply Aquadam products, due to their high standards. It only makes sense to supply tanks and reservoirs of exceptional quality to the market,” he explains. During previous water interruptions, drinking water, sanitary requirements for residences and buildings, laboratories and restaurants in the area suffered under the shortage. The two new reservoirs are on standby, to be utilised for campus activities, to assist in avoiding water supply disruptions. The reservoirs, worth R4 million, will be used together with the current 250 mm diameter pipe providing water to the UFS campus. The reservoirs’ supplies are able to sustain the university for 24 hours. “With these two new Future Tanks, an emergency water supply has been created for the campus to rule out unforeseen circumstances,” says Jordaan. On 13 October 2015, these two tanks prevented unnecessary water shortages on campus during water cuts incurred by the municipality.
Engineered Designed according to: • AWWA D103-97: (American Water Works Association) Standard for Factory Coated Bolted Steel Tanks for Water Storage,
• SANS 10160-3: Basis of Structural Design and Actions for Buildings and Industrial Structures – Part 3 : Wind Actions,
• SANS 282:2004: Edition 5.1 – Bending dimensions and scheduling of steel reinforcement for concrete,
• AS/NZS 4020:2005: Potable PVC Liner: Testing of products for use in contact with drinking water.
Quote referral code in your enquiry: “IMIESA”
B-BBEE Level 2 contributor
Contact 086 100 1010 • www.aquadam.co.za For Rural, Municipal, Commercial Developments & Fire Protection Applications contact: Rudi Schoeman Tel: 012 810 0940 | E-mail: sales2@aquadam.co.za
www.sfptanks.co.za IMIESA January 2016
51
Link to Aquadam watertight solutions or AquadamCoZa/Aquadam solutions
PROFILE
Amanz’ abantu’s model for
sustainable contractor development
A
MANZ’ ABANTU SERVICES is a private company, based in the Eastern Cape, whose regional and national shareholders collectively represent the full range of skills and experiences required for implementing water supply and sanitation projects. Operating out its head office in East London, Amanz’ abantu Services has implemented and managed high impact water and sanition programmes throughout the Eastern Cape, on behalf of local, regional and national authorities for the past the past 18 years. Job creation and enterprise development are arguably the highest national priorities for South Africa’s development. National government has invested much time and energy in trying to unlock the potential of public infrastructure construction and maintenance projects to involve communities in the construction process, and transfer the practical skills they require. Yet, from the Expanded Public Works Programme to the infrastructure agencies delivering special projects, the common challenge faced is how to put those skills to sustainable use once the projects are complete. All over South Africa, communities have been building roads and digging trenches, only to find themselves unemployed again.
A mechanism for sustainable jobs Implementing diverse programmes geared at solving rural and peri-urban infrastructure backlogs, Amanz’ abantu Services’ focus on developing local labour and emerging contractors is of particular significance. Managing director Oliver Ive is passionately commited to finding solutions for job creation and enterprise development and, along with Dr Kevin Wall from the CSIR and Jay Baghwan from the Water Research Commission, developed a model of social franchising aimed at providing support, skills and opportunities to people from rural and marginalised communities with entrepreneurial vision. The model is implemented through Amanz’ abantu Services’ subsidiary, Impilo Yabantu, which has, since its formation in 2009, developed and nurtured numerous small businesses, with 22 franchisees currently under its wing. “Social franchising, functioning under a partnership between government
ABOVE Oliver Ive, managing director,
Amanz' abantu Services LEFT Franchisees at work servicing
full VIPs under contract to the Amathole District Municipality of technical skills available to rural and remote municipalities has led to a deterioration in the contractractual management of business between the public and private sectors, and the structure can result in self-interest overpowering communities’ interests.”
Back to the future
and private sector agencies, has applications in most areas of public sector infrastructure maintenance and services delivery,” points out Ive. “What social franchising does is provide the resources, support and even contractual opportunities needed to build small, sustainable businesses around the very skills being transferred.”
A solution, ignored Why, then, isn’t social franchising being used to solve the problem of building sustainable small enterprises? “The social franchising model we have implemented through Impilo Yabantu is a key already cut to unlock the solution to sustainable job creation,” notes Ive. “Yet our programme is in an almost constant state of struggle, in large part because government and its public sector implementation agencies do not understand the functional needs of a private business, and are operationally incapable of nurturing small business.” The sectoral structure under which the job creation policies and infrastructure programmes were developed and implemented has changed significantly over the last decade. Amanz’ abantu Services has functionally experienced the shift from the centralised management of the water and sanitation supply chain, to the local, municipal structures arising from the Municipal Structures Act of 1998 and the Municipal Services Act of 2000. “Putting the water and sanitation services delivery under municipal authority has ultimately led to a shifting in priorities,” observes Ive. “The shortage
The DWS’ 2015 Strategic Plan is itself reflective of national government’s prioritisation of creating sustainable jobs, and the department’s awareness of how the water and sanitation sector can make a significant contribution: “Strategic issues for DWS programmes included skills development, community participation programmes, infrastructure development, regional bulk infrastructure, operations and maintenance, and eradicating bucket sanitation in formal settlements. Debt recovery was a serious problem.” The department’s institutional memory records its past success in dealing with these very issues when it partnered directly with businesses and agencies like Amanz’ abantu Services. The careful development of the social franchising model from practical, experiential and academically solid research offers precisely the supportive environment emerging contractors and enterprises need to thrive. “This very practical model happens to combine skills and business management training while the participants are working in the field and earning an income,” emphasises Ive. “The social franchising approach we have been developing is not a learnership or a training course; its has more in common with hands-on apprenticeships,” says Ive. Combined with the exponential benefits social franchising brings to ongoing job creation and the development of higher concentrations of much needed skills regionally, it urgently requires the attention of a suitable champion in government. It cannot fail unless it is failed.
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Katanga water treatment plants A mining operation in the DRC with the potential to become Africa’s largest copper producer – and the world’s largest cobalt producer – had a strong reason for choosing a South African engineering consultancy as its partner in this challenging environment. The project infrastructure achieved the operation's desired goals, leaving a legacy of ongoing competence in a remote area.
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K
AMOTO COPPER Company (KCC), operated by Katanga Mining Limited, sought an evaluation of its ageing water treatment plant, as well as chemical analysis of the water itself, to facilitate the design of the most effective end-to-end water delivery and management solution. South Africa-based Golder Africa Associates were chosen for the challenge, and for very particular reasons. The entire 50-year-old main water treatment plant, with its old pumps and pipes and deteriorating mechanical and electrical equipment, needed to be rebuilt and equipped with new pipes, valves, pumps, electrical switchgear, and instrumentation and control equipment, among other mechanical and electrical equipment. The gravity sand filtration units would have to be completely refurbished with new filter nozzles, inlet control valves and sand. The chemical analysis also revealed that the established water source – the Luilu River – was less than ideal, and the new water treatment plant needed to be capable of processing pumped water, at an average rate of 1 050 m3/hour, from the preferred water source of the open pit fed by the mining operations.
The remoteness of the Kolwezi region added a profound level of project management, and logistical and future operational planning challenges to the already significant engineering challenges described. Added to the complications was the need to produce high-quality potable water for 1 300 people in the adjacent workforce accommodation and office complex. It is a measure of the project’s success that they would pronounce the water “the sweetest ever tasted”. These challenges were to borne under the significant pressure of understanding the pivotal role the project has in realising this mine’s massive economic potential, not to mention its impact on global resources as a whole.
