May 2023 Vol 31 No 4

Sivili Inzhiniyeringi

PORT OF DURBAN HISTORY OF THE DEEP DIVE INTO

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CONSTRUCTION MAFIA
Illicit business forums in South Africa: a survey – Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

IN BRIEF
Business interruption, natural catastrophes rank top risks for the construction sector . . . . . . . 43

Loadshedding strangling SA construction sector growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

New CSIR testbed to boost local energy storage solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

P16
Design features of new KZN maritime school promote study-life balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Ennerdale collapse: who is responsible for safety on landfill sites? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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SAICE AND PROFESSIONAL NEWS

Meet SAICE’s 2023 Limpopo Branch Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 P22
The SAICE 2023 National IP Showdown – an incubator of engineering research excellence . . . . . . 50

SAICE Training Calendar 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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O N T H E COV E R

Specialist in-situ soil testing solutions

The Mukona Group is an accredited Level 1 B-BBEE South African-owned engineering company providing
turnkey geotechnical engineering services to the mining, public and private sectors. Having invested heavily in
skills and equipment, the Group is able to offer specialised solutions for small to large geotechnical projects.

T
he Mukona Group opened its doors in 2017 as a general
civil and geotechnical engineering consulting firm. Today
the Group employs around 150 people and is split into
three key divisions: Mukona Consulting Engineers, Mukona
Geotechnics, and Mukona In Situ.

MUKONA IN SITU
With the introduction of the new Global Industry Standard on
Tailings Management (GISTM), Mukona In Situ has found itself
hard at work assisting mines with geotechnical in-situ testing to
ensure they comply with the latest standards.
The division was started in 2019 in partnership with UK-
based company In Situ Site Investigation and offers geotechnical
and geo-environmental site investigation, specialising in cone
penetration testing (CPTu) techniques, pressure meter testing,
electric vane shear testing, cone resistivity testing, MOSTAP
sampling and flat dilatometer with seismic testing (SDMT) to
characterise the in-situ state of the ground.
The division works extensively in the mining and civil
engineering industry, providing specialised testing services for In‑situ testing is conducted by trained
many of South Africa’s large mining and consulting engineering civil technicians and engineering geologists
companies. It has also worked on a variety of projects in Southern
Africa, East Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Mukona also recently introduced hydraulic motors for the an-
“The Mukona In Situ division has invested heavily in high- choring, reducing anchoring time from half a day to 6 minutes.
quality, cutting-edge technologies and equipment which, com- “We often see smaller CPTu rigs being used, which can be
bined with highly skilled and trained field staff, quick response problematic when faced with hard cemented materials in old tail-
times and quality reporting, provide our clients with accurate ings dams. Such materials can obscure what lies beneath them,
and reliable data, ensuring we meet each client’s unique service making it difficult to assess the situation accurately. By contrast,
requirements,” says Solly Phalanndwa, Mukona Group’s Founder our 20 ton rigs can penetrate even the toughest cementitious
and Managing Director. layers, with a refusal rate of up to 50 MPa. This capability is
particularly vital for older tailings facilities that can be as tall as
SPECIALISED TESTING AND EQUIPMENT 50 m,” explains Phalanndwa.
A valuable tool for geotechnical investigation and design, the The CPTu test also includes several modules that provide ad-
CPTu is an in-situ testing method that involves pushing a cone ditional information. The company has six sets of seismic CPTu
into the soil at a constant rate of penetration while measuring modules which are used to measure the shear wave velocity of
the resistance encountered by the cone. The test provides the soil by generating an acoustic signal and measuring the time
continuous data that can be used to estimate soil properties and it takes for the signal to travel through the soil. The shear wave
geotechnical parameters, such as shear strength, stiffness, and velocity is an important parameter for seismic analysis and can be
permeability. used to estimate soil stiffness and damping characteristics. This
Mukona In Situ has six CPTu rigs available, three of which module is particularly useful for assessing liquefaction potential
have a ram thrust capacity of up to 20 tons. These include a and for designing structures that are sensitive to soil liquefaction.
Bergman Selzer tracked rig, a dozer-mounted rig and a trailer- The electronic vane shear test (Icone Vane) module is used
mounted rig. The division also has three 1.5 ton track-mounted to measure the undrained shear strength of the soil, which is an
Pagani rigs capable of pushing up to 16 tons. important parameter for soil stability analysis and is particularly
Notably, the trailer-mounted CPTu rig uses four anchoring useful for assessing the stability of soft or sensitive soils.
points – two in the front and two in the back – rather than two The piston (MOSTAP) sampling module is used to collect
in order to achieve greater pushing capacity of up to 20 tons. undisturbed soil samples for laboratory testing. The sample is

4 May 2023 Civil Engineering

typically 3 cm to 4 cm in diameter and can be used to determine
the soil’s physical and mechanical properties, such as perme-
ability, compressibility, and strength.
Mukona’s latest offerings is the addition of a conductivity
module behind the cone to measure the resistivity properties of
the ground. “This is a very rare test, and I believe we have the only
module in the country. We are currently in the process of pur-
chasing a second one to expand our offering,” Phalanndwa adds.
Lastly, the division offers vibrating wire piezometers for
remote monitoring of groundwater levels at tailings dams.
All in-situ testing is conducted by trained civil technicians
and engineering geologists who, after ensuring they have col-
lected good quality data, pass it on Mukona’s team of geotechnical
engineers for analysis and reporting to the client. “In addition,
we provide our clients with a complimentary service where our
engineers will train their in-house staff on how to process and
analyse the data,” says Phalanndwa.
There is currently a significant demand for soil testing, driven Geotechnical investigations
in part by the new GISTM, and the company has a significant underway on SANRAL’s N2
pipeline of work both locally and in Africa. Mukona In Situ is cur- Wild Coast Road Project packages
rently undertaking testing and instrumentation installation for
several large mining houses including Sibanye Stillwater, Anglo
American, Foskor, Zimplats and Debswana.
Phalanndwa notes the importance of health and safety on
mines, in response to which the Mukona Group has created a
fully-fledged health and safety department that ensures that
the requisite documentation and procedures are followed for all
teams conducting testing on mine sites.

OTHER DIVISIONS
The consulting side of the business, Mukona Consulting
Engineers, has its roots in the company’s initial foundations and
is registered with Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA).
The business offers a wide range of cost-effective civil, structural
and geotechnical consulting services to consulting engineers, Town and was well attended by industry practitioners. According
contractors, mines, as well as private and public companies using to Phalanndwa there has since been a huge demand for this kind
state-of-the-art software including Plaxis 2D, Plaxis 3D, L-Pile of training and Mukona is looking into hosting another course on
and Midas GTS NX. the topic.
Mukona Geotechnics was launched in November 2018 to pro-
vide specialised geotechnical services to a range of customers in TURNKEY SOLUTIONS
the mining and civil engineering industries. Home to around 80% What sets the Mukona Group apart is its ability to offer complete
of the Mukona Group’s staff complement, Mukona Geotechnics geotechnical turnkey solutions. Through the strategic alliance
performs site investigations, geotechnical drilling, installation of of its three divisions, the Group offers “cradle to grave” solutions
pile foundations and lateral support, ground improvements, and for small to large projects, specialising in development planning
construction supervision for geotechnical engineering projects. and project management, project appraisal and feasibility studies,
The division was recently awarded a tender for geotechnical project definition, scope and briefing, contract administration as
investigations of SANRAL’s N2 Wild Coast Road Project packages well as engineering works site supervision.
1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 in the Eastern Cape. The 30-month project will “At Mukona, we don’t just investigate; we also design and exe-
require 20 drill rigs between the packages. The N2 Wild Coast cute projects, which means we have a thorough understanding of
Road Project aims to improve the travel time between Durban the end product and its performance in the ground. Our turnkey
and East London. solutions enable us to deliver the most suitable and cost-effective
The consulting and geotechnical divisions are both ISO outcomes to our clients by comprehensively assessing the geo-
9001:2015 accredited and in the process of obtaining 45001:2018 technical conditions and identifying the optimal solutions,” says
certification. Phalanndwa.
The Mukona Group is dedicated to growing the knowledge
base in South Africa and in 2020 the company organised a For more information
first-of-a-kind in-situ testing course in South Africa. The course, www.mukonagroup.com
which featured three international experts, was presented at the [email protected]
+27 (0)11 443 8293
Universities of the Witwatersrand, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape

Civil Engineering May 2023 5

QUIZ

Celebrating our latest winner

T
sepo Emmanuel Khoase was thrilled to win
SAICE’s latest Know Your Sector competition
because he will be graduating this month.
Currently based in Johannesburg, he plans to use the
R10 000 prize money to cover the costs of travel and
accommodation to attend his graduation ceremony
in Durban.
Tsepo completed his Bachelor of Engineering
Technology in Civil Engineering at the Durban
University of Technology last year and has been
actively seeking employment since. He appeals to
all employers to give graduates like himself a chance
to prove their worth, despite not having any work
experience.
“Please make more internship opportunities avail-
able and help fight the high unemployment rate in
our country,” he said.
Tsepo is particularly interested in road, water,
and wastewater engineering and is passionate about
making a positive impact in the world by reducing
poverty. “Being a part of the built environment
allows me to contribute to society’s most pressing
issues such as access to clean water, housing, and safe
roads,” he says.
By pursuing his goals, Tsepo hopes to not only
succeed in his career but also to make a difference in
the world around him.

Know Your Sector Competition

Stand a chance to win R10 000 in cash!
In this month’s edition of Civil Engineering we are continuing our Fun Quiz to promote knowledge of our industry service providers. Simply click on
the adverts (or the logos) of the participating companies to access their websites, and then search for the answers to the following questions:

Q1: Thero Services Q2: Sizabantu Q3: Mukona Group

Thero Services provides OHS, environmental, Sizabantu Piping Systems is celebrating its Which in-situ test does Mukona offer to
social, and sustainability solutions in the _____ birthday this year. measure cohesion and friction angle?
__________ sector(s).

TO ENTER: Scan or click on the QR code to submit CLICK PS: Advertisers who wish to capitalise on the reader
your answers (submissions, one per reader, will HERE TO attention here by including their marketing messages into
be collected until 15 June 2023, whereafter the ENTER our monthly Fun Quiz should please contact Barbara Spence
winner will be announced from a random draw). THE QUIZ ([email protected] / 011 463 7940 / 082 881 3454).

6 May 2023 Civil Engineering

H A R B O U R , COA S TA L A N D M A R I N E E N G I N E E R I N G

Developing a tool for high-level visual

condition assessment of seawalls,
boat ramps and tidal pools
Marisa Ackhurst Pr Tech Eng
Marine structures are usually affected by environmental conditions
Team Lead – Port Development that are more extreme than land-based structures. Concrete in these
Advisian (Worley Group)
[email protected] structures can be exposed to physical weathering, abrasion and chemical
attack. Additionally, they are constantly exposed to the chloride-rich sea
with associated wetting and drying conditions.
M
arine structures can be compli-
cated to construct as they are
located in or near active sea wa-
ters, which also leads to high construction Access
Vessel access 8
costs. Once they are in operation, they are
13
often required to be in operation 24/7. For Breakwaters
this reason, maintenance is essential to 2
keep them safe and operating without the Revetments
need for significant refurbishment or even 3
complete replacement. Unfortunately,
maintenance is something that does not
always occur.
In South Africa, the structures along
our coastline are typically managed by
one of two government entities, either the
relevant port authority or municipality.
Municipalities have indicated a need for
Tidal pools
an in-house asset management system Seawalls
17
19
for their coastal infrastructure. As a
start, they need an initial assessment
tool to identify which structures require
inspections by experts to plan budgets ac- Figure 1 City of Cape Town’s distribution of hard coastal infrastructure
cordingly. This is where the development
of a ‘non-expert visual condition assess- Therefore, specific guidance for these There seems to be very limited
ment tool’ started, as a research topic three structure types can be beneficial guidance/tools for conducting visual as-
conducted as part of Zutari’s investment for the municipality to set up its in-house sessments of concrete infrastructure such
in its Technical Expertise and Eminence asset management system. In this article, as seawalls, boat ramps and tidal pools
programme through the Aurecon Design only the information required to conduct compared to quay walls and jetties, which
Academy, completed in 2022. This high-level condition assessments used are better covered.
programme is an investment by Zutari for developing the tool is presented. This Table 1 indicates gaps in the informa-
in its staff journey to eminence, resulting can be beneficial in developing your own tion contained in a range of local and
in impactful research that will positively assessment tool. international guidelines that the research
impact its clients and society. The conclusion from the literature aimed to address.
Our municipal coastal infrastructure search completed for the research is that It can be beneficial to have a basic
includes primarily concrete (reinforced there is a wide range of assessment ap- understanding of the structure type and
and unreinforced) structures. As can be proaches being conducted, with entities how it functions before you do the visual
seen in Figure 1, seawalls, tidal pools, and typically doing different things. There is a condition assessment. Information on
boat ramps (vessel access) make up the PIANC guide (WG233) currently being de- tidal pools, seawalls, and boat ramps is
larger portion of the infrastructure under veloped that may standardise the process. included, and photographs of these struc-
the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town. However, it has not yet been published. tures at Strand Beach, which falls under

8 May 2023 Civil Engineering

Table 1 Literature review summary
Reference Research contribution / gaps

General concrete structure types only, marine structures not a specific

South Africa

Fulton’s Concrete Technology 10th Edition (Alexander & Fulton, 2021)

focus.

TMH19 Manual for the Visual Assessment of Road Structures Parts A and
Marine infrastructure not included.
B (Committee of Transport Officials, 2018)

Ports Australia – Wharf Structures Condition Assessment Manual Structures such as breakwaters, boat ramps, tidal pools, seawalls or other
(WSCAM Working Group, 2014)* coastal protection measures not included. (*)

Waterway infrastructure related to rivers only. Port and other coastal

infrastructure not specifically included. The research countries include
Waterway Infrastructure Asset Maintenance Management (PIANC, 2013) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and
the United States. No developing countries (such as South Africa) have
been included.

Inventory of Inspection and Repair Techniques of Navigation Structures Specific recommended guidance on visual inspection of marine
International

(Steel, Concrete, Masonry and Timber) both Underwater and In-the-dry infrastructure not included. Focus is on navigation structures and
(PIANC Work Group 119, 2013) general coastal structures are therefore not covered.

CIRIA – The use of concrete in maritime engineering: a guide to good No visual assessment templates provided. Approach only briefly
practice (Dupray, et al., 2010) discussed.

Focus is port structures in general, basic overviews provided. No

Life Cycle Management (LCM) of Port Structures – Recommended
structure-specific information and procedures. Coastal structures not
Practice for Implementation (PIANC, 2008)
covered.

Inspection, Maintenance and Repair of Maritime Structures Exposed to

Coastal structures such as seawalls, boat ramps and tidal pools are not
Damage and Material Degradation Caused By a Salt Water Environment
specifically covered.
(PIANC Work Group 17, 2004)

* Note that since completing this research study the WSCAM document has been updated (Nov 2022). The new version includes for various general
structural elements, although not specifically for tidal pools, boat ramps and seawalls.

the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town, by water during high tide so that pool, and these pipes can be closed with
are provided as examples. it can be reached only by crossing valves, cover plates or other methods.
over a footbridge which connects These pools may require regular
TIDAL POOLS the pool with the land or by walking cleaning of slippery, slimy algal growth
Two types of pools (Scholtz & Bosman, through the water surrounding as well as shells such as limpets and bar-
1982) are generally used in South Africa, the pool. nacles to make it safer for the public. The
namely pools that are either fully enclosed 2. The pool has one side attached to the intention is that water is replenished with
by walls or those that are partly enclosed land and can therefore be reached at fresh overtopped seawater, however, some
by walls. In both cases, the structures have all times without any need to pass pools may require different measures to
vertical or near-vertical faces on the inside. through or over the tidal water. keep the water depth inside the pool suf-
The back or landward sides of these pools The concrete walls (mostly unreinforced) ficient for swimming.
generally consist of a sandy beach. of the pool are generally founded on Problems that may be experienced
The fully enclosed bath-type pools natural rock formations. The wall is often during the pool’s lifetime include
exist in one of two styles: sloping on the exposed side. underscour and seepage if the wall is not
1. The pool becomes completely isolated The pools are drained by means of founded on rock, as well as settlement of
from the beach when it is surrounded pipes positioned in the lower levels of the the wall or sections of the wall. The pool

Figure 2 Tidal pool at Strand Beach, Cape Town

Civil Engineering May 2023 9

A C D

B
E

Figure 3 Examples of tidal pool condition assessment checklist items

Figure 4 Strand seawall

A

10 May 2023 Civil Engineering

also needs to be as watertight as possible, Ultimate limit states
with the bottom of the pool above low
water level to ensure drainage is possible.
Sand entering the pool and siltation
can be a concern and in such a case sand
would need to be removed to ensure suf- Bearing / Foundation Sliding / Slip
ficient water depth for swimming. Deep slip failure
GEO (6.2) (6.3) (6.4)
A few photographs taken at Strand

Strength Verification

∆GEO ≤ 1,0
Tidal Pool are shown in Figure 3. These
example images show areas of (A) pop-

E d ≤ Rd
outs and algal growth, (B) segregation
and pop-outs, (C) previous repairs or Toppling / overturning Sliding / slip Toppling / overturning
modifications resulting in different aged (6.5) (6.6) (6.7)
concrete degraded to different degrees, ∆STR ≤ 1,0
(D) damage at joints, and (E) cracking.

