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Although it would be ideal if every South African was housed adequately, if service delivery was adequate and efficient and, indeed, if the events that have played and continue to play a role in disenfranchising the people of South Africa had never taken place, the reality of the situation is very different.

Touching the Earth Lightly, a call to action that combines people, design and conservation, has taken the view that, even though the phenomenon of informal settlements and the necessity for many

to have to live in a shack are meant to be temporal, the truth is that for many South Africans, shack dwelling and waiting for service delivery can become a lengthy, extended period with no little or no reprieve.

This issue of the SA Affordable Housing magazine features the TEL Green Shack, brainchild of Touching the Earth Lightly, an initiative spearheaded by Stephen Lamb, an award-winning Cape Town-based designer, whose passion it is to explore ways in which design can couple the needs of people and nature in simple ways. With low-tech, simple design principles, the TEL Green Shack is an answer to the existing conditions under which shack dwelling people must live and a simple way to ameliorate the conditions of these oftentimes harsh spaces of waiting.

Although the SA Affordable Housing magazine does not promote or condone the construction of new shacks or informal settlements, improving existing living conditions for those occupying these spaces of waiting is imperative. I invite you to read more on this story on page 12.

With that, I leave you to enjoy the latest issue of the SA Affordable Housing magazine. Your comments and feedback are, as always, welcome.

Jen

PS: Trademax Publications is pleased to announce that the SA Affordable Housing magazine is a media partner for the TotallyConcrete Expo taking place from the 4th to the 5th of June this year.

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MARCH 2013

the fact that the executive Bureau Meeting of the African Federation of Construction Contractors’ Associations (AFCCA) was held in Johannesburg recently firmly endorsed South Africa’s status as an important and leading part of the construction industry across the entire African continent, says tumi Dlamini, executive director of Master Builders South Africa (MBSA).

“AFCCA promotes cooperation, coordination and collaboration within construction industry associations in Africa. It seeks business-to-business partnerships and interactions for commercial and investment purposes to promote the development of African markets.

“At the meeting in Johannesburg, AFCCA decided to escalate inter-regional and intra-regional relationships to improving ties and economic relationships within the African construction sector. South Africa was appointed to chair the sub-committee responsible for this – a major honour for our country.

MBSA has begun a consultation process with government in this regard as government’s support will be critical if this initiative is to succeed.”

Dlamini says the AFCCA meeting came to South Africa at a time when Africa is experiencing increasing economic growth - and increased infrastructure spending by African governments.

“The construction industry will form the cornerstone of the delivery of some of the major infrastructure projects in Africa, whether directly through the built programmes or indirectly through supporting other infrastructure initiatives. It is therefore critical that our industry looks ahead and deliberates on the role of the private sector in the delivery of development infrastructure.”

She says the AFCCA meeting discussed how the collective private sector could engage domestic governments to remove policy barriers to allow easier facilitation of export of built environment professional skills on the continent.

“Key and very significant resolutions taken at the meeting include strengthening regional ties and partnerships, increasing the skills capacity through further and exchange of education and training programmes within construction and engineering in Africa, influencing the public sector in our domestic jurisdictions for uniform standards, and developing optimal regulatory frameworks that support the development of the industry.

“The honour of hosting the important AFCCA meeting came at a very opportune time for the construction industry in South Africa as South Africa prepares to host the BRICS Summit where South Africa will take centre stage among emerging economies of the world in discussions with the giants in the global economy. MBSA will seek to leverage the strength of the continent of Africa to optimise the industry's participation with key partners from the BRICS countries.”

The 2013 BRICS Summit, to be held in Durban at the end of March, is an international relations conference attended by heads of states of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

MBSA

SA building industry integral part of African construction development

Pictured in Johannesburg at the recent AFCCA Executive Bureau Meeting were From left (back row): Toufik Cherradi (Morocco), Reda Laraichi (Morocco), Eng. Hassan Abdel-Aziz Hassan (AFCCA First Advisor Egypt), Newton Kambala (Malawi), Ing. Sabbas Pantaleon (Burundi), and El Walid Mustafa Mohamed (Sudan).Front: Martins Kwasi Nnuro (Ghana), Abdelhaq Laraichi (Morocco), Ambassador Ibrahim El-Cheoumi (AFCCA Secretary General, Egypt), and Eunice Forbes (South Africa).

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Affordable clay brick construction helps Communicare set a new milestone for excellence at its bothasig gardens Social Housing Project the Communicare Bothasig Gardens Project, built in double skin clay brick with the Roklite plaster bricks internally and Corobrik face brick externally, has been recognized for setting new standards for affordable integrated settlements in South Africa.

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Bothasig Gardens, which is fully tenanted, comprises 120 new apartments on a 2.5ha site in the heart of Bothasig. The apartments, in six separate double-storey face brick buildings

surrounding landscaped open spaces, are designed to provide a high quality, comfortable accommodation at a monthly rental that starts as low as R650.

With affordable built and low lifecycle costs as key requirements, clay brick construction with face brick provided the answer, the maintenance-free qualities set to support a lowest lifecycle cost outcome.

The warm enduring colours and textures of face bricks add the finer elements to this project’s sustainability equation, thereby meeting the aspirations of the intended occupants to live in clay brick dwellings.

This project has fulfilled the developer’s mandate, going beyond just providing a roof over people’s heads to address, improve, and upgrade the surrounding communities, creating opportunities that compliment long term socio-economic integration. Accommodation of a very high quality, offered at rentals that are lower than those generally applied in Bothasig and Edgemead, define Bothasig Gardens’ substantive value offering.

Commenting on the quality of the development, Minister Sexwale reportedly pointed out that Bothasig Gardens was “an asset to the community and will play a critical role in increasing property values in the Bothasig area.” These face brick apartments debunk the myth that social housing has to be of a lower standard, providing an example of how large scale, affordable rental accommodation, can create a focus of excellence in a community.

Christie van Niekerk, Manager Corobrik Cape, commenting on Corobrik’s involvement with the project said, “Bothasig Gardens presents a great example of what can be achieved cost effectively in clay brick. The face bricks mitigate future maintenance costs that would otherwise be placed on communities least able to shoulder such a burden, and through that, enhance the lifetime value equation of the project. It has been a pleasure to have the Corobrik brand associated with the high standards achieved at Bothasig Gardens.”

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The architects selected Corobrik Constantia Travertine clay face bricks interspersed with sections of planter work for the affordable housing development, Bothasig Gardens in Cape Town. The development comprises 120 units, ranging from bachelor units to one and two bedroom family units.

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Grant Neser, Sales and Marketing Executive of AfriSam, explains that “this initiative is a product of the customer value management (CVM) project currently being implemented in AfriSam.

