Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) recently hosted the CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards 2025 at Vodacom World, in Midrand. See which projects and individuals emerged victorious.
Now in its 53rd year, the awards remain the pinnacle of recognition in the engineering industry, highlighting not only technical excellence but also the collaborative spirit and innovation that underpin long-term development.
Speaking at the awards, Chris Campbell, CEO of CESA, noted that the event was about more than infrastructure: “Tonight, we gather to honour excellence, not just in infrastructure, but in the people, partnerships, and purpose that power our industry. The projects we celebrate remind us that when engineers are enabled to lead, when collaboration is prioritised, and when excellence is the standard, we see meaningful impact.”
He emphasised that: “Each project is a catalyst for jobs, investment, and opportunity. The 2025 awards highlight the power of collaboration and innovation in engineering. As our industry embraces integrated lifecycle approaches and sustainable design, this year’s finalists and winners showcase those who are not only building infrastructure but embracing a forward-thinking vision that will drive South Africa’s infrastructure transformation.”
And the winners are
The CESA awards honoured winners across multiple categories, from groundbreaking mega-projects to young engineers, recognising the vision, skill and teamwork of consulting engineers across the country.
Lifetime Industry Achievement Award: Dr Ralph Heath from WSP
Best International Project: BIGEN for Upgrading of the Railway Line between Walvis Bay; and Kranzberg in Namibia for the Ministry of Works and Transport Namibia
Mega Projects with a Value Greater than R1 billion: WSP for the delivery of battery energy storage systems for phase 1 for ESKOM
Projects with a value between R250 million and R1 billion: Bosch Projects for the Vlakfontein Reservoir and Associated Infrastructure for Rand Water
Projects with a value between R50-R250 million: Zutari for the N1 Sinkhole Repair Project for SANRAL
Projects with a value less than R50 million: Maninga Engineering for the Wits – Roy Mcalpine Adult Burns Unit
Engineering Technology and Innovation: Water Sanitation and Hygiene Design Excellence: Ingerop for the Raising of Hazelmere Dam, for the Department of Water and Sanitation
Business Excellence of the Year: BIGEN
Mentoring Company of the Year: BIGEN
Mentor of the Year: Tumisang Gabriel from SMEC South Africa
Young Engineer of the Year: Tinashe Mukalela from AvenirHoldings
Job Shadow Initiative and Poster Competition: Mariswe
Publisher of the Year
- Winner – Publisher – Daily News Category: Independent Media - IOL
- Winner – Publisher – Trade Category: Creamer Media’s Engineering News