SEAWALLS STR

A seawall can be defined as a structure

Wall failure Base slab failure Bearing Sliding / slip
that separates land and water areas and is (6.11.2) (6.11.2) (6.11.2) (6.11.2)
designed to limit damage due to wave ac-
tion, storm surge and water overtopping. Note:
EQU This verification applies
Seawalls can be vertical- or sloping-faced when the structure is
bearing on strong rock.
∆EQU ≤ 1,0

structures and can be classified as perme-

Stability Verification
Ed,dst ≤ Ed,stb + Rd

able (energy absorbing) or impermeable. Toppling / overturning

(6.8) HYD
The primary function of a seawall is
shore protection (Ackhurst, 2020). Their

∆HYD ≤ 1,0
Note:
importance can be vital when considering UPL When floating out caissons
(temporary construction Seepage
the protection they provide to land-based situation) this verification (6.10)
∆UPL ≤ 1,0

infrastructure, activities and the public. does not apply.

Seawall structures that are classified as Buoyancy and / or wave-driven uplift

sloping and permeable include armoured (6.9)

slopes constructed with material such Serviceability limit states

as rock, concrete armour units, flexible
revetment systems and stone-filled
Serviceability

gabion mattresses. Sloping impermeable

Verification

∆SLS ≤ 1,0
Ed ≤ C d

structures include smooth and stepped

slopes constructed with concrete or grout
Overtopping Settlement Tilt Cracking
mattresses. (6.12.1) (6.12.2) (6.12.3) (6.11.1)
Rock structures can be classified as ( ) = Section Reference.
permeable vertical seawalls, whereas Note that scour protection design is not included as it is seen as a preventative measure
in reducing the risk of some of these limit states being exceeded. It is discussed in 6.13.1
structures such as concrete gravity walls,
embedded (sheet piled) walls, or mechani- Figure 5 Gravity seawall failure mechanisms (after Ackhurst, 2020)
cally stabilised earth walls can be classified
as impermeable vertical seawalls. face of the wall is nearly vertical (with a undermine the wall. Overtopping of these
Photographs of the recently completed slight inclination landwards), in which walls during stormy conditions is often
Strand seawall, a vertical concrete struc- case it is called a steeply battered wall. minimised with specially designed wave
ture fitted with a wave recurve wall, are Gravity walls require good founding con- walls or is allowed for in the stormwater
provided in Figure 4. ditions such as rock, dense sand, stiff clay drainage design. Issues to look out for
The focus of the study was on concrete or improved soil. The backfill material during condition assessments may
infrastructure related to municipal infra- specified for immediately behind these include:
structure, therefore information regarding walls is either rubble or free-draining Q Loss of backfill through the wall joints

vertical concrete seawalls applies. granular fill to reduce the effects of tidal Q Settlement/differential settlement of

Vertical concrete seawalls are mostly lag and minimise earth pressures. wall units
gravity-type structures. A vertical gravity These walls are designed to resist Q Scour/undermining of the wall toe

structure is a structure with a heavy various failure mechanisms, as indicated Q Drainage issues related to overtopped

cross-section and vertical wall face that graphically in Figure 5. water

relies on the weight and frictional resis- The toe of these walls is protected Q Movement of the wall (tilting or

tance of the structure for stability against with some means of scour protection if sliding)
horizontal actions. Sometimes the front they are susceptible to scour, which can Q Concrete cracking

Civil Engineering May 2023 11

A B D E

D F

Figure 6 Examples of seawall condition assessment checklist items

Q Uneven areas of pavement behind Figure 7 Strand Beach boat ramp

(landwards of) the wall A
Q Damage to scour protection.

A few photographs taken at Strand sea-

wall are shown in Figure 6. These example
images show areas of (A) algal growth,
(B) previous honeycomb repairs, (C) blow
holes, (D) sand abrasion, (E) leakage at an
old repaired joint and (F) a stormwater
outfall that is buried.

BOAT RAMPS
Boat ramps are used for the launching
and recovery of boats. These ramps are
designed to suit the type and size of B
boats that will be using them, and they
should be located and aligned as follows
(Australian Standard TM Guidelines for
design of marinas, 2002):
Q Aligned into the dominant wave action

Q Sheltered from waves larger than

200 mm
Q Land approaches that permit queuing

without blocking other traffic systems

Q Water approaches of sufficient area to
C
allow queuing and low-speed manoeu-
vres without blocking traffic.
Photographs of the boat ramp at Strand
Beach are included in Figure 7.
The ramp surface is required to
provide traction for the towing vehicle
at all tide levels and a sound footing for
boat users guiding their craft on and off
trailers. Concrete ramp slabs should have
non-slip grooves moulded into the surface

12 May 2023 Civil Engineering

A B

C D E

Figure 8 Examples of boat ramp condition assessment checklist items

at a 45° to angle to the ramp contours to of lower slabs and marine and algal growth, To conduct an initial high-
drain excess water and debris and allow (C) clogged weep holes, (D) slab underscour
self-cleansing. Raked, rough-broomed and (E) wear and tear of the non-slip surface
level visual concrete condition
and other coarse-grained finishes without showing exposed aggregate. assessment you need an
deep grooving are unsatisfactory as the
coarse texture promotes marine growth, VISUAL (ABOVE WATER understanding of how the
and the surface may be smoothed by wear, LEVEL) CONCRETE CONDITION structure functions
leading to a slippery surface. ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS
The ideal ramp slope is 1:8, with the Condition assessment should be may need to take equipment along, as
ramp reaching a depth of -1 m CD. This conducted by suitably qualified and expe- indicated in Table 2. It may be best to
should allow for the safe launching of the rienced personnel, conducted at regular plan your inspection around low spring
boat into the water with a vehicle and intervals and recorded. To conduct an tide. When conducting the inspection,
trailer without getting the vehicle wet. initial high-level visual concrete condition photos and sketches for each component
The slope is still gentle enough to ensure assessment you need an understanding of are to be numbered sequentially for ease
the vehicle can pull away. Signs should be how the structure functions, as provided of identification and recorded on the as-
provided to indicate any loading limit for in the previous sections. When going sessment report form using pre-assigned
vehicles using the ramp. to the site to do the assessment, you identification numbers.
The ramp comprises concrete slabs
with kerb beams on either side. The con- Table 2 Site inspection equipment
crete slabs are generally between 200 mm Equipment
and 300 mm deep and heavy enough to
counteract wave action. Weepholes can be Light hammer / rod
provided in the slabs to reduce hydrostatic High resolution digital camera
pressures (Mackie, 2014). The lower slabs
As-built drawing / most recent condition assessment marked up drawing
can be susceptible to movement due to
wave action if they are not sufficiently tied Crack width ruler
in and protected with a rock toe.
Small ruler / measuring tape or other means to add to photographic images to show scale
A few photographs taken at Strand
Beach’s boat ramp are shown in Figure Tidal pools and slipways – something to clean marine growth and slippery surfaces
8. These example images show areas of
Inspection sheet and pen
(A) slab cracking, (B) differential settlement

Civil Engineering May 2023 13

Table 3 Structure‑specific defects

Seawalls Tidal pools Boat ramps

Differential settlement of wall units or paving Wall tilting Differential settlement of slabs

Erosion / underscour Erosion / underscour Erosion / underscour

Overtopped water not being drained away / Ramp surface slippery / cast-in grooves
Seepage of the wall is not founded on rock
ponding smoothed by wear and tear

Toe protection damaged Condition of handrail along wall Weep holes in slabs blocked

Movement including tilting and sliding Blocked drains Movement of lower slabs due to wave action

Drainage issues related to overtopped water

Loss of backfill through wall joints

The assessment can include a structure Q Comment on water quality if possible Committee of Transport Officials. 2018.
importance rating (marginal, useful, im- (is the renewal of seawater/circulation TMH19: Manual for the Visual Assessment
portant, vital) to allow you to differentiate taking place). of Road Structures Part A.
the urgency of repairs. These ratings can Dupray, S, Knights, J, Robertshaw, G, Wimpenny,
be determined based on the consequence Boat ramps: D & Woods Ballard, B. 2010. The Use of
of failure; for example, a seawall protecting Q Comment on the condition of notice Concrete in Maritime Engineering: A Guide
the public and landside infrastructure will boards in place indicating the load to Good Practice. CIRIA.
have a higher importance rating than a limit of vessels using the ramp. Mackie, K. 2014. Construction Aspects of Boat
tidal pool wall located in a secluded area. Q Comment on any concerns regarding Launching from Beaches and Ramps in
Furthermore, the extent of the defects can the ramp not being sufficiently South Africa. Civil Engineering, 22(4):68-76.
be considered, such as is done with bridge sheltered from wave action, making Owens, G. eds. 2009. Fulton’s Concrete
inspections (Committee of Transport launching difficult. Technology. 9th edn. Midrand: Cement and
Officials, 2018). The bridge inspection Q Comment on any traffic concerns / Concrete Institute.
document includes visual guidance on how blocking of general traffic / is ramp MarCom Working Group 103. 2008.
to classify the extent of defects. uniformly graded and easy to ma- Life Cycle Management of Port
Examples of concrete defects include noeuvre trailers / any obstructions to Structures: Recommended Practice for
the following (Alexander & Fulton, 2021): navigation. Implementation. 2008. Report No 103.
Q Cracking in reinforced concrete PIANC.
Q Cracking in unreinforced concrete Seawalls: InCom Working Group 129. 2013. Waterway
Q Effects of reinforcement corrosion Q Comment on any handrails / public Infrastructure Asset Maintenance
Q Surface damage barriers, if in place. Management. Report No. 129. PIANC.
Q Joint deficiencies Q Comment on the condition of access MarCom Working Group 17b. 2004.
Q Changes in member shape ramps/steps to beach. Inspection, Maintenance and Repair of
Q Concrete protection applications (if Maritime Structures Exposed to Damage
applicable). In-house inspection criteria and sheets and Material Degradation Caused by a Salt
Structure-type-specific defects may also can be compiled to ensure that the Water Environment: Revision of PIANC
apply, as indicated in Table 3. specific approach and concerns are Report by PTC II. PIANC.
Any safety concerns by the inspector addressed for these structures – that is, InCom Working Group 119. 2013. Inventory
should be recorded, and the necessary action until an industry specialist publication is of Inspection and Repair Techniques of
should be taken. It can be beneficial to re- available with a standardised approach. Navigation Structures (Steel, Concrete,
cord structure-specific items as listed below. These inspections form a valuable base Masonry and Timber) both Underwater
for planning and conducting maintenance and In-the-Dry. Report No. 119. PIANC.
Tidal pools: and remedial work. Bosman, D & Scholtz, D. 1982. A Survey of
Q Comment on the condition of notice Tidal Swimming Pools along the South
boards in place indicating water REFERENCES African Coast. Coastal Engineering
depths and possible danger of being Ackhurst, M. 2020. Design of Vertical Gravity Proceedings, 1(18): 151.
washed over the wall. Sea and Quay Walls. London: Institution of WSCAM Working Group. 2014. Wharf
Q Comment on noticeable siltation/sand Civil Engineers. Structures Condition Assessment Manual.
build-up within the pool. Alexander, M G & Fulton, F S. 2021. Fulton’s Sydney: Ports Australia.
Q Comment on any scour holes within Concrete Technology. 10th edn. Midrand:
the pool that may lead to a risk of Cement and Concrete Institute Acknowledgements
drowning by non-swimmers. Standards Australia. Australian Standard®
Q Comment on dangerous currents near Guidelines for design of marinas. AS City of Cape Town
Zutari & Aurecon Design Academy
drainage locations. 3962–2001.

14 May 2023 Civil Engineering

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Construction of new tug jetty
in the Port of Durban
Malefetsane Setaka Pr Eng
The Port of Durban has upgraded its fleet and is on course to acquire more
Port Engineer tugs that will be able to handle new ship sizes. This will aid in reducing the
Transnet National Ports Authority
[email protected] port’s turnaround times, retain business, and make the port more attractive.
However, the port’s current infrastructure was not designed to accommodate
the larger size or increased marine fleet, necessitating an upgrade.
Masupha Letsie Pr Tech Eng
Resident Design Engineer
Transnet National Ports Authority of its marine fleet, which will increase its initial construction, and there was
[email protected] operational efficiencies. This is aligned to no reason to depart from the structural
the Port’s strategic plan to have all marine system adopted in the original design.
fleet berthing in one area. This original design was therefore

T
he Port of Durban tug basin was replicated in the design of the new tug
designed to accommodate a 5.2 m PROJECT DESCRIPTION jetty. This design was also deemed to be
draft vessel. However, the new The project comprised two components: very practical in respect of environmental
tugs have drafts ranging between 6 m and the construction of a new 110 m long considerations, construction time and
6.5 m, requiring a jetty with at least 8 m jetty parallel to the existing jetty and the construction site constraints.
water depth. Furthermore, the port now extension of the existing jetty by 35 m. The The extension of the existing jetty was
has a total fleet of 18 vessels, including existing tug basin is being deepened to checked through finite element analysis
tugs, launches, pilot boats, a floating crane, 8 m to safely accommodate all tug vessels. which indicated that there were no
and work boat. The existing jetty only Activities within the project include sinking structural problems associated with the
accommodated 13 marine vessels, and the of piles, placing of precast concrete ele- extension. The design of the extension is
balance of the fleet had to be temporarily ments in the form of transom beams, slabs also a duplication of the existing jetty.
berthed in other areas within the port. and fender panels, cast-in-situ elements of
The draft limitations and berthing the deck, dredging, and scour protection. IMPLEMENTATION PHASE
space constraints necessitated the con-
struction of a new tug jetty. Once the tug DESIGN APPROACH Installation of piles
jetty construction is complete, the Port of An investigation of the existing jetty The pile positions were surveyed and
Durban will have sufficient berthing space indicated that its design remains efficient accordingly located as per the design
and be able to consolidate the berthing and economical more than 30 years after drawings. The positions were then veri-
fied before driving commenced by the
contractor and the client’s site engineer.
The piles were driven by a mobile
crane equipped with an 8 ton internal
drop hammer positioned on a jack-up
barge. The hollow steel sections were
sealed with end plates and used as
sacrificial members of the pile structure.
Prior to driving, the piles were plugged
with 40 MPa concrete. In cases where a
pile was too short, an additional tube was
welded onto the casing in a vertical posi-
tion, and the driving process continued
until refusal. To ensure the stability of
the piles in all axes during driving, steel
members were used to cross-brace the
four piles that represented a single panel.
The steel sections were trimmed to the
desired levels, as per the design specifica-
The completed jetty with tugs alongside tions, and a rebar cage was installed into

16 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 Figure 1 Installation of rebar into hollow steel sections

the hollow steel sections, as shown in

Figure 1. Finally, 50 MPa self-compacting
concrete was poured into the steel sec-
tions using an elephant trunk.
The new jetty comprises 38 piles, while
the extended portion of the old jetty features
12 piles.

Superstructure –
beams, deck and fender panels
The new structure was constructed using
19 precast transom beams, measuring
6400 mm × 1200 mm × 650 mm, and 54
precast soffit slabs, each 650 mm thick.
These precast units were of various
types, featuring different dimensions
and positions, as shown in Figure 2. The
fender panels were also of various types,
differing in size and location. All of these
precast units were manufactured off site
and transported to a designated laydown
area where they were offloaded using a
50 ton crawler crane.
The precast units were then loaded
onto a transport barge and towed to the
piling barge. Using a 180 ton crawler
crane positioned on the piling barge, the
units were transferred onto the piling
barge. The placement procedure involved Figure 2 Precast transom beams and soffit slabs

Civil Engineering May 2023 17

 Figure 3 Installation of fender panels

assembling panels consisting of four

piles, two transom beams, and three
soffit slabs.
To begin the construction process, two
transom beams were carefully positioned
and supported by steel collar brackets. A
surveyor then checked the vertical place-
ment of the beams to ensure they met the
design specifications. Thereafter, a rebar
cage was put in place, and infill concrete
was poured to join the two transom
beams. After allowing for an average
curing time of three days, soffit slabs were
placed to provide a working platform. The
Figure 4 Cast‑in‑situ concrete deck panel was then stabilised by cross bracing
the four piles, and precast fenders were
Figure 5 Dredging using cutter suction installed, secured to the panel by push-
dredger on floating pontoon pull props. A temporary steel grillage built
on top of the piles supported the fenders
vertically in position.
Throughout the process, the surveyor
regularly checked the positioning and
advised on any necessary adjustments
using the push-pull props. This process
was repeated for each fender panel.
Following assessment and approval by
the site engineer, the members were
joined together using a stitching concrete
technique. This involved placing rebar,
followed by formwork, and pouring in-
situ concrete segmentally to account for
expansion and contraction in order to
reduce cracking.
The extension of the old jetty followed
a similar process, with the additional step
of cutting the front fenders to receive the
soffit slab on the old transom beam. Both
jetties also included service chambers
infused as part of the superstructure.

DREDGING
To accommodate marine craft with a draft
of up to 6 m, the tug basin’s seabed was
dredged to reduce its level to -8 m CD. This

18 May 2023 Civil Engineering

Figure 6 Grab hopper dredger working in the tug basin

was done using a cutter suction dredger on

a floating pontoon (as shown in Figure 5)
as well as a grab hopper dredger.
Approximately 60 000 m3 of material
was dredged from the tug basin. 10 000 m3
of this was used to fill in low spots in and
around the basin, while the remaining
50 000 m3 was disposed of at a designated
offshore disposal site.
Material dredged by the cutter suction
dredger was discharged via a floating
pipeline into the low spots, while the
excess material was discharged onto the
seabed within the tug basin to be picked
up later by the grab hopper dredger for
offshore disposal.