CVM can be described as a philosophy of making business choices based on a keen understanding of what different customers want and need and are prepared to pay for.” The container project is specifically designed to extend and complement the existing network of wholesale and retail outlets supplying building materials to communities in South Africa.

Eight container retail sales units have been deployed to date across Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the North West

Province in areas within these provinces where AfriSam currently does not have a presence. The first container was set up at the end of July 2012 and, within three months, more than 13 000 bags of cement had been sold.

“Not only has this innovative initiative created easy access to the cement needed in these communities to build new homes, extend existing dwellings and conduct renovations, it has also resulted in critically needed job creation,” Roshni Lawrence, Strategic Growth Executive of AfriSam, says. “So far 10 new permanent jobs and 10 temporary jobs have been generated for local community members.”

overwhelmingly positive response to AfriSam’s pilot ‘retail outlet’ container initiativeAfriSam has received an overwhelmingly positive response from members of several rural communities to a pilot initiative that is seeing the cement giant sell its cement products out of ‘retail outlet’ containers in these outlying areas.

MARCH 2013

CoveR StoRy

Customers congratulate Mr. Malakia on the launch of his container in Bodibe in the North West Province.

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“We’ve strategically located the containers, with a view to boosting local entrepreneurial activities. Community members are now empowered to ‘buy local’ and we’re already seeing small businesses being set up.”

One such fledgling enterprise is the Bodibe Business Forum in the North West Province that is being established as a direct result of the container initiative. In addition, there has been an unmistakable increase in the number of people now visiting this area for business purposes.

AfriSam recently received a letter of gratitude from the mayor of the Ditsobotla Municipality, Counsellor Molefe Morutse, in which he thanked the company for the “magnificent contribution” it is making to ensure better living standards for the people of the area.

Lawrence says the pilot phase will continue to roll out in 2013.

MARCH 2013

This AfriSam initiative has boosted local entrepreneurial opportunities in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West.

AfriSam's first cement sales container was set up in July last year, selling 13 000 bags of cement within the first three months.

CoveR StoRy

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John Hopkins, CEO of the Southern African Housing Foundation takes great pleasure in announcing the launch of the SAHF Education and Training Courses for 2013. A number of courses will be on offer, which includes Introduction to Human Settlements, Collaborative Housing Development, The New National Building Regulations and construction, as well as a Practical Building Course.

4 DAY INTRODUCTORY HUMAN SETTLEMENTS COURSE

SAHF Education & Training offers the opportunity to enrol for an SAHF accredited four day Human Settlements Certificate Course for Housing Professionals, Local Authority Officials and Town Planning Staff. The course is designed to introduce people to the philosophy and benefits of implementing Sustainable Human Settlements and delegates attention is drawn to two main subjects, namely Land and Housing Development, in particular the development of virgin land and the methods of its continuous upgrading, including the latest designs in green urban layout and mixed land use. The four day workshop / course will include presentations by professionals in the field of Human Settlements. Up to date information will be presented by the SHRA (The Social Housing Regulatory Authority), NHBRC (The National Home Builders Registration Council), a Senior Project Manager from a Metro Council and an emerging Contractor. The course lectures are co-ordinated and presented by Dr Toni Lamont, a qualified Town and Regional Planner and Sociologist with vast experience on the dynamics of Human Settlements Development over four decades of tertiary education and housing experience, social consultancy and research.

3 DAY COLLABORATIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

COURSE Government everywhere finds it very difficult to achieve real and lasting success in low income housing without involving communities and other stakeholders in the process. Community-based organisations have also found it difficult to become successful developers without a strong association with government and other sectors. However the greatest challenge for either party has been to reach out and create the collaborations across sectors that are so essential. Development professionals have been trained to serve their paymasters, not to enable collaborations. Although collaboration is so important it is invariably a last resort, by which time much goodwill and resources have been dissipated. This 3-day course explores the nature of successful collaborations, the necessary ingredients, the required processes,

the pitfalls to be anticipated and the skills that must be acquired. The course will be interactive and designed to help delegates apply the subject matter to their own circumstances. The course lectures are co-ordinated and presented by Gerry Adlard, a Development Consultant who has facilitated a variety of collaborative responses to the housing needs of the poor since 1984, most notably by coordinating the “iSLP” the state's R1.2 billion flagship integrated development project from 1992 to 2005.

4 DAY INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW NATIONAL BUILDING

REGULATIONS & CONSTRUCTION COURSE

The course is designed to introduce delegates to the effective application of building standards and regulations relating to SANS10400 to achieve quality in construction. Participants will be introduced to the philosophy and benefits of implementing and managing building standards in the construction process. This course has been designed to allow delegates to engage with the material through both group and individual assignments. On completion of this course participants will be able to Identify the building standards used in the construction process, list the key sections of the building standards application in residential developments, develop management plans to monitor the application of the relevant building standards and discuss the impact of building standards on health and safety in the construction process. The course lectures are co-ordinated and presented by Mark Massyn, a qualified Construction Manager who has worked in the construction industry, as both a Construction and Project Manager. The four day workshop/course will include presentations by professionals in the field of Construction Development. Up to date information will be presented by the CMA (Concrete Manufacturers Association), NHBRC (The National Home Builders Registration Council), AAAMSA (Associated Architectural Aluminium Manufacturers SA), Agrèment South Africa and a Senior Project Manager from a Metro Council as well as an Emerging Contractor.

For further information please contact the SAHF: Tel: 021 987 7950; e-mail: events@sahf.org.za

Launch of SAHF Education and Training Courses

Low-tech, simple design principles of the teL Green Shack invite light, water, plants, life and a sense of dignity into the liminal spaces of informal settlements.

MARCH 2013

InItIAtIve

Changing the spaces of waiting

A shack was recently showcased at the Design Indaba at the CTICC, built jointly by residents of the Mtshini Wam informal settlement, Touching the Earth Lightly (TEL) and local artist, Andrew

Lord. This four by four meter shack successfully placed fire, flooding and food security on the Cape Town design landscape, showcasing sensitive, human-hearted, low-tech, affordable design responses to these local social challenges.

The exhibit was funded by gravity, sunlight, convection-cooling, photosynthesis and rain. The Pick ‘n Pay Ackerman Foundation, WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), CORC (The Community Organisation Resource Centre) and the Green Cube Nursery were also main contributors.

It’s a sad truth that since South Africa has won its hard earned democracy almost two decades ago, millions of South Africans have never seen the inside of a formal house. The gap between temporary shelter and formal housing has become an extended space of waiting.

In monetary terms, it’s a gap somewhere between R6,000 and R85,000. While we wait for formal housing in spaces where there is no space left, we overlook opportunities for low-tech design to turn spaces of waiting in spaces of living. Shacks are no longer a sad remnant of apartheid past, but a reality of the South African future.

