The official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa
IMESA
MEDIA
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY
Keeps on trucking IMESA Knowledge sharing
Johannesburg Transport framework
Roads What a blast
Resolving Cape Town’s public transport crisis ISSN 0257 1978 Volume 36 No.6 • June 2011 • R40.00 (incl VAT)
p37
It is the first premium-efficiency pump in the world.
Anditsgreater energysaving
isanother goodreason The ABS EffeX range of submersible sewage pumps has built-in IE3 premium-efficiency motors in accordance with IEC60034-30 to optimise motor efficiency. The main benefit of this is the highest efficiency available without any impact on the risk of increased blockage often associated with hydraulic efficiency. Moreover, the ABS EffeX range boosts impeller design to the next level and achieves some of the highest hydraulic efficiencies in the market, while still maintaining a minimum 75 mm free solid passage. Our greater energy saving gives you: ǩ Reduced energy costs ǩ Smaller CO2 footprint ǩ Qualification for capital allowance schemes
2009AP002za(en)1 – www.pyramid.se
tochooseit Visit www.ABSEffeX.com for the full picture and to request a demonstration.
Everything considered, the ABS EffeX range of submersible sewage pumps offers you the highest performance for this product class.
Now you can make the right choice if you want to be first... ...or more importantly, the first choice if you want to be right! ABS South Africa | P.O. Box 8195, Edleen | 1625 cor Innes & Bismut St | Jet Park, Boksburg | Tel. +27 11 397 1612
Contents
VOLUME 36 NO 6 JUNE 2011
19 23 37 56 Road construction
4HE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE )NSTITUTE OF -UNICIPAL %NGINEERING OF 3OUTHERN !FRICA
Reading Interchange
IMESA
MEDIA
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ͻ MAINTENANCE ͻ SERVICE DELIVERY
Public transpor t
Waste management
Regulars
People and events
3 President’s comment 5 Editor’s comment 14 SADC Projects
43 Excellence in road infrastructure
Cover story
Johannesburg
6 Commercial vehicles on the road to recovery
Afriwater 2011 Hydropower 2011 New MD appointed
44 Proposed Sandton transportation network
50 City of Johannesburg
IMESA 11 IMESA knowledge sharing
Industry perspective
Mercedes-Be enz Keeps on trucking IMESA Knowledge sharing
Johannesburg Transport framework
17 Solving the skills shortage
Roads What a blast
Resolving Cape Town’s public transport crisis
S
ISSN 0257 1978 Volume 36 No.6 s *UNE s R40.00 (incl VAT)
Global company Daimler Trucks and its South African arm, Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles, are perfectly placed to capitalise on the current upsurge in the market. One in every three trucks sold in South Africa is from the company’s stable of brands
Road construction 19 Good vibrations on 23 33
Karoo project Road widening – a real blast Chota Motala Interchange upgrade
Public transport 37 Resolving the public transport crisis
engineering services
53 Olifantsvlei WWTW expansion 56 Addressing the waste management backlog
Solid waste 59 Why municipal waste-to-energy projects work
61 CDM projects done the Durban way
64 Comment: Justin Butt 67 Comment: Lindsay Strachan 69 Comment: Cathy Lee
Product news 71 Upgrade your undercarriage 72 Bitumen waterproofing
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 1
The Four in the Forefront of Pre-Paid Metering In the pre-paid metering game Elster Kent stand back for nobody, with the Concentric Above-ground Meterbox added to the range.
Our pre-paid meters have: • excellent low-flow metering capabilities • secure software • tamper resistant features • lowest service-life cost • the name you can trust • capacity to feed 3 bathrooms • different options for flats • robust components • reliability you can trust • superb after sales service • SANS 1529-9 approval
Call us for the best prepaid metering advice and really cost-effective metering solutions.
Elster Kent / Telbit Pre-Paid Metering Systems Domestic and Communal Your partner in revenue generation.
