ON THE COVER: It is not the cranes or concrete mixers that make or break a project - it is the choices made before they even arrive on site. In the scramble to stretch budgets, too many infrastructure projects in South Africa are being quietly, but irreversibly, undermined by a silent compromise - sacrificing quality in construction materials.

This trend, according to leading construction materials supplier AfriSam, is not only becoming more entrenched - it is becoming increasingly dangerous.

“Durable infrastructure doesn’t fail in a headline-worthy moment,” says Amit Dawneerangen, Construction Materials Executive: Sales & Product Technical at AfriSam. “It deteriorates quietly, beneath the surface, because someone, somewhere, decided that cutting costs on aggregate, cement or concrete was a risk worth taking.”

ON THE COVER: Latest from Babcock is the new four-model SDLG H-Series range of wheel loaders. The range follows hard on the heels of the 2024 launch of the four-model line-up of SDLG excavators, highlighting Babcock’s commitment to providing a comprehensive range of solutions to the ‘value’ segment of the equipment market in Southern Africa.

Following last year’s launch of the H-Series range of SDLG excavators – comprising the 6-tonne (t), 13-t, 21-t and 34-t class machines – Babcock is further strengthening the SDLG product line-up with the introduction of the new H-Series wheel loaders.

The new range comprises the L918H (1,8 t), the L938H (3,5 t), the L946H (4 t) and the L958H (5,8 t). Mark Senyard, Product Manager – SDLG at Babcock, says the arrival of the new H-Series wheel loaders ushers in a new era for customers across applications, including construction, agriculture and mining.

ON THE COVER: A continuous concrete pour has been successfully completed to create a bridge deck across one of South Africa’s busiest freight highways, demanding meticulous planning and execution from Teichmann Structures, AfriSam and other key participants.  As part of much-needed upgrades by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) on the N3 highway through Pietermaritzburg, a new Market Road bridge is under construction. This is being built by Teichmann Structures as subcontractor to Grinaker-LTA in the New England JV (Grinaker-LTA). The consulting engineers on the project are WSP.

ON THE COVER: Franki Africa was appointed to deliver both the lateral support system and the piling solution for the  Alto Winery site  which is characterised by shallow, medium to coarse-grained granitic soil from the Kuils River Batholith, part of the Cape Granite Suite. The lateral support for the 5,8 m cut was designed as a hybrid system comprising soldier piles and grouted anchors. These elements work in tandem to stabilise the excavation face. The soldier piles were connected by a continuous capping beam, ensuring uniform load transfer.

ON THE COVER

Innovation is key to solving the water challenges with which the country grapples. This includes revolutionising construction practices to deliver critical municipal water infrastructure quicker and more cost-effectively. At the same time, these new builds need to be robust so that they continue to add value for many years with minimal maintenance and repairs. Precast concrete meets all these requirements and more, including the ability to execute projects in a safer manner by restricting work at height and by placing concrete in a setting that can be controlled more easily than on a worksite.