Scour protection
The project required the installation
of an 800 mm thick layer of 160 kg to
400 kg scour rock protection at the toe of
existing berth structures to prevent the
displacement of silt created by vessel pro-
peller wash. Scour protection was placed
on top of an A6 geotextile layer along the
existing berths once the dredge design
levels had been attained.
Two methods were employed to
achieve scour protection: end-tipping
and barge installation. The end-tipping
method was best suited for areas with
sufficient quay space and without obstruc-
tions. Under the guidance of flagmen and
cones, trucks reversed to the quay edge
and tipped the scour rocks directly into
the water. The rock was then spread and
levelled to the required thickness using a
land-based long reach excavator.
For areas inaccessible by land-based Figure 7 Rock scour protection
equipment, scour protection was placement using split hopper barge

Civil Engineering May 2023 19

 stockpiled at a designated laydown area
next to the quay edge. A 20 ton excavator
positioned next to the quay edge loaded
rock from this stockpile onto hopper
barges. Each hopper barge carried ap-
proximately 10 m3 of material and, once
full, the self-propelled barge travelled to
the dump location to unload the scour
rock. The hopper barges were fitted with
GPS and would discharge into designated
dumping blocks. Similar to the end-
tipping method, levelling of the placed
scour rock was executed with a long reach
excavator mounted on a flat-topped barge.

CHALLENGES
During the execution of the project, a
broad range of challenges were encoun-
Figure 8 Levelling of scour protection rock using barge mounted excavator tered, including several prominent ones:
Q Subsidence occurred behind the
Figure 9 Dealing with sinkholes existing quay structure due to sinkholes
behind the existing quay wall
resulting from progressive leaching out
of fines. This presented a challenge for
the placement of scour protection using
the end-tipping method. However, this
risk was minimised by excavating the
material behind the existing quay wall,
placing filter cloth, backfilling with
suitable material, compacting, and
resurfacing (see Figure 9).
Q The design depth impacted the slope

level of the mole in front of the project

area.
Q Dredging needed to be done within

the small basin without affecting tug

operations.
Q Cracking of welds during piling

resulted in the ingress of water within

the pile.
Q The impact of wave action posed

difficulties during the installation

of precast fender panels, especially
during high tide.

PROJECT STATUS
The project was completed in April 2023,
with minor defects being attended to as
well as the review of final surveys.

Project team

Client Transnet National Ports Authority

Main contractor WBHO Construction

Marine sub-contractor Katlantic

Project management and site supervision Transnet National Ports Authority

Dredging sub-contractor Transnet National Ports Authority

20 May 2023 Civil Engineering

Design considerations for
sand bypass systems
Shivan Rambridge Pr Eng
Coastal erosion poses a significant threat, worldwide, to coastal
Senior Engineer populations and activities. Most port entrances are sheltered by large
Transnet National Ports Authority
[email protected] breakwaters that extend hundreds of metres out to sea, inadvertently
interrupting the natural flow of current (or littoral drift). These processes
Ashveer Sathanund
occur naturally, however, when man-made structures disturb natural
Engineer longshore sediment transport, accretion of sand occurs along the
Transnet National Ports Authority
[email protected] breakwater. Sand bypassing systems are implemented to mitigate
against erosion and restore the balance of shorelines disturbed by
man-made structures.
Maxine Jacob Pr Eng
Engineer
Transnet National Ports Authority
[email protected]

Sand accretion
Sand erosion

S
and bypass systems are usually
classified into the following five
broad categories which describe the
basic conditions under which the system
will operate (Loza, 2008): Direction of current
Q Purpose
Sediment transport

Q Flexibility

Q Operating mode

Q Operating schedules Figure 1 Example of littoral drift

Q Capacity.

Natural sand bypassing occurs where Figure 2 Eroded beach downdrift of a groyne
the longshore sand, along an open coast,
travels across inlets in the direction of
the net sediment transport. Sand bars
that form across the entrance of the inlet
convey sand to the other side when the
tidal prism of the inlet is smaller than the
sediment transport rate along the coast
(Loza, 2008).
Sand erosion downdrift Sand accretion updrift
Discontinuities in the shoreline, such
as natural or stabilised inlets and break-
waters, disrupt the longshore transport of
sediments. The presence of breakwaters
leads to accumulation of updrift sediment,
causing erosion of downdrift beaches due
to a lack of sand supply (see Figure 2). The
disruption of longshore transport can lead
to formation of sand bars that are haz-
ardous to navigation because they lower
the dredge depth of the harbour entrance
and may result in grounding of vessels.

22 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 Sand bypassing is the artificial transfer
of sand from the jetty fillets, shoals, or
navigation channels to downdrift beaches Main pump
JP 6 JP 5 JP 4 JP 3 JP 2 JP 1
station
to manage the issues associated with the
inlet or harbour entrance (Loza, 2008).
In South African ports, sand bypassing
operations are done in conjunction with
navigation and maintenance dredging.
Dredged sand is placed directly on down-
drift beaches or in the nearshore zone to Rock revetment

aid in beach nourishment.

Figure 3 Port of Ngqura interception mode bypass system (TNPA, 2016)
MOBILITY / FLEXIBILITY
To maintain port entrances and adjacent or a series of jet pumps that move along a Discontinuous or periodic systems
recreational beaches, sand bypassing trestle perpendicular to the updrift break- usually operate only when bypassing
systems have been used to bypass the water. This type of system is in use at the is necessary, or when a critical point
littoral drift. Various systems have been Port of Ngqura in Gqeberha (see Figure 3). is reached, such as periodic removal
developed around the world. Most sys- Interception mode systems function of sediment from a sand trap using a
tems fall under one or a combination of optimally when sediment is flowing dredger. Thus, the capacity of the storage
the following generic types (Loza, 2008): towards them (Pound, 2002). Artificial area determines the operating schedule.
Q Water-based mobile systems (which structures can aid this mode of operation Regardless of the preferred operating
often include maintenance dredging) by concentrating and directing sediment schedule, seasonal restrictions caused
Q Land-based mobile systems to the bypassing system. These systems by social, recreational, or environmental
Q Fixed systems (trestle or breakwater must be designed to operate over a period factors may affect the timing of bypassing
mounted). associated with incoming wave events that operations (Loza, 2008).
Mobile systems have physical plant or represent near-peak sediment transport
equipment that can be moved and relo- conditions at the site. The limiting design CAPACITY
cated to reach various areas where sand bypassing rate will therefore depend on The amount of sand bypassed across an
bypassing is required. When dredgers the estimated volume of littoral material inlet or harbour is a critical input to the
are used to capture and deposit sand moving to the system (Pound, 2002). design of bypassing systems. It should
in a bypassing operation, the system is Due to the nature of interception be noted, however, that bypassing ca-
considered to be mobile and water-based. mode systems, only a portion of the lit- pacities of different systems vary greatly.
If a dragline or a jet pump is mounted on toral drift is captured, and the system may Designers must consider the amount
trailers the mobile system is an example of not be able to handle the sediment influx of sand that is carried to the system.
a land-based bypassing plant (Loza, 2008). during maximum littoral drift periods. Analysing the sediment sources available
Fixed systems have the entire by- Designers are recommended to avoid de- and littoral drift is crucial to estimate
passing plant in a set location within the signing for infrequent maximum rates in such values. Tides, waves and storms
port. Dredger pump systems that operate favour of creating temporary storage areas also significantly affect the amount of
from a pier or platform are examples of that allow the system to catch up, thus sand that reaches the surf zone and is
such plants. Fixed systems require a high maintaining regular operation (Pound, therefore susceptible to being captured by
degree of predictability of littoral trans- 2002). In the Port of Ngqura, this was the system. Choosing the most suitable
port, movement paths and deposition achieved by establishing deep sand traps operation mode is of crucial importance
patterns (Loza, 2008). under the pier that houses the jet pumps, in achieving maximum efficiency.
giving the bypassing system a storage
OPERATING MODE capacity that allows for a more efficient SAND BYPASSING EQUIPMENT
Two operating modes are used to define a operation schedule. Components of sand bypass systems, cat-
bypassing system. The first is an intercep- egorised into dredging, transporting and
tion system whereby sediment is retrieved OPERATING SCHEDULES deposition, are discussed in this section.
from a predetermined location based on Sand bypassing systems may operate either
predicted sediment transport patterns. continuously or periodically. Continuous Dredging
The other operation mode involves cre- bypassing aims to substitute natural sedi- The first phase of any sand bypassing
ating artificial structures or sand traps to ment transport along the coast by assuring system requires collecting sediment from
divert sediment flow to a predetermined permanent bypassing. While designing an the seabed which, in the absence of a fixed
location (Clausner, 1990). interception system, a continuous opera- system, is typically conducted by means
Interception mode systems require tion schedule should only be considered if of dredging. Dredging equipment is clas-
accurate predictability of the rate of sedi- the littoral drift rate is near-constant, or sified based on the following type and
ment transport and direction of littoral if a storage area is included in the design method of operation:
drift. An interception mode bypassing and the system performs consistently at a Q Mechanical

system typically consists of a pump house relatively low rate. Q Hydraulic

Civil Engineering May 2023 23

Q Alternatives to dredging.
A combination of factors influences the Access deck
selection of dredging equipment most Pipe supports and services
suited for a particular project, including
but not limited to: 760 OD piles
Q Physical environment

Q Nature, quantity, and level of contami-

nation of sediment
Q Method of placement

Q Distance to the placement site.

Mechanical Dredgers Jet pump

Sand trap
Mechanical dredgers are used for excava-
tion and dislodging of seabed material and
are suitable for removing debris or hard Figure 4 Jet pump operating system (TNPA, 2016)
packed material. Mechanical dredgers
are well-suited to working in confined high-energy stream of liquid from a sepa- well-suited to protected harbour environ-
areas and include bucket ladder, backhoe, rate water pump to draw in and discharge ments. Floating pipelines can be connected
clamshell, and grab dredgers. the sediment material. on an ad-hoc basis when periodic dredging
In systems that demand greater is conducted to avoid prolonged obstruc-
Hydraulic Dredgers flexibility, submersible pumps provide tion to navigation (Loza, 2008).
Hydraulic dredgers utilise centrifugal an alternative to jet pumps. Due to their
pumps to induce a force to dislodge, relatively small size, submersible pumps Submerged pipelines
lift and remove material. This type of can be deployed with minimum ancillary Submerged pipelines can be used to
dredging and transport method adds equipment. Their operational perfor- transfer bypassed material to downdrift
substantial volumes of water, which mance is similar to that of jet pumps, beaches. The key benefit is that there is
results in changes to the original sedi- however moving parts and increased com- no obstruction to navigation, however,
ment structure (Pound, 2002). Transport plexity means that submersible pumps submerged pipelines do run the risk of
methods typically associated with are more prone to premature failure and damage from ship anchors or mainte-
hydraulic dredgers include pipeline and require frequent inspection and servicing nance dredging operations. Providing suf-
hopper transport, which allow for trans- (Clausner, 1990). ficient cover depth is therefore imperative
port over long distances at cost-efficient for a safe system.
rates when compared to mechanical Transportation
dredgers. Examples of hydraulic dredgers Transporting sediment depends greatly Discharging
include cutter suction dredgers, trailing on system mobility. Mobile systems are The point of discharge on the downdrift
suction hopper dredgers, and stationary able to transport large quantities of sedi- side of the littoral barrier is of critical im-
suction dredgers. ment to a selected discharge point, while portance to the success of the bypassing
fixed systems use alternatives such as operation and should take into considera-
Alternative dredging systems pipelines for transportation. Depending tion the general conditions of sediment
There are also various specialised dredging on the material, pipelines can be an inex- transport. The discharge point should be
machines available that do not necessarily pensive means of transporting dredged a sufficient distance away from the inlet
fit into the above categories, such as a sand to the discharge point (Loza, 2008). to reduce potential refraction from the
water injection dredger – a proprietary and Rigid steel pipelines have typically been ebb-tidal delta which could redirect sedi-
patented dredging method. Water injec- used for sand bypass systems, but high- ment toward the inlet once more.
tion dredgers fluidise or pump water into density polyethylene (HDPE) discharge It must be noted that the slurry (water/
bed material to behave as a liquid so that lines can also be considered. HDPE is a sand mixture) is usually pumped on a 1:3
sediment flows to a lower level (Clausner, lightweight, flexible material that, if ap- ratio, meaning that discharged material
1992). In sand bypassing applications, plied properly, can outlast steel discharge will flow and eventually deposit a certain
water is pumped into a perforated pipe lines. A combination of pipeline materials distance from the discharge point. If sand
buried beneath the sand. Water discharges on one project may produce the most is discharged in the surf area as recom-
through the holes at relatively low flow economical design. mended, waves will distribute sediment
rates, minimising disruption to the fixed along the shore. However, onshore disposal
bed (Clausner, 1992). Fluidiser systems are Floating pipelines requires use of land-based equipment
most effective on fixed bypassing systems Floating pipelines are usually used at (bulldozer, backhoe, etc.) to evenly dis-
operating in interception mode. sand bypassing projects that use floating tribute the bypassed sand (see Figure 5).
Jet pumps, also called eductors, are not dredgers. Floating pipelines may be raised Establishing a discharge point requires
reliant on moving parts to extract sedi- above the water line, allowing for easy use of statistical wave data, wave refrac-
ment from the seabed (Clausner, 1990). inspection and maintenance. Changing the tion and diffraction diagrams, and data
Jet pumps (see Figure 4) make use of a line length is simple and these pipelines are on nearshore currents. Alternative points

24 May 2023 Civil Engineering

of discharge closer to the barrier may also
be considered if structural devices such
as groynes or breakwaters are created to
impede updrift movement of material at
the discharge point.

COMMON PROBLEMS

Poor positioning of fixed systems

A common problem associated with fixed
sand bypassing systems is the actual
position of the system within the port.
Fixed systems must be placed optimally
to ensure that the maximum amount
of sediment is trapped and bypassed.
Poor placement of the system results in Figure 5 Bulldozer reshaping a beach profile
sediment moving around the sand bypass
system and accumulating in areas around can lead to unexpected breakdowns, positioning the sand bypass system
the breakwater and harbour entrance, as standing systems with improper and respective discharge points.
requiring mobile bypassing (dredging) to maintenance may experience blockages, Q Financial and practical operating
remove. Thus, thorough longshore and corrosion or sea growth. Periodic running parameters of end user: The design
cross-shore sediment transport studies of the system is important to ensure con- should consider both the long- and
are integral in determining the position tinued efficient operation. Furthermore, short-term viability of the system. Most
of a fixed system. Consideration should maintenance should be planned, and bypassing systems have a high start-up
also be given to sea level rise and its pos- inspections should be conducted cost and, depending on the complexity
sible implications on the final design of frequently to prevent major breakdowns and type of system designed, associated
the system. from occurring. high maintenance costs which may
become a constraint should lack of
Long lead parts CONSIDERATIONS WHEN SELECTING routine maintenance occur, leading to
Most sand bypass systems in South Africa APPROPRIATE SYSTEMS depreciation of the asset.
use internationally manufactured parts The design of sand bypass systems is Q Post-commissioning support:
and components. The lack of local availa- relatively complex and requires a multi- Designers should consider the level of
bility of these parts hampers procurement pronged approach with due consideration support that needs to be given to the
processes, resulting in extensive down for local conditions, user requirements operational team post commissioning
time of sand bypass assets. It is critical and capital investment. Based on the of the system. The end user of the sand
that local manufacturers and suppliers are research presented in this paper, some of bypass system will require consistent
consulted during the design process so the key considerations when selecting an training and support once the system
that replacement parts are readily avail- appropriate sand bypass system are sum- is commissioned. This many not
able once in operation. marised as follows: always be available locally, and knowl-
Q Localised expertise and parts: edge is lost as people move. It is en-
Training When designing sand bypass systems, couraged that designers and operators
Evolving technologies, often using process designers should incorporate locally ensure that training and succession
automation, assist in improving the manufactured equipment and ma- planning is in place for both operation
efficiency of sand bypass systems. For chinery as much as possible for ease of and maintenance.
instance, systems can be controlled by repair and maintenance.
supervisory, control and data acquisition Q Balanced municipal and dredging REFERENCES
systems (SCADA). The SCADA system needs: It is vital that the needs of Clausner, J. 1990. Jet Pump Sand Bypassing
is based on the equipment used. In some the local municipality and end user – An Update, s.l.: US Army Corps of
instances, the end user does not have the capabilities of sand bypass systems Engineers.
design expertise to understand how the are understood to ensure effective Clausner, J. 1992. Fluidizer System Design for
system is built. Provision of the operating collaboration between the entities Channel Maintenance and Sand Bypassing,
model, coupled with regular training, is involved. s.l.: US Army Corps of Engineers.
essential for operators and maintenance Q Extensive numerical and physical Loza, P. 2008. Sand bypassing systems, s.l.: s.n.
personnel to effectively operate the system. modelling: Designers should insist Pound, M. 2002. The use of Fixed Sand
on conducting extensive tests and Bypassing Systems at Tidal Entrances. s.l.,
Maintenance simulations to determine the volume Coast to Coast Conference 2002.
The importance of regular maintenance of longshore sediment as well as its TNPA, 2016. Port of Ngqura Sand Bypass: 9
cannot be overstated. Sand bypass movement. This will aid in designing a Years Later Coastal Engineering Seminar.
systems are used infrequently, and this fit-for-purpose solution and accurately Cape Town, Stellenbosch University.