JOHANNESBURG Tel: (011) 470-4900 Fax: (011) 474-0175
BLOEMFONTEIN Tel: (051) 430-2603 Fax: (051) 430-6165
The company's policy is one of continuous improvement and the right is reserved to modify the specifications without notice
DURBAN Tel: (031) 266-4915 Fax: (031) 266-9521
PORT ELIZABETH Cell: 082 458-3439
7602/3/2011
CAPE TOWN Tel: (021) 511-8465/6 Fax: (021) 511-8446
COMMENT PRESIDENT'S COMMENT
PUBLISHER Elizabeth Shorten EDITOR Richard Jansen van Vuuren CREATIVE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Frédérick Danton SENIOR DESIGNER Hayley Moore SUB-EDITOR Danielle Hugo CONTRIBUTORS Werner Bruhns, Andrew Maggs, Tony Stone, Dr Claude Cunningham, Mike Marsden, Simon van Jaarsveld, Jose Monteiro, Candice Landie PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh Visagie PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jaqueline Modise FINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban (ACIS, FCIBM) ADMINISTRATION Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTION SALES Cindy Cloete PRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________________________
Information sharing for sustainable communities
T
HIS IS THE FIRST COMMENT I am writing from our new, spacious premises at IMESA House. With the move of our head office the past month has been a very busy one for IMESA and I would like to thank all involved for making the move such a smooth transition. This month’s comment focuses on the critical importance of information sharing among engineering professionals. In April I attended the 2011 International Federation of Municipal Engineers (IFME) Congress in Tromso, Norway, as the Southern Africa representative. The annual congress provides a valuable international knowledgesharing forum for engineering professionals. The meeting was hosted by the Norwegian Association and attended by national members from around the globe, including the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. Ross Vincent chaired the meeting, which was followed by an evening celebration of the IFME jubilee year at a famous local restaurant. At the congress the new IFME Constitution was considered in detail and agreed on by the board. In accordance with the new constitution, the IFME Board is now termed the General Board of Directors (GBOD). An exciting proposal for a Global Network of Asset Management Societies was discussed. Given the current global and national economic climate, the establishment of such a network would be very valuable. The matter is being discussed further at an informal meeting in Canberra, Australia on 21 August 2011 and during the American Public Works Association (APWA) Congress in Denver in September 2011, and arrangements for the first fo formal meeting will be finalised at the th IFME meeting in Johannesburg
ADVERTISING SALES Jenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223 ___________________________________________________
PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: richard@3smedia.co.za www.3smedia.co.za ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R440.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS IMESA Administration Officer: Ingrid Botton P O Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: imesa@webstorm.co.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER BRANCH Secretary: Melanie Matroos Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2401 Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266 E-mail: melaniem@buffalocity.gov.za EAST CAPE BRANCH Elsabé Koen Tel: +27 (0)41 505 8005 Fax: +27 (0)41 581 2300 E-mail: elsabek@africoast.com KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH Secretary: Rita Zaayman Tel: +27(0)31 311 6382 NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCH Secretary: Cornel Taljaard Tel: +27 (0)82 899 8341 Fax: +27 (0)11 675 1324 E-mail: cornel@rchc.co.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCH Secretary: Henrietta Oliver Tel: +27(0)79 390 7536 Fax: 086 536 3725 E-mail: imesa.southcape@gmail.com WESTERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Erica van Jaarsveld Tel: +27 (0)21 938 8455 Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457 E-mail: erica.van_jaarsveld@capetown.gov.za FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27(0)83 457 4362 Fax: 086 628 0468 E-mail: imesa.fsnc@gmail.com REST OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Representative: Andre Muller E-mail: imesa@webstorm.co.za
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.