The design of the TEL Green Shack therefore explores the transformative power of light, water and plants. This is expressed in simple, real, and meaningful ways. This design process has led to the development and prototyping of the TEL Green Shack.

The TEL Green Shack looks at how simple, low-tech design can transform temporary spaces into ‘home’ spaces. It is focused entirely on what we can achieve now - right now.

The desire to do something now is born out of the frustration of waiting. Spaces of ‘temporary’ (informal housing) have become ‘spaces of permanence.’ In this space, people wait years and years for politicians to make good on promises that are near impossible to fulfil.

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These ‘spaces of waiting’ become the most desperate of spaces. They become places where hope can die. Families find themselves destitute, between the promise and the lie, and lose years of their lives just waiting.

The TEL Green Shack aims to change the spaces of waiting into safer places of living.

We must accept that the temporary space is not going to go away and adopt a pragmatic approach to what we can do about it now.

Shack owners are affected by ground water flooding every year because the ground water level rises in winter above the surface. Shack fires kill and destroy lives of people and thousands of livelihoods each and every year. Food security remains a challenge, with few real solutions.

People need both low-cost houses and food. Traditional thinking says the one comes at a loss to the other one. Human hearted design uses the one to complement the other. It combines the two and loses neither. It suggests that you can address the need for food security and informal housing in the same physical space.

It achieves this by relying on cheap, low-tech design that is innovative, simple and can be duplicated on a large scale.

To explain the concept, hold in your mind a cube. Like the shack, the cube has six sides. Human-hearted design looks to address the issues of fire, flooding, food security and insulation by exploring design opportunities for each of these six sides.

The first side of the cube is the floor. We raise the shack off the ground to respond to the issue of flooding. Communities around the world have been doing this for thousands of years. This is not a new concept.

The next two sides of the cube represent the sun-facing walls of the shack. On these two sides The TEL Green Shack suggests they be wrapped with a fire-proof boarding, covered by a vertical thriving organic vegetable garden. This wall garden creates food for the household. This wall is drip irrigated using a low-tech, slow-release gravity-fed system via a pipe made of recycled car tires. Rain water is also captured off the roof and stored on-site. The slow-drip nature of the irrigation system ensures that the wall is constantly wet.

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The vertical food wall is protected from the driving winds by a layer of translucent roof sheeting, creating a lockable greenhouse. This also protects the vegetables from livestock and vandalism.

This wet wall also regulates the temperature of the shack and it provides an alternative form of insulation, as opposed to highly flammable forms of insulation like paper, cardboard and plastic.

When built at scale, the ‘wet walls’ of organic vegetables and wet soil reduce the combustible fuel loading of informal settlements considerably, by replacing cardboard, paper and plastic with healthy, on-site food.

The roll-out of the TEL Green Shack at scale also presents considerable opportunities for the re-introduction of plant life and the creation of ‘green corridors’ within informal settlements. They attract pollinators and insect life. Townships, previously seen only as biodiversity ‘dead zones’ to botanists and conservationists, can become ‘corridors’ of biodiversity conservation value.

Moving to the two non-sun facing walls of the shack, the design suggests that we create a double-layer of corrugated iron, filled with sand bags. On the sixth side of the cube, the design suggests a double layer ‘cavity wall’ of corrugated iron with a layer of fire-boarding in between.

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MARCH 2013

This will further fire-proof the shack, as well as regulate the temperature. It also suggests the use of ‘liter of light’ bulbs, which transmit sunlight into the shack. The solar bulb is a recycled two-litre plastic transparent bottle filled with water and three teaspoons of bleach.

The bottle is placed into the corrugated iron roof of the shack with a base plate, riveted into the roof and waterproofed from rainfall and water. Sunlight shines through the bottle, emitting a light that is more powerful than a conventional low energy light bulb. It’s about low-tech electricity savings for those living without windows, which is important to note, because many people living in informal settlements do not want windows, because of crime. The solar bulb lets light in, but not the criminals.

The solar bulb is a cool light, because it’s not a tungsten bulb. The isolative properties of the fire-boarding and vertical food ‘wet wall’ along with the solar bulbs assist greatly in making the shack a more liveable, less hostile environment. In addition, light from the sun is free, while electricity costs continue to soar in South Africa.

InItIAtIve-

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Ridding the Cape Flats of shack fires is not about efficiencies and cost savings in reactive measures. It is all about containing the initial source of fire to the internal boundaries of the shack itself, by extinguishing it right there. This is a design challenge that can be met using low-tech, simple, human-hearted innovations. It can be done simply and immediately.

The TELShack aims to suffocate the initial fire inside the shack and to contain it within the internal perimeters of the shack. Only once we have rid the Cape Flats of shack fires can we start growing healthy communities and healthy food. Stopping shack fires therefore becomes the primary challenge for all meaningful design efforts.

We emphasize that the TEL Green Shack does not support the notion that shacks should ever become permanent. Nobody wants to live in a shack and nobody should. But the reality is that millions do, and have been for over ten years. However, residents want to stop waiting, and start living. The TEL Green Shack therefore suggests a safer, more dignified, more efficient, ‘greener’ space of waiting.

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InItIAtIve

Price means nothing without quality and service.

Dezzo Roofing specialises in manufacturing and supplying a lightweight steel roof support system, specifically designed to carry all roof coverings including concrete roof tiles, steel sheeting and fibre cement sheeting. Almost any roof design can be accommodated and each roof is custom engineered and designed.

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Hanover housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

Kokstad housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

Kingsburgh housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

Consumerism has taught us to be sceptical of things that come at no cost. The TEL Green Shack challenges these lies, and relies heavily on these simple truths and the gifts we get from nature, such as the sun, the rain and photosynthesis. All are fundamental to every human being’s existence. By adopting this design approach we create a sense of common reliance between the rich and the poor, something that is so desperately needed in Cape Town's ‘tale of two cities’ where the rich live side by side with the poor.

The human-hearted, low-tech, simple design principles of the TEL Green Shack invite light, water, plants and life. It goes back to basics to the fundamentals on which we all rely. We desperately need to change our reactive approach to dealing with the horrific consequences of flooding and shack fires.

To coin a phrase often used by Albert Einstein, "madness is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result." We must be honest about the realities of formal housing, deal with these in the best way that we can, and stop this madness now.

The term ‘Greenblocking’ refers to building or rebuilding shacks according to a spatial development plan. The concept of the ‘TEL Green Shack’ is intended to ‘piggy-back’ this infrastructure development and create what we call ‘Green Blocks.’ These ‘Green Blocks’ can act as corridors for insect life and life other fauna and flora that can be introduced into this network of vertical gardens.