Civil Engineering May 2023 25

H I S TO RY A N D H E R I TAG E

South African engineering in World War II

The Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli railway line
This article tells the story of a difficult railway line built by South African engineers during World War
II, a line abandoned soon after construction and now largely forgotten.

T
he project presented a serious To Aleppo to join the
challenge to the engineers in terms Istanbul – Baghdad line
of complexity, logistics and a tight Homs
deadline, but was pulled off successfully, 1050mm gauge
which earned an OBE (Military Action)
for their commanding officer William standard gauge
Marshall Clark. After the war, Marshall
Clark was appointed as General Manager of Tripoli
the South African Railways and Harbours
Administration in 1945 and elected as
the 46th President of the South African
Institution of Civil Engineers for 1948.

BEFORE WORLD WAR II

The coastal region adjoining the Eastern
Baalbek
Mediterranean had been highly contested
since ancient times. The development Riyaq
Beirut
of its early railways was no different, as
various countries vied for a foothold in SYRIA
this strategically important area. Before
we get to the main topic of this article,
it is helpful to note the key moments of Damascus
this region’s railway development prior to LEBANON
World War II (see Figure 1).
The first railway in this region, built by
a French company, was a line between Jaffa
and Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1892. The
N
gauge was 1 000 mm (to align with French
practice), converted to 1 050 mm during
World War I by the German and Turkish
armies, and rebuilt to 1 435 mm gauge
50 km
(hereafter referred to as standard gauge) by Akka ISRAEL
the British army shortly thereafter.
A second railway was opened in 1895
between Damascus and Beirut. It was Haifa
built by French interests to a gauge of Daraa
1 050 mm over a distance of 147 km, fea- To Cairo JORDAN To Medina
turing sections of rack railway in difficult
parts crossing the Lebanon Mountains. Figure 1 The railway network on the Eastern Mediterranean coast at the start of WWII (map
It had heavy grades, sharp curves, was by Johannes Haarhoff)
incapable of carrying heavy traffic, and
vulnerable to attack. 1902 on the Hejaz railway, a 1 050 mm a branch line to the Hejaz railway was
In order to ease the travelling of Hajjis gauge line initiated by Ottoman interests started at Haifa to join the main line at
(those who made a pilgrimage to Mecca) to connect Damascus to Medina over a Daraa in 1905, with the branch line later
to and from Medina, a start was made in distance of 1 300 km. At the same time, known as the Jezreel Valley railway. The

26 May 2023 Civil Engineering

extension from Daraa, which reached
Medina in 1908, was the target of military
attacks during World War I, later popular-
ised in the film Lawrence of Arabia.
Concurrently with the Hejaz railway,
a line of standard gauge was started by
the French to connect Aleppo in northern
Syria to Riyaq (earlier Rayak) to the south,
running through Homs, which would later
become an important railway junction.
Regular service on this line started in 1906.
Starting from Homs, the French built
a branch line of standard gauge towards
Tripoli in Lebanon, where the first railway
station was opened in 1911. Meanwhile,
the terminus of the Orient Express line
in Istanbul became the starting point of
the Baghdadbahn, running east towards
Baghdad. This extension, built by German
interests, reached Aleppo in 1912, thus con-
necting Lebanon and Syria with standard
Figure 2 The topography of the
gauge to the European rail system. area between Haifa and Tripoli
In 1912/13 a short narrow gauge (source: We Fought the Miles)
line was built from Jaffa to Acre (earlier
Akka) by Ottoman interests. Later, in commence with a new standard gauge line Q The 47th Railway Survey Company,
1916, during World War I, units of the from Haifa through Beirut to Tripoli. under Captain F Jackson, surveying
British military started to build a standard The new railway line was directed by mostly harbour schemes near Suez.
gauge line from the Suez Canal towards Colonel KN Simner of the Allied Middle The Commanding Officer of the SAEC
Jerusalem. A branch of this line reached East Command based in Cairo. The Railway Construction and Maintenance
Haifa by the end of the war in 1918. building of the line was assigned to the Group, Lt-Col William Marshall Clark,
South African Engineer Corps (SAEC) and fellow officers visited the area between
THE NEED TO CONNECT HAIFA, and the Royal Australian Engineers 24 and 30 September 1941. Their surveyors
BEIRUT AND TRIPOLI (RAE). Broadly speaking, the SAEC had arrived a week later on 8 October, followed
Figure 1 shows a clear rail discontinuity to build the southern 137.6 km from Haifa by the 39th and 40th Railway Companies
between Haifa and Beirut. To reach Beirut to Beirut, and the RAE the remaining on 21 October. The 38th Railway Company
from Haifa, a long detour via Damascus, 91.8 km up to Tripoli. It was to be built was held up and arrived at the beginning
along with a break in gauge, had to be to “first-class military railway” standard of December, but could only make a start
overcome. To reach Tripoli by rail from to take 20 tonne axles on standard gauge, in the last week of 1941 due to the late
Haifa was even more difficult. This maximum gradients of 1:5 and minimum arrival of their vehicles and construction
situation remained up to the outbreak of curve radii of 200 m. machinery, which were sent up by rail.
World War II in 1939, when new military The War Office added the stringent Figure 2 provides a bird’s-eye view
considerations were thrust upon the requirement that the line be operational of the topography between Haifa and
adversaries. within 18 months. The RAE was already Tripoli. Two possible route options from
The Allies feared that Germany and established in the region (the 21st and 25th Haifa were considered. The first followed
Italy could attack Egypt from bases in brigades of the Second Australian Imperial the Litani River valley up to Riyaq to join
Syria and Lebanon. Furthermore, should Force had just played an important part in the existing Beirut-Damascus line; from
it become necessary later, the door had to Operation Exporter) and could start on the Beirut to Tripoli it followed the coastline.
be left open for an Allied campaign into route survey immediately. The SAEC had The second would be to hug the coastline
the Balkans from the same area. Such a to transfer some of their units from their all the way from Haifa to Tripoli.
campaign would need much war material duties in North Africa, namely: Before the official authorisation of the
and the means to move it. The need for Q The 38th Railway Company from Addis line, the RAE Railway Survey Company,
improved communication and transport Ababa already in the area, identified a number
along a coastal railway linking the Q The 39 th Railway Company, under of obstacles in the way of the first option.
harbours of Haifa, Beirut and Tripoli was Major WH Evans, from depot con- First, the route would not run alongside
self-evident. Thus, for reasons both of- struction work in the Suez Canal area any nearby motor route. Second, there was
fensive and defensive, Operation Exporter Q The 40 th Railway Company, under a significant drop in elevation towards
followed during which the Allied forces Major AM Steel, completing the Lake Tiberias (at –212 m) and up again to
gained full control of Syria and Lebanon earthworks for a desert railway on the Riyaq (at 931 m). Third, it would require
during July 1941. This paved the way to east bank of the Suez Canal large rock cuttings through the Lebanon

Civil Engineering May 2023 27

 Mountains as well as a large bridge to cross the
deep Litani River Gorge.
The coastal option was examined next.
Although it eliminated the drawbacks of the
inland option, it offered its own challenges.
LEBANON
At a few points there were headlands where
high cliffs dropped steeply into the ocean,
Northern tunnel (L = 76m) leaving little or no room for a railway line. It
would require tunnelling, deep cuttings and
embankments that would put the tight construc-
ISRAEL tion deadline under even more pressure. The
positives were that the line would be close to
HaNikra headland an existing motor road, partially macadamised,
and that all rockwork would be in softer
limestone rather than the basalt of the Lebanon
Mountains. Everything taken into account,
the coastal route was recommended. After he
Girder bridge (L = 7.3m)
inspected the route from 28 to 30 August 1941,
Colonel KN Simner of Middle East Command
concurred, and a detailed survey was ordered.
Southern tunnel (L = 110m) The RAE surveyors started immediately.
The No. 1 Section of the RAE Railway Survey
Company set up camp at Achziv (earlier Az Zib)
on 12 September and commenced a location
survey of the NaHikra and Bayada headlands at
N the Lebanese border, while their No. 2 Section was
established at El Heri in Lebanon on 13 September
to find a way around the Chekka headland
between Beirut and Tripoli. When the SAEC 47th
Railway Survey Company arrived a month later at
100m both sites, the Australians handed over all their
data and calculations before moving on to survey
their own allotted sections.
Figure 3 The railway line around the HaNikra headland (map by Johannes Haarhoff)
THE LINE FROM HAIFA TO BEIRUT
The hardest nut to crack on the Haifa-Beirut
section was to get past the headlands near
the Israel-Lebanon border. These headlands,
stretching over 13 km, have been known
since Biblical times as the “Ladder of Tyre”.
The SAEC surveyors obtained two earlier
preliminary surveys as a starting point, namely
a French survey dating back to 1924 (of “very
little use” due to subsequent building and
development), and the preliminary assessment
made by the RAE just before their arrival.
Of the four headlands in this stretch, the
HaNikra headland (exactly on the border) and
the Bayada headland (13 km further north) were
the most troublesome. At HaNikra, the French
Bayada headland proposal, also favoured by the RAE, was to
climb to almost the top of the cliff to summit at
49 m above sea level with a short tunnel. This
option would require a steadily rising embank-
N ment with heavy earthworks.
The alternative was to remain at about 6 m
100 m
above sea level and skirt around the side of the
cliff. Whether it would be possible to do this
Figure 4 The railway line around the Bayada headland (map by Johannes Haarhoff) first had to be confirmed by survey, as it was not

28 May 2023 Civil Engineering

even possible to walk around the base of
the cliffs. Some surveyors were suspended
over the cliff edge with mountain climbing Beirut
gear, while others surveyed the cliffs from a
Kfarchima bridge
rowing boat during spells of calm weather.

38th Company SAEC

Their results confirmed that it was a fea- Khalde
sible option provided the minimum radii
around the headland could be tightened Damour
from 200 m to 150 m. The line could then Damour bridge
be taken around the HaNikra headland
with two short tunnels and some lengths of
sea wall to provide a narrow bench for the
railway track. Figure 3 shows the proposed Awale bridge
layout around the HaNikra headland.
At the Bayada headland, an additional
N Sidon
problem was that the proposed line had
Sataniq bridge
to share the steep cliff with an existing

39th Company SAEC

motor road. The French solution was a
long tunnel (more than 800 m) through
the headland parallel to the coast, which
would take too long to construct with the
equipment available. Another very dif- Litani bridge
ficult survey followed, which showed that
it was possible to cut a bench about 6 m
above sea level for the railway while still Tyre
maintaining a 1:8 batter to the road edge.
The 40th Engineering Company started on
Ladder of Tyre

this sea route soon after their arrival.

The proximity of the coastline to the Bayada

40th company SAEC

railway formation made construction
very difficult during the “terrific seas
Rosh HaNikra
encountered”. Moreover, construction had
to continue around the clock to stick to Achziv
the stringent time schedule. This required Nahariyya
lighting up the cliffs at night, presenting
an easy target for enemy submarines. The Acre
resulting security concern prompted the
Na’Amin bridge
Railways
British Ninth Army to order a change in
Paelstine
route that would require a 300 m tunnel.
The unexpected change in plan delayed
the tunnel for a few months until it could Haifa
be completed by another South African
unit, to which we shall return later. The
original route and the later deviation are Figure 5 The principal points on the railway line between Haifa and Beirut, showing the
shown in Figure 4. sections allotted to the different construction units (map by Johannes Haarhoff)
The surveyors had a start of only
ten days on the construction crews. Starting at the Na’Amin bridge just marshalling yards at Achziv and Beirut,
Along with the difficult surveys at the south of Acre, there remained 118.3 km of 98 box culverts, and 283 pipe culverts, of
headlands, they also had to stake out new line to be built by the SAEC contin- which at least 35 were inverted syphons to
some easy sections to keep the construc- gent up to the Kfarchima bridge in Beirut. pass existing irrigation furrows.
tion companies going at full speed from The full route is shown in Figure 5. It SAEC Commanding Officer W.
the start. The remainder of the line was comprised three tunnels, many metres of Marshall Clark had at his disposal three
relatively simple. A smaller difficulty was seawall, seven major bridges with 25 spans railway construction companies (a staff
to locate the line carefully through dense in total (which included the bridges at total of 460 men including 23 officers),
and valuable orchards, where surveyors Na’Amin and Kfarchima), minor bridges a survey company (74 men with seven
often had to work from the rooftops of with seven spans in total, about eight officers), seven Basuto AACP companies
double-storied farmhouses. The rest crossing loops, at least three stations (2 240 men in total), HQ staff of 13 (nine
of the line was level and followed the each with two 45 m3 reinforced concrete officers) and an average of about 9 000
winding coastline closely. tanks and a station building built in stone, civilian Arab labourers. After accounting

Civil Engineering May 2023 29

for camp, guard and training duties, this
left, at full swing, an active labour force of
11 500 men. The 38th Railway Company
was responsible for the section from Sidon
to Beirut and the 39th Company for the
section from just north of the Bayada head-
land to Sidon, while the 40th Company had
to complete the difficult section between
Acre and the Bayada headland.
Track and bridge materials were at a
premium during wartime. Most of the
rails and bridge spans came from second
hand supplies in India. Sleepers were
more difficult to find which slowed down
construction at times. Hardwood sleepers
from India and Australia were mostly
used, with the balance coming from
Turkey, as well as locally sourced Syrian
softwood sleepers.
The construction difficulties encoun-
tered at the HaNikra and Bayada headlands
deserve special mention. There were
several sections with almost vertical cliffs
which could only be reached via the railway
route, not from the side or below. Workmen
and equipment had to be lowered by crane
over the edges of the cliffs, in one case by
as far as 35 m, until these sections could be
reached by road tractors or construction
trains. At the Bayada headland, this situa-
tion persisted for seven weeks before better
access could be established. Figure 6 A typical section of railway around
Where possible, a narrow bench was cut the Bayada headland (source: Eakins, 1952)
into the cliffside for the railway track, often
in combination with retaining walls on the
downward side. A special problem arose
where there was not enough room to found
the walls at the base of the cliffs. Here
seawalls had to be used – in other words,
the railway formation had to be pushed into
the ocean. In shallow water, concrete could
be placed underwater during calm seas, but
there were some deeper sections (some as
deep as 2.5 m) where a more spectacular
alternative had to be pursued.
Large rectangular blocks of concrete
were cast on rock ledges overhanging the
bay, sometimes by as much as 35 m above
sea level. The blocks, each weighing be- Figure 7 A concrete block cast on the
tween 10 tonnes and 100 tonnes, were then edge of a cliff (source: We Fought the Miles)
tipped over the edge to fall directly into the
water, a process repeated until a continuous In one specific case, a crevice of 8.5 m the different elements of construction.
row of underwater blocks was established. was bridged above sea level with steel Figures 7 and 8 show concrete blocks,
Once the blocks emerged above the water joists encased in concrete to form the before and after being tipped into the sea
surface, divers went down into the water foundation upon which a retaining wall to form a seawall foundation.
with bags of concrete to fill the interstices was built. From here, many expert Arab The two tunnels at the HaNikra
between the blocks to form a firm railway stonemasons could continue to build headland (shown in Figure 3) presented no
foundation. “It was arduous work, fre- the retaining walls. Figure 6 shows a special difficulties. The southern tunnel,
quently delayed by even a slight sea.” section of the completed line to illustrate 110 m long, is fully located in current

30 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 comprehensively by Kleynhans in 2012.
Furthermore, a thorough account of the en-
tire line construction from Beirut to Tripoli
was told earlier by Eakins in 1952 from the
Australian point of view. For this article,
it will suffice to provide a brief technical
summary of the tunnelling work performed
by the SAEC 61st Tunnelling Company.
The SAEC part consisted of two tunnels
through the Chekka headland along with
the approaches, adding up to 6.3 km of the
railway line. The southern tunnel was 173 m
in length. Despite three large culverts, heavy
fills and deep embankments, it was “more
or less a straightforward job”. The northern
tunnel, which became known as the Chekka
Tunnel, was a much larger obstacle. It was
1 466 km long and ran roughly parallel to
the coastline, in some places barely 3.6 m
above sea level. Moreover, it ran partly
under the main coastal motor road with its
own tunnel of 457 m.
Two intermediate adits were cut into
the cliffside to open up additional working
faces. This made it possible to reach a
tunnelling rate of 15 m per day, which was
necessary to complete the tunnel in time.
The advances from the two outer portals
were the most difficult. The southern portal
could only be established after blasting an
extensive cutting of 91 m into hard lime-
Figure 8 A concrete block after being tipped into the stone, while the northern portal was under
ocean, viewed from above (source: We Fought the Miles) a scree slope at the base of a 182 m high cliff,
which had to be supported with difficulty.
Israeli territory and directly above a THE LINE FROM BEIRUT TO TRIPOLI Again, about six AACP companies
network of sea caves hollowed out of the The northern part of the line, assigned of Basuto, Bechuana and Swazi soldiers
limestone cliffs by erosive and chemical to the RAE, has its own large obstacle at with mining experience from the
sea action, today a major tourist attrac- the Chekka headland, roughly halfway Witwatersrand formed the backbone of
tion. At the northern exit of the southern between Beirut and Tripoli. It was obvious the tunnelling effort. Tunnelling started
tunnel a girder bridge had to be used to from the start that it would require special- in February 1942 and, after an “extraor-
span a narrow gorge. ised labour and major tunnelling. For this dinarily short time”, the completed works
The northern tunnel, 76 m long, starts reason, a short section which bracketed were handed over to the RAE for plate
about 200 m further with its southern and the Chekka headland was transferred to laying on 1 September 1942.
northern portals in Israel and Lebanon re- the SAEC for design and construction. As
spectively. The Basuto soldiers, mostly with all the SAEC resources in Palestine were FINAL TOUCHES
mining experience from the Witwatersrand, already committed to the Haifa-Beirut sec- It was mentioned earlier that the British
worked from both ends and made good tion, an additional tunnelling company had Ninth Army had reservations about the
progress in the limestone by jackhammers to be raised and equipped in South Africa. security of the exposed railway line around
at a rate of 1.5 m per day at each end. The The need for this specialist company the Bayada headland, and then ordered a
tunnels, embankments, seawalls, cuttings was conveyed to General Smuts on realignment to cross the headland further
and bridgework all involved handling and 26 September 1941. Less than two months inland with a 305 m tunnel. At the time of
carting large volumes of sand, gravel and later, on 22 December 1941, a company of this decision, the 61st Tunnelling Company
stones. The brunt of this work was manually 917 trained men and 1 100 tons of special- was at work at the Chekka headland, thus
performed by about 9 000 locally-recruited ised tunnelling equipment embarked from being a logical choice to also take on the
labourers, including some quite young boys, East London, arriving in the Middle East newly required Bayada tunnel. A section
who worked with hoes and baskets. Slightly on 12 January 1942. This logistical tour de of the 61st Tunnelling Company was
more than 850 000 m3 of material was force, as well as the work performed by the consequently dispatched to the Bayada
moved – 37% taken from cuttings and the 61st Tunnelling Company, is a remarkable headland during May 1942 to cut the ap-
rest used for building embankments. story in itself – a story fortunately told proaches to the tunnel and prepare for the