The components The water treatment plant mainly comprises a pressurised sand filtration and activated carbon contact system, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. The two containers were then transported, by road, to the site in Kolwezi. Interconnecting pipework between the two containers, as well as external holding tanks, were assembled and installed on-site; they were simply delivered directly into the existing treated water holding tank where chlorine is added for disinfection. The potable water is then
DAMS & WATER STORAGE
distributed to the office and accommodation area through the existing distribution pumping system. A fully containerised water treatment plant was behind “the sweetest water ever tasted”, which was designed, manufactured and assembled by Golder, in South Africa, to deliver the high-quality potable water.
Construction and operations A construction and installation company in the Congo was appointed by Katanga Mining to carry out the physical site installation of the equipment as well as the construction and manufacture of new pipe systems and certain steel structures. All the site-work, which included the installation of all equipment, modifications to existing equipment, and so forth, as supervised by Golder’s technical manager for site services, Theo Erasmus (Construction Services), who also commissioned the water treatment plants. The project engineer and manager was Hennie Cronje (also of Construction Services). The mine itself appointed all labour and artisans and, following successful commissioning of both plants, all the local plant operators, maintenance personnel and technical supervisors were trained and certified as a qualified maintenance and operational team.
Main water treatment plant The existing main water treatment plant, which serves the smelter and metallurgical complex, had been in operation for almost 50 years and the treatment capacity was 25 megalitres per day. The original plant design made provision for pH correction with lime, flocculation and coagulation, settling and clarification in a peripheral drive clarifier, gravity sand filtration filters, backwash and treated water transfer pump systems, and chemical make-up and dosing systems. The original plant was still partly in operation, but manually because the original control system,
complete with mimic panels, had been bypassed. The upgrading of the clarifier included a Golder’s specialists in water engineering, complete new overflow launder system from design and construction undertook a com3CR12 sheet metal. The refurbishment of plete and thorough evaluation and inspecthe gravity filtration system entailed the tion. The existing concrete structures, replacement of all filter nozzles and filter which include the clarifier and gravity sand filtration beds, were still in very good condition and it was ABOUT KATANGA proposed that they be reused Katanga Mining Limited operates a large-scale copper cobalt mine complex through its subsidiary, with minimal refurbishment. which is a joint venture with DRC state-owned Katanga proposed the open mining company La Génerale des Carrières et pit, in which was stored the des Mines Sarl (Gécamines). The complex, which water pumped from underincludes the mining operations, a smelter and other ground and from active mining metallurgical operations, is potentially Africa’s largest copper producer – not to mention the pits, as an alternative source world’s largest cobalt producer. of water for their mining operations. This water was found media; the refurbished system operates to be of a better quality than that previautomatically and includes the activation ously sourced from the nearby Luilu River, of the backwash cycles of each filter bed. and the volume New filter backwash pumps, air blowers and to be pumped treated water transfer pumps were installed into the upgradcomplete with new valves and pipework. New ed main water electrical switchgear, instrumentation and treatment plant control equipment were supplied to support would average the newly developed control philosophy of at 1 050 m3/h, which is the the plant. design capacity of Care was taken to ensure that all the the plant. new mechanical and electrical equipment The engineering complies with the specifications and requireteam designed ments applicable to the rest of the mine. This a detailed water greatly facilitates sourcing and maintenance. treatment process based on the analysis All the new equipment was on-site by May of water samples taken from the pit. This 2014 and the installation and construcincluded a new lime make-up and dosing tion of the entire plant was completed system, the upgrading of the existing clarifier three months later, and the works were and refurbishing the gravity filtration system. commissioned. Providing full-time, on-site
The remoteness of the Kolwezi region added a profound level of project management, and logistical and future operational planning challenges to the already significant engineering challenges
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supervision, Golder also prepared operating and maintenance manuals and provided training for the plant operators.
Containerised potable water treatment plant
road by Katanga’s logistics company. It took 17 days to reach the Kolwezi site, where interconnecting pipework between the two containers as well as external holding tanks were assembled and installed. Katanga’s local civil contractors constructed reinforced concrete slabs on which the containers were positioned. The entire plant is also fenced off from the rest of the process area; only the trained operators and maintenance staff are permitted access. With the two containers now forming a single operational unit, the system receives
The permeate water from the reverse osmosis treatment system is delivered directly into the existing treated water holding tank, where chlorine is added for disinfection. The potable water is then finally distributed to the office and accommodation area with the existing distribution pumping system.
The copper-cobalt mine complex includes a well-established office and accommodation Unique project factors for a workforce of nearly 1 000 construcand challenges tion workers and mine employees. There The remoteness of the plant’s site posed was an urgent need to provide high-quality several challenges, over and above Golder’s drinking water and Golder specialises in the determination not to let this factor, in any manufacturing of fully- and self-maintained way, compromise its endurcontainerised water treatment ing commitment to provide plants, capable of treating added value and creative various types of raw water to solutions. Designing the a standard and quality. They plant to incorporate the parts are designed as potable water and spares already used in treatment plants, sewage or the mine’s daily operations wastewater treatment plants, complemented the training or mine water treatment plants Golder provided to the peofor use in remote mining ple tasked with running and camps and exploration sites. maintaining it, while providFor Katanga Mining, engiing an integrated logistical neers designed and manufacsolution at the same time. tured a plant that would fit Katanga Mining’s effective into two standard 12 m freight management and well-estabcontainers so as to facilitate lished logistical systems transport to the remote area. also proved integral to the The first container housed the success of the project, and pretreatment system, which the combined effort saw all comprises pumps, pressurised A map highlighting the remoteness of the Kolwezi site the equipment transported sand filter units, activated carto site in just 17 days. The bon contact vessels and pipedetailed attention they paid to the prowork. The second container housed the treated water from the refurbished main ject activities enabled the project conultrafiltration, reverse osmosis treatment water treatment plant. Alternatively, feed sultants and contractors to seamlessly and chemical dosing systems as well as the water to the potable water treatment plant carry out the work, within time limits and electrical and control system. The completed can also be received from two boreholes available budgets. containerised units were transported via drilled in the vicinity.
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PROFILE
Malawi pump station
refurbishment
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HE WORK COMPRISED two separate contracts awarded by the Blantyre Water Board, together valued at some R200 million and managed jointly as turnkey projects between APE Pumps’ Johannesburg works and the Kolkata factory of holding company Worthington Pumps India. The first and larger of the two contracts – to upgrade the Chileka pump station – was awarded to APE Pumps in April 2013. It was followed, in October, by a contract to complete the upgrade of raw water and high-lift pumping stations at Walker’s Ferry. The refurbished raw water pumping station at Walker’s Ferry comprises six pump units, each extracting water from the Shire River at a rate of 1 350 m3/h and head of 35 m. After transfer to the purification plant, two further pump stations – each housing three pumps in parallel
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and one on standby – transfer the water at between 800 m3/h and 900 m3/h and 550 m head to Chileka Pump Station.
Expert utilisation To complete the work at Walker’s Ferry, which required the rehabilitation of all aspects of the existing water intake works and high-lift pump station, APE Pumps established an on-site workshop and made as much use as possible of contract components already delivered to site by the defaulting contractor, modifying and remanufacturing these where necessary. Peter Robinson, managing director, APE Pumps, said that a highlight of the latest projects at Chileka and Walker’s Ferry had been maintaining the supply of water to Blantyre at between 2 700 m3/h and 3 000 m3/h throughout the 16-month refurbishment.