AbouT TouCHing THe eArTH ligHTly direCTor, STePHen lAMb:

Prior to establishing TEL, Stephen Lamb led the anti-shack fire initiatives of the Ukuvuka Firestop Campaign for four years. This included initiating the first formal fire-mitigation plan undertaken by the City of Cape Town in Joe Slovo. This plan resulted in the reduction of runaway shack fires by 98% and was the start of the concept and term ‘blocking’ and/or ‘re-blocking.’ Stephen also ran the ‘Learn not to Burn’ Campaign while with the Ukuvuka Firestop Campaign, initiated the container rooftop garden, and piloted the use of helicopters to fight shack fires.

The TEL Green Shack design is dedicated to the residents of Mtshini Wam, in the hope that their struggle, their cause and their efforts will be seen, recognised and rewarded.

For More inForMATion, ConTACT

Stephen Lamb(t) 021 788 4183 (e) stephen@touchingtheearthlightly.com (w) www.touchingtheearthlightly.com

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Price means nothing without quality and service.

Dezzo Roofing specialises in manufacturing and supplying a lightweight steel roof support system, specifically designed to carry all roof coverings including concrete roof tiles, steel sheeting and fibre cement sheeting. Almost any roof design can be accommodated and each roof is custom engineered and designed.

LightweightSTEEL ROOF

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SA’s LEADERin lightweight steel trusses.

Dezzo Roofing • Tel: 031 713 6571 • Fax: 031 705 6822 • www.dezzo.co.za

Hanover housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

Kokstad housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

Kingsburgh housing projectKwaZulu-Natal

This is the abiding principle that drives Communicare, the 84-year-old community building company that has, since its establishment in 1929, generated 94 estates and housing complexes to

house the people of the Cape. “This represents more than one major development a year – through upheaval, major political change and a six-year world war,” says the company’s Social Housing Director, Joel Mkunqwana.

Today, the company is known as a diversified group, and it has devised innovative measures to ensure that its core objective is achieved. Its diversified brands coexist seamlessly to create funds for the social housing projects it develops to create a stable integrated population.

In the Communicare brand stable are divisions that take a leading position in high-end commercial industry that include attractive bonded housing developments and highly popular life right retirement accommodation. It also develops property for rental occupancy by families and young professionals, as well as retired businesspeople.

“We apply the same levels of quality to all our various offerings and when homeowners buy a house or apartment in one of our suburban housing developments, they are, and have historically been assured of a very sound investment,” says Rick Brosens, Property Development Director.

veteran Cape housing company creating stable communitiesCommunicare’s successful 84-year striving for the people of the Capethe provision of sufficient social housing is unquestionably the most important factor in establishing a stable population in South Africa. In slum conditions, a community will degenerate into crime and disease. only with proper housing can people thrive.

MARCH 2013

SoCIAL houSInG

Bothasig Gardens, Communicare’s latest social housing project.

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A mark of Communicare’s success is the less than 2% vacancy rate in its rental properties and a 98% monthly rental payment record. Nearly 90% of those polled in a recent survey said, “My choice to rent from Communicare was a good one.”

Communicare, with its Yes! Properties, Cape Retirement Lifestyles and Social Housing divisions, adheres to its mission ‘to create integrated, sustainable human settlements,’ at every level of the economic scale.

www.communicare.co.za

SoCIAL houSInG

MARCH 2013

GAP Housing in Brooklyn - Communicare offers a range of tenure options to satisfy a diversity of markets.

Communicare’s Jacarandas in Kuilsriver, which caters to middle- and high-income earners.

The Rathfielder in Diepriver, one of Communicare’s five Life Rights villages.

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MARCH 2013

"the year 2013 will mark the coming of age of alternative building technologies (ABts) on the Southern African construction landscape - and the urgent need for housing and associated infrastructure delivery will be its main driver."

This is the view of Brent Harris, a civil engineer and one of the pioneers and innovators behind the development of modern-day ABTs in South Africa as a cost-, time- and skills-efficient alternative to conventional building materials and methods.

“All the fundamentals are in place for a watershed year for ABTs which, I believe, is set to become one of the growth industries of the decade,” says Brent, who is the founder and CEO of Gauteng-based Vela Building Solutions, Africa’s leading manufacturer and supplier of ABTs products and systems.

He bASeS THiS view on A nuMber oF key FACTorS, wHiCH inClude:

• The South African Government’s post-Mangaung-announced intention to go ahead with the long-awaited implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), which has huge implications for the ABTs sector – particularly in the fast-track provision of schools, healthcare facilities, and housing.

• President Jacob Zuma’s recent statement (at the Presidential Infrastructure Investment Conference in Sandton) that the State is poised to invest R844-billion on infrastructure development over the next three years alone.

ABts

2013 will be a watershed year for alternative building technologies, says vela’s Brent Harris

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• The urgent need to upgrade the multitude of informal settlements – both at home and in other Southern African countries – that have resulted from rampant urbanisation.

• The growing requirements for housing and other community facilities to support the proliferation of new regional oil, coal, gas and other natural resource exploitation projects – not least in Mozambique, Angola and the DRC.

• Provision of temporary shelter and other amenities for local communities that are displaced and resettled to make way for major public and private sector development projects.

• The uplifting of mining community housing, including the stated intention by some employers to provide home ownership options.

• And, an expected sharp increase in the tempo of nationwide construction of new schools, and the replacement of almost 500 mud schools and other inappropriate school structures.

“There is no way that this magnitude of infrastructural rollout can be achieved by way of conventional (bricks and mortar) construction alone – not least because if the huge pool of skills that would be needed to make it happen,” says Brent.

“The biggest issue with using traditional construction methods is that there is too much reliance on the skills of the builder in a labour environment in which skilled workers are in short supply. ABTs-based construction circumvents that problem because the elementary skills required can be quickly taught on site,” says Brent.

Last year Vela Building Solutions doubled its production capacity to cater for existing and anticipated demand in South Africa and sub-Sahara for its home-grown range of ABTs products and systems.

At the same time, the company established local operations in Mozambique and Namibia, and reinforced its deep market footholds in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia.

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MARCH 2013

Leading black-controlled construction materials group, AfriSam has donated a sixteen-seater minibus to Morester Children’s home in Rustenburg. the minibus will be used to transport the resident children to and from school as well as take them to functions and other activities which they need to attend.

“Assisting in this initiative is a natural step for AfriSam as it is in line with our community involvement philosophy,” says Tsholo Diale, corporate social responsibility manager at AfriSam. “We believe in making a contribution to the lives of communities residing in areas within which we conduct our business operations and Morester fits this criteria perfectly as it is located a stone’s throw away from our Rustenburg readymix operation,” says Diale.

Morester is a temporary place of safety for abandoned children and currently provides shelter to 37 children ranging from 0 to 16 years old.

The home was founded over ten years ago as a place of safety for homeless people, and in 2006 it started catering for abandoned children.