Civil Engineering May 2023 31

tunnelling operations. After the tunnels the more remarkable engineering connected to the establishment of the
at Chekka were handed over to the RAE achievements of the war.” State of Israel. Underground Jewish units
on 1 September, the entire 61st Tunnelling Q The Bayada tunnel, which was became more active and radical during
Company followed to work on the Bayada started later, was officially opened World War II and by 1946, when they were
tunnel. As with the Chekka tunnel, work by Major General FH Theron of the operating as the Jewish Resistance move-
commenced from both portals and two Union Defence Force Administrative ment, the railways, along with other infra-
additional adits. Tunnelling was more Headquarters, North Africa, on structure, appeared in their crosshairs.
straightforward than at Chekka, except 29 April 1943. On 1 November 1945 the first at-
that the tunnel was lined as it advanced Although not the primary focus of this tacks were made to the railway network
into the limestone. paper, the difficulties of operating a not in British Palestine in the ‘Night of the
By the middle of 1942 the bulk of quite complete military railway during Trains’. Further attacks on the railways
the work on the line between Haifa and wartime amidst shortages of just about eve- followed on 2 April 1946, destroying five
Tripoli was coming to an end. The exigen- rything are worthy to mention. The parts railway bridges and cutting the Acre-
cies of World War II called on the SAEC for the train wagons were manufactured in Haifa line. On 16 June 1946, during the
and RAE to deploy their forces elsewhere. Great Britain and taken by sea to Geneifa, ‘Night of the Bridges’, eleven bridges were
This left bits and pieces of unfinished in the Suez Canal Zone. The parts were destroyed, including the one built by the
work at several spots. awaited by a South African railway oper- SAEC at Nahariya. On 14 March 1948, a
The SAEC units working on the Haifa- ating company, ready for swift assembly. final blow was dealt when the tunnels at
Beirut section left site at the end of June The South Africans were a “composite the HaNikra and Bayada headlands were
1942. The unfinished work was at two of team drawn from almost every field of severely damaged in order to block a pos-
the marshalling yards, one at Azzib and railway enterprise, but with no experience sible Arab invasion of the State of Israel.
one at Beirut (for some unknown reason, in wagon building”. Halfway through Today, the only working part of the
the Beirut yard, originally part of the RAE 1942, they received orders to take control original line is a short section between
section, was transferred to the SAEC in of the Haifa-Tripoli line which was then Haifa and Naharia in northern Israel. The
April 1942). The SAEC handed over to nearing completion. They had to create, part of the line in Lebanon has also ceased
the Royal New Zealand Engineers (RNZE) from scratch, a complete railway operating operation due to subsequent military
to complete. system in the face of great difficulties events. Modern day tourists can visit the
The RAE units doing the plate laying – lack of locomotives and rolling stock, two tunnels at the HaNikra headland with
at the Chekka tunnel went to Africa and a a new track built under time pressure a cable car that drops visitors directly
detachment of the SAEC 61st Tunnelling not immediately ready for heavy traffic, onto the railway between the two tunnels
Company returned from the Bayada operating in the dark as engine lights were (see star in Figure 3), which is also the
tunnel to the Chekka tunnel in January not allowed, heavy rains with resulting entry point for the exploration of the
1943 to finish the plate laying and line a washaways and landslides, and incomplete famous HaNikra sea caves directly below.
section of the tunnel with concrete. With marshalling yards with no shunting en-
the Chekka tunnel complete, they left on gines. These obstacles were systematically ABOUT MARSHALL CLARK
3 March 1943 and returned to complete overcome and soon the line was running as William Marshall Clark was born in
the Bayada tunnel. By the end of March, many as 32 trains in a single day. When the London in 1900 and came to South Africa
the Bayada tunnel was handed over to the company was ordered to Italy towards the with his parents at the age of two. His
RNZE for track laying. end of 1944, they could transfer an orderly, father was an engineer in the employ of
working system to the British Middle East the Central South African Railways who
COMPLETION AND OPERATION Command. retired from the South African Railways
The major milestones towards completion as a bridge engineer in 1925.
of the railway line were: THE END OF THE LINE William, or Nobbie as he was generally
Q The Haifa-Beirut section was opened Following completion, the Haifa-Tripoli known, was educated at the King Edward
for regular military traffic, including line remained under British military con- VII School in Johannesburg before ob-
three passenger trains per week, on trol. After the war, in 1946, the Lebanese taining his BSc in Civil Engineering at the
24 August 1942. section was sold by the British to the University of Cape Town. On graduation
Q Tripoli was reached on 18 December Lebanese State Railways which renamed it in 1921 he joined the service of the South
1942. On 20 December 1942 the as the NBT (Naqoura-Beirut-Tripoli) line, African Railways and gained practical
Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli Railway was offi- at the same time terminating the trans- experience on various railway construc-
cially inaugurated. The whole line was border service to Haifa before it could tion sites throughout South Africa,
completed in one year and six months, operate in normal civilian use. moving up from Pupil Engineer, Assistant
ahead of the deadline laid down by Despite gallant attempts by the railway Engineer and District Engineer to be
the British War Office. Despite all authorities of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria eventually appointed in 1934 as Resident
the obstacles and difficult terrain, to realise their joint dream of establishing Engineer Rand New Works in Germiston.
the line progressed at an average rate a fully connected and coordinated civilian Here his responsibility was the doubling
of about 800 m per day. “This rapid rail network, the rapid demise of the line and deviation of the Germiston-Pretoria
railway construction through semi- soon thereafter was the result of larger railway line and the lowering of Mayfair
mountainous country ranks among political and military developments and Jeppe Stations.

32 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 He was recalled to South Africa Hyman, D. 2022. Rosh Hanikra sea
in 1943 as Controller of Ship Repairs, caves. Available at: https://youtu.
during which time 7 568 disabled be/_QX_iTQ--bM.
merchant ships and 2 649 warships were Kleynhans, E. 2012. 61 Tunneling company:
repaired and two new graving docks South African Miners in the Middle East
were built. In 1945 he was appointed During the Second World War. Journal for
General Manager of the South African Contemporary History. 37(2):52–70.
Railways at the age of 45. In 1948, he Ntabeni, N. (2008) Military labour
served as the President of the South mobilisation in colonial Lesotho during
African Institute of Civil Engineers. He World War II, 1940-1943. Scientia
retired from the South African Railways Militaria – South African Journal of
in 1950 and joined Anglo American as Military Studies. 36(2):36-59.
Executive Director. Orpen, N & Martin, H J. 1981. Chapter 23:
William Marshall Clark died on Railway Units’ Monumental performance.
26 February 1966 and left his wife and In: Salute the Sappers Volume 8 Part 1: The
two daughters. formation of the South African Engineer
corps and its operations in East Africa and
SOURCES the Middle East to the Battle of El Alamein.
Bailey, P. 2020. When the South African Johannesburg: Sappers Association.
Army Visited Rosh HaNikra. Available at: Parade correspondent P. C. 1942. Cairo to Calais
Figure 9 William Marshall Clark (source: https://www.peterbaileybooks.com/post/ Express. Parade Middle East Weekly. Cairo:
Transnet Heritage Library P0717_01) when-the-south-african-army-visited- Middle East Publications. A scanned copy of
rosh-hanikra. this paper of three pages from an unknown
In 1924 William married Iris South African Railways and Harbours Board. 1942 issue was obtained from the Israel
Stephanie van der Poel from Petrusburg n.d. We Fought the Miles. South African Railway Museum. The Parade was a weekly
on the farm of later Minister Paul Sauer in Railways. publication for the troops from 1941 to 1945.
the Stellenbosch district. Clark, W M. 1942. Haifa-Beirut Construction. Louw, P. A summary from his notes on earlier
With the outbreak of World War II in Unpublished report of the Commanding railway engineers, made available to the
1939, William was entrusted with the task Officer of the Railway Construction and author circa 2013. Pieter Louw was a civil
of forming and equipping the Railway and Maintenance Group of the South African engineer for the SAR.
Harbours Division of the South African Engineering Corps, dated July 1942. Siton, A. The Haifa, Beirut and Tripoli Railway.
Engineering Corps with the rank of Obtained from the Israel Railway Museum. Unpublished document made available to
Lieutenant-Colonel in which command Eakins, D. H. 1952. The Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli the author on 31 July 2020.
he served in Egypt, Palestine and Syria. As Railway. Royal Engineers’ Journal. June
the officer commanding the building of 1952. Condensed from a paper read before Prepared by
the Haifa to Beirut line, he was decorated the Kiewa Valley Group of the Melbourne Johannes Haarhoff Pr Eng, FSAICE
with the Order of the British Empire Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia SAICE History and Heritage Panel
[email protected]
(Military Division). on 5 September 1951.

Civil Engineering May 2023 33

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CO N S T R U C T I O N M A FI A

Illicit business forums in South

Africa: a survey – Part 2
Trish Armstrong In an effort to investigate the phenomenon of the South African
Lecturer
School of Law construction mafia, interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth
Varsity College Pretoria
[email protected] understanding of illegal business forums, how they operate, and their
scale of infiltration into the industry. This article forms part 2 in a series
that will unpack the research.
Jacqui Meyer
Programme Manager
School of Law
Varsity College Pretoria When I have attended to a complaint where the business or construction site is stopped
or closed by the community, I think it a because of (mark all applicable answers)
(130 responses)

P
art 1 of this series, published in the Other 2
April 2023 issue of Civil Engineering
(Vol.31, No.3), unpacked the develop- Extortion 63
ment of illegal business forums, also known
as the construction mafia, explained the Intimidation 65

research methodology used and introduced Businesses not doing enough

15
the various role players who were inter- for the communities
viewed. This article will explore the results The community’s right to be involved
18
in construction projects in their area
of the research conducted.
A serious complaint which
64
needed police intervention
QUESTIONNAIRES AND A less serious complaint which
PRELIMINARY INTERVIEWS 21
could be solved by talking
Three sets of questionnaires were sent to
A labour dispute 40
South African law enforcement agencies,
construction and development companies, 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
and illicit business forums respectively, Number of responses
with the purposes of determining the
extent of illicit business forums. Interviews Figure 1 Reasons assumed for stoppage/closure of a site
were conducted on condition of anonymity
due to the high possibility of retaliation.
I have seen an official policy
document/letter/operating procedure
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES issued by my department about how
An electronic questionnaire was sent to to deal with illicit business forums
17.7%
law enforcement agencies which included (130 responses)
security firms dealing with illicit busi- 29.2%
ness forums, the metro police, and the 7.0%
Strongly agree
South African Police Service (SAPS).
The purpose of the questionnaire was to Agree

determine the experiences, understanding 16.9% Neutral

of legislative mandate, training, and 29.2% Disagree
proposed solutions of on-the-ground Strongly disagree
operational members.
133 responses were received from the
following participants:
Q 30.9% security firms
Figure 2 The number of respondents who have seen official documents/policy on dealing
Q 23.6% metro police with illicit business forums

34 May 2023 Civil Engineering

Q 23.6% SAPS During interviews the law enforcers agreed Figure 1 shows the response by partici-
Q 21.9% security managers, centre man- that the syndicates use extreme violent pants when asked what they thought the
agement and others. tactics, with firearms and rifles often visible. reason for the stoppage/closure was when
Most of the respondents (77.7%) had more They reported that several people have been attending to a dispute. From the results it
than 10 years of law enforcement experience. murdered as a result, including an incident can be deduced that the seriousness of the
The majority of respondents (86.3%) on a fibre installation site where members of offence is not yet understood.
dealt with complaints where businesses were the construction mafia used a vehicle to run 40 respondents (30.8%) thought it
closed or construction work was halted. over workers digging trenches. was a labour dispute. Labour disputes
are not attended to by the police as these
disputes are heard by labour-related
I think illicit business forums in my institutions such as the Labour Courts
4.8% area of policing affect
and the CCMA. Combined with the 21
(126 responses)
participants (16.2%) who thought the
parties should have round table discus-
sions, it becomes apparent that this 47%
25.4% Less than 10 businesses
35.7% indicates law enforcement officers who
Less than 50 businesses consider these violent acts of extortion as
Less than 100 businesses not serious, where no police intervention
11.9% More than 100 businesses may be required.
22.2% Unknown, unsure or other 56.2% of respondents reported
received no training in dealing with illicit
business forums, while 30% said they
had received some training. Only 9.2%
of participants felt they were adequately
Figure 3 Perceived level of activity of illicit business forums trained. This underlines the urgent need
to focus on specialised training, not only
to deal with systematic corruption but, as
Obtaining an interdict against the highlighted by the Farlam Commission
illicit business forum will
attending to the Marikana mine case, to
6.8% (131 responses)
manage large crowds.
As shown in Figure 2, 29.2% (disagree)
and 17.7% (strongly disagree) of respon-
26.0%
dents have not seen policy documents
Aggravate the situation
and shouldn’t be done relating to how to deal with illicit business
67.2% Assist the business
forums.
When interviewing members of the
Assist law enforcement
various agencies, only Durban Metro Police
had a policy document and clear guidelines
on how to deal with illicit business forums.
None of the other metro police services
had policy documents or guidelines. The
Figure 4 Effects of obtaining a court interdict SAPS had an instruction circulated at sta-
tion level to inform provincial task teams
of cases involving illicit business forums.
Illicit business forums are my law No other guidelines could be produced.
enforcement agency’s responsibility
5.4% Respondents were asked how many
(131 responses)
businesses in their area they think are
13.7% affected by illicit business forums to
32.8% determine whether they understood the
Strongly agree enormity of the construction mafia’s il-
Agree legal acts. It is clear from the responses in
21.4% Neutral Figure 3 that law enforcement agencies are
Disagree unsure of or underestimate the severity
26.7%
Strongly disagree of the matter – 35.7% thought that less
than 10 businesses were being impacted.
Conversely, construction companies
indicated that they have to deal with
extortion at all their sites and often on a
Figure 5 Perceived responsibility of law enforcement weekly basis.

