Sanibonani Maqhawe esezwe (Good day to thee, the greatest of achievers) - IMIESA , January 2008
The book is not the history of Jeffares & Green (J&G), but rather a celebration of civil engineering in southern Africa and makes for fascinating reading for anyone who has an interest in wildlife, history or the veld. Although Messrs Jeffares and Green are no longer with us, it would, in accordance with African tradition, be singularly appropriate to greet them with the words, "Sanibonani Maqhawe esizwe", which has an all-encompassing meaning of "Good day to thee, the greatest of achievers".
This respectful salutation is well deserved. Paying tribute to these two pioneers, Chris Robinson, managing director of J&G said, "Back in 1931, JLS Jeffares and his team surveyed the 1 600km railway route from Gobabis, in Namibia, to the main Rhodesian (now Zimbabwean) line at Matetsi near Plumtree. Given the terrain, from the Kalahari through the Bushveld, with all the wild animals, including lions and crocodiles, the lack of roads and bridges, water holes every sixty odd kilometres, and so on, this was real pioneering work. Even more so when considering the vehicles available at the time, with their old-fashioned engine and suspension technology, and typically thin wheels – not exactly vehicles cut out for serious bundu bashing, or what we now call 4x4'ing." Today, J&G continues that same steadfast commitment to maintaining the highest standards in professional integrity and providing an outstanding quality of consulting engineering services for the benefit of the community and the environment. This is manifest in J&G's ISO 9001:2000 certification for its full range of services. In keeping with the transformation policies of South Africa, the company is now 33.8% black owned. A proud history all in all, and a solid foundation from which to face the challenges of the future.
Developing people
One such challenge is the serious engineering skills shortage, a shortage not confined to South Africa and not likely to abate in the near future. In rising to this challenge, J&G has looked at longer-term solutions and, focusing on the development of its younger staff, initiated the J&G Accelerated Development Programme (ADP), to accelerate the management and leadership skills development of selected young professionals.
In order for the ADP to have the necessary focus, participants were selected from the ranks of graduate staff below the age of 35 years who are either registered, or have applied for registration as professional engineers, technologists or natural scientists. Eight participants were selected for the first ADP cycle which started in September 2006. Each cycle of the programme will run over a two-year period and the selected group will progress together for the duration of the cycle. The ADP does not replace, but rather enhances, the ongoing commitment of the firm to the training, development and mentorship of all its staff members. J&G has a structured mentorship programme with 13 mentors who are registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa. The programme contributes to helping graduates obtain professional registration in the shortest possible time without in any way compromising quality and experience.
J&G has always rejected "quick fix" solutions to challenges, and this was very clear in" their approach to transformation. Despite the pressures felt by the industry at that time, J&G continued to develop its own historically disadvantaged staff members, invest in successful black empowerment entities, and attract successful black professionals to the company, resulting in the 33.8% black ownership it holds today.
Social responsibility
The firm has always had a strong focus on education and since the 1960shas given many bursaries to the children of disadvantaged staff members and deserving engineering students. Today, the firm is a leader in the awarding of bursaries and has approved 12 bursaries for 2008. It is also a major sponsor of the PROTEC Programme, which develops learners with an above average aptitude for maths and science, in the hope that some of them will become civil engineers. Social responsibility is an investment in a lifetime of sustainable returns, and J&G is committed to investing in and supporting the communities within which it operates. It has provided free expertise in a wide range of initiatives: from the preparation of a business plan for a pig farming project in Alice in the Eastern Cape, to the structural design for a crèche in Khayelitsha and geotechnical investigations for building extensions for an Aids orphanage in KwaZulu-Natal.
Awards
It is particularly pleasing that in this special 85th year, J&G have received two Fulton Awards for excellence in the use of concrete, both winning projects being innovative pedestrian bridges. The Mkomaas River Bridge (commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport) won the Design Aspects category, and the Bosmansdam Road Bridge, (commissioned by the Western Cape Provincial Administration) won the Aesthetic Appeal category. The Mkomaas Pedestrian Bridge is the first pre-stressed ribbon bridge in Africa, and its clear span of 150m equals the world record for this type of bridge. The project also won the SAACE award for projects with a value of under R5-million, and its designer, Corrie Meintjes, was named "Achiever of the Year" by the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the Concrete Society.
Back to business
J&G has offices in all the major centres in South Africa, employs some 300 staff, and offers the full spectrum of engineering• and associated discipline services. In recent years the firm has• been increasingly involved in turnkey projects in sub-Saharan Africa, where it has been part of the financing structure and has assumed the role of managing contractor. Current projects in Africa include the recent appointment to upgrade the road from Likasi to Kolwesi in the south--east of the DRC. The project entails the upgrading of a 120km section of the existing gravel (national) road to surfaced standard with the aim of ensuring all-weather access for the mining industry. J&G has also been appointed to bring to bankable feasibility, the study done for the construction of a major dam in southern Tanzania.
