October 2011

Construction World recently did an exclusive interview with Nigel Harvey, newly appointed chairman of Murray & Roberts Construction. This entity, which came to being through the merger of Murray & Roberts and Concor, has a combined turnover is excess of R8-billion.

Rudi Scheepers, project engineer at GIBB, recently spoke at the 12^th Bi-Annual Conference of the Botswana Institute of Engineers where he shed some light on the state of engineering education in South African tertiary institutions and how it can be overcome.

Another GIBB engineer, Colin Logan, the divisional manager of dams, hydropower and underground works, discusses GIBB's vital role in driving the $3-billion Ingula Pumped Storage scheme while Construction World also spoke to Craig Waterson, Rocla's sales and marketing director about the company's heritage of technical competence and innovation.

Left to right: Nigel Harvey, Murray and Roberts Construction's CE; Rudi Scheepers, GIBB project engineer; Colin Logan, GIBB's divisional manager of dams, hydropower and underground works and Craig Waterson, Rocla's sales and marketing director.

Construction World  this month has a roads and bridges feature. As one of the few buoyant sectors in the local construction industry, the projects for this sector are varied, from the Koeberg Interchange that is having a positive impact on especially the Century City node, to roads projects on the N2 highway in Mpumalanga to a road and bridge project in Colchester north of Port Elizabeth.

From left to right: The Koeberg Interchange is making Century City, but also the entire peninsula accessible; AfriSam's CEM 11 32,5BL cement has been specified for two contracts being undertaken by Stefanutti Stocks Roads and Earthworks on the N2 highway in Mpumalanga, and work progressingon the N2 at Colchester.

Light Steel Frame building is on the rise in the South African residential sector while projects in Mozambique have demonstrated that when there is difficult terrain, limited resources and time is of the essence, the only sensible construction medium is treated timber. Staying with the housing theme, the Concrete Manufacturer's Association members are participating in the Mandela Legacy Housing Project by donation concrete masonry blocks and other precast building materials.

Left to right: Timber houses being built in Mozambique; a Light Steel Frame building near Bela Bela and the Mandela Legacy Housing Project's sod turning ceremony.