Civil Engineering May 2023 35

 Figures 4, 5 and 6 provide an indica-
tion of the perceived responsibility The legislation applicable to illicit
4.6% business forums is not applicable to
of law enforcement agencies and the
my law enforcement agency
impacts of relevant legislation and court (131 responses)
intervention. 14.5%
24.4%
The majority of participants acknowl-
edged that they have a responsibility Strongly agree
towards protecting businesses against Agree
illicit business forums. During interviews Neutral
first responders within law enforcement 31.3%
25.2% Disagree
indicated that they were instructed not to
Strongly disagree
get involved, that they are not mandated
to intervene, that it is a labour dispute or
that they are merely attending in a sup-
portive role. First responders were unsure
of how to deal with the situation and did Figure 6 Applicable legislation
not know which crimes were committed
on site or which charges should be opened Q The interdict normally helps. Q At a political level and with special
at a client service centre. A number of Construction managers always law enforcement sections, free from
respondents were afraid of the syndicates, compromise the effectiveness of law intimidation and charged and closed.
as they seemed “connected”, with support enforcement because they agree to sit Q Dealt with harshly as they are gang-
from political ward councillors. in on the meetings with these forums’ sters with firearms.
Lastly, law enforcement agencies leaders and once the demands are too Q Stronger action by law enforcement to
where asked how they think illicit busi- much or not met then the managers deal with instances of intimidation.
ness forums should be dealt with. The turn around to the law enforcement Q Police should assist. Security must get
following were their comments: for intervention. powers to deal with situations. Law
Q Community leaders should be engaged Q They should be prosecuted if they must change.
and make the community understand break any law. Legislation should be Q They should be taken to court.
the running of businesses. made to come down hard on this type Q Those businesses affected must be
Q Business forums should not be allowed of crime. The National Prosecuting willing to open criminal cases for law
to dictate how businesses are con- Authority should get more involved. enforcement to conduct their duties
ducted. This idea of forcefully taking Businesses must realise that they diligently.
over the projects and the contracts MUST make statements against Q Interdicts should be obtained by busi-
should be stopped and they should perpetrators before a case can be nesses and the enforcement should be
go through the same procedures like registered against the forums. done by law enforcement and extra
any other service provider. They must Q As law enforcement agencies we cost for armed security. Why should
understand that in order to get work, should not tolerate their strong-arm the business pay when all their con-
you must be competent and compliant, tactics. Arrest and detain, assist tracts are being taxed. Government
not intimidating. business with registration case and should provide protection.
Q Peacefully but with strong law obtaining interdicts against them, pro- Q Arresting and two years of
enforcement, harshly by the justice filing business forum members. SARS imprisonment.
department. should be instrumental in profiling Q We need law enforcement to bring
Q First the justice system must assist law their bank accounts and work closely them to book.
enforcement when dealing with them. with law enforcement doing lifestyle Q Needs to be stopped at the source as it
Q Politician intervention must be audits. is politically fuelled and allowed.
stopped because law enforcement Q Arrested and detained, police. Q Business should be closed immediately
ends up becoming a laughing stock. Q Persons responsible must be charged and people found should be dealt with
The forum must be dispersed, failing accordingly by law. the full might of the law.
which be arrested if they refused. Also, Q More training from experts with Q In the correct manner and fairness.
business or construction management regards to dealing with issues. Q They need to be outlawed.
must play their part and open the case Q Proper intelligence and strong Q We should get more support from
to make things easier. prosecution. high-ranking officers in the police.
Q Criminal acts to be dealt with by SAPS Q With a sit down and an amicable [reso- The National Prosecuting Authority
and cases opened and people arrested. lution] within the private sector. should also be more active in assisting
Q Appropriate action should be taken Q They are illicit and should be dealt us. We need to reassure the [complain-
against them and proper legislation with as anything else that is illicit. ants] that opening cases and going
should be instituted to control them. Arrests should be affected and those to court is the only way forward. I
Q Department of Labour in conjunction responsible should be dealt with in have been dealing with the business
with SAPS. court. forums as a primary function for more

36 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 than three years now. Corruption and Q Criminal offense. Q They are mafia-style operators, they
politics play a major role in how they Q There should be bylaws implemented are not interested in working, they just
operate. This needs to stop and they and also a code of good practice and want a share of everything.
should be dealt with accordingly. To there should be inspections done on Q They should be stopped as they dis-
me, they are a bunch of thugs trying facilities that are practicing such. rupt business.
to extort innocent people of a hard Q Should be arrested on scene in the Q Open discussions with all parties to
earning. Serious intervention needs to form of treason and extortion. have a win-win outcome.
take place or we will face a negatively Q They should follow the same tender Q SAPS/metro [police] should join forces
impact on the economy. process like other businesses. No to disband these groups.
Q Decisively. Arrest, charge, prosecute. negotiations. Zero tolerance since we Q A case of intimidation and/or extor-
Get Asset Forfeiting Unit involved. cannot be controlled or dictated to by tion should be opened by effected
Q Apply strict law enforcement. so-called business mafia who continu- business, so it makes our work as law
Q Educate the community. ously use bully tactics to get what they enforcement easier and for us to deal
Q Cases of intimidation opened and want. with same complaint.
investigated. Q Instigators should be arrested on the Q Community involvement by business
Q Each case is different and should be spot. owners.
dealt with accordingly. Q The relevant crime codes should be Q They should be charged criminally.
Q Special law enforcement units trained registered and the case investigated. These forums disrupt work being con-
to deal with this issue. Q Law enforcement agency needs some ducted by companies that are awarded
Q They should be neutralised completely training, be trained as well on how said tenders.
by means of law enforcement and to deal with political intervention in Q This practice is unlawful and that of
bylaws. these business forums. Court needs to “mafia” practices.
Q With the full might of the law. come and advise on the proper process Q If anything is done without necessary
Have mafia-like tactics that needs procedure for strong cases. documentation, they should be arrested.
eradication. Q They should be fined and their licence Q Needs to be arrested and dealt with
Q Strongly believe that there needs to be of operation taken away. accordingly.
a forum with appointed people who Q I personally think they have to firstly Q Businesses and law enforcement
represent the business or community. be defined as illicit business forums. agencies should be in partnership in
Q An official agreement must be drawn And then a strategic plan must be put solving illicit business forum issues.
up which stipulates and addresses all in place to directly resolve the problem Law enforcement should be educated
concerns including regulations that in a way that all parties benefit at the more on illicit business forums.
each party must commit and adhere end. This will minimise conflict. Q They should be directed on how a legal
to. This agreement should be signed Q Prompt intervention by designated business forum is started and educated
between property owners, managing SAPS/metro police units. on the repercussions of stopping
agents, developers, etc. which can be Q Law enforcement needs to stop this businesses and be made aware of the
reviewed annually. With this in place, mafia. long-term damage it will do in that
we can then liaise with specific key Q They should be arrested. They must specific sector.
members who would refer us to allow engage in a positive structured manner Q They should be handed hefty sen-
us to members of the public or busi- and enter into agreements. tences for their illegal behaviour.
nesses who meet criteria in the said Q Must be dealt accordingly with the Q According to the law – harshly.
agreement. From this, we would be assistance of the law. In most cases Q Key members should be charged with
able to appoint the relevant members. should be charged for high treason any crimes committed by their mem-
Q Rates, fees, costs should be standard- crimes against the State. Needs to be bers during any march/protest/riot
ised in this forum which would enable closely monitored. that was partially or wholly organised
us to work closer with the forum. Law Q They should be delt with in a neutral by the forum or that has direct support
enforcement can then step in if the manner and listen to both parties. from the forum.
forum does not adhere to the initial Q Open discussions between all Q Immediate arrests, no negotiation
agreement between the property stakeholders i.e. law enforcement, should be allowed between law enforce-
owners or developers. businesses, security, provincial gov- ment and business forums. Political
Q Any illegal activity should be dealt ernment officials/municipality to de- interventions as it is sometimes driven
with and have a serious punishment. termine and discuss clear procedures by politicians. Intimidation and extor-
Q They should be forbidden! Their actions for allocation of tenders and other tion are a crime and should be dealt
are monthly criminally motivated! interests that leads to conflicts. with accordingly. Any business who
Q Collect all details, save footage, report Q A specialised investigation [unit] allows themselves to be extorted should
to group for backup and advice. Report must be formed to investigate these also be dealt with.
to local law enforcement. Follow incidents. These forums are mainly Q Lock all of them up for blackmail.
necessary precautions. managed by the taxi owners associa- Q By Director of Public Prosecuting-
Q It is criminal and cases must be opened tions, and in many cases turns out to driven investigations. Should be
and investigated and prosecuted. be extortion. brought to book.

Civil Engineering May 2023 37

Q Their actions should be dealt with, if
it becomes criminal in any way, by law How often is your business targeted
by illicit business forums?
enforcement. 0
(13 responses)
Q More specific laws should be drafted
to assist law enforcement in dealing 0 23.1%
with this issue. Acts of criminality
should be dealt with decisively and the Once a year

justice system also needs to play their Twice a year or more

part in prosecuting offenders. 61.5% 15.4% Once a month
Q Stricter laws should be put in place and More than once a month
workshops provided to all police mem- Never been targeted
bers on how to apply and enforce the
laws which is then backed by the courts.
Also empower security members to
learn and assist in these matters.
Q Law enforcement and legal entities Figure 7 Number of times targeted by illicit business forums
must start doing their job.
Q They should be charged for rack-
eteering and the Prevention of As a result of the activities of illicit business forums, has your business ever
(mark all applicable answers) (13 responses)
Organised Crime Act (121 of 1998).
Q Zero tolerance. Harshly and quickly. Other 1
Q I think if the government can just Fiber-related illegal conduct 3
finish tenders and employ people who
Lost a contract or work 10
will work.
Had unrest near your premises 11
BUSINESS OWNERS Lost income 13
Interviews were conducted with thirteen
Had to close/down tools/shut your site 11
large construction enterprises. Nine
of the 13 companies were either 100% Lost man hours 12
black-owned or 51% black-owned. Due to 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
the violence experienced by companies Number of responses
installing fibre, two companies dealing
with fibre installations were included in Figure 8 Impacts of illicit business forums on companies
interviews.
Companies with a total annual rev- forums and have been targeted at mul- contracts and all of the companies lost
enue of R50 million or more are classified tiple sites simultaneously, as shown in income (see Figure 8).
as large enterprises. Exempted micro Figure 7. 46.2% of respondents indicated that
enterprises and qualifying small enter- 61.5% of the participants were targeted they had opened a criminal case, but the
prises (QSE) that are 100% black-owned more than once a month. During inter- way the police dealt with the cases pre-
are deemed to have a Level 1 B-BBEE views some of the companies indicated vented them from opening cases in future.
status and exempted micro enterprises that they were being targeted daily. These Those who did not open a criminal case
and QSEs that are 51% black-owned are companies have multiple sites operating gave the following reasons for not doing so:
deemed to have a Level 2 B-BBEE status. concurrently in different locations and are Q Police did not want to help.

A QSE is generally a company with an often targeted daily at numerous sites. Q Tried it before. Police refused to open

annual turnover between R10 million and 92.3% of companies reported lost a case. Said it labour and we must talk
R50 million. manhours, 84.6% had to close or shut it out.
All of the companies interviewed down a site for a period of time, 84.6% Q I will be targeted. Reported to SAPS

said they were victims of illicit business had unrest near their sites, 76.9% lost (*name excluded for anonymity*).
Q I tried it but it was dismissed as a

Companies with a total annual revenue of R50 million or more labour issue. I just want my site open. I
don’t care about the case.
are classified as large enterprises. Exempted micro enterprises and Q Called the police. They didn’t help.

qualifying small enterprises (QSE) that are 100% black-owned Called (*name excluded for ano-
nymity*) and the mafia was removed
are deemed to have a Level 1 B-BBEE status and exempted micro and my site opened.
enterprises and QSEs that are 51% black-owned are deemed to Q Tried it once. Police didn’t help. Sided

with strikers. Didn’t waste my time

have a Level 2 B-BBEE status. A QSE is generally a company with after that. I just want my site open.
an annual turnover between R10 million and R50 million. Case is waste of my time.

38 May 2023 Civil Engineering

Q I did in the beginning, but the cases take a substantial amount of time and it is Q They seem to think we are in the wrong
very long before going to court. By then therefore more cost effective for them to and should pay. They are not trained
the people are no longer working for us. pay the extortion money. to deal with the crowds when they
We also waste a lot of time going to court *Names were removed for protection block sites. They open stupid cases that
only hearing it’s moved to another date. and anonymity. [don’t] reflect what happened on sites.
I just want the work done. The police 76.9% of respondents did not feel that Q Didn’t know what they were doing.

always take the side of the criminal. So, law enforcement assisted them. They Need training.
I’ll rather pay. It’s less of a hassle. provided the following reasons for their Q They took money from the criminals

Q Waste of time. answer: and left while our trucks were set alight
Q (*name excluded for anonymity*) Q Refused to assist. Chatted with the and the site office vandalised. They left
assisted with opening the charge, group. Said it was a labour issue and left. the mob to keep us hostage and left.
opening the site and removal of the Q They refused to open a case and took All the respondents felt that not enough is
syndicate. the side of the strikers. being done to address the illicit business
Q We called the police but the police did Q Had to use private security. forums.
nothing. We saw the main guy giving Q Not pitched up at site. 66.7% of the respondents awarded a
the police money. The police then left. Q I wanted the site open and wanted the tender or subcontract to an illicit business
We lose more money by not being able police to chase the people away. Instead, forum under duress. 83.3% employed
to operate than just pay the 30%. they befriended them at our expense. people, appointed a community liaison
There are allegations of the police siding Q They claimed it was radical transforma- officer and/or paid a sum of money as
with the illicit business forums, taking tion and we need to negotiate with the demanded by the illicit business forum
bribes and advising the companies to community. They told us to pay 30%. under duress. They further remarked:
negotiate with the illicit business forums. Q They don’t realise how serious this Q All owners of the businesses did [pay]

All the owners felt that it was a waste is and that we lose tons of money, but they will never admit it.
of time to open a case. The cases take contracts and jobs. Q Cheaper for me to pay. Criminal cases

waste of hundreds of man hours.

Q We know that the syndicates are hiding

Did you ever feel that law behind non-profit organisations. We

enforcement assisted you?
pay the non-profit organisation and
(13 responses)
7.7% that keeps the site operational.
15.4%
Q Paid the ward councillor and city

council officials and donated money to

the councillor’s political party.
Yes
Q We paid the ward councillor and
No
some council employees in the city
76.9% Sometimes they tried but the manager’s office.
perpetrators scared them off
Paying ward councillors and council of-
ficials under duress seems to be another
common problem, which requires
attention.
The companies were asked how much
Figure 9 Effectiveness of assistance by law enforcement money their company loses per annum
due to the activity of illicit business
forums. They reported the following:
Have you ever, under duress or in an attempt to stop the violence, extorsion or labour Q Few million rand per contract.
unrest, given in to the demands of the illicit business forum by Q Millions.
(mark all applicable answers) (12 responses)
Q Difficult to determine. Potential cus-

Other 5 tomers walk away.

Q We lose billions. We lost contracts and

Paying a sum of money to had to retrench people.

10
the illicit business forum Q Billions. Lost contracts. Paid penalties

Employing people/giving jobs for poor workmanship after giving em-

to specific individuals including 10 ployment to these “community forums”.
community liaison officers Q Millions considering penalties, redoing
Awarding a tender contract
or subcontract to the 8 of poor workmanship, and site stoppage.
illicit business forum Q Billions and loss of jobs. We paid syndi-

0 2 4 6 8 10 cates before and gave them jobs. After

Number of responses the first payment they ran away, and we
had to pay the community who did the
Figure 10 Compliance with illicit business forums’ demands work. The work is bad quality and often

Civil Engineering May 2023 39

 we have to do it over. We also pay fines
for deviating from schedules. The ward councillor has the right to be
Q Billions.
involved in all my contracts
(13 responses)
Q A lot of money. Probably billions over
15.38%
the years. This includes manpower,
damage to vehicles and equipment, 38.46%
loss of contracts, down time and fines. Strongly agree

We also retrenched people. Agree

23.08%
It is clear that companies incur significant Neutral
losses should they not comply with Disagree
the illicit business forums’ demands. 0
Strongly disagree
23.08%
Retrenchment, loss of contracts, loss of
manhours, fines for delays in contract
deliverables, and poor workmanship are
direct results of site stoppages. Instead of
creating jobs, people are retrenched. Figure 11 Involvement of ward councillors
Contract costs skyrocket due to delays.
The impact on the economy is devastating Q The ward councillors are in business for impoverish communities with high
as the increased cost of, for example, with these criminals. They must draft unemployment rates. They will take a
government developments is recuperated a clear policy to prevent the role of percentage of the salary paid to the worker
from the taxpayer. Companies cut back councillors. The work and appoint- for the duration of the employment as a
on community outreach programmes ment of community liaison officers type of finder’s fee and protection money.
and social investment in communities to (CLOs) needs to be clarified as CLOs The illicit forum decides who is to be
absorb some of the losses. are nothing but agents of syndicates. employed as part of their demands.
The contractors understand that they The latest scam is the infiltration All of the participants reported being
are not always obliged to pay the 30% but of non-profit organisations (NPOs). involved in action where construction
are often forced to as the downtime is Criminals are now using NPOs to con sites or businesses were forced to close
more costly if the site is closed for long us into getting paid. for a period of time, usually by means of
periods. The legal route is paved with red Q Train the police. Arrest the people threats, violence or protest action until
tape and time delays. closing sites. their demands were met. Furthermore, all
Ward councillors seem to be a Q Address the corruption within the of the participants were involved in action
constant factor mentioned by all. Ward city council and the ward councillors. where 30% of the contract value of the
councillors and council officials may Teach the police to be policemen business or construction was demanded.
only get involved in council or municipal and how to deal with crowds closing During interviews, the participants
contracts. Ward councillors may not get businesses. indicated that they are often involved in
involved in central and provincial spheres Q Get rid of corruption. Stop free hand- several sites simultaneously.
of government contracts and private outs. Create jobs. All participants believed that their
development. actions were a form of radical transforma-
The companies were asked how ILLICIT BUSINESS FORUMS tion, that communities have the right to
they think the issue can be resolved. 11 Five illicit business forums (groups) were demand money/employment from compa-
responses were received: willing to participate in the study. These nies in the area, that no harm was caused
Q Stop councillors from interfering. groups consist of five to ten members to the companies, and that they had a
Police must arrest these people. each, of which the leader and at least three historical right to be paid a percentage of
Q By enforcing the law. Police must do more members were found guilty of ac- the contract value.
their work. tivities relating to illicit business forums. Although the illicit business forum
Q No councillor may be involved in any Their sentences varied from alternative usually introduces themselves as members
of the contracts, he only has oversight dispute resolution, suspended sentences, of the community of the area or municipal
and reports such matters to the city or and admission of guilt fines to incarcera- ward where the construction is taking
authorities. tion for less than two years. None of the place, and demand money or employment
Q People are not being taught how to participants were in a correctional facility. for members of the community where
tender and run a business. As a black The illicit business forum members the construction is taking place, all the
business owner this is wrong. The answered as a group. participants have been involved in several
culture of handouts and getting eve- The majority of participants (75%) extortion incidents outside the area where
rything for free does not teach smaller had fulltime employment other than they usually reside. This supports the
business owners skills. They will never their illicit business forum activities. This hypothesis that impoverished communi-
be a big role player or be able to learn suggests that employment might not be ties are being exploited for personal gain
how to tender or do business if we the motivation for the actions of the illicit by the illicit business forums and that very
allow this culture of legal business and business forum. During interviews they little community upliftment or develop-
threats to get their way to continue. explained that they seek employment ment takes place.