Some projects in progress
Municipal Infrastructure
J&G is currently involved in a number of large-scale infrastructural projects throughout the country. These include the provision of bulk services to the Wallacedene and Bardale Village housing projects, each 100 ha in extent, the Greenstone development in Gauteng, the upgrading of the Langa, Heideveld and Athlone stations in Cape Town for 2010, civil works for the expansion of the Salkor Workshops in Saldanha, and the provision of bulk stormwater facilities and roads at Coega, near Port Elizabeth. Studies recently concluded involve a stormwater master plan for the town of Robertson in the Breede the capture and modelling of 700 nodes and links with results issued in electronic format for GIS mapping, data management and possible asset management, as well as participation in the Grabouw Sustainable Development initiative. Work is also underway on the roads, water and sewer system implementation in the fast-growing area of Modderfontein, Johannesburg. River Winelands Municipality, which included
Solid waste and wastewater
The construction phase of three new cells (10 ha) at the Bellville South landfill site has just been completed, as well as the design of three new cells (15 ha) at the Vissershok landfill site. The latter is the largest single landfill site lining contract that has been commissioned by the City of Cape Town. J&G's rapidly growing waste team is also responsible for the design of the Oostenberg Refuse Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), which will be the first, automated MRF in the country. The firm is also in the early stages of the Integrated Waste Management Programme for the Northern Cape Province and of completing the construction monitoring for Simunye Landfill in Swaziland. Besides undertaking designs of conventional activated sludge sewage treatment plants for various municipalities, the wastewater team has also developed specialist expertise in leachate treatment. The team is currently busy with capacity extension trials at the Vissershok SBR leachate treatment plant, which establishes the firm as one of the few consultants with on-site leachate treatment processes expertise in the country.
Railways
There has been resurgence in the railway work being done by J&G. Over the past 18 months, work on capacity upgrade of the Transnet iron-ore line to accommodate 342-wagon trains, totalling 3 850km in length, has been undertaken. In addition to geometric design, cross-sections, earthworks quantities and culvert extensions at 16 of the 19 passing loops, the design scope of this project has increased to include additional lines, lengthening of yard lines, road works and drainage at Saldanha. On the commuter rail front they are involved with the 4km long Khayelitsha rail extension near Cape Town, and have also provided specialist input into the proposed Cape Town Airport Link and Cape Town Station Revitalisation Project.
Roads
J&G has long been acknowledged as a key player in roads engineering, and continues to be extremely busy in this discipline. The recently completed Potsdam Road intersection on the N7 outside Cape Town has eliminated the previously unsafe intersection, unlocked land for future development, and will ultimately provide a direct link between Stellenbosch and Atlantis via Parow and Cape Town International Airport. Some current road rehabilitation projects include 120km on the N11 in Mpumalanga, 50km on the N2 near Butterworth, Eastern Cape, and the Contermanskloof Road for the City of Cape Town. Work has been completed on the rehabilitation of the N2 at Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, and Main Road 235 (Hlabisa to Nongoma) should be completed at the end of 2008.
Water
Two significant projects being undertaken by the water engineering division are the Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Scheme and the Lower Shashe (Dikgathong) Dam in Botswana. The Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Scheme will eventually be Lesotho's largest water supply scheme, serving the majority of the population of Lesotho and requiring infrastructure to the value of billions of rands. J&G undertook the feasibility study, and are now working with an international team on the second phase, which is just over halfway complete. The team includes SSI (South Africa) who is the project leader, Fichtner (Germany), DHV Consultants (the Netherlands) and GWC Consultants (Lesotho). The Dikathong Dam, which will be Botswana's largest dam, is now at tender evaluation stage and construction will start in March 2008 and last for three years. Work is being undertaken in a joint venture with Bergstan International.
Structures
The building structures team has been responsible for a range of projects, of which the Victoria 50 redevelopment has been of particular note. The project has entailed a R36-million redevelopment of a seven-storey residential apartment block at First Beach, Clifton, and involving excavation into 700m3 of hard granite just to accommodate a new swimming pool!
Environmental
Environmentalists at all regional offices have been extremely busy. The Gauteng team have been busy with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as a basic assessment for SANRAL for the construction of sections of the PWV3 in the North West Province and the upgrading of the R512 in Gauteng. Two other smaller projects that have just been launched by the unit are the Ecological Assessment of the Local and General Surface Aquatic Ecosystems associated with the Assmang Manganese Limited Plant, KwaZulu-Natal, on behalf of INFOTOX and the Ecological Assessment of the Thukela Estuary, KwaZulu-Natal, on behalf of SAPPI. J&G is also involved in the Inkomati River Comprehensive Reserve Determination, on behalf of DWAF. Two field trips have already been conducted to collect data on the geomorphology, hydrology, fish, riparian vegetation, and macro-invertebrates of the Sabie and Crocodile River systems. These will be followed by, among others, a series of workshops to produce a final result. The whole process extends over a number of years. The Cape Town team is, among many other projects, responsible for a cutting-edge coastal water quality project. The team, which includes environmental engineers, has been tasked to improve the bacteriological water quality of the city's bathing beaches by means of innovative treatment of storm water. The KwaZulu-Natal team are working with Eskom on their capital projects undertaking the EIAs for new powerlines and substations.
J&G's marketing campaign slogan for 2008 is "Over 85 years and growing younger", and this would seem to capture the essence of a company rightly proud of its long and distinguished history, but with its sights firmly set on an exciting future. On paging through the company's in-house magazine one is immediately struck by the loyalty, passion and commitment of J&G staff across the board. Whether they are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, wading knee-deep in the polluted Hennops River, or doing all the other things that J&G do, one comment says it all:
"J&G is a great company and its people are the company."
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