Editor’s comment

MANAGING EDITOR Alastair Currie SENIOR JOURNALIST Kirsten Kelly JOURNALIST Nombulelo Manyana FEATURES WRITER Ziyanda Majodina HEAD OF DESIGN Beren Bauermeister DESIGNER Lizette Jonker CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders CONTRIBUTORS James Cullis, Andries Fourie, Bruce Munnings, Shireen Sayed, Bhavna Soni, Martin Stols, Peter Townshend PRODUCTION & CLIENT LIAISON MANAGER Antois-Leigh Nepgen PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise GROUP SALES MANAGER Chilomia Van Wijk BOOKKEEPER Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS Novus Print Montague Gardens

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

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

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R600.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS HEAD OFFICE: Manager: Ingrid Botton P.O. Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER Secretary: Celeste Vosloo Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2433 Email: celestev@buffalocity.gov.za EASTERN CAPE Secretary: Susan Canestra Tel: +27 (0)41 585 4142 ext. 7 Email: imesaec@imesa.org.za

KWAZULU-NATAL Secretary: Narisha Sogan Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: imesakzn@imesa.org.za NORTHERN PROVINCES Secretary: Ollah Mthembu Tel: +27 (0)82 823 7104 Email: np@imesa.org.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO Secretary: Henrietta Olivier Tel: +27 (0)79 390 7536 Email: imesasck@imesa.org.za WESTERN CAPE Secretary: Michelle Ackerman Tel: +27 (0)21 444 7114 Email: imesawc@imesa.org.za FREE STATE & NORTHERN CAPE Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27 (0)83 457 4362 Email: imesafsnc@imesa.org.za All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers. _____________________________________________ Novus Holdings is a Level 2 BBBEE Contributor: novus.holdings/sustainability/transformation

Mentorship, collaboration and teamwork win the day

We live in a world of constant change and uncertainty. This has been the case throughout the path of human existence and our planet’s evolving history. But it’s how we respond to the changes we experience that defines our future.

Nothing is insurmountable; however, we first need to take collective responsibility for the things we can control, like getting South Africa’s freight and passenger rail services back on track, fixing Eskom, and ensuring that our water and wastewater treatment plants are fully compliant. We have the skills and we certainly have the agricultural, construction, manufacturing and mining resources. But we still haven’t connected the missing dots in terms of full trust and collaboration between the public and private sector.

One of the major frustrations expressed by the business community is that, despite assurances from the public sector, bureaucratic hurdles are not being removed fast enough. Initiatives like government’s Operation Vulindlela are meant to introduce urgent structural reforms. Areas include digital communications, electricity, water and transportation, where there’s a varying degree of progress against targets.

A prime example is the conclusion of South Africa’s first radiofrequency spectrum auction in March 2022, which was hosted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. More than R14.4 billion was raised for the fiscus, and the expectation is that this will spur a digital transformation that makes the internet available to even the poorest households.

Responding to global economic turbulence

Moving forward, an even greater priority is the need to respond to the highly volatile financial market conditions induced by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The collective views shared by experts at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in May 2022 show that there’s a rocky road ahead for most nations – and especially developing economies. Key issues include potential global food shortages, hyperinflation, and a steep rise in energy prices in the short term.

According to Statistics South Africa, local fuel prices rose by around 33.2% in the 12 months to March 2022. Within the mix, the price for petrol and diesel increased by around 32.6% and 35.1%, respectively, and more hikes are on the way during 2022. This obviously places renewed pressure on household budgets and makes the cost of doing business far greater.

None of these experiences are new. For instance, while it had severe consequences at the time, the 1970s Energy Crisis was not the beginning of the end, but a major shift induced by a series of geopolitical events like the one we’re witnessing in Ukraine. It also spurred the shift to renewable and alternative energy solutions, and e-mobility, all of which are rapidly gaining momentum today.

Those countries that successfully weather the peaks and troughs do so because they’re more resilient and internationally competitive. That is largely due to building high-performing economies and forging the best international trading alliances.

It’s all about the right enabling framework. A case in point is the participative management style unfolding within our local coalition governments, particularly within South Africa’s major metros. Healthy debate here is already yielding more balanced and beneficial results on the infrastructure front.

Alastair

www.infrastructurenews.co.za

IMESA IMESA

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

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • SERVICE DELIVERY • ROADS • BUILDING • MAINTENANCE

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Providing clean water for future generations

Izak Cronje

CEO, Tecroveer

Disaster Planning & Management

How to reduce future flood damage

AfriSam

supplies Raubex in N3 upgrade

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

@infrastructure4 Infrastructure News

Cover opportunity

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