AfriSam’s involvement with the shelter goes back to 2010 when the company provided readymix concrete from its local operation for the home’s newly-built playroom. In addition, the company made a monetary contribution for the provision of basic necessities for the children.

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AfriSam fulfils transport hopes for Morester children

Handing the minibus over are from left to right: Gerhard Maree, works manager for AfriSam's readymix operation in Rustenburg and Sandra Botha, acting human resources executive at AfriSam. Antoinette Christian, house mother at Morester and Helen Lotz, who is the project manager, received the minibus on behalf of the Children's Home.

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“We would like to thank AfriSam for this generous donation to the home. It will assist us in our daily duties of caring for these needy children,” says Antoinette Christian, house mother at Morester.

AfriSam has an intensive CSR programme with a focus on education and conservation. The company is involved in various educational projects nationwide, with the objective of empowering and equipping communities with the knowledge and skills, as well as providing them with the tools and facilities to become self-reliant and sustainable.

The company’s overall Community Involvement mission is to understand the needs of society and communities in areas where it does business to make meaningful and sustainable contributions to their upliftment.

AfriSam's corporate social responsibility manager, Tsholo Diale.

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MARCH 2013

the aim of all concrete reinforcement is essentially the same: to hold the concrete together after it cracks and hence effectively carry the tensile stresses that the cracked concrete matrix would otherwise not be able to do.

Industrial concrete flooring experts Concrete Laser Flooring director Peter Norton explains that hooked end high tensile steel fibres are added to concrete in order to make it tougher, to create a reinforced floor

that can withstand heavy impact environments.

Norton explains that the different fibres used to reinforce concrete include synthetic fibres, steel fibres and structural synthetic fibres. The most common application for steel fibre reinforced concrete is in the production of slabs on grade, shotcrete walls, tunnel linings and precast elements. Norfibre Steel Fibres, developed by CLF and used on CLF industrial flooring projects, economically replace mesh by exploiting the fact that fibres give ductility to concrete, but not flexural strength. They also increase concrete toughness, fatigue and impact performance way more than mesh does as the reinforcing is three dimensional.

“In order to make the fibres, normal low carbon steel is pulled through a series of dyes to give the wire strength of over 1 100 MPa. Thereafter, the wire from forty spools is fed to a glue line where water dissolvable adhesive is applied to keep the fibres in strip form, much like rows of staplers.

The hooked end of the fibre is designed to provide anchorage in a non-rigid way. The fibre cross section remains unchanged so it can pull through the concrete at high loads to prevent brittle failure due to fibre breakage and to promote high energy absorption. Although there is no secondary anchorage the hooks are specifically designed to maximise performance across the full range of concrete strengths,” explains Norton.

Aspect ratio (length/diameter) is a key characteristic in determining performance. Norton says that high aspect ratios lead to high performance, however, without collation (being glued together), fibres tend to ball at aspect ratios over 50. He points out that a length of 60 mm is the ideal for readymix concrete as it is long enough to ensure aggregate overlap and short enough not to block equipment.

“The fibres are packaged into bags of 20kg. The bags are degradable and can be added directly to the mix without being opened and each 20kg bag contains approximately 70 000 fibres. The paper bags are loaded into the mixer after the addition of all other ingredient,” says Norton.

CeMent & ConCRete

Steel fibres in concrete for strength and ductility

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bAr vS Fibre

Although the function of bar and fibre reinforcement is the same, the method of achieving it does vary between the two different types of reinforcement.

With conventional (bar) reinforcement, the reinforcement only controls the width of fully developed macrocracks that pass completely through the concrete section. “In other words, the reinforcement is holding together two or more individual pieces of concrete with the crack width at the surface being dependent on the cover to the steel, the spacing between the individual pieces of reinforcement and the stress in the reinforcement. Conventional reinforcement forms a continuous tension carrying element from one end to the other of the concrete element,” Norton explains.

In steel fibre reinforced concrete the fibres are homogeneously distributed right through the concrete matrix and are discreet from each other, which means that they work in a completely different way to conventional reinforcement in controlling cracking.

“Firstly, this is because of their small size and distribution, fibres control cracking at the earlier microcracking, or crack development stage, by preventing these macrocracks from developing into the visible macrocracks that will pass completely through the concrete section. Secondly, because of their discreet nature the tensile stress that has to be carried from one end of the concrete element to the other has to pass from fibre to fibre.

In fact the concrete matrix itself is involved in transferring these stresses between fibres and it is obvious that the average spacing between fibres cannot be too great if this mechanism is going to work successfully,” concludes Norton.

A note of caution: Not all fibres are the same and one needs to exercise great care in assessing tensile strength, shape, length and diameter when designing with Steel Fibres. Polypropylene fibres cannot do what steel fibres do in concrete.

AbouT ConCreTe lASer Flooring

CLF offers concrete flooring technology, specialist products and qualified supervision that together combine to produce high quality concrete floors throughout the world. With offices in Johannesburg and Durban and its ability to provide turnkey solutions through the use of sophisticated equipment and products, CLF is well positioned to service its list of national clients.

CeMent & ConCRete

MARCH 2013 27

In order to complete the homes, Duro donated a variety of high quality and durable steel door frames, windows and combination

doors. The project was managed by a women-only section 21 company SAWIC which provided supervision, training, advisory, skills and project management for the labourers. The project as launched to coincide with the government’s 16 Days of Activism campaign, whereby the aim of the project was to provide housing while raising awareness in the community about abuse as well as skilling unemployed youth.

In support of 16 Days of Activism against gender violence, an international campaign focused on raising awareness about gender-based violence, South Africa's leading manufacturer of steel and aluminium products, Duro, partnered with the Department of human Settlements, the City of tshwane and SAwIC to build and donate four two-bedroom homes in Sokhulumi village near Bronkhorstspruit.

MARCH 2013

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One of the volunteers from the Department of Human settlements helping in overseeing the completion on the house.

duro helps build homes in support of 16 days of Activism against women and Child Abuse

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Comments Chief Marketing and Sales Officer John Lamb, “The majority of our business is currently in the affordable housing sector or catering for people in the 1–3 LSM Category, and we therefore pride ourselves on supplying this sector with quality affordable products. Our slogan is ‘Building With Pride’ and we want that slogan to encompass all that we do.

It is just as important for us to provide for our employees and for the communities we serve. To see the absolute joy on the families’ faces, just proved that we are on the right path with regards to what our brand and company is striving for.”

newS

MARCH 2013

Bennet Maboa was born in 1951. Staying in a one room shack with his boy, Bennet’s son is his only caregiver after his mother passed away. He has been disabled since 2006 and receives therapy at least three times a month.

Aaron Mahlangu was born in 1962. He is the head of the household with three dependants. His wife is a domestic worker. They were evicted from a farm where they previously stayed and are now currently staying in a shack.

