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...
iLima Digital Foundary and Global Connective Center to Accelerate Sustainable Smart Cities in Africa and Beyond
iLima, a SaaS AI PropTech company specializing in Affordable Housing and Sustainable Smart Cities, and GCC, a prominent Smart City and Infrastructure development firm, have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on accelerating the design,...
SAICE urges innovative funding solutions for infrastructure development post-budget
The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) welcomes the recent announcements made by the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana to streamline procedures, enhance accountability, and introduce new financing instruments to bolster...
AA+ rating for Rand Water
Global credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings has given Rand Water an AA+(zaf). This denotes expectations of a very low default risk, with a very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments that is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable...
SA strengthens its response to climate change
South Africa is enhancing its efforts to address climate change by introducing the Climate Change Response Fund aimed at fostering collaboration between government and the private sector to effectively tackle environmental challenges. This is...
Cape Town Approves Innovative Fund to Drive Affordable Housing: Micro-Developers Set to Benefit
Cape Town has given the green light to a new initiative aimed at facilitating the construction of rental units in lower-income communities. The City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee (Mayco) has approved the establishment of a Development Charges...
Robots and automation are key trends in the demolition industry
Allied to this is the fact that demolition technology is advancing globally, which is having a positive impact on the local sector. While demolition robots and remote demolition have been available for many years, there are limitations to the...
Sustainability
African environmental entrepreneur is up to scratch
Nigerian entrepreneur, Chioma Ukonu, placed second at The Chivas Venture competition which took place in Los Angeles recently. She achieved this result after pitching her idea, RecyclePoints, an incentive based recycling scheme, in front of a high...
Plastic chokes Durban’s coastline – SA ranks among worst polluters
Mangrove swamps normally team with life, as small scuttling things make their homes in underground holes and in among thick plant roots. However, when marine scientist Dr Brent Newman visited Durban harbour recently, he was surprised to find not a...
Molewa applauds implementation of SGDs worldwide
Discussions about the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030 are underway in New York at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2017. Environmental Affairs minister Edna Molewa...
Easigas’ new offering for LPG industry
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) has “excellent properties” that are contributing towards a gas-powered economy, says LPG supplier Easigas. The company says LPG is hard to beat, easy to use, efficient, cost-competitive and environmentally-friendly....
Joburg school is Africa’s first to achieve Green Star rating
Jeppe Park Primary in Johannesburg was recently announced as Africa’s first school to achieve a 4 Star Green Star rating. The school is part of the non-governmental organisation, Streetlight Schools, and boasts a number of green building and...
Tshwane buildings earn 4-star Green Star statuses
Engineering consultant group WSP recently achieved a 4 Star Green Star rating for its Agrivaal building and the newly constructed public building, Batho Pele House. The stars were awarded by the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA). The site...
Industry News
African Development Bank Board approves water policy, prioritizing water security
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a new policy on water, prioritizing water security and the transformation of water assets to foster sustainable, green and inclusive economic growth in regional member...
Engineers should have a seat at the policymaking table
It is essential for engineers to be involved in advocacy and play an integral role in advising government and policy makers on critical issues, including infrastructure development, said US-based Matt Reiffer, Director of Transportation Programs at...
Colgate’s first recyclable toothpaste tube comes to South Africa
Colgate South Africa has announced the launch of its new Naturals toothpaste range packaged in the company’s first recyclable plastic tube, in a recycled carton box. Most of today’s toothpaste tubes are made from sheets of plastic laminate –...
Water
Metro News
KwaZulu-Natal to see major investment in road infrastructure
Tenders to the value of R8.3bn for construction work in KwaZulu-Natal will be issued within the current financial year, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. This will include seven major tenders on the N3, which will go out in the next three...
Cape Town rainfalls result in major boost in dam levels
The recent heavy downpours in the Western Cape has resulted in a major boost in dam levels. The biggest dam in the province, the Theewaterskloof Dam, increased by 8.6% since last week bringing the levels up to a healthy 61.7%. Clanwilliam Dam, the...
Joburg water tariff hike has officially come into effect
The City of Johannesburg’s tariff hikes kicked in from 1 July. The announcement was made during the 2019/2020 financial year budget presentation in May. Water tariffs increase by 9.9%, while electricity tariffs have increased by 13.07%....
Waste
Engineering
Sanral continues investment into pavement engineering
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has made a R30-million endowment to Stellenbosch University to continue to fund the Sanral Chair in Pavement Engineering at the university. The announcement was made in a symbolic ceremony at the...
ECSA consults members on framework revisions
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on Friday concluded its nationwide consultative process on the revisions to its governance instruments by engaging the largest concentration of engineering practitioners of different disciplines in the...
And the winners are…
Consulting Engineers of South Africa (CESA) hosted its annual awards evening last night to celebrate the achievements of its member firms, highlighting quality, innovation and outstanding workmanship in the consulting engineering industry. The CESA...
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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.