40 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 new contractors. However, these same
In order to qualify for the 30% did you formulas are confusing and scare off the
(8 responses)
developing contractors they are trying
to assist. The administrative processes
are time consuming and complex.
None of the respondents understood
the legislation relating to tenders and
50% 50% Register a company subcontracting.
Register an NPO Furthermore, none of the partici-
pants had registered for the any of the
Government’s employment programmes,
providing the following reasons for this:
Q Don’t need to.

Q I don’t know about it.

Q Too much work.

Figure 12 How illicit business forums qualified for 30% of the contract value Q We [are] getting money from

non-profit.
Q We don’t want to register because it

I used the funds obtained from companies for (mark all applicable answers) will take our business away. It will
(5 responses)
regulate our work. In most cases we
Holiday, car, TV and house 1 don’t stay in the area we stop the sites.
These systems have too many rules.
Re-invest in my own business 2
Q To many strict rules. Take our busi-

Salaries 3 ness away.

Q That will kill our business.
Community facilities like a soccer
field, water tanks or school Q It’s too difficult. Not many jobs avail-

School fees and education able through these. It’s controlled by

the ward councillor for his friends.
Food, rent or transport 4
Although most of the respondents were
0 0.5 1.0 0.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 employed, they do not want unemployed
Number of responses communities to register for the employ-
ment programmes, as it would undermine
Figure 13 How illicit business forum members used the money they obtained the very nature of their operations. The
reluctance of individuals and businesses
In addition, all of the participants were well as assaults. Some groups have held to make use of these programmes un-
adamant that a CLO must be appointed contractors and engineers hostage for knowingly gives support to the nature of
by the illicit business forum. Although extended periods of time. the illegal business of the illicit business
the appointment of a CLO is not a pre- None of the participants reported forums. The communities are not familiar
requisite in the Preferential Procurement having ever tendered for contracts. They with the processes and do not trust
Act, a CLO is usually appointed on all provided the following reasons for this: them. Very little information is being
government contracts, across all three Q I don’t need to. shared with communities about these
spheres of government. As the 30% of Q I don’t know how. programmes.
the contract value is usually paid in the Q Don’t need to. Several of the construction companies
form of employment opportunities for Q It’s a long difficult process. I will be interviewed mentioned paying money to
the duration of the contract to members disadvantaged. Our way is easier. At non-profit organisations. The illicit busi-
of the immediate community, a CLO is least we get something. ness forums where then asked whether
appointed as the liaison between the com- Q I don’t think we need to tender. they register companies or non-profit
munity and the contractor. We make enough money from our organisations as a front for their illegal
The illicit business forums insist on demands. Big companies pay. If they dealings. 50% of the illicit business forums
the appointment of a CLO as the CLO don’t, we stop the site until they pay. registered companies, while the other
is used as the point of entry for them to Q Too complicated. We [are] getting paid 50% registered non-profit organisations.
infiltrate the site. Once “their” CLO is in any case or we close the site. Funding extorted from companies is then
appointed, they control the awarding of Q No need to tender. We stop the site. paid into these entities.
subcontracts and all employment on the That’s how we make money. Figure 13 indicates how the money
site, sometimes including the security Q It is too difficult. I think [I] will be extorted by these illicit business forums
firm. Any attempt from the company to disadvantaged. I don’t want to pay tax. was spent. In addition, respondents
object is met with threats of violence and The formulas used in the Preferential reported spending money as follows:
site stoppages, often including damage Procurement Act to appoint subcontrac- Q Tv, car.

to property and expensive machinery as tors are designed to assist developing/ Q Clothes, holiday, car, tv.

Civil Engineering May 2023 41

 IN BRIEF

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, NATURAL CATASTROPHES RANK

TOP RISKS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

B
usiness interruption/supply chain of challenges such as the prospect of and construction processes,” explains
disruption and natural catastrophes recession, the shortage, and rising cost of Berruguete.
rank as the top risks for the con- energy, key equipment and materials given “In order to meet carbon reduction
struction and engineering sector, followed recent high inflation, a spike in procure- targets, rapid adoption will likely be
by the energy crisis as a new entrant at ment costs, ongoing shortage of skilled required, meaning close co-operation
#3, according to Allianz Risk Barometer labour, longer lead times, schedules, between insurers, brokers and clients to
respondents in the construction sector. and cost overruns, compromised supply share data and experiences to help under-
After the launch of the top global busi- chains, ever-changing workplace proto- write what can be prototypical risks.”
ness risks in the Allianz Risk Barometer cols, and increased competition.”
2023 in January, Allianz Global Corporate While the energy crisis, in combina- FIRE AND NATURAL DISASTERS
& Specialty (AGCS) has now published its tion with other factors, has contributed TOP CAUSES OF CLAIMS
Global Industry Solutions Construction to rising costs given construction is an Regarding actual claims patterns,
Outlook, one of several risk trend energy-intensive economic activity, in fires and natural disasters are the top
briefings for specific industry sectors, the mid- to long-term it could also act as contributors to construction and engi-
including technology, media and telecom- a catalyst for the sector to fast forward neering losses according to an AGCS
munications, and financial services. its green transformation, adopting more analysis of 22 000 insurance claims worth
Blanca Berruguete, Global Industry sustainable approaches given it is a key €12.8 billion over five years from 2017 to
Solutions Director for Construction contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. the end of 2021. Fire is the most expensive
at AGCS, comments on the top risks: The drive to net zero will help deliver cause of loss, accounting for 27% of
“Larger values are at risk for companies. strong future growth for the construc- the value of claims analysed. Natural
Construction costs are soaring because of tion industry but new technologies, catastrophes account for almost a fifth
the higher prices for energy and raw ma- innovative delivery methods and greener, of claims by value (19%) and are also the
terials. Replacement is costing more and leaner practices will also bring new risk most frequent cause.
taking longer. Materials can also often scenarios such as potential defects and Construction sites need to give more
be unavailable due to logistics, shipping repetitive loss scenarios or unexpected consideration to the impact of extreme
and supply-chain bottlenecks. The result safety or environmental consequences, in events, such as wildfires, flash flooding
is that any property damage and business addition to benefits. and landslides, in their risk assessments.
interruption losses are now likely to be “The switch to sustainable energy and With climate change increasing the
significantly higher than before Covid-19.” the adoption of modern building methods frequency and severity of these events, the
Berruguete continues, “The con- will transform the risk landscape, with costs of property damage and business
struction industry is facing a number radical changes in design, materials interruption are expected to escalate.

Top 5 causes of claims by value in construction and engineering insurance

Based on analysis of 22 705 insurance claims between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021, worth approximately €12.8bin in value. “Other”
causes of loss account for 29% of the value of all claims. Claims total includes the share of other insurers in addition to AGCS.

Fire and explosion 27%

Natural catastrophes 19%

Defective products 10%

Faulty workmanship or maintenance 8%

Machinery breakdown 27%

AGCS News & Insights Source: Allianz Global Corporat & Specialty

Civil Engineering May 2023 43

LOADSHEDDING STRANGLING SA CONSTRUCTION SECTOR GROWTH

P
ersistently high loadshedding is Demonstrating the economic potential
extracting a heavy price from the of the construction industry, Stats SA fig-
construction industry, severely ures reveal that at the end of 2019, prior to
constraining its economic growth and job the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was
creation potential, warns industry expert contributing 4% to South Africa’s GDP.
Roelof van den Berg, the CEO of Gap However, the latest statistics reveal that at
Infrastructure Corporation. the end of September 2022, the industry
South Africa experienced more represented just 2.4% of GDP.
than 1 393 hours, or 58 days, of rolling “The pandemic took a heavy toll on Loadshedding is significantly driving up the
blackouts within the first two months of construction companies by placing a cost of construction
2023 alone, and this year is likely to set number of projects on pause. But now that
another record for blackouts, causing un- the economy is opening up again, load- and manufacturers who all provide crucial
precedented and expensive delays to vital shedding has constrained the industry’s inputs into the industry,” he adds.
construction and infrastructure work. recovery. To maximise the industry’s per- Construction projects have enormous
“The ongoing energy crisis is signifi- formance and productivity, we urgently potential to attract increased foreign
cantly driving up costs while hampering need to address the burden and expense investment, improve living standards, and
the smooth rollout of construction and of loadshedding,” says van den Berg. boost the country’s economy. “A strong
infrastructure projects, preventing the Loadshedding has disrupted work construction sector also impacts positively
industry from reaching its full potential schedules, caused delays, forced contrac- on related industries, such as manufac-
as an economic contributor,” says Van tors to reschedule their projects, and turing and engineering, further boosting
den Berg. damaged electrical equipment through the economy. So, by prioritising investment
“This said, by resolving the country’s power surges. Additionally, the rising cost in the construction industry, South Africa
power constraints, we could easily see of electricity has resulted in increased can set itself up for long-term prosperity.
the industry double in size and create building costs. “Ultimately, it’s critical that we find
hundreds or even thousands of new jobs. “Finally, the instability and unreli- a solution to the energy crisis as soon as
In fact, the industry could quickly employ ability of power caused by loadshedding possible. We need to take action to ensure
more than one in every ten people in the has decreased investor confidence and the stability of the industry and to protect
country, especially given its capacity to hindered businesses throughout value the country’s economic interests,” he
employ low- and semi-skilled workers.” chains, including suppliers, subcontractors, concludes.

NEW CSIR TESTBED TO BOOST LOCAL ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTIONS

chain, thereby boosting the country’s that offer long-duration storage, have low
capabilities in renewable energy storage. operational and maintenance requirements
The initiative falls within the ambit of and can withstand harsh climatic condi-
a collaboration agreement between the tions,” says CSIR Chief Executive Officer
CSIR and VITO, the Flemish Institute for Dr Thulani Dlamini. 
Technological Research. CSIR Energy Storage Testbed Project
The newly established Indoor Energy Leader Renesh Thakoordeen adds, “Many
Storage Testbed equips the CSIR to businesses and residential homeowners
test the performance and reliability of are turning to solar power and batteries to
lithium-ion batteries, as expressed by secure their energy supply. But ensuring
their storage capacity, lifecycle, and depth the quality of such systems is key. The
of discharge. This will help build capacity testbed will assist in creating the standards
in the South African battery industry, as for lithium-ion batteries in South Africa.”
CSIR researcher and project lead Ranesh
Thakoordeen (left) and CSIR researcher lower-capacity clients will have access The facility is equipped with a high-
Sumi Moodaliyar (right) in front of the to indoor testbed facilities and overall precision system for battery module
storage testbed market knowledge can be improved. and pack tests. It has many channels
“The facility brings hope for sustainable to test numerous batteries in parallel

A
new indoor energy storage testbed energy and a secure energy future. How we under dissimilar test cycles. It also has a
at the Council for Scientific store energy is at the heart of the successful new-generation temperature chamber to
and Industrial Research (CSIR) use of renewable resources such as solar provide data on the operating behaviour
will strengthen South Africa’s ability to and wind. A developing country such as of batteries used in harsh climates, which
support local players in the battery value South Africa has to think of technologies will impact optimal performance.

44 May 2023 Civil Engineering

DESIGN FEATURES OF NEW KZN MARITIME SCHOOL PROMOTE STUDY-LIFE BALANCE

T
he construction of a new Maritime
School of Excellence (MSoE) is un-
derway in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal,
scheduled for completion in March 2024.
The MSoE will introduce nautical studies to
high school learners and prepare them for
important roles in Southern African ports.
The MSoE is expected to become a
leading high school that provides learners
with an understanding of the marine in-
dustry, marine and terminal operations, port
management, port engineering, and will
supply high-quality seafarers to the market.
The flagship project is funded by the
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education
and implemented by the Development The Maritime School of Excellence is the first of its kind in the province
Bank of South Africa. The innovative ar-
chitecture is the work of GIARC Designs, The administration block is framed by He adds, “The built structures utilise
and construction is being carried out by a double-volume concrete feature that a mix of various construction materials
GVK-Siya Zama. dominates the façade, leading teachers to enhance the aesthetics and exhibit
The school accommodates 700 and visitors into the maritime facility. modern architecture. Green technologies
learners, with boarding facilities for 400 The main learning areas and class- have been adopted where possible, and
learners and 24 well-lit classrooms and rooms are built around courtyards that sustainable renewable solutions have also
other learning spaces. These include can be viewed from the covered and been included, such as solar mechanisms
laboratories and a state-of-the-art simula- shaded verandas. These verandas are and rainwater harvesting. High-quality
tion room that will provide learners with linked to all blocks on the first floor by finishes enhance the aesthetics and are
hands-on experience of steering a ship means of covered walkways. A light- suitable for the coastal location.”
into and out of a port. coloured face brick, together with soft-
coloured wall paint and spots of brightly CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES
DESIGN ELEMENTS coloured feature brickwork and shading According to GVK-Siya Zama Contracts
Entering the school through gated and devices, gives the school space interest Manager Charles Cormack, the construc-
gabion-stone walls, one is greeted by a and vibrancy. tion teams faced two main challenges: the
gatehouse designed as a lighthouse. The The school also features an Olympic- natural congestion of building in a CBD,
first view is of a full-sized soccer field and sized swimming pool and access ramps and the fact that the site is only 500 m
the adjacent school hall. The hall includes for less-abled persons. from the Indian Ocean.
an indoor play area and a seated mez- “The architectural style accom- “This meant that construction de-
zanine level. modates a balance of open spaces as well watering had to be incorporated into the
The boarding facility is built over as privacy,” says Lead Design Architect costs and programming of the works.
three floors with a central dining area, Craig Moodley of GIARC Designs. “Public However, the team has managed both of
fully-fitted kitchen and all associated spaces encourage student interaction, these challenges admirably,” he says.
facilities including refuse, cold rooms, while zones of learning, boarding and The school will provide meaningful
storerooms and laundry facilities. sporting activities all consider the es- benefits in other ways too, including having
At the front of the site is the admin- sential needs of learners to promote a a positive impact on the local economy,
istration block and simulation room. balanced, healthy student life.” improving socio-economic development and
growth, supporting SMME development
The design accommodates a balance of open spaces and privacy and local labour, and increasing the infra-
structure delivery component of the country.
The MSoE is strategically located
at 41 Somtseu Road, Durban, close to
the largest port in Africa. A vision that
began 13 years ago is finally becoming a
reality, driven by the passion of members
of the Department of Education to create
a modern facility that will use the latest
teaching technologies to prepare learners
for work in the maritime field.

Civil Engineering May 2023 45

ENNERDALE COLLAPSE: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY ON LANDFILL SITES?

T
he collapse that claimed the life of a waste picker at the
Ennerdale Landfill on 3 March 2023 begs a general review of
safety and operational management at South Africa’s landfills.
Environmental and Landfill Engineer Nash Dookhi, who is the
KwaZulu-Natal Chair at the Institute of Waste Management South
Africa (IWMSA), has expressed concern over how landfill sites
are being managed in accordance with applicable legislation and
regulations, especially in terms of industrial health and safety.
South African waste is regulated by the National
Environmental Management: Waste Act of 2008, as well as the
Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill, Second
Edition 1998. The general operations require that waste tipped
into a landfill be shaped, compacted and covered daily, known as
the cellular landfilling method.
Dookhi, who has over 20 years’ experience in waste manage- The incident suggests a longer‑term neglect of requirements
ment, notes that, when properly managed, waste is inherently
stable because certain waste types in landfills, like plastics, card- an existing permit/licence. In this instance, the responsibility for
board and fibres, act as built-in natural reinforcement that provides the safety of any reclaimers rests with the licence holder.
solidity and an acceptable factor of safety. “The fact that a collapse “We acknowledge that there is a role to be played by the waste
would not result from one day’s worth of loose incoming waste pickers to promote the circular economy and further acknowl-
suggests a longer-term neglect of the requirements,” he says. edge that it can be difficult to control pickers eager to reach prime
Another question is whether waste pickers are allowed materials in newly arrived waste and encourage municipalities
inside a landfill site. The minimum requirements state that, “the to provide effective support and management to the sites,”
Department discourages waste reclamation at landfill sites”, with says Dookhi.
no reclamation being permitted at hazardous waste sites. IWMSA calls for landfill operators to ensure they meet their
However, if the licence holder opts to allow controlled reclama- waste management licence requirements and be guided by the
tion at a general waste disposal site, they must seek permission on Minimum Requirements in every regard, including their respon-
the application for their waste management licence or by amending sibility to those on site.