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MARCH 2013

the first 40m2 CMA house, which together with seven other houses, was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of human Settlements, the honourable Ms. Zou Kota-Fredericks on 10 December 2012 at Sokhulumi village in Bronkhorstspruit. other dignitaries attending the ceremony included Gauteng MeC for Local Government and housing, ntombi Mekgwe, SAwiC’s Gauteng Chairperson, Ms. Kelikile Kwinana, and the executive Mayor of the City of tshwane, the honourable Kgosientso Ramokgopa.

The construction of the CMA House was managed by Ms. Xoliswa Njotini

(Blondie) who owns and manages a construction company, Xolis Realty cc, based in Midrand. Blondie said the 13 people who worked on the CMA house were all non-paid volunteers, the majority of whom were women.

“Most were skilled artisans drawn from the local community,” said Blondie, “however, three were novices and they were trained in various aspects of house construction.”

Built using modular masonry and precast concrete building materials donated by CMA members and the CMA (Concrete Manufacturers Association), the house comprises two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen/living area. Of the eight houses built, the CMA House was the only one with a ceiling and concrete window frames.

The houses were jointly developed by the Department of Human Settlements, the City of Tshwane and South African Women in Construction (SAWiC) for disadvantaged members of the Sokhulumi community.

CeMent & ConCRete

First CMA House officially launched

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SAnItAtIon

MARCH 2013

the Geberit Group Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Project, in collaboration with the Mike horn Pangaea team, was officially completed at Port elizabeth’s Fontein Primary school and was celebrated with a handover ceremony.

With more than 40% of the world’s population having neither clean drinking water nor sanitary facilities, Geberit Worldwide, commits to an annual CSI project in a country

where they contribute to the building or renovation of sanitary systems in schools, thus improving the lives of many children. In 2012, South Africa was selected together with Fontein Primary School in Port Elizabeth. Geberit partners with Mike Horn and his team on these projects because of their expertise, know-how, experience and knowledge in sustainability gained over the years, which are put to the test under extraordinary and extreme conditions.

The project began in June 2012 and Geberit’s initial commitment was to renovate and upgrade the ablution blocks. The local and international Swiss team were welcomed with open arms, hearts and minds eager to learn and develop. While working closely with the school, Geberit expanded on the original project to assist in other areas. The 8 toilets and piping were removed and replaced with 30 Geberit concealed cisterns and wall-hung toilets for the 800 pupils. In addition MEPLA water supply piping and HDPE drainage systems were installed, several ceilings and the storeroom refurbished. The Mike Horn Pangaea team expanded and adjusted their scope of work, according to the school’s needs.

“Through the renovation process, learners and teachers are taught about hygiene. Education is one of the fundamentals in Geberit’s CSI projects. Another is sustainability, as we want the school to flourish and grow and understand the significance of sustainability. It is important for this message to be integrated on a deep level for both learners and staff members as it is every individual’s responsibility to take care of their community and planet,” says Dorianne Isaacman, National Marketing and Retail Sales Manager.

Geberit Worldwide is committed to community upliftment where they provide basic hygiene and education.

Geberit, as a pioneer and world leader, is well known for its water-saving, advanced plumbing and sanitary technologies. Founded in 1874, Geberit has built a reputation for sustainability, innovation, quality and reliability.

He who builds responsibly, builds sustainably and creates quality of life.

geberit revamps the bathrooms at fontein school in port elizabeth

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A completely new approach to returned concrete recovery is Re-con Zero, an innovative additive technology supplied by Mapei South Africa. This remarkable product provides a solution to

returned concrete within minutes, and involves zero waste and zero impact on the environment.

Traditional ways of dealing with returned concrete vary from environmentally undesirable disposal on landfill sites, or crushing the cured concrete for recycling as concrete elements, such as masonry blocks, to a capital investment in a treatment plant to recover the aggregates and dispose of the cementitious sludge. A new Mapei technology does away with all of these options.

For the past five years, the Mapei South Africa technical service team has been introducing the local construction industry to the benefits of the advanced building technology additives, sealants, adhesives and concrete performance chemicals that are available from the international Mapei Group. Offering market-leading performance and handling advantages, Mapei’s 1400 products are recognised throughout Europe, America and the Far East, for their adherence to sustainability principles as ‘green,’ environmentally friendly formulations. Mapei South Africa is a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa in support of the drive to ensure that all local buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way.

recover returned concrete within minutesReturned concrete is a reality and a liability in the readymix concrete industry. traditional methods of handling this problem have significant operating and capital costs and are increasingly in conflict with municipal environmental regulations.

MARCH 2013

CeMent & ConCRete

Using Re-con Zero, the returned concrete can be discharged as granules within minutes.

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Re-con Zero additives are used to treat concrete in the returning truck mixer where, in a few minutes, it is transformed into granular material. This is discharged onto a paved area and allowed to cure, after which it can be used as aggregate for a new concrete mix. No waste is produced during this process and the minimal washing the mixing drum requires produces a waste water that is completely recyclable as mixing water.

Treatment with Re-con Zero is a two step process: first a polymer compound is added to the mixer drum at the rate of 0,5kg per cubic metre of returned concrete. The polymers absorb water, swell and begin to dissolve. After four minutes of mixing, the returned concrete is transformed into a granular material. The second step involves adding a set accelerator to the drum at a dosage of 6kg per cubic metre of concrete. This contains ettringite-forming compounds that, after three minutes, provide enough strength to enable the granular material to be discharged from the drum and the truck mixer to return to service.

“Our products are the outcome of extensive research and testing in international markets and Mapei’s 75 years of experience in the building industry,” says Mapei South Africa’s Antony Offenberg, Manager Admixtures and Grinding Aids. “This means that when Mapei gives the assurance that the Re-con Zero treatment takes minutes, it means exactly that. When we say there is zero waste, it also means exactly that: no liquid or solid waste – even the product’s bags are water soluble!”

Since the discharged granules are a fresh cementitious mix, they must be allowed to cure. To keep the granules free-flowing, the heap must be moved within the first 24 hours to break the weak bonds of hydrated cement paste between the particles. Once this has been done there is no further risk of caking (sticking together) and the material can be stored and used in the same way as normal aggregates. Re-con Zero works with all types of concrete and research has shown that the characteristics of new

concrete produced with returned concrete aggregates are essentially the same as that of concrete made with virgin aggregates. One difference is an improvement in compressive strength, which seems to be related to an improvement in the interface transition zone (ITZ) between granules.