4HE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE )NSTITUTE OF -UNICIPAL %NGINEERING OF 3OUTHERN !FRICA
te te t i tuuute ti nsti ns h IInstit he f icc a fr rrnn AAfrica ern inn e of tthe ine hern a zine u he o ut a az ag South maga n g ooff SSo f fii cii all m e rrii ng ooffici of eeerin eeri inn ee h e offi The TTh ngg inee i p aall EEngin ip icccipal uunn icip Muni o M of
IMESA
MEDIA
INFR ASTR
UCT URE
DEV ELO
• MAI NTE PME NT
NAN CE
ERV ICE • SERV
DEL IVER
Y
Jannie Pietersen, president of IMESA
in October. I will continue to keep you updated on developments. The application for IFME membership by APWA, representing the USA and Canada, was approved. Dan-Erik Langstrom (from Finland) gave an update on progress with arrangements for the next IFME Triennial Congress, which is scheduled for 4 to 10 June 2012 and will be hosted in three countries (Finland, Estonia and Sweden). The theme is ‘Sustainable Communities’ and how engineers can ‘Plan, Design, Construct and Maintain… for a Better Future’. Given the significant challenges South Africa faces and the contribution that engineers can make to building sustainable communities, I strongly encourage IMESA members to consider attending. Further information can be found on the congress website (www.ifme2012.com). Our technical tour included a ferry trip sailing down the fjords, which provided breathtaking views. The efficiency levels in Norway are extremely high and the infrastructure is in a very good condition in spite of the country
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ͻ MAINTENANCE ͻ SERVICE DELIVERY
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 on pages 4 and 5 and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223.
TER SBS WTAEMS reservMoeirrsced ede es-Benz Keeps on trucking SYS Water ni
Ekurhule
IMESA
ure Infrastructent managem
CDM project
lion grant
R200 mil
Blue and p Green Dro
ini m for eThekw • M a y 2 0 1 1
me 78 Volu 257 19 ISSN 0
5 36 No.
•
IMESA
p72
Knowledge sharing
Johannesburg Transport framework
Roads What a blast
Resolving Cape Town’s public transport crisis
S
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 3
? DUCTILE IRON for bulk water
and sewer systems ? SMU SUPERCAST for gravity
drainage systems ? KLIKSO for uPVC and HDPE
water distribution ? MANHOLE covers, frames
and gratings ? FULL-FLOW
roof and floor outlets
CONTACT NUMBERS: ?
PRETORIA +27 12 380 4600 (switchboard) +27 12 380 4692 (orders) +27 12 380 4603 (orders) +27 12 380 4712 (technical)
? CAPE TOWN
+27 21 512 2860 ? DURBAN
+27 31 705 4983 ? PORT ELIZABETH
+27 41 451 3556
COMMENT having only three to four months of the year, when there is no snow, for maintenance work to be carried out. The next IFME Board meeting will be held in Johannesburg on 25 October 2011, in conjunction with the 75th IMESA Conference. We look forward to welcoming our overseas visitors to South Africa. Still on the topic of information sharing, I would like to draw members’ attention to a call for papers circulated by the ICE’s Municipal Engineer journal. This is a valuable source of information, which publishes papers on important aspects of municipal engineering around the world. The last edition, for example, consisted of papers delivered at the IFME Triennial Congress in Melbourne. If you haven’t yet subscribed, I encourage you to do
so, and if you have experiences to share with regard to municipal engineering projects, why not consider submitting a paper? This month’s issue of IMIESA magazine includes a very topical article on knowledge sharing by our technical director, Werner Bruhns. See pages 11 and 13. I would like to close with a quote from Werner’s article, where he challenges us all as IMESA members to reflect on the difference that municipal engineers can make to South Africa: “Looking at IMESA as an institute, with voluntary members and management members, I am constantly asking myself: ‘What is my responsibility to the institute and why do I really need to spend my time participating and supporting it?’ My answer is simple:
ABOVE Some of the IFME board members
If we, as municipal engineers, do not work together, we will be failing ourselves, as well as millions of South Africans. It is our duty to provide sustainable service delivery.”
EDITOR'S COMMENT
When is a gift actually a gift?