Upgraded raw water and high-lift pumping stations at Walker’s Ferry
“Probably the biggest challenge was to take over components abandoned by another company, because we had to modify and remanufacture some of these; but, we were successful, all operations manuals have been completed and we are now looking forward to the official handover of the commissioned stations. “These projects have taken APE Pumps further along its evolutionary path, from a pure manufacturer of pumps to a projects company with complete turnkey capabilities. We are currently in the process of acquiring a second projects firm to take us even further along this path, and we are working on our CIBD rating to help us get there,” he said.
IMIESA January 2016
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CESA INDABA 2015
Designing delivery
T
A cooperative architecture
HE THEME FOR THE Infrastructure Indaba was: “Towards Improving Delivery of Infrastructure and Engineering Services”. It emanates from and is the culmination of the CESA 2015 annual theme, namely: “Meeting socioeconomic challenges through sustained infrastructure investment”. Under this theme, CESA dealt with the state of the country’s infrastructure investment as well that of the engineering human-capital development.
Taking the initiative Speaking at the recent inaugural 2015 Infrastructure Indaba hosted by CESA, Ekurhuleni executive mayor Cllr Mondli Gungubele said that consulting engineers are a critical partner in the developmental agenda of municipalities and that the mandate of local government can only be achieved sustainably if the technical fundamentals of the infrastructure provided are not flawed. “In the past, municipalities had the technical capacity to do designs and implement projects with limited complementary support from consulting engineers. However, with the gradual drifting of engineers from local government into the consulting industry, this capacity has become completely eroded. Consulting engineers offer technical expertise that ensures sustainability, serviceability, affordability and availability of infrastructure,” proclaimed Gungubele. He added that the National Development Plan (NDP) is anchored on social and firm core infrastructure development and it is, therefore, imperative for engineers in general to acquire and maintain technical knowledge and skills at levels consistent with the developmental needs of society, advancement in technology, changes in legislation and local government strategies. Former CESA president Abe Thela assured delegates that CESA will continue to support the intermediate initiatives of other government departments, which are designed to shore up government capacity and capability to roll out new infrastructure and maintain existing infrastructure. In addition, CESA will continue to work with government in finding long-term solutions to the lack of engineering capacity and capability in the public sector.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Consulting Engineering Southern Africa plays a vital role in bridging the needs and requirements of its members and government. This representation has an inherent positive impact on the whole public infrastructure supply chain and, at the inaugural CESA Infrastructure Indaba last November, the fruits of these efforts became increasingly more evident. IMIESA recognises the essential role of consulting engineering to public infrastructure in South Africa today, and welcomes CESA’s newly inaugurated president, Lynne Pretorius, and recently appointed CEO, Chris Campbell, and wishes them well. IMIESA would like to acknowledge outgoing acting CEO Wally Mayne for steering a clear and impactful path during his tenure. We give special thanks to former president Abe Thela for his generosity, humour and invaluable input during his term. His memorable interviews can be found across editions of IMIESA over the last two years, and re-reading them now not only clarifies recent developments, but also reminds us of the value of patience and staying the course. The Infrastructure Indaba was host to several very important announcements and conversations about profound changes that should yield the positive results the whole sector has been working towards. IMIESA will continue to track these throughout the coming year.
The initiatives include: secondment of engineers from private sector to government departments and municipalities, establishment of project management units managed by consulting engineers and other built environment professionals, employing consulting engineers for pre-feasibility work and using retired engineers. “Of concern, however, is the court action initiated by the City of Cape Town against one of our member firms to prevent the appointment of consulting engineers involved in prefeasibility studies in the downstream phase of work. Currently, the case is at the Supreme
Former CESA president Abe Thela, CEO Chris Campbell, current president Lynne Pretorius and former acting CEO Wally Mayne
Court of Appeal and we are hopeful that the ruling will be in favour of allowing consulting engineers who undertake pre-feasibility studies to participate in downstream work,” cautioned Thela.
The new national gold mine According to the NDP, government needs to spend at least 20% of the country’s GDP on
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infrastructure development in order to attain the objectives of the NDP. Currently, government is only managing to spend about 14% of the GDP on infrastructure and, when you take this infrastructure spend as a percentage of the targeted GDP, which is growing at 5%, South Africa’s performance in public infrastructure investment is sorely lacking. “We acknowledge that much has been done by government to deliver infrastructure but the demand for infrastructure development far exceeds the available government financial resources”, said Thela. He continued to state that much more infrastructure is needed for the acceleration of service-delivery as well as the socio-economic development of our country. Minister Nhlanhla Nene had alluded to the constraint in the government purse when he concluded his 2015 mediumterm budget speech by saying, “Without economic growth, there is not revenue growth, and without revenue growth, expenditure cannot increase and the nation cannot develop and succeed.”
New avenues for funding KPMG has estimated that the continued underinvestment in infrastructure will result in an infrastructure funding gap of approximately R6.5 trillion by 2030. This spells disaster for the social and economic development of our country and requires urgent and focused intervention by all South Africans. CESA has identified three possible avenues that should be explored, alongside others, to close this growing infrastructure gap. The first avenue is for the private sector to increase its investment in public infrastructure development. It is estimated that South Africa’s private sector has over R1 trillion in cash, which is sitting idle in low-interestearning accounts. Some of this money could be invested in public infrastructure through conventional public private partnerships (PPP). Other institutional arrangements also exist for the private sector to avail its financial resources for public sector infrastructure development. However, there are obstacles that must be dealt with prior to realising and maximising this potential and these include: lack of technical capacity and capability for
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package projects, mistrust between the public and the private sectors and misconception that the conventional PPP is ‘privatisation’. The second area of opportunity to maximise infrastructure investment is the maintenance of existing infrastructure to ensure that the existing infrastructure remains serviceable for the duration of its design life and beyond. Lack of maintenance of existing infrastructure results in premature failure of infrastructure with associated high replacement costs accompanied by widespread negative socioeconomic consequences such as interrupted
Left to right: Cllr Mondli Gungubele, director general Pule Selepe and CESA past president Abe Thela getting ready to answer questions at the Infrastructure Indaba's first session
service delivery, loss of productivity in the economy, disruption to industry and economy and the waste of natural resources. The third area of opportunity to maximise infrastructure investment is addressing inefficiencies in the supply chain management system, specifically as it applies to consulting engineers and BEPs in general. These inefficiencies include: • inappropriate approaches for procuring consulting engineering services • lack of technical project management capacity and capability in the public sector (resulting in poor planning and poor management of implementation of infrastructure projects) • lack of other desired technical skills in the public sector (impacting negatively on maintenance of existing infrastructure) • rampant corruption. “Huge sums of public money are lost due to these inefficiencies and addressing them will release billions of rands back into
infrastructure development and other economic activities,” stated Thela.
A crucial platform Department of Transport director general Pule Selepe said that government regards the Infrastructure Indaba as a crucial platform for sharing its own experiences and also for learning from the industry about how the private sector can contribute towards the radical transformation of our economy. “We believe that we all have the responsibility to oversee the development of our infrastructure and we have no doubt that this gathering today will continue to expand and enrich our collective knowledge and resolve,” noted Selepe. FIDIC vice-president Exaud Mushi pointed out that interest in procurement of consulting services under qualitybased selection (QBS) is likely to rise because large and diverse projects require: flexibility in extent of investigation, consideration of alternative designs, and expertise, experience, judgement, innovation and imagination. “QBS will dominate as a procurement method and is likely to dominate because of the need for high-quality engineers/consultants who can deliver. Clients will want to see consultants taking more responsibility of performance,” warned Mushi.