Re-con Zero reflects Mapei’s rigorous approach to sustainable development by responding to the three core elements of true sustainability:• Economic advantages for the customer:

• One cubic metre of returned concrete is transformed into 2,4 tons of quality aggregates

• Saves the operating cost of traditional disposal measures

• Avoids costly investment in treatment plant and equipment

• Environmental advantages:• Returned concrete is completely recycled• Reduces the use of non-renewable virgin

aggregates• Correspondingly reduces the transportation of

virgin aggregates since the returned concrete is processed at the readymix plant

• Assists with achieving targets related to recycled content in concrete

• Helps obtain or renew municipal operating permits • Social advantages:

• The absence of hazardous or toxic substances in Re-con Zero and its ease of use contribute to a healthier and safer working environment

“We are pleased to be able to offer our readymix customers a cost-effective, operationally attractive solution to the ever-present problem of returned concrete,” comments Offenberg. “Mapei’s market-leading products are uniquely ‘green,’ while introducing new performance benchmarks for speciality chemicals in the South African construction industry.”

CeMent & ConCRete

MARCH 2013

Simple steps to recovering returned concrete: Mapei Re-con Zero is added to the mixer drum.

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The RE1400 block making machine is the largest and highest capacity brick and block making machine manufactured in Africa, boasting a production capacity of 165 000 bricks, 105 000

pavers or 1 600 pallets of hollow blocks per nine hour production shift - depending on product, mixer size and material flow.

PMSA marketing and sales manager, Quintin Booysen highlights the fact that the RE1400 caters for the manufacture of high capacity, high quality bricks, pavers, maxi bricks, hollow blocks, retaining wall blocks, decking blocks, kerbstones and various other products.

largest block making machine in Africa built by PMSAthe largest block making machine in Africa has been supplied to the local building market by Pan Mixers South Africa (PMSA) - the largest manufacturer of concrete brick, block and paving making machinery and related technology in Africa.

MARCH 2013

MAChIneRy

RE1400

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"The RE1400 machine frame is constructed from heavy duty tubular steel, with 40mm hard wearing pins that are secured by integral locking plates and fitted to M40 self aligning swivel bearings for a trouble free, long life operation.

It also comes standard with 80mm hard chromed columns with split vesco nylon bushes and housings for easy replacement and maximum wear resistance," he says.

What's more, Booysen notes that a heavy-duty balancing shaft keeps the machine tamper and mould perfectly aligned. "Machine tamper and vibrator tables are precision ground, and either the two or four 7.5 KW single shaft vibrators are mounted on a single vibration table for vertical directional vibration, which is controlled by a VSD (Variable Speed Drive) for frequency control."

Booysen points out that the RE1400 ensures a fully automatic operation with variable frequency vibration. "The machine is supplied with linear and shaft transducers and encoders for closed loop control. Furthermore, it comes complete with a high performance hydraulic system, servo-proportional hydraulic valves and electronic control panels all controlled via PLC."

The RE1400 block making machine is supplied with either a P1500 rapid counter-current pan mixer, EPM 2250 or EPM3000 planetary pan mixer, in addition to semi or fully automatic weigh batching, pallet and product handling systems. Booysen continues: "All machine parameters can be changed using a touch screen interface while the machine is in operation. This means instant adaptation to changing moisture content and aggregate consistency without ever having to stop the machine."

Value added additional options for the RE1400 include; a continuous vibration system for frequency and amplitude control using shaft encoders; a top feed/secondary feed for colouring the top of the pavers with same controls as the primary feed box; and a SCADA system for visual, animated graphics of machine operation, machine parameter control and data capture.

To date, a total of three RE1400 block making machines have been ordered in South Africa, and Booysen is optimistic of PMSA increasing market share will continue into the future. "The RE1400 is manufactured to heavy-duty standards to ensure long life, high performance and the manufacture of quality products. The RE1400 is a turnkey solution for large scale concrete products manufacture for industrial, residential and infrastructural development. As it continues to rise steadily in Africa, I am confident that the RE1400 block making machine, as well as the full range of concrete equipment offered by PMSA, will be in demand across the continent," he concludes.

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MAChIneRy

MARCH 2013 35

MARCH 2013

Aggregates and sand from quarries and borrow pits are essential to keeping the country’s construction industry supplied.

However, careful environmental care needs to be exercised when operating these, as they are often situated close to built-up areas or near to roads and railway lines to ensure quick and easy

supply. As a result, community concerns need to be handled carefully and sensitively in order to ensure a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship exists throughout the lifecycle of the operation.

Director of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), Nico Pienaar, says if these quarries are operated correctly there should be little cause for concern. Aspasa members especially are required to work within the confines of the country’s stringent environmental legislation, as well as uphold strict standards imposed by the association relating to safety, health, environment ISHE and About Face programmes.

ConCernS were Founded

“Unfortunately the public has a right to be sceptical of new quarries within their neighbourhoods as past practices left a lot to be desired. Things have changed, however, and they are far less likely to get away with damaging the environment these days,” he says.

He adds that communities are increasingly aware of their rights and quarry owners have simultaneously become more sensitive to their fears. Despite widely diverse environments and similarly large numbers of operators, controls are in place to ensure legislation and standards are adhered to. They also ensure communities and the environment aren’t negatively impacted and that quarries can operate unimpeded.

Guidelines do exist both from a legislative point, as well as from the association’s ISHE/About Face standards. They can assist communities, as well as the operators involved, to ensure planning, development, operation, rehabilitation and final decommissioning of quarries and borrow pits are done correctly. The following simple controls exist:

1. APPliCATion And APProvAl Several different Acts govern the approval of quarry operations depending on location, land tenure and likely impact.

These, in turn, determine the approval procedure to be followed and the degree of detail which must be provided in a licence application.

2. PlAnning And develoPMenT

Site planning needs to be done in association with a development application supported by all relevant information required to get approval. Only once this has been obtained can the plan be implemented according to site development steps laid out. When these have been met the operation can go ahead.

3. SiTe oPerATion And ConTrolS

Once the quarry operation is in progress, careful environmental management must be sustained to ensure dust emissions and noise impacts do not become a significant issue. At the same time rehabilitation must be planned to dovetail with quarry operations.

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Sensitive quarrying required

Director of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), Nico Pienaar.

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4. reHAbiliTATion

This should be done progressively where the operation allows staged development and subsequent closure and rehabilitation of different areas. Or it can take place at the end of the total operation if it is a short-term project or staged development is not possible.

5. deCoMMiSSioning

When quarry operations and any associated processing are completed the area should be tidied up, all facilities not otherwise required should be removed and rehabilitation should be completed on the remaining disturbed areas.

6. SHorT-TerM AlTernATiveS

For short- term quarries and borrow pits the range and intensity of measures drawn will generally be modest. In these cases the staging of developments may not be necessary if the quarry or pit has a life less than one or two years, and total rehabilitation might be carried out as part of site decommissioning.