R
ECENTLY I ATTENDED an industr y event hosted by the Northern and Southern branches of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), at which the current president of CESA, Zulch Lötter, presented an industr y over view and outlook. An in-depth report on the presentation and topics discussed will be published in IMIESA’s August edition. One of the topics of Lötter’s presentation was briber y and corruption – and to
says ‘thank you’ and the person receiving the gift says ‘don’t mention it’,” he mused. With this in mind, and the fact that last year CESA investigated and dealt with over 600 reports of procurement transgressions stemming from the organisation’s members alone, the evidence is over whelming. Ever yone is aware of briber y and corruption within the South African business environment – in both the public and private sectors – but when confronted with the number of transgressions taking place within a
namely the Reading Interchange on the N12 in Johannesburg. Also, within our road construction feature is an article on an extensive foamed bitumen application taking place in the heart of the Karoo.
A gift is not a gift when the person giving the gift says ‘thank you’ and the person receiving the gift says ‘don’t mention it’ illustrate a point made he noted that it seems the true definition of a gift has been distorted to accommodate unsavour y business transactions. “A gift is gift when the person receiving the gift says ‘thank you’ and the person giving the gift says ‘don’t mention it’. A gift is not a gift when the person giving the gift
specified amount of time from a single industr y organisation, the gravity of the situation sinks in much further. This edition of IMIESA welcomes a familiar face back to long-time readers: Tony Stone will be writing for the magazine on a regular basis. In this issue Tony has tackled a project of ‘explosive’ proportions,
Richard Jansen van Vuuren, editor of IMIESA
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 5
COVER STORY
Commercial vehicles on the road to recovery Sales figures speak louder than words, and the latest statistics from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) show the commercial vehicles market slowly returning to its pre-recession glory.
T
RUCK SALES can be viewed as an indicator of not only the state of the economy, but the wealth of a nation. With this being the case, South Africa has reason to be quietly optimistic. The resurgence in the fleet and long-haul industries in particular supports growth in the extra-heavy segment of the truck market. Favourable exchange rates and a positive economic outlook are the drivers behind increased transportation of commodities. And if, as a nation, we need more trucks to transport more commodities, our situation can only be looking up! Global company Daimler Trucks and its South African arm, Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles, are perfectly placed to capitalise on the current upsurge in the market. One in every three trucks sold in South Africa is from the company’s stable of brands – Mercedes-Benz trucks (Atego, Axor, Actros, Unimog), Fuso, Freightliner or Western Star. Daimler Trucks sold 355 263 vehicles around the world in 2010, an increase of 37% on the previous year. The Commercial Vehicle division of Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) ended 2010 on a positive note with total sales of 6 185 units in the
6 - IMIESA JUNE 2011
over 3.5 t GVM segments, resulting in a market share of 28.1%, an increase of 0.6% over 2009. “We are extremely happy with the performance of the MBSA Commercial Vehicle division. We outperformed the market growth with all three of our commercial vehicle brands, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Mitsubishi FUSO. We are also delighted by our strong performance in the extraheavy (XHCV) segment and the market overall,” says Kobus van Zyl, vice-president: Commercial Vehicles, MBSA. “We have observed, though, that the majority of sales were driven by fleet replacement programmes, rather than fleet expansion, which shows the industry still has some way to go before we can safely say that we are on a consistent growth cycle,” adds Van Zyl. Commercial Vehicles growth is expected to pick up globally in 2011, although in South Africa it might not reach the same heights it had in 2009, which was a strong year for truck sales. The global truck markets are growing, and Daimler Trucks’s Global Excellence strategy has laid the foundations for the division’s growth in the years ahead. Regardless of the prevailing economic situation, Daimler Trucks consistently invests in new products, as well as research and development. In fact, the division will be renewing virtually its entire product portfolio over the next 24 months. The focus here will be on further improving fuel consumption, safety and sustainability, as well as the expansion of after-sales operations and customer-oriented services. Daimler Trucks’s global development network and its decades of experience with cross-brand projects has led to the creation of a modular system that generates synergies while still enabling the development of
