Cape Town earth sciences consultancy Umvoto Africa has announced the appointment of two prominent water sector specialists as Associates.

Dr Fanie Botha has a PhD in groundwater and MSc in engineering geology (cum laude), and 14 years’ experience in the government and private sectors.

Dr Botha has been involved in a number of water resource assessment and planning studies, most recently focusing on mine water management, water conservation and demand management.

He works at both a strategic and implementation level, primarily seeking ways to implement high level policies within a natural environment and measuring their effectiveness; ultimately limiting the mining sector’s footprint on both raw water use and water quality degradation.

Willie Gouws is a process simulation specialist with 23 years’ experience in the mining and information technology sectors.  He holds an MBA, BSc Hons. in industrial engineering and a BSc in computer science.

Since 2004 he has specialised in mine water simulation models, developing dynamic models to render water and salt balances with unparalleled accuracy and visual impact to analyse and optimise water management strategies.