Fearless leadership In her inaugural speech, CESA President Lynne Pretorius indicated that South Africa is on a dynamic trajectory that requires visionary leadership and flexibility from all stakeholders and role players, to adapt to the changing and challenging environment currently prevailing. She stated that her key objectives are to get CESA’s house in order, encourage members to submit quality bids and to be open and honest about corruption. “Concerted effort is required from all of us to address the imbalances of the past, thus creating a South Africa that everyone is proud of. Government requires us to transform our industry. We realise that this is a long-term process but we have to align ourselves to leverage business opportunities,” said Pretorius.
INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE
National Treasury has committed itself to improving procurement and minimising waste and corruption within supply chain management (SCM), in order to improve service delivery and create value and socioeconomic change.
Optimising the
supply chain
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HILE THE PRIVATE sector has tended to judiciously invest in SCM, this is an area that has been neglected and mismanaged by the public sector, as its importance has not been recognised. The 2015 Public Sector Supply Chain Management Review is a sincere reflection on the current state of SCM in the public sector. It reflects the reforms being considered, and the opportunities that an efficient system presents. The review reflects “the views of government, business and civil society. It shows a growing understanding that SCM reform will require collaboration and that it should be treated as a national project. If it is implemented as envisaged in Section 217 of the Constitution, the vast benefits will be as follows”: • good-quality service delivery will be increasingly possible, with significant improvements in the welfare of South Africa’s citizens and especially the poor, who rely heavily on government for support • the economy will grow as economic infrastructure is expanded and efficiently maintained • goods, services and infrastructure will be bought at lower costs • innovation will result in different approaches to the commodities used in some sectors • for suppliers, the cost of doing business with the state should decrease substantially. Since 2008, there has been a dramatic increase in government debt, from R450 billion in 2009/10 to R1.4 trillion in 2013/14. At the same time, public sector spend is increasing (R500 million in 2013/14). It is imperative that this is spent wisely and that infrastructure is maintained to support a growing economy and encourage job creation through tendering. Suppliers to government include
manufacturers, farmers and so on, so a wellmanaged supply chain benefits everyone. A mismanaged supply chain, however, results in service delivery protests as a sign of public discontent; an efficient system helps to alleviate these problems. The current system is imperfect and fraught with corruption and inefficiency. According to the report, “The vision is one of a South African public sector SCM system staffed by people who have the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to ensure that every decision is well-informed and appropriate, and who have the technical and organisational support that they need in order to carry out this important work in line with the country’s Constitution, laws and regulations.”
The status quo A number of issues hinder effective SCM. According to the report, these include: • SCM is not well understood. “Those working in the system need to understand the economic and social power of the purchasing decisions that they make.” • Organisational structures and systems are subpar. Departments are filled with under skilled, inexperienced staff with high staff turnovers.
• The technology in place is outdated and unsuitable. • There is scope for inference stemming from a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities between administrative personnel and politicians. • There is a marked lack of accountability for underperformance. • Policies and regulations are “confusing and cumbersome” and consist of many forms and bureaucratic red tape, which cost time and money. “It is government policy to support the growth of small businesses and the jobs they create. Procedures that stand in the way of this, and which are also difficult for officials to interpret and implement, must and will be changed.” • There are hiked prices from suppliers taking advantage of public service ignorance of the importance of effective SCM. “This is evident in high prices paid for goods and services; contracts that favour certain suppliers; collusion; unethical behaviour; non-performance; and poor quality products and services rendered. To overcome these problems, the public sector needs to develop long-term strategic supplier relationships.” • An effective SCM system must also ensure that goods and services are available at the
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can plan accordingly. It will also increase officials’ knowledge and understanding of the goods and Reformation services available, and which supThe report proposes that a number pliers can be depended upon to of reforms be effected to make provide the best quality and value. public sector SCM more effective This should help with managing across the board. Reforms include risks and costs, and lead to mutual improving processes, rules and understanding between the public infrastructure to make it easier for and private sectors to the benefit the public sector of all. PRE-TENDERand its private The report sugSTAGE VIOLATIONS sector suppligests identifying • Development of biased ers to transact. and implementing specifications Strategic sourcinnovative ways to • Procurement of items not ing gives a basis improve employbudgeted for for deciding, for ees’ skills and • Wrong choice of procurement strategy example, whethknowledge as well • Poor procurement plans er to purchase a as using technol• Abuse of non-competitive local commodity ogy to streamprocedures that helps to creline transactions • Inadequate needs ate jobs or one and improve assessments that is wholly or oversight. partly imported. Integral to this reform The report further proposes that is building relationships with the private South Africa’s public sector SCM sector. This will enable manufactur- regulatory landscape is highly ers and other service providers to fragmented, and needs urgent understand government’s current and reform. Regulatory fragmentafuture purchasing needs so that they tion undermines integrated and best price, in the right qualities, at the right time and in the right place.
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FIGURE 1 Differences between the supply chain for goods and services and for infrastructure
FIGURE 2 The generic elements of supply chain management
IMIESA January 2016
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INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE
comprehensive national oversight of public sector SCM. Failure to regulate said management negatively affects service delivery. Current initiatives to reform public sector SCM include rationalising the legislative environment, simplifying and reducing the number of tender documents, and streamlining and standardising business processes. Socio-economic transformation through public sector SCM is impor tant to addressing current structural economic imbalances. This transformation needs to be in line with Section 217 of the Constitution and nur tured to ensure organic growth of black-owned and emerging businesses.
FIGURE 3 Traditional approach to procurement
FIGURE 4 Strategic approach to procurement
Benefits of instilling good governance Good governance ensures transparency, accountability, efficiency and the upholding of the rule of law in economic, political and administrative processes. The public SCM system in South Africa has clear rules, which are often poorly enforced. Political oversight is important to create an environment that eliminates political interference in SCM governance structures. When suppliers collude to fix bid prices or create improper interference in the evaluation of tenders, this contributes to corruption. Thorough research needs to be executed by the public to ensure that prices proposed are within reasonable parameters. Public sector institutions must ensure that contracts and service level agreements do not introduce new requirements and conditions not included in the bid documents. To achieve regulatory objectives, National Treasury and provincial treasuries need to fully understand the different policy instruments as well as the conduct of employees and other stakeholders.
SCM for infrastructure delivery and maintenance Prudent spending through better planning, sound procurement systems and greater competition will benefit the economy. Public investment in infrastructure should reduce bottlenecks in electricity and transport and encourage private investment, while stronger employment growth should contribute to increased household incomes. To do this, government needs to ensure that goods and services are delivered on time, at the right quality and for the right price.
Strategic sourcing in government Government’s approach to procurement is regulated. However, according to the report, there is a need to identify more efficient ways to realise value for money, create opportunities and promote beneficial change. “A differentiated approach and the introduction of strategic sourcing that is a collaborative and structured process to critically analyse an organisation’s spending and using the information to make business decisions about acquiring commodities and services more effectively are essential.”
the state is able to negotiate better prices based on bulk purchasing. When bidding processes are managed centrally, unnecessary duplication is eliminated, procurement activity is rationalised, leakages are reduced and scarce procurement skills are better utilised.Transversal contracting reduces the administrative burden for suppliers as they interact with government at one central point. Long-term supplier relationships are established and there is greater certainty in the market place.