products precisely tailored to specific customer and market requirements. “It will be a challenge to improve on performance with the market conditions becoming more and more competitive. We will increase our interfaces with our customers to ensure we support the ‘Trucks you can trust’ promise,” says Van Zyl. Trucks you can trust At Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles the belief is that “we are only as good as our ability to meet and exceed our customer requirements”. The company works very closely with its extensive dealer network in this regard, but the exceptional range of products, latest cutting-edge innovations and technologies as well as a string of value-add options contribute to overall customer satisfaction. In making a decision to purchase a brand of vehicles, there are certain issues that are non-negotiable, such as reliable backup service, technical support, excellent customer service and an extensive national dealer infrastructure. A standardised fleet increases flexibility and reliability, and a successful fleet enables timely deliveries, which in turn fulfils their customer expectations. These are all aspects inherent in the Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles brands, and are in fact the key to the continued popularity of its brands among truck and fleet owners. Safety is a priority with Mercedes-Benz trucks and the list of safety technology and systems is long. Anti-lock braking system, acceleration, skid control, disc brakes all round, electronically controlled braking system, high-pressure braking system, Brake Assist, Lane Assistant, roll control, proximity control – all these play an important role in the prevention of accidents.
COVER STORY One recent development highlight is the revolutionary Active Brake Assist system, which was introduced for the MercedesBenz Actros heavy-duty truck in 2006. The new Active Brake Assist 2 system sets yet another milestone. Whereas the first-generation safety system only initiated emergency braking if there was a risk of a head-to-tail collision with a vehicle in front, Active Brake Assist 2 also applies the brakes if stationary obstacles are detected. Concern over damage caused to the environment by harmful exhaust emissions is a significant factor for a number of progressive corporations. Although South Africa may lag behind Europe, the United States and Japan as far as vehicle exhaust emissions standards are concerned, there is growing commitment among local corporations and the truck fleets that service them to promote environmental protection. All Mercedes-Benz Actros, Axor and Atego are Euro 3 derivatives that are available at no extra cost to customers. The engines in the new Actros, Axor and Atego models offer more power at lower engine speeds than the previous Euro 2 powerplants, which increases engine life. The torque bands are broader, which improves manoeuvrability in built-up areas, effectively enhancing efficiencies in turnaround times and fuel consumption. The injector nozzles have fewer holes to increase combustion pressure which ensures a cleaner burn in the chamber and therefore fewer harmful tailpipe emissions. Mercedes-Benz is able to offer trucks at Euro 5 levels.
However, the current fuel availability must be taken into consideration. A Euro 5 truck requires 50 ppm grade of diesel, and this is not freely available throughout Southern Africa. Mercedes-Benz will not offer these trucks to customers until the correct grade of fuel is guaranteed countrywide. Added value, added success “Our value-add products of FleetBoard (the ideal fleet telematic system) and CharterWay (our flexible service leasing products) are gaining in popularity with our customers and
client knows exactly what their monthly expenses are based on the predetermined monthly rental. The CharterWay Service products include the Complete and BestBasic packages. The choice between these packages will be based on the amount of risk which the customer wishes to transfer out of his business, starting with a “service only” plan, up to a full maintenance plan, thereby outsourcing maximum risk. Another value-add ser vice, the Driver Training Programme, continues to be a key
The engines in the new Actros, Axor and Atego models offer more power at lower engine speeds than the previous Euro 2 powerplants the true value of these products is being realised. We are now extending these products to other models in our stable later in the year,” says Van Zyl. The Atego and Axor vehicles are highly desirable trucks for distribution operators. To accommodate these customers in purchasing or upgrading their fleet of vehicles, a value-add product named CharterWaℓy Service Leasing is available to facilitate these needs. The CharterWay Service Leasing product is supported by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and has a modular range of services to offer a high degree of flexibility to transport operators in terms of lease duration and maintenance cover (the latter available separately if required). Effectively CharterWay transfers the risk of truck ownership from the customer to the supplier, and the
focus area. These training courses give fleet owners the extra edge as their drivers are safer on the roads. They are also trained to operate the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles at optimal levels. This equates to less fuel usage, less downtime and greater efficiencies. The comprehensive Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle dealer network throughout Southern Africa is strategically placed, and these state-of-the-art facilities offer sales, service and parts. Trained personnel are on hand to provide greater service and support than ever before. In addition, Mercedes-Benz Finance and Insurance business managers for finance, leasing, insurance and fleet management are based in these new dealerships and brand centres and will complete the satisfied customer experience.
IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27(0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 7
ABS Afri-Infra AJ Broom Arup SA Aurecon Bigen Group Africa BKS Consulting Engineers BVI Consulting Engineers CBI Consulting Engineers Civil & Blasting Solutions Concrete Manufacturers CSIR Built Environment Davies Lynn & Partners Development Bank of SA DPI Plastics EFG Engineers Elster Kent Metering EnviroServ Waste Management Geotechnologies GLS Consulting Goba Hidrostal SA Huber Technology Hydro-comp Enterprises I@Consulting Iliso Consulting Infraset Jeffares and Green Johannesburg Water Kgatelopele Consulting
hennie.basson@absgroup.com afri-infra@mweb.co.za ajbroom@icon.co.za rob.lamb@arup.com Ian.VanWijk@af.aurecongroup.com kevin.barnett@bigenafrica.com siyandan@bks.co.za cask@bvigp.co.za durban@cbisa.co.za jane@drillingandblasting.co.za cma@mweb.co.za LAustin@csir.co.za dlpdbn@dlp.co.za divb@dbsa.org.za mgoodchild@dpiplastics.co.za eric@efgeng.co.za keith.bailey@za.elster.com benoitl@millenniumwaste.co.za garry@geotechnologies.co.za nicky@gls.co.za trumang@goba.co.za hstal@mweb.co.za fstammer@lantic.net dan@edams.co.za louis_icon@mics.co.za monde@iliso.com fmyburgh@infraset.com dennyc@jgi.co.za rtaljaard@jwater.co.za kgatelopele@wol.co.za
Knowledge Base KV3 Engineers Lektratek Water Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates Maragela Consulting Engineers Much Asphalt Munitech Nyeleti Consulting Odour Engineering Systems Power Construction Pragma Africa Rocla SBS Water Systems Sektor Consulting Sight Lines Pipe Survery Services SNA Inc Siza Water Company SRK Consulting SSI Stemele Bosch Africa Syntell Thm Engineers East London TPA Consulting UWP Consulting Vela VKE WSP Group Africa WSSA WRP Zebra Surfacing
info@knowbase.co.za cbrandsen@kv3.co.za general@lwt.co.za mmakhaotse@mna-sa.co.za admin@maragelaconsulting.co.za john.onraet@murrob.com munitech@iafrica.com ppienaar@nyeleti.co.za mathewc@oes.co.za nbarnard@powergrp.co.za deang@pragma.co.za karen.devos@murrob.co.za irene@sbsgroup.co.za cradock@sektor.co.za sales@sightlines.co.za snapta@icon.co.za tionette.bates@sizawater.co.za jomar@srk.co.za francisg@ssi.co.za TurnerS@sbadbn.co.za julia@syntell.co.za thmel@mweb.co.za roger@tpa.co.za zulchl@uwp.co.za capetown@velavke.co.za dirk.hattingh@mbs-wsp.co.za nbinase@wssa.co.za ronniem@wrp.co.za andrew@zebrasurfacing.co.za
" ! 13 " 14 " 1/00 " % " ( " #" + !! ! # *
! " " ' " " " " " ! " $ " ! "! $ $ !