PROVIDING SUPERIOR LINING SOLUTIONS

S
ince its inception in 2002, AKS large tailings and ash storage sites. The
Lining Systems has grown to be- textured surface gives design engineers
come a competitive global producer superior performance options when
of thermoplastic lining products, exporting looking at side-slope lining, slope stability
to more than 30 countries worldwide. and other design criteria.”
Situated in Cape Town, AKS Lining A product range the company is partic-
Systems also offers strong support to the ularly proud of is the Mega/Micro product.
local South African and SADC regions. This is manufactured with a high asperity
According to Peter Hardie, Technical & or spike on the one side, and a smaller Peter Hardie, Technical & International Sales
International Sales Manager of AKS Lining asperity on the other side. This allows Manager of AKS Lining Systems
Systems, the company’s geomembrane design engineers to create a ‘preferential’
range of products, Geoliner, are manufac- slip interface within their lining system. and operate continuously and faultlessly.
tured from HDPE or LLDPE resins which The larger asperity will offer a higher “We can achieve extrusion accuracies close
are considered chemically inert. friction into the subgrade or soil than what to 5% where the current market trend is
Although the standard HDPE 1.5 mm the small asperity offers to the top layer. within a 10% range,” says Hardie.
and 2 mm liners have remained the main Therefore, if there is any settlement inside AKS Lining Systems is ISO 9001:2015
sellers, more projects are being specified the lined structure, the slip will occur on certified, ensuring that management
with textured liner. Geoliner is supplied in the top side of the liner, meaning that your system and quality procedures are
7 m wide rolls, with various surface finishes, liner or barrier system remains in place, maintained and reviewed at the highest
such as smooth, textured or mega texture. protecting and containing the waste. possible levels. These systems and proce-
“We also offer a range of texturing AKS Lining Systems uses state-of-the- dures follow through right from resin sup-
options for our liners, and these are art European manufactured extrusion lines pliers, shipping and logistics, to finished
used extensively on some of the very designed to utilise the latest technology product, testing and delivery.

46 May 2023 Civil Engineering

KARIBA DAM PROJECT FORGES AHEAD

C
ontractors are making steady progress on the Kariba Dam
Rehabilitation Project, which aims to reshape the plunge
pool below the dam wall and arrest any further erosion.
In order to stabilise the plunge pool at the foot of the 138 m
high dam wall, the project requires vast quantities of concrete
in a range of applications. The total volume of concrete used –
which includes the coffer dam and underwater works as well as
excavation – is almost 26 500 m3.

FOUNDATION CHALLENGES
“Among the first challenges we faced was in the construction
of piers for the temporary coffer dam, where concrete had to be
poured underwater to create a foundation. Difficulties in finding
bedrock for piers 7, 8 and 9, as well as for the dam’s right bank,
meant that 22 000 m3 of concrete had to be placed underwater,”
explains Martie Coulson, Director of Mart Solutions.
Mart Solutions, CHRYSO® Southern Africa’s Zambian
distributor, has been one of the key suppliers of construction
chemicals to main contractor Razel-Bec since the very beginning
of the project.
This arduous process, which took six months and was
completed in September last year, involved pumping concrete
to 25 m deep, with divers handling the 125 mm diameter pipe
to place the concrete. Adding to the complexity was the move- Kariba Dam before piers and after all piers in place
ment of water from Zimbabwe’s nearby hydroelectric turbine
outlet, which exacerbated the ‘wash’ of the concrete into the
surrounding water.
“This raised the risk of the cement being washed out of the
mix, leaving the aggregate behind as well as further reducing
visibility for the divers. The CHRYSO® Aquabeton product
played a critical role as an anti-washout admixture that increases
the cohesion of the concrete mix,” explains Coulson.
This allowed the placement of a concrete base for the three
piers, measuring some 15 m wide and 20 m deep.

SPECIALISED SOLUTIONS
Another important aspect of the project is repairing a fault in the
rock at the foot of the Kariba dam wall. Stitching of the fault will
include the use of 40 mm anchors in the rock with CHRYSO® NS
Grout added to a concrete mix. In addition, 20 mm, 25 mm and
32 mm anchors will be used and will be secured with a.b.e.® dura.
grout.
“Some 7 071 m3 of specialised concrete will be used for the
large 90 m high, 45 m wide and 2.5 m thick wall which will be
built in front of the fault as a protective shield. This will be fixed
onto the 12 m long, 40 mm diameter anchors in the wall, which
will in turn be secured 10 m into the rock,” she continues.
Due to the high ambient temperatures of up to 40°C, it is
important to prevent temperature rise in the concrete during
placement. To achieve this, a combination of CHRYSO® Omega
162 and Fluid Optima 206 will be used in conjunction with den-
sified silica fume and fly ash in the concrete mix for the wall. In
addition, a chiller plant will cool the water and aggregate before
it is added to the mix.
The coffer dam piers, which range from 250 tonnes to 700 tonnes
in weight and measure 5.5 m in height, are now complete. Fault in the rock at the foot of the dam wall

Civil Engineering May 2023 47

SA I C E A N D PR O FE SS I O N A L N E W S

Meet SAICE’s 2023 Limpopo Branch Committee

SAICE’s northernmost branch, located in Limpopo, was recently resuscitated and its new committee endeavours
to enhance civil engineering in the province.

T
hanks to SAICE Past President Errol Kerst, the SAICE services and various public amenities. Over the course of his career
Limpopo Branch is active again after being dormant for many he has enjoyed providing strategic leadership, developing strategic
years. This fresh committee is keen to serve its almost 400 plans, scrutinising designs and expert reports, analysing proposals
active members and is passionate about bringing SAICE “closer to for development, and mentoring candidates for registration as
home” for everyone in Limpopo that may be interested. Events that professionals. He considers assisting his employers (municipalities)
are planned for 2023 include a presidential visit on 17 and 18 May, to acquire financial rewards for recognition of good performance
school competitions, site visits, information sessions, and more. as the greatest achievement in his career.

Johan Jansen van Vuuren Alex Marais Pr Eng

Pr Tech Eng Treasurer
Chairperson Alex Marais is the office manager
Johan Jansen van Vuuren is of Zutari’s Polokwane Office. He
a director at MR Consulting. is a structural engineer with vast
He holds a bachelor’s degree experience in the design of rein-
in housing development, a forced concrete, steel structures
national higher diploma in civil and project management. He has
engineering and has been an been involved in the design, pro-
ECSA-registered professional ject management and administra-
engineering technologist since 1994. He is also a Fellow of SAICE tion of numerous structural projects from inception to close out
and a member of SAICE’s Fire Engineering Division Committee. and handover. In addition, he has worked on educational projects,
Johan has accumulated over 35 years of experience in the built leisure developments, office buildings, mixed use developments,
environment. He has participated in many continuous develop- medical facilities, sports grounds, warehouses, and various other
ment courses and has made a point of growing his knowledge of the structural projects where he was responsible for the management
engineering industry as much as possible. As a result, he has gained of the structural discipline within a multi-disciplinary team. He
experience in a variety of civil and structural engineering fields also manages teams in the design and supervision of water and
including roads and stormwater, water reticulation, residential wastewater treatment works.
units and industrial buildings. He enjoys expanding his knowledge Alex was awarded his BEng Civil, BEng (Hons) Structural,
base and contributing to the field of fire engineering, protecting MEng Structural and BEng (Hons) Geotechnical Engineering
life, assets and the environment. In addition to his work tasks, from the University of Pretoria. He is a registered professional
Johan serves as mentor, reviewer, interviewer and moderator for engineer with ECSA and has worked for the University of Pretoria
ECSA in the field of fire engineering sprinkler and alarm systems. as part-time lecturer delivering a course on basic concrete design
Johan is someone who loves new challenges and assisting others. to post-graduate students.

Chuene William Molokomme Dumisani Ntandane Pr Techni Eng

Pr Tech Eng Council Representative
Vice-Chairperson Dumisani Ntandane holds a
William Molokomme recently BTech in Civil Engineering and
started a new venture as a is currently a project manager
self-employed engineering for the Department of Water and
consultant. He holds a BTech Sanitation, implementing grant
in Civil Engineering and BCom funded water-related projects
(Generic) and has been registered within the Limpopo province.
with ECSA as a professional He also serves on the Provincial
engineering technologist since 2015. He has over two decades Technical Evaluation Committee for the Department, which sup-
of experience during which time he worked for a State-Owned ports municipalities to ensure the technical feasibility of projects
Enterprise, a consulting civil engineering firm and three munici- which they implement. Dumisani says that being involved in
palities as a director for technical services. projects that bring water to communities and immediately have a
William has been involved in the rollout of multiple infra- positive impact on communities is fulfilling and makes the chal-
structure programmes which include roads and stormwater, water lenges encountered when implementing these projects worthwhile.

48 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 Kobus Kotze Pr Tech Eng former Young Member Panel (Youth) representative of the SAICE
Council Representative Kimberley Branch.
Kobus Kotze is a specialist in var- Sipho has accumulated over 13 years of experience with
ious structures and his experience the DWS, working across five fields. His career highlights
includes factories, warehouses, include working on the Nkambako Water Treatment Works and
showrooms, reservoirs, grand- Vanderkloof Dam Government Water Scheme. He is currently the
stands, a laboratory, a gymnasium, project manager of the Mogalakwena Bulk Water System project
a multi-storey hotel, reticulation within the Mogalakwena Local Municipality.
layouts and other civil engineering Addressing water and sanitation service backlogs remains
projects. He holds a BTech in Civil a huge challenge in the country and Limpopo specifically as a
Engineering from the Tshwane University of Technology and is a largely rural province. Sipho says this requires an all hands on
registered professional engineering technologist. deck approach to implement projects that deliver services to
Kobus started his career at Avon Consulting Engineers in communities.
Pretoria, and after becoming the head structural designer he
opened and managed a new branch for Avon in Lephalale. He Cuthbert Ngaironwe Pr Eng, FCIArb
later joined Corestruc as a specialist precast prestressed concrete Immediate Past Chair
designer, and after registering professionally was appointed as Cuthbert Ngaironwe is an
a partner of VBL Consulting Engineers. In 2021 Kobus founded ECSA-registered professional civil
Infinite Consulting Engineers that, in its own liability, provides engineer as well as an International
input to other principal engineers, namely Corestruc and Arbitrator with the Chartered
Coreslab projects. These projects include prestressed precast Institute of Arbitrators (UK) where
structures, in-situ concrete structures, steel structures and he is a Fellow. He is also a construc-
various municipal services infrastructure. tion claims and alternative dispute
Kobus is a pro-active team player and ensures that various resolution practitioner. Cuthbert
work scopes integrate seamlessly to avoid project delays. holds a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering, an MSc in Construction
Project Management, an LLM in Construction Law and Arbitration
Noko Mashita and a Post-graduate Diploma in International Commercial
Council Representative / Arbitration. He has 15 years’ post-graduate experience, mostly in the
Social Media engineering consulting space, having worked for international en-
Noko Mashita is a candidate gineering consultancy firms such as Arup and Ingerop. Cuthbert is
engineering technologist at ROMH currently the Head of Region of The Mvula Trust’s Limpopo Region,
Consulting and has experience an NGO that implements projects on behalf of the government.
in the fields of construction and
consulting engineering within Adéle Venter Pr Eng
Africa. Noko has a keen interest in Administrator
stormwater, water, and sanitation Adéle Venter is a structural
design, which includes preliminary and detailed designs involving engineer with an undergraduate
the provision of clean water, disposal of wastewater and the preven- degree in civil engineering
tion of flood damage. His responsibilities have included engineering and a post-graduate degree in
design, project management, technical design report writing, tender structural engineering, both from
documentation, construction administration and supervision, infra- Stellenbosch University. After
structure maintenance, and construction quality assurance. her graduation she worked for
Noko is also a young professional member of the CESA YPF GIBB Consulting Engineers and
and holds a BTech in Civil Engineering from the University of her project experience includes structural design as well as design
Johannesburg. and site supervision of various reservoirs, hotels, depots, an over-
head railway, train stations and an air traffic control tower.
Sipho Nkonka Pr Techni Eng In 2014 Adéle received both the Investec Young Professional of
Branch Operations the Year Award at the South African Young Professional Services
Sipho Nkonka is a control Awards and the Emerging Excellence Award at the African
engineering technician at the Women in Construction Excellence Awards. Adéle has worked in
Department of Water and several countries, initially located in Cape Town, before moving
Sanitation’s (DWS) Limpopo to Nigeria, Tshwane and then Tzaneen, where she is currently a
Regional Office. He holds a stay-at-home mom. Adéle has a passion for education and enjoys
National Diploma in Civil staying in touch with the engineering industry through SAICE.
Engineering obtained from
the Tshwane University of Contact us
Technology and has been registered as a professional engineering The SAICE Limpopo Branch is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
technician with ECSA since 2015 and as a candidate construc- and would appreciate your participation. For any enquiries or suggestions,
please send an email to [email protected].
tion project manager with SACPCMP since 2020. He is also a

Civil Engineering May 2023 49

The SAICE 2023 National IP Showdown –
an incubator of engineering research excellence
SAICE recently joined forces with leading universities across the country to recognise excellence among civil
engineering students for their research efforts.

National IP Showdown as an invaluable

platform for upcoming civil engineering
professionals to demonstrate their
understanding of the issues faced in the
environment by embarking on initiatives
to find solutions to highly complex engi-
neering topics.

2023 WINNERS
First place was awarded to Bukani
Ndebele from the University of KwaZulu-
Natal for his project on ‘Biofilm control in
water supply pipes’. He received R20 000
prize money, sponsored by BVi.
His research investigated the bacteria
build-up (biofilm) that often occurs in
water pipelines, affecting water quality
and increasing frictional losses, which
First place: Bukani Ndebele, University of KwaZulu-Natal subsequently increases pumping costs.
Ndebele’s research centred on methods

T
he SAICE 2023 National IP The main objective of the event is to to break down the microbial cells that
Showdown took place on 4 April, create a platform for winners from the make up the biofilm using hydrogen
where the top students from South various universities to compete on a peroxide. “The benefits of my research
Africa’s leading universities were invited national level. will result in a better understanding of
to present their civil engineering univer- Steven Kaplan, 2023 SAICE President, how to improve water safety and quality
sity research and investigation projects. enthusiastically summed up the
The research and investigation project
forms part of the national curriculum for Second place: Herbert Nyoni, University of Pretoria
final year civil engineering undergraduate
students. Through this project, students
are required to select a topic affecting the
industry and conduct research in accor-
dance with pre-set deliverables.
At the IP Showdown students present
their findings to a panel of judges com-
prising selected industry leaders. The
presentations are then adjudicated by:
Q Identifying whether teams have gained

an in-depth understanding of the

research project.
Q Determining whether teams showcase

adequate communication skills by

presenting their work to a diverse
audience.
Q Exposing these top students to the

industry and to key players within the

industry.

50 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 High Modulus Concrete for 3D-Printing
Applications’. He received a prize of
R10 000, sponsored by Leica Geosystems.
Skein was inspired to make a dif-
ference to the traditional methods of
concrete construction against a back-
ground of numerous reports of failing
infrastructure by investigating the effects
of increasing Young’s Modulus using 3D
concrete printing.
Friedrich Slabbert, Director at
Sciendum Academy, who was a judge at
the event, applauded the contestants and
their ability to present their research find-
ings and face the tough questioning of the
panel of judges. “Being able to commu-
nicate and present effectively is essential
to be able to sell a new or revolutionary
Third place: Etienne-Pierre Skein, Stellenbosch University concept, especially to an audience of pro-
fessionals with traditional or no concept
while simultaneously reducing the cost of consuming and require specialised engi- of civil engineering,” he said.
transportation in pipelines,” he explained. neering skills. Nyoni’s research centred Kaplan concluded, “I’m immensely
Second place went to Herbert Nyoni on using an image of the defect and proud of our young graduates, particularly
from the University of Pretoria for his employing a combination of commonly their attitude and commitment in un-
project titled, ‘Optical Crack Width found software programs together with a dertaking demanding research projects.
Detection and Analysis in Concrete Using machine learning algorithm to determine These are our future engineers to whom
Python, OpenCV, and Machine Learning the cause and consequence of cracks in the built environment is entrusted, and
Algorithm’. He received R15 000 prize concrete structures. their enthusiasm and approach provide
money, sponsored by SAICE. Third place was awarded to Etienne- confidence that their skills will meet
Traditional methods of concrete Pierre Skein from Stellenbosch University, the challenges of the many projects that
crack detection and analysis are time for his work on the ‘Development of a lie ahead.”

SAICE Training Calendar 2023 (Face-to-Face)

Course Name Course Dates Location CPD Accreditation No Course Presenter Contact

Adjudication and Arbitration: How to SAICEcon21/02927/24

16 May 2023 Cape Town Hubert Thompson
deal with Challenges to Jurisdiction Credit: 1 ECSA

17–18 May 2023 Durban

SAICEproj22/03117/25
Elementary Project Management 13–14 June 2023 Midrand Hamish Riddet
Credits: 2 ECSA
16–17 August 2023 Cape Town

22 May 2023 Midrand

Structural Steel Design to SAICEstr21/02965/24
12 September 2023 Cape Town Greg Parrott
SANS 10162-1-2011 Credit: 1 ECSA
10 October 2023 Midrand
Register:
23 May 2023 Midrand store.saice.org.za/
Reinforced Concrete Design to SAICEstr21/02964/24 courses
13 September 2023 Cape Town Greg Parrott
SANS 10100-1-2000 Credit: 1 ECSA [email protected]
11 October 2023 Midrand

SAICEtr22/03158/25
Practical Geometric Design 6–10 November 2023 Midrand Tom Mckune
Credits: 5 ECSA

6–7 June 2023 Midrand SAICEwat22/03102/25

Water law of South Africa Hubert Thompson
20–21 June 2023 Cape Town Credits: 2 ECSA

5–6 September 2023 Bloemfontein

The Legal Process dealing with SAICEcon22/03165/25
17–18 October 2023 Port Elizabeth Hubert Thompson
Construction Disputes Credits: 2 ECSA
7–8 November 2023