SCM capacity development Procurement of common goods and services: accelerated transversal contracting Accelerating the scope of transversal contracting should result in significant savings as
Without an efficient and effective SCM system, government is handicapped in its ability to deliver on strategic objectives. “An effective procurement system requires skilled, ethical and professional people, within appropriate
PUBLIC SECTOR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT REVIEW
• In terms of Section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, when government contracts for goods and services, it must do so in a way that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective. In addition, the SCM system must provide for the advancement of persons or categories of persons disadvantaged by unfair discrimination. These are the cornerstones of South Africa’s public sector procurement system. • In line with the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act, the public sector SCM system is highly decentralised to allow managers to manage. • SCM across South Africa is highly fragmented. This makes it difficult for government to obtain maximum value when buying and making use of goods and services. • Improving skills, processes and systems is critical for a well-functioning SCM system. • The office of the chief procurement officer, working with all government institutions, will modernise and oversee the South African public sector SCM to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and construction works is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective in line with the Constitution and all relevant legislation.
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structures, who actively engage in continuous improvement, innovation and learning, and who are supported by good leadership, oversight and governance,” states the report. The current maturity of supply chain environments at a compliance and control level are indicative of a lack of FIGURE 5 Relationships in the profession progression and maturity where measurement, per formance, outcomes, impact, learncorps of competent and committed employing, and continuous improvement are ees; and develop an environment that the norm. The capacity development stratenables and sustains mutually beneficial egy for public financial management prostakeholder relationships. vides a national systematic approach to Information and communication developing SCM capacity that is both intetechnology (ICT) systems grated and sustainable. The strategy aims Electronic systems have great potential to to support the development of an enabling increase the efficiency and effectiveness environment; develop and enhance organiof government’s spending. The current sational capacity; develop and empower a
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systems utilised by government are fragmented and under-utilised, and 45% of total supply chain activities are conducted manually. Different SCM systems are currently used in the public sector and result in fragmented data, inconsistent processes, var ying compliance levels and ineffective results. Limited information is available on the efficiency of SCM systems across spheres of government. The Integrated Financial Management System provides an opportunity to modernise SCM practise and increase efficiency. The current ICT infrastructure limits the potential to optimise how the SCM systems function. Technology provides the opportunity to accelerate innovation and the optimisation of SCM.
IMIESA January 2016
TRUSTED PIPELINE PRODUCTS plastics
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Cement
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& Concrete
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IMIESA November/December 2015
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CEMENT & CONCRETE
What’s eating away
at our buildings?
A large number of concrete structures around the country are in a state of disrepair, often prematurely, and need rehabilitation to restore their safety and ensure they can be used again. Consequently, the need for repair and protection has grown considerably in recent years. BY LIESL FRANKSON
T
HE COSTS associated with the repair of deteriorating concrete structures can be substantial; however, the costs resulting from poorly designed or executed repairs may be even higher. According to the Concrete Materials & Structural Integrity Research Unit, which is an active research unit within the Depar tment of Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town, the technical and economical success of repair projects depends on a range of factors, including a proper condition assessment of the structure, design and execution of remedial measures, and design and implementation of maintenance strategies. Earlier this year, the Concrete Society of Southern Africa hosted its RepSem concrete repair and protection seminar, which saw more than 300 delegates attend in different locations around the countr y. One of the speakers in attendance was SPEC-Con Engineering MD Gordon Mowatt, a concrete repair specialist, and his presentation focused on the essential steps in the implementation and measurement of concrete repair projects. According to Mowatt, the
concept of concrete repair is here to stay. With the costs of demolition and reconstruction being so high, it makes sound economic sense to upgrade buildings and structures rather than to knock them down. The problem with buildings built in recent decades, including those built between the 60s and 90s, is that inadequate attention was paid to durability, quality control and environment, according to Mowatt. These issues are not exclusive to South Africa and are occurring around the world.
Combating corrosion The primar y cause for structural deterioration is corrosion of the buildings’ reinforcement. “Reinforced concrete structures exposed to severe environments often need repair in 15 to 25 years, usually from corrosion damage,” says Prof Mark Alexander, who also presented at RepSem. The corrosion is a result of the ingress of chloride ions or carbon dioxide and the subsequent depassivation of the steel. Mowatt explains how the corrosion affects a structure: “As the pH reduces, corrosion sites appear on the steel reinforcement. The steel expands under the influence of corrosion, first cracking, then spalling.” If nothing is done about these issues, structures start to pose a threat of injur y or even death. To deal with corrosion, Dr Gareth Glass, technical director of Concrete Preser vation Technologies, believes galvanic and hybrid technologies provide valid strategies to manage corrosion in accordance with international standards. Galvanic protection systems were first used on reinforced concrete structures around 1960,
With the costs of demolition and reconstruction being so high, it makes sound economic sense to upgrade buildings and structures rather than knock them down
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IMIESA January 2016
CEMENT & CONCRETE
OPPOSITE PAGE The primary cause for structural deterioration is corrosion of buildings’ reinforcement
CORROSION DAMAGE EVALUATION • Geometry of structural elements • Cover depth of reinforcement • Moisture condition of concrete • Age of structure • Presence of cracking • Service stresses in structure
RIGHT AND FAR RIGHT As the pH reduces, corrosion sites appear on the steel reinforcement. The steel expands under the influence of corrosion, first cracking, then spalling
according to David W Whitmore and J Christopher Ball. Recent technological advancements in the development of galvanic anodes have led to a significant increase in their use for protecting reinforcing steel in concrete structures. “Sacrificial anodes used for galvanic protection are typically constructed using aluminum, magnesium or zinc. For reinforced concrete applications, zinc has become the most common sacrificial anode used today. There are several reasons for the popularity of zinc. First, zinc has high corrosion efficiency. This means that a high percentage of the electrons that are discharged as the zinc corrodes are available to protect the steel. Second, as zinc corrodes, it has a relatively low rate of expansion compared to other metals, including steel.” Applications for galvanic protection systems include localised corrosion protection around patch repairs and joints between new and existing concrete. When used for path repairs, some of the benefits of this technology include simple installation, no maintenance, and a 15 to 25 year lifespan.
Essential steps before embarking on a concrete repair project The five essential steps to consider before embarking on a concrete repair project are: • health, safety and environment • definition of the client’s objectives • assessment of damage or deterioration and diagnosis • specification of the repair work and estimated costs • p reparation of contract documents, including a full specification and bill of quantities. “As local authorities become more environmentally aware, following the publication of ISO 14000, the conditions that sites enforce on their surrounding areas must be properly managed,” notes Mowatt. It is important to have an understanding and consideration of the client's objectives, both financial and technical, before work commences. This includes life expectancy,
TABLE 1 A comparison between chloride- and carbonation-induced deterioration
Chloride-induced Deep pitting of reinforcement Significant cracking and spalling Eventually affects structural integrity (both concrete and steel) Costly to repair if ignored until damage is obvious
Carbonation-induced General corrosion with little pitting Minor cracking and rust staining Mostly affects aesthetics and not structural integrity Can be repaired relatively cheaply, provided not left till too late
prevention or reduction of further deterioration, strengthening and reconstruction. The third step is critical, as this involves the analysis of the current condition of the visible and latent deterioration. A diagnostic sur vey will help you determine the cause, severity extent, and likely costs of the problem. “The specification and the correct calibre of a specialist contractor who also understands the intricacies of each repair option will ensure the success of a repair project,” notes Mowatt.