$ " .!&! + /41 404 5/24) ,/00- 555 2440
IMESA
Information isolation Werner Bruhns Pr Tech Eng, IMESA technical director: Knowledge Sharing; engineering consultant for the City of Tshwane, Transport and Roads Department, Infrastructure Provision, Roads and Storm Water
Sharing knowledge in a challenging environment is not easy and requires a positive attitude with lots of passion. I believe the success of any organisation depends on the participation and contribution of its members.
L
OOKING AT IMESA as an institute, with voluntary members and management members, I am constantly asking myself: ‘What is my responsibility to the institute and why do I really need to spend my time participating in and supporting it?’ My answer is simple: If we, as municipal engineers, do not work together, we will be failing ourselves as well as millions of fellow South Africans. It is our duty and responsibility to provide sustainable service delivery.
Networking for capacity building The saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” is relevant to all of us and these days with new technology and the Internet at our fingertips, we could in fact say “It’s not what you know, but how connected you are” (John Naughton). Both these statements carry much weight in today’s life in terms of knowledge sharing and we cannot overlook the fact that we are very much lacking in both when it comes to the municipal engineering environment. I would like to dare you as a reader to see if you can name some of your neighbouring town engineers or some of the technical staff. The fact that we do not know each other does not mean we do not share the same challenges in our working environments, and I would like to encourage municipal engineers to begin networking and assisting young engineers in our industry by participating through IMESA channels. It is through networking that we can build capacity with all the opportunities that lie on our doorsteps.
Research by the Northern Provinces branch of IMESA has revealed that only a small percentage of the 91 local municipalities within the branch (including the metros and district municipalities) are represented by registered IMESA members. A large number of the 350 registered members in the branch are not employed by local municipalities. Proper knowledge sharing within the municipal engineering environment will only start happening if we succeed in creating a proper network between engineers and technical staff in local municipalities. As an institute IMESA calls on its members to start promoting IMESA membership with their engineering colleagues and also their neighbouring municipal engineers, to assist the institute to succeed in the challenges of maintaining a proper capacity building network to promote best practices and knowledge. IMESA, together with SALGA, is in the process of partnering in an alliance to support the building of a network for municipal engineers. The project partnering, ‘Networking and Capacity Building’, is in its final draft and will hopefully be signed soon. IMESA is able to provide the opportunity for both of the statements mentioned above – who you know, and how connected you are – to become a reality, and assist with any challenge that you might experience within the municipal engineering environment. Website IMESA is in the process of updating its website and a notice will be forwarded to members once the site is fully operational
ABOVE Werner Bruhns
again. Please note that you can still visit the site for operation and administration-related issues. Once the site is operational we would like to receive comment and input with regard FIELDS Roads Storm water Transportation Water Sanitation Environment Solid waste Spatial development and buildings Asset management Project and business management Energy
CATEGORIES Guidelines Standards Details Legislation Best practice Computer applications Training Job creation Related web links
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 11
CRE ATIN G S USTA IN A BLE SOL UTI ONS TOUC HING EVERY DAY LIVES