These basic guidelines should be in place within any modern pit or quarry operation. In addition Aspasa members uphold strenuous guidelines to ensure they operate in harmony with people and the environment where they operate.

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MARCH 2013

Consulting engineers South Africa (CeSA) is encouraged by the acknowledgement that the national Development Plan (nDP) is a roadmap for tackling the problems of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

“We are satisfied that the NDP will be used to determine a way forward for South Africa. This has been long overdue. We are also pleased with the establishment of a national Green Fund as well as an aggressive stance on the need to crack down on tender fraud and corruption such as waging a just war on corruption,” avers CESA President Naren Bhojaram.

He stresses that the infrastructure development programme has been slow to materialise and a strong need to focus on accelerating implementation was paramount.

However, the State of the Nation Address failed to acknowledge the extent of the lack of capacity in the State to ensure delivery. Stronger reference should have been made on the role of business as a partner to ensure effective implementation, engaging business in pursuit of solutions is not enough.

It is a step in the right direction that the government concedes that infrastructure development programme has been a valuable source of learning and in the year ahead, it will fast-track many of the projects that the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee has announced. The lessons are that the State must coordinate, integrate

and focus on implementation.

“Payment of small medium micro enterprises within 30 days was a positive statement that CESA welcomes, but this commitment should be extended to the business sector as whole and not just small companies,” says Bhojaram.

Stating that education was an essential service, which is something of a necessity, was confusing as the President did not use the term ‘designate’ and even more confusing was the statement that teachers will still have the right to strike.

CESA is of the view that the President should designate teaching as an essential service whilst acknowledging that teachers have a right to lobby and engage with their employer in a manner which is appropriate to the teaching profession.

The approach used by teachers in lobbying their employer is in itself teaching by example that striking and “throwing one’s toys out of the cot” is not the only way to engage.

CeSA reacts to the state of the nation address

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MARCH 2013

Atlas Copco launches a range of four rig-mounted bucket crushers for efficient and economic recycling of all types of inert material on site. Asphalt, stone and concrete debris, as well as mine and quarry material can be crushed and directly re-used on site or sold to third parties.

Rig-mounted bucket crushers are an answer to the EU directive on waste management that demands a recycling quota of 70% for construction and demolition waste by year 2020. Atlas Copco bucket

crushers reduce the mechanical equipment on site, as well as transportation and dumpsite cost. They can be employed at all urban worksites, especially in confined conditions.

Hydraulic bucket crushers from Atlas Copco offer a wide aperture bucket with large capacity. The output size can be easily adjusted from 20-120 mm (BC 1500: 20-100mm).

The range follows the strategy of lower cost of ownership which is common in all hydraulic attachments from Atlas Copco. Bucket crushers require low maintenance: a 30 hour greasing interval and only two grease points are the standard maintenance.

All crucial parts are long-lasting even under extreme stresses. The bucket jaws, which take the most stresses, follow a clever wear part concept. They can be inverted, top and bottom jaws can be exchanged or single jaws can be rotated by 180 degrees to also use the rear part.

The bucket crusher range consists of four types of 1500 – 4900 kg service weight which can be used on any excavator larger than 12 tons.

Atlas Copco is an industrial group with world-leading positions in compressors, expanders and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. With innovative products and services, Atlas Copco delivers solutions for sustainable productivity. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 170 countries. In 2011, Atlas Copco had 37 500 employees and revenues of BSEK 81 (BEUR 9). Learn more at www.atlascopco.com Atlas Copco’s Construction Technique business area provides construction and demolition tools, portable compressors, pumps and generators, lighting towers, and compaction and paving equipment. It offers service through a global network. Construction Technique innovates for sustainable productivity in infrastructure, civil works and road construction projects. Principal product development and manufacturing units are located in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, China and Brazil.

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Jointly presented by the SA Paint Manufacturing Association (SAPMA) and the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association (OCCA) of the UK, Coatings for Africa is backed by the Department of Trade &

Industry and is the largest coatings exhibition and symposium on the African continent. It carries the official endorsement of the Department of Trade and Industries and delegates from all over Africa and overseas are expected to attend the two-day symposium preceded by a gala dinner.

THe Four keynoTe SPeAkerS Are All PArTiCulArly ACTive in eCologiCAl iSSueS. THey Are:

• Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the Green Building Council of South Africa and a dedicated proponent of the financial viability of commercial green buildings;

• Prof. Angela Mathee, director of the Medical Research Council’s Environment and Health Research Unit, SA’s pioneering campaigner against lead in paint;

• Tony Mash, former CEO of the British Coatings Federation, and an international authority on sustainability in the paint industry;

• Clem Sunter, renowned ‘scenario planner’ in the corporate environment, who recently facilitated sessions on global warming in New Delhi and London.

The topics to be covered by the 39 speakers from all over the world also reflect the coatings industry’s global concern for environmental protection.

Papers will be delivered on, for, example, “Green but excellent” (Dr. Eugen Beketow of the University of Hamburg); “Responsible packaging” (Liz Anderson of the Responsible Packing Management Association of SA); “Low odour, low VOC paints” (Touria Gharrafi, an authority from Belgium); “Is a claim for VOC paints legitimate?” (Dr. Cor Beyers, leading SA polymer chemist); and “Binders for environmentally benign coatings” (Dr. Peter Mueller of Vortex Pharmaceuticals in the USA).

Other papers to cover ‘green’ subjects and compliance with future governmental legislation on the use of Volatile Organic Compounds in coatings, for example, deal with “Designing environmentally friendly coatings,”

“New waterborne resins for decorative coatings meeting Total VOC requirements,” “Formulating greener alkyd-based coatings,” and “Developments in matting agents to meet VOC compliant coatings.”

Apart from the sessions dealing with sustainability, CfA 2013 will also feature separate sessions devoted to Industrial Coatings, Decorative Coatings, Colours in Coatings, Pigments and Dispersions in Coatings, and Processing and Measurements in Coatings.

Danny Grady, SAPMA/OCCA Coatings for Africa 2013 Committee chairperson, says as a result of the DTI support, there will be strong attendance by trade delegations from sub-Saharan states. OCCA’s links with many trade and technical associations all over the world have already attracted many delegates from overseas.

“Furthermore, the format of Coatings for Africa will this year accommodate a greater commercial element in addition to its traditional technology transfer element, so this promises to be the most important event yet for the African coatings industry. SAPMA has for long called on members to become more global players, so this will be an important opportunity for local companies to extend their activities beyond our borders,” Grady stated.

Paint sector’s environmental challenges to dominate Coatings for Africa 2013the growing emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability issues in the paint and coatings industry has inspired ‘Creating a Green Future’ as theme of the Coatings for Africa (CfA) 2013 to be held at Gallagher estate from May 21 to 23 this year.

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26 February 2013 11:32:21 AM