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CEMENT & CONCRETE
A successful expansion strategy
S
IKA ESTABLISHED a subsidiary in Nigeria and Ivory Coast in 2014 and is now in Lagos and Abidjan, investing in local production facilities for high-quality concrete admixtures and mortars to supply the booming construction, refurbishment and maintenance markets in both countries. Many international and medium-sized local contractors working on big oil and gas, infrastructure, commercial and residential projects represent large customer potential. Through these expansions, Sika continues its dedicated and successful expansion strategy and is enlarging its presence to 16 African countries. Paul Schuler, Sika regional manager: EMEA, emphasises the importance of the company’s expansion in subSaharan Africa: “Our new production
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IMIESA January 2016
facilities in Nigeria and Ivory Coast and our new subsidiaries in Tanzania and Ethiopia represent another milestone in the consequent execution of the company’s ‘Strategy 2018’. “With the latest investments, we will further accelerate our growth in subSaharan Africa and increase Sika’s market share. It demonstrates our strong belief in the potential and the prosperous future of the continent.”
Major growth potential Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa in terms of population and GDP. With roughly 180 million inhabitants and an expected annual growth rate of approximately 5%, the country will have major requirements in the construction sector. With 23 million inhabitants, Ivory Coast represents one of the smaller
African countries but it also offers a promising growth potential for Sika. Cement consumption in both countries is expected to grow by 9% in 2015.
Sika’s growth momentum One pillar of the Sika Strategy 2018 is the accelerated build-up of emerging markets and the expansion of the supply chain. The overall objective is to increase sales generated in emerging markets from 37% of total sales up to 45% by 2018. Africa is one of the focus regions for the company. In the first six months of 2015, the company’s sales in the region were up 18%. Currently, the company maintains 16 local subsidiaries and 13 manufacturing sites on the African continent.
CEMENT & CONCRETE
Changing the way we build The concept of environmentally friendly or green products and services permeates every aspect of daily life. The goal to achieve greenness in all that we do is something that has taken precedence in the practices and processes of construction material manufacturers and suppliers around the world. BY LIESL FRANSKON
A
S GREEN BUILDINGS sprout around us, the race is on between material manufacturers to innovate and come up with new ways to make the products construction companies have relied on for decades environmentally friendly. The concept of green cement and concrete is not new and it emerged out of the need to curb the significant amount of carbon emissions that stem from cement and concrete production. The criteria for green concrete is that the materials used for making it should be sourced from sustainable or green materials rather than non-sustainable resources. South African cement producers are thinking more carefully about what it takes to make their products. A recent collaborative effort between the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) and key players in the cement industr y has been supplying waste tyres for use in cement kilns. Waste tyres supplied by Redisa can be utilised as a substitute (through co-processing) for up to 20% of current coal usage. At PPC, indications are that waste tyres will replace 10% of coal usage at its De Hoek plant alone. Johan Vorster, general manager: PPC De Hoek, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Energy scarcity in the Western Cape is one of the reasons why high energy users look into the use of alternative fuels. The co-processing of waste in cement kilns not only reduces costs, but also reduces carbon emissions from cement manufacture and reduces the need for non-renewable energy.â&#x20AC;? Natal Portland Cement (NPC-InterCement), AfriSam and Lafarge are also in support of the substitution, and are engaging with Redisa on how the supply of waste tyres for controlled burning in kilns can reduce the overhead costs of coal.
TOP Cement producers are thinking more carefully about what it takes to make their products MIDDLE The production of cement accounts for about 5% of global greenhouse gases driving climate change BOTTOM In order to reduce consumption of raw materials and to minimise the waste generated from demolished concrete structures, crushed concrete can be reused as aggregates
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We are there when you learn
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www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za +27 11 315 0300
BENEFITS OF GREEN-MIX CONCRETE
• Made using low-cost and sustainable raw materials • Designed for strength and performance during service life of buildings or structures • Contributes to GBI score • Lower cement/carbon footprint per unit of concrete produced • Reduces, reuses and recycles industrial by-products targeted for landfills • Potential for commercialisation by providing developers and contractors with an alternative concrete that is environmentally friendly
A strong foundation for infrastructure success
The concept of using waste as an alternative to produce cement has taken off around the world, with companies investing millions in this initiative. The International Finance Corporation recently invested €6 million (R101 million) alongside Lafarge and Proparco to support the use of municipal household waste to fuel Lafarge’s cement plant located in northern Iraq. Lafarge also has a similar project at its El Sokhna cement plant in Egypt. Through this partnership, the cement manufacturer has reduced the use of fossil fuels while creating local jobs and contributing to waste disposal through a partnership with an informal network of household waste collectors in Cairo. Innovation in the area of green construction materials is ongoing and scientists in Malaysia recently proved that there is a way to make green cement and concrete even greener.
Green-mix concrete In this project, researchers at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Selangor, Malaysia, introduced an innovative green concrete, called green-mix concrete, that is designed and manufactured using conventional materials but partially replaced with suitable waste and recycled materials to achieve acceptable per formance, economics, and sustainability. Green concrete is made of new raw materials – namely fly ash, recycled concrete aggregates and aluminium can fibres. Fly ash is a waste product from coal power plants and is commonly disposed of in ponds and sent to landfills. In a report on the project, the researchers claim they discovered through research that fly ash has the potential to replace cement, a material with large environmental impacts due to air pollution from the cement plants. “In order to reduce consumption of raw materials and to minimise the waste generated from demolished concrete structures, crushed concrete can be reused as aggregates. Aluminium cans were used because they can be easily processed into chopped fibres and used as reinforcement in concrete,” the report outlines. Producing this new concrete requires technical expertise such as new concrete mix design, new raw materials, and new knowledge of green concrete properties. “Not only is this newly developed green concrete environmentally friendly, it is also cost-effective as a result of optimised material proportions from our new concrete mix design. In our investigation, the new concrete can achieve an increase in strength of up to 30% compared to normal concrete,” explains the report.
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Concrete Pipes
ROCLA’s Rubber Ring Joint Pressure Pipe is a watertight pipe for use in low pressure (2 to 8 Bar) applications. The Spigot and Socket type joint is formed with a widening of the wall of the pipe on the one end, with the joint sealed with a rubber ring. ROCLA is Southern Africa’s leading manufacturer of pre-cast concrete products for infrastructure, including pipes, culverts, manholes, roadside furniture, retaining walls, stock troughs, poles and other related products.
Tel: 011 670 7600 | www.rocla.co.za
Rocla is a subsidiary of ISG, a leading supplier of innovative infrastructure products to the construction and mining markets in Southern Africa.
Boosting African
penetration
N
ORMAN SEYMORE, VICE-PRESIDENT of the Chryso Group globally, and CEO of the Southern African branch, says, in 2014, the Group set up a joint venture with its Algerian partner, Hydipco, to boost business development in Algeria. “Hydipco has a strong local team and modern production facilities, which made the company an ideal subsidiary. Consequently, the Group acquired the Algerian company and formed Chryso Hydipco, which began operations under this banner a few months ago. “This new venture is now in a position to supply the full Chryso cement and concrete product range, including admixtures, to Algerian construction firms, as well as the Group's expertise and technical know-how,” explains Seymore. It has been internationally reported that the Algerian construction industry is steadily growing, supported by private and public investment in infrastructure, residential, commercial and institutional construction projects, as the country strives to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil. This has increased the demand for building materials in Algeria.