T R A N S P O R T A TI O N G o ba‘s Tr ans portation D ivisio n p rov ide s a fu lly co mp re h e n s ive ra n g e o f tra n s p o rta t i o n se rvices and on an ongoin g b asis fulfils a p p o in tme n ts fo r a ll th re e tie rs o f Go ve rn m e n t ( N a t i onal , Pr ov in cial/Reg ional and Loca l) , p a ra s ta ta ls , a s w e ll a s a la rg e n u mb e r o f p ri v at e s ect or c lients. T h roughout i t s thirty-five year h istory, th e o b je ctive o f th e Go b a T ra n s p o rta t i o n D i v i s ion has be en to p rov ide clien ts w ith w o rk a n d a d vice o f th e h ig h e s t q u a lity t h a t a d d s val ue t o t heir pro jects. Th is has re s u lte d in th is D ivis io n b e in g a ck n o w le d g e d b y c l i e nt s and competitors alike as being o n e o f, if n o t th e b e s t, s o u rce s fo r o b ta in i n g T ra ns por t at i on En g ineering adv ic e and e xp e rtis e . O u r t eam of s pe cialists possesses th e fu ll b re a d th a n d d e p th o f e xp e rtis e to a d vis e a n d p a rt ner w i t h ou r c lients th roughout a p ro je ct’ s life cycle fro m p re -fe a s ib ility th ro u gh t o i mp lem ent at ion, c o mmissio n ing an d o p e ra tio n . T h e co re s e rvice u n its w ith in t h e d i v i sion i ncl ude : • I n tegr at ed Tr ansp o rt Plan n ing • Major Roads a n d H ig h ways • P u b l i c Tr ans port Serv ic es • I n f r as t r uct ur e Serv ic es • A i rpor t s • R a il Ser vi ces • F rei ght and Lo g istics • Cons t r uct ion Monitoring and Superv is io n • P roj ect M anagement HEAD OFFICE Telephone: +27 (0) 11 236 3300 | Email: info@goba.co.za | Web: www.goba.co.za REGIONAL OFFICES Durban: +27 (0) 31 583 3400 Cape Town: +27 (0) 21 914 3600 Port Elizabeth: +27 (0) 41 373 6552 East London: +27 (0) 43 743 8264 Centurion: +27 (0) 12 679 9300 Bedfordview: +27 (0) 11 409 8800
to the information that is available, as well as any requests for information you require. We plan to have active comment blogs or forums linked to the information and you will be able to comment or request assistance on any related disciplines. Knowledge sharing: Our first objective with the knowledge sharing on the web will be to accommodate various fields in the municipal disciplines, along with the relevant categories, as listed on the previous page. IMESA members and non-members can start participating by contacting their various branches and getting involved with these working groups. Standards and specifications of the City of Tshwane are already available on the website with regard to roads, storm water, water and sanitation. The Southern Cape branch reported that these details were welcomed by the engineers in the area. The City of Tshwane GIS manager at Roads and Transport reported
Agile, Powerful, Prepared And Determined.
Members can forward relevant information related to presentations that they may have attended at other workshops or seminars that enquiries from New Zealand and Australian engineers were received, requesting drawings in dxf and dwg formats. We would like to acknowledge the City of Tshwane for its generosity in making this information available to the industry. This is a giant leap towards the standardisation of levels of service, provided that the industry considers using this and also comments on it to improve it even further. We call on all members please to consider forwarding similar standards and typical details if they feel that this could add value to the industry. Visit www.imesa.org.za and follow the link on ‘Knowledge Sharing’. All detailed drawing for roads, storm water, water and sanitation are shared under ‘Municipal Standards’. Presentations and abstracts of seminars and conferences will also be made available on the web. Members can forward relevant information related to presentations that they may have attended at other workshops or seminars that will add value to our industry. You can contact the technical director or your branch chairman to assist you. Web links to interesting websites and forums will be provided. IMESA branch activities and meetings provide the ideal platform for knowledge sharing, networking, etc. All branch activities will be posted on the website. Branches regularly organise seminars and workshops that create great opportunities for knowledge sharing and these presentations will also be published. The success of the knowledge sharing is dependent on each IMESA member’s support and participation, and we call on our readers to assist with making the IMESA knowledge base something to be proud of for the industry. For any proposals and/or support with regard to the knowledge sharing, please feel free to contact Werner Bruhns by sending an e-mail to wernerbru@tshwane.gov.za.
IMIESA JUNE 2011 - 13
Our engineering and architectural skills are world-class and we have the people, systems and structures to make your project world-class too. Call us, or visit www.twp.co.za TWP South Africa T 0861 TWP TWP (SA) / +27 11 218 3000 E twpinfo@twp.co.za