Featured
Mendy Shozi: Water’s Importance Cannot Be Overstated
Water is scarce, wasted, and taken for granted. It is also a vital source of life and dignity. Mendy Shozi, President of the South Africa Youth Parliament for Water and project manager at Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association, is in her words “water...
Featured
Navigating Resistance: Overcoming Barriers to Regulatory Reform in South Africa’s Water Sector
Introducing new regulations often meets with resistance, and the water sector in South Africa is no exception. Regulation 3630 is an example and stems from various sources, including institutional inertia, stakeholder interests, and socio-economic factors....
Featured
Making Every Drop Count In Gqeberha
Droughts are not new to Gqeberha (formerly called Port Elizabeth). Located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, Gqeberha experiences a semi-arid climate with erratic rainfall, making it prone to periodic water scarcity. This has inspired a unique partnership...
Featured
Reducing Risk and Building Trust with Bureau Veritas
A world leader in testing, inspection and certification services, Bureau Veritas operates in agri-food, industry, commodities as well as building and infrastructure markets. Water is a critical resource across all these sectors, and as its quality declines, water...
RAND WATER RE-AFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO BE PART OF THE GAUTENG WATER PROVISION SOLUTION
Rand Water reiterates commitment to its municipal customers that we will continue to be part of the Gauteng Water provision solution. To this effect, we collaborate with Gauteng Metros to ensure integrated water demand and conservation management....
Private Investment: Empowering African Infrastructure Development
As Africa continues its march towards economic prosperity, the imperative for infrastructure investment becomes increasingly evident. From transportation networks to energy grids, the continent brims with opportunities for enhancement and...
Infrastructure Development Must Remain Unaffected by Political Transition
In the wake of the upcoming national elections in South Africa, Chris Campbell, CEO of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), highlights the critical importance of ensuring that infrastructure development and service delivery remains...
[Product of the month] A storage tank’s best friend
VEGA South Africa’s 6 000 m2 head office and warehouse in Lanseria is equipped with a water storage solution, comprising two 10 000-litre JoJo Tanks as a backup system during water shortages. The VEGAPULS 31 radar level sensor and VEGA MET series...
SARS collects R2.155 trillion in taxes
While South Africa’s economy continues to face challenges of load shedding and impaired port and logistics operations, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has collected a gross tax revenue of R2.155 trillion for the 2023/24 financial year....
Cape Town Unveils Ambitious R76.4 Billion Budget with Emphasis on Infrastructure
Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Mayor of Cape Town, has introduced a robust draft budget totaling R76.4 billion for the city’s financial year of 2024/25. Notably, the budget sets forth a record-breaking infrastructure investment of R12.1 billion for...
Sustainability
The carrot and stick approaches to emission management in SA
Carbon tax is imminent in South Africa and it is slated to affect all industries. It is apparent that phase 1 of the carbon tax will penalise companies whose primary source of emission is energy generation. The obvious conclusion is then that using...
The business benefits of renewable energy
The National Development Plan calls for the procurement of at least 20 000 MW of renewable electricity by 2030. Not only will a modest switch to renewable power mean a big step towards achieving this, but it could also be very good for business....
Earth Day triggers call for better waste management
On 22 April people around the globe celebrated Earth Day, calling for better global ecological awareness. Ahead of this year’s event, Western Cape MEC for environmental affairs and development planning Anton Bredell called on South Africans to do...
Ask not what your planet can do for you, but what you can do for your planet
#EarthDay is an annual call to arms for the public to learn more about the beauty of the world and the dangers threatening the natural order. The celebration on April 22 every year sees the participation of hundreds of millions of people across...
Imagine SA powered 100% by renewable energy
Eskom is expected to close four power stations with 8 800 MW of installed capacity over the next 10 years, which will cost 30 000 direct jobs and have a multiplier effect of potential loss of 70 000 indirect jobs mainly in the transport and storage...
How SA businesses can secure their power supply
Electricity tariffs have recently been increased by around 14%, and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved further above inflation hikes for the next three financial years. This means that operating costs for all...
Events
Industry News
30% of South Africa’s paved road network is in very poor condition
South Africa’s road network is the largest and longest interconnected road network in sub-Saharan Africa covering approximately 750,811km of roads. Such a large network needs to be governed by multiple governmental bodies at different levels that...
SA’s construction sector recovery slowed in first quarter, says Afrimat
SA’s construction sector recovery slowed a little in the first quarter of 2021 due to seasonal effects as well as the second wave of Covid-19, according to an index tracking activity in the sector. Afrimat, the JSE-listed open-pit mining company...
Plastics industry helps to clean beaches and remove visible litter
Plastics SA supported the World Environment Day (5 June) and World Ocean Day (8 June) by sponsoring plastic bags, as well as gloves, rakes and other resources required for clean-ups that took place around the country. The theme of this year’s World...
Water
Metro News
Day Zero looming for Buffalo City
Despite the implementation of water restrictions in Buffalo City, the metro says it’s call for residents to use water sparingly has had nowhere near the impact that is needed. Stage 3 water restrictions came into effect on New Year’s Day in...
Durban crowned the greenest city in the world
Durban is the greenest city in the world, this according to the first Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI). HUGSI is a digital innovation initiative which utilizes computer vision and deep learning techniques on satellite images to generate...
Tshwane residents facing 8-month water crisis due to damaged pipeline
Some Tshwane residents will be left without water for at least eight months following torrential rains that caused devastation to a key pipeline, a report has said. More than 300 000 people could face the crisis after heavy damages to a water...
Waste
Engineering
Celebrating engineering excellence once again in 2017
Consulting engineers and the engineering community are once again gearing up for another celebration of innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism in the engineering industry. The CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards will be...
SMEC celebrates 70 years
SMEC acquired Vela VKE, a South African professional consulting engineering company in 2012 as part of a strategy to strengthen their presence within South Africa and the wider African market. With Vela VKE commencing operations in 1947, this year...
Choosing the right filtration technology
Whether acidic, hard or containing high levels of suspended solids, there is a filtration solution out there for different types of mine water. Henk Smit, managing director of Vovani Water Products, discusses a few of popular options. What are some...
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Water & Sanitation Africa
The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), the magazine publishes content dealing with the supply, governance, financing, treatment and measurement of water and sanitation in southern Africa.