Fully infiltrating Africa The opening of the latest subsidiary in Africa follows the establishment, in mid2015, of an East African division, with headquarters in Nairobi. This was the construction chemicals specialist group's first production subsidiary to open outside of South Africa. “It is our intention to expand further into Africa, and there is a possibility of also opening production facilities in West Africa in the near future. We have already increased our Group's representation in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and the Indian Ocean islands. The Group is, in fact, in the midst of an exciting phase of global growth,” Seymore states. The Group became an independent business in September 2014, following its acquisition from its parent company, the Materis Group, by French private equity firm LBO France. “The new credit line that the LBO acquisition has provided has increased the pace at which the Southern African division is being developed, and has resulted in Chryso Southern Africa becoming a springboard into Africa,” he added.
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IMIESA January 2016
Construction Vehicles Equipment
&
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Stairway to safety
R
EPLACING A STANDARD LADDER with an aluminium stepper may seem like a small change, but it can have far-reaching advantages for users. Standing on step ladders for an extended period of time can lead to worker fatigue and potentially life-threatening falls from height. Devin van Zyl, CEO, Lambson’s Hire, says it is often the simplest changes in a work environment that lead to incremental improvements in safety. “Safety is particularly important to our company, which is why we identified a need for these aluminium steppers that provide a safe and secure working platform,” he says. The aluminium stepper from Lambson’s Hire offers five working heights, allowing greater flexibility on-site. The platform heights range from 320 mm to 1 250 mm, while the frame itself is 1 362 mm by 700 mm by 2 000 mm. The anti-slip platform, constructed from 10 mm thick plywood, has a 200 kg load-bearing capacity and features a lockable safety rail. The 300 mm step distance allows for comfortable and easy ascent and descent. Made from lightweight, yet durable, 6061-T6 aluminium, the stepper folds together, allowing easy transportation or storage when not in use. On-site manoeuvrability is catered for with durable, polyurethane, double-brake castors. This allows the stepper to be rolled to where needed and then locked into place, ensuring complete stability during work activities. The steppers form part of Lambson’s Hire product line-up that is focused on enhanced workplace safety. In addition to the stepper, the company stocks mobile folding towers and scaffolding at a number of its branches. These products are also manufactured in aluminium for increased ease of use and mobility between different sites and various areas on-site. The aluminium stepper from Lambson’s Hire offers five working heights, allowing greater flexibility on-site
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THE LEMAITRE FOOTWEAR RANGE IS AS DURABLE AS IT IS TRENDY.
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CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT
Partnering for better roads The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport in Pietermaritzburg is set to maintain its reputation as a leader when it comes to road upgrades, with the acquisition of 30 new road-building vehicles.
B
ELL EQUIPMENT handed over 30 Bell 670G Graders to the KwaZuluNatal Department of Transport in Pietermaritzburg recently. Willies Mchunu, KwaZulu-Natal MEC: Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, said the graders have been allocated to the various regions in the province and would be used to keep the province's 23 960 km gravel road network in a safe and acceptable state to further improve the quality of life for rural communities. In the last five years, the department has emerged as a
top per former, having upgraded 457 km of gravel to tar roads, rehabilitated or re-tarred 1 859 km and resealed more than 10 million square metres of the road network. The department also constructed 1 569 km of new gravel roads along with Mayor of the Umgungundlovu District Municipality Cllr Yusuf Bamjee joins Bokkie Coertze and MEC Willies Mchunu as they cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially mark the handover of the 30 Bell graders to the Department of Transport
77 O&M CAPE TOWN 87541/E
IMIESA January 2016
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© 2015 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, BUILT FOR IT™, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.
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IMIESA November/December 2015
®
Mining & Aggregates Industrial Minerals ABOVE Grader operator Fisani Ntombela gives MEC Willies Mchunu a quick lesson before he powers up the Bell 670G grader
Contracting International Concrete Products
28 vehicle and 61 pedestrian bridges. Bell Equipment Sales Africa managing director Bokkie Coertze said the handover marks a progression in the relationship between the company and the department. “We no longer regard ourselves as a supplier to the department; this is an alliance in our view. Besides successfully tendering for and being awarded the contract to supply and deliver these 30 graders, we are already engaged in training Depar tment of Transpor t apprentices who will ensure that these machines help the department to deliver on their mandate.”
Readymix
Investing in diversified growth
Managing road infrastructure effectively “We understand that the department's mandate is the effective management of its road infrastructure network through the planning, construction, repair and maintenance of a balanced road network that supports the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy. As a responsible corporate citizen of KwaZulu-Natal, Bell supports nearly 1 000 suppliers in the province and through these graders we pledge our support to this strategy and are confident that, together, we can achieve this objective,” said Coertze. He also expressed appreciation to the department for its commitment to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, which aims to encourage localisation and preference for locally manufactured products in support of creating and sustaining local jobs. "We have already applied to have some of our products with high local content to be designated for procurement by the various organs of state. Trade and Industr y Minister Rob Davies went on record indicating that these products have received government's support for designation and all that is outstanding are the instruction notes from National Treasur y. It is our hope that this will spur some of our competitors to make the necessar y manufacturing investments in South Africa, which will, in turn, translate to more quality and sustainable jobs. Manufacturing is the back bone of any economy," concludes Coertze.
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A range of products built on the foundation of quality and durability Afrimat Limited is a leading black empowered open pit mining company providing an integrated product offering ranging from aggregates, industrial minerals, concrete products (bricks, blocks and pavers) to readymix concrete. Afrimat has established a strong foothold in contracting services comprising mobile crushing, screening, drilling and blasting. Backed by more than 45 years’ experience, Afrimat listed on the JSE Limited in 2006. As part of its continued diversification strategy, the group is expanding its footprint into Africa. The group’s capabilities enable Afrimat to service projects of any scale from major infrastructure and construction projects for stateowned enterprises and parastatals through to small private sector contracts.
Tel +27 21 917 8840
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www.afrimat.co.za
CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT
Powerful digging meets smooth control
Establishing the benchmark for conventional tailswing excavators in the seven- to eight-tonne class, the latest-generation Cat 307E meets industry demand for a robust machine that is high on output and low on operating costs, particularly when it comes to diesel consumption.
T
HE EXCAVATOR WEIGHS in at around 6 800 kg and comes equipped with the new Cat C2.6 DI Turbo engine, which generates a gross output of 43 kW. This power is matched with the machine’s load-sensing hydraulic system to provide excellent digging performance and precise operation in any application, from fine grading and dozing to backfilling. The 100% pilot controls deliver excellent machine control with fine modulation while eliminating the need for linkage and cable maintenance. Stick and bucket digging forces are class-leading, at 37 kN and 50 kN respectively, while maximum reach at ground level is 6 300 mm, with a digging depth of 4 100 mm and dump height of 5 150 mm. The standard bucket size is 0.31 m³. Caterpillar’s Cat 307E can also be configured as a ‘front shovel’ by turning the bucket around for optimum flexibility. On-site tasks include utility pipe services, backfilling along walls, and cleaning material from inside truck beds.
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ABOVE The standard tail-swing design incorporates a counterweight that extends further back on the machine; the side doors make all maintenance points extremely easy to reach from ground level; the spacious cab provides a comfortable work area
An indispensible addition “Powerful bucket and stick digging forces, combined with fast cycle times, result in worldclass productivity and performance, making this an indispensible unit in any earthmoving fleet, especially where compact dimensions are a requirement,” says Desigen Naicker, product marketing manager, Barloworld Equipment (Barloworld Equipment is Caterpillar’s Southern African dealer). Standard features on units sold into the Southern African markets include air conditioning; two-speed travel mode; hydraulic lines for various Cat attachments, such as hammers and augers; and a push blade with blade float function. Site clean-up and backfilling becomes
easier as the operator does not have to adjust the blade height during travel. Ease of maintenance access is another noteworthy design feature on the Cat 307E. Daily checks and regular service points – including fuel and hydraulic oil fill – are reached via the large, steel rear door and two large side doors. The main hydraulic valve and lines are also quick to access through a removable floor plate and side panels.
Raising the bar On the move, the machine’s standard 450 mm triple grouser steel tracks provide optimum stability, particularly when lifting over the side in demolition and heavy-duty applications. Each track is driven by an independent, twospeed motor. Low or high speed (at around 3.1 km/h and 5 km/h, respectively) can be selected by a foot switch on the cab floor. This enables the operator to balance travel speed with the torque needed for turning and travelling on inclines. “Caterpillar’s R&D team continues to raise the bar on mini excavators and the Cat 307E is a prime example of how advancements in key areas like hydraulics have revolutionised the return on investment owners can expect from a compact machine,” adds Naicker. The Cat 307E is manufactured at Caterpillar’s Wujiang factory in China for worldwide distribution across all industrial sectors – from building and construction to mining and agriculture.
ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS
IBT not superior after all The shortcomings of lightweight IBTs in delivering quality school buildings with a lower life-cycle cost of ownership have recently been highlighted in an inspection, by the Clay Brick Association (CBA), of completed schools.
T
HE EVIDENCE PRESENTED by the CBA contradicted the assertion made by Dr Llewellyn van Wyk, principal researcher: Built Environment Division, CSIR, that 32 out of 40 IBTs identified for the building of schools generally afford “better quality control, and significant savings in energy and lifetime costs”. With the general applicability of the above “significant savings in energy” claim at variance with a plethora of quantitative thermal modelling research, the CBA took a look at the Agrément certificates 2010/376 and 2011/400 pertaining to South Africa’s highest Agrément cer tificated lightweight panel systems. This research was done to better understand how the walling systems of IBTs actually identified for use in schools compared to clay brick walling in terms of thermal efficiency. Contrar y to what one may reasonably expect to be the case, a reading of Agrément certificates 2010/376 and 2011/400, Table 2: Habitability, Sections Thermal Per formance and Energy, confirms that: • “The thermal per formance of both the Mi Panel 1 and Mi Panel 2 Building
System buildings without insulation in the ceiling will be inferior to that of a standard brick house (SBH) – (a standard brick house comprises 220 mm solid double-skin walls with no insulation in the ceiling) and will per form better when insulated ceilings are installed. • “The energy required to heat both a Mi Panel 1 and Mi Panel 2 Building System building without insulation ceiling will be up to two times that required to heat the SBH.”
Achieving certification To achieve certification, it is a requirement that insulated ceilings must always be installed. It is the ceiling insulation, therefore, and not the claimed (but fallacious) ‘higher thermal rating’ of the Mi wall panels applied to a MiBT system house that lowers the heating energy usage to below that of 220 mm solid clay brick walled house without insulation in the ceiling. This lesser thermal per formance of the walling of Africa’s highest certificated IBT wall panel system, however, does not
end there. The Agrément SA certificates only reference heating energy and, in South Africa, heating energy is only part of the energy consumed in buildings. In South Africa’s climate, cooling energy usage can be a high number for achieving thermal comfort, particularly in daytime occupancy buildings. This reality is well presented in the findings of the University of Pretoria study: ‘A Thermal Per formance Comparison Between Six Wall Construction Methods Frequently Used in South Africa’, which modelled the thermal per formance of three building typologies in South Africa’s six major climatic zones. In the case of the 2 000 m² institutional type daytime occupancy buildings, the gross annual heating and cooling energy usage was found to be as per Table 1. As shown, the most energy-inefficient wall construction type is the LSF lightweight walling specified SANS 517. Clay brick wall
Clay brick is so right and proper
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ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS TABLE 1 Gross annual heating and cooling energy for 2 000 m² office in each climate zone, expressed in kWh CLIMATIC ZONE WALL TYPES
1 2
220 mm solid double clay brick 270 mm cavity (50 mm) clay brick with no insulation 3 280 mm cavity (50 mm) clay brick with insulation 4 Light steel frame to SANS 517 Increase in energy consumption when using LSF vs solid double brick
1 Bloemfontein
2 Pretoria
3 Musina
4 Cape Town
5 Durban
6 Upington
51 088 52 630
82 892 87 268
222 937 228 858
67 032 71 218
140 756 148 191
190 548 192 934
56 178
93 772
236 063
78 817
158 572
197 806
68 921 34.91%
117 083 41.25%
250 258 12.26%
105 389 57.22%
180 980 28.58%
209 769 10.09%
constructions consistently use less heating and cooling energy with the most energyefficient walling system for daytime occupancy commercial or institutional building being a 220 mm solid clay brick masonr y wall (or for Climatic Zone 4: a 270 mm clay brick cavity wall, as is the norm for the Southern Cape condensation problem areas). In the case of the Southern Cape, 270 mm clay brick cavity walling uses a significant 47.98% less energy than LSF specified SANS 517. These research findings, which have passed critical review, point to the inappropriateness of extrapolating the outputs
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of the CSIR rating system as applied to a SBH, as indicative of the comparative thermal efficiencies of different wall construction types applied to daytime occupancy social infrastructure buildings, such as schools, community health centres and the like. Zero evidence was found from the inspections of five IBT schools and five clay brick schools handed over between 2012 and 2014 to support the notion that IBTs are more efficient in meeting the challenge of providing sustainable, energy-efficient, social infrastructure buildings any way comparable to that which clay brick
construction has done so cost-effectively and competently over the decades. If the truth be told, prefabricated and fabricated lightweight IBTs present a substantial compromise to clay brick constructionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comprehensive basket of proven performance benefits. In the South African context, best lifetime investment value in social infrastructure buildings is the clear preserve of clay brick construction.
www.claybrick.org.za
IMIESA January 2016
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I M E S A A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S
IMESA
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Abeco Tanks
56
Mining Indaba
2
Afrimat
79
Much Asphalt
27
Amanzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; abantu Services
52
National Asphalt
38
Ammann SA
34
Rare Group
64
Anton Paar Southern Africa
84
Rocla 71
Aquadam 51
Sabita 40
APE Pumps
58
Aquatan 49 Argus Africa Bitumen
33
Armco Superlite
44
Aveng Grinaker-LTA
10
Aveng Infraset
IFC
Bagshaw Footwear
76
Barloworld Equipment
77
Corobrik 81
84
Sapics 62 Sarma 72 SBS Water Systems
OFC
Sika 68 Sizabantu Piping Systems
48
Technicrete 15 The Concrete Institute
70
Tosas 42 TT Innovations
50
UWP Consulting
31
ELB Equipment
74
IMESA Call for entries
18
IMESA Call for papers
24
IMESA Sponsor thanks
78
WorleyParsons 23
Jan Palm Consulting Engineers
14
WRP Consulting Engineers
Komatsu South Africa
75
Zambiabuild 82
Maccaferri Southern Africa
36
Zest WEG Group Africa
Water & Sanitation Services SA
OBC
IBC
4
IMIESA January 2016
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Water and Sanitation Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd (WSSA) is a specialised provider of sustainable water services in Southern Africa