A mentor/mentee pilot project
The WISA Gauteng Branch (WISA-GP) has launched the MentWorking Project in Gauteng. A combination between MENToring and networking, the project will connect water professionals of all ages and provide a platform where younger professionals can...
6 months to go: if not reset, prepaid meters will stop working
Unless updated and reset, prepaid meters (electricity, water and gas) will not accept new prepaid credit tokens after the 24th November 2024. By Duncan Nortier As we march forward to the deadline, Infrastructure News once again sat down with Dr...
EWSETA spearheads an inter-SETA programme to boost renewable energy skills development and manufacturing at TVET Colleges
The role of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition will be strengthened by an innovative partnership led by the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) and the...
World Environment Day 2024: Waste management the key to land restoration
June 5 is World Environment Day and this year’s theme is Land Restoration, Desertification & Drought Resilience. “These concerns are of the utmost importance to South Africa because the country is greatly susceptible to all three,” says Leon...
SA needs stakeholder awareness to address drought resilience challenges
An annual United Nations event, World Environment Day on 5 June promotes global environmental awareness. In acknowledgement of its importance, Elisabeth Nortje, Associate Director: Environment, Africa, and Jonathan Schroder, Water Resources...
Entries are open for the 2024 cidb ERWIC Awards: Now featuring 3 new categories
The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) is thrilled to announce the opening of entries for the 2024 Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction (ERWIC) Awards. Now in their fifth year, the ERWIC Awards continue to set new...
Sustainability
Future trends in green financing
Green financing is likely to evolve over the next few years, with financial institutions increasingly requiring more accurate measurements of borrowers’ achievements against targets By Khurshid Fazel & Garyn Rapson, Partners at Webber Wentzel...
[Expert Insight] The new energy frontier in Africa
The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which seeks to limit global increase in temperatures to less than 2°C this century, was signed by 195 countries, 33 of which are African. By Patrick Prestele, Frost & Sullivan’s Consultant To achieve this...
SA’s largest renewable energy project completes first AfDB drawdown
The Redstone concentrated solar power (CSP) project has achieved its first debt drawdown on the largest renewable energy investment in South Africa to date. The African Development Bank acted as the Mandated Lead Arranger (MLA) and Coordinating...
Dispatchable renewable energy is not a pipe-dream
With load shedding having already cost South Africa’s economy around R25 billion to-date, and no end to the power cuts in sight, the South African government is urgently looking for solutions. The energy shortfalls, primarily driven by poor...
Thermoplastic pipe standards will lead to a more sustainable infrastructure
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) currently states that standards help to ensure that products and services are fit for their desired purpose and that they comply with accepted best practice. Similarly, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)...
No end in sight to Vaal River sewage problem
Millions of liters in raw sewage continue to flow daily into the Vaal River and there’s little hope the pollution crisis will end any time soon according to activist group, Save the Vaal Environment. The group says it’s been pressing...
Industry News
Weltevreden landfill site reopens after fire incident
The City of Ekurhuleni has officially re-opened the Weltevreden landfill in Brakpan after being closed following the fire incident in October. MMC for Waste Management Services and Environment Resources André du Plessis commended officials for...
African Construction Expo rebrands to The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa
African Construction Expo, Southern Africa’s construction and built environment multi-award winning, flagship exhibition, has unveiled its refreshed and reworked identity. The event will run as The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa from 2 February...
Department owed R14.6bn in water bill by SA municipalities
Municipalities across the country owe water boards R14.6 billion. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), R9.2 billion of the money owed is older than 120 days, which is four months of failing to pay water bills. “The biggest...
Water
Metro News
Johannesburg is accelerating its plans to become a smart city
Lloyd’s, the world’s leading specialist insurance and reinsurance market, announced a new report: Cities at risk – Building a resilient future for the world’s urban centres, published in association with Urban Foresight and Newcastle University....
Nelson Mandela Bay needs R6 million for water crisis
Government will have to spend about R6 million on water tanks and trucks for emergency relief of the current water challenges in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. “Rand Water estimated that it would cost government R6 million to procure 100 x 5 000...
R50m allocated for drought intervention in Eastern Cape
The Department of Water and Sanitation has announced that R50m had been allocated for drought intervention in Eastern Cape Municipalities. The announcement was made on Tuesday by acting director-general, Trevor Balzer, during a joint media briefing...
Waste
Engineering
Infrastructure spend needed to boost construction sector – survey
Increased government spending on infrastructure projects will be needed to help the construction sector gain stability and eventually recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the conclusion reached in a comprehensive survey...
CESA calls on government to prioritise dependable vaccine roll-out
Ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) CEO Chris Campbell says there can be no doubt about the key deliverables which should be a national priority in the coming months. “An...
CESA: The importance of quality, integrity and accountability in SA’s road to recovery
Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA) President, Sugen Pillay, presented his presidential message and theme for the year at a virtual event attended by media, CESA members, and infrastructure stakeholders from around South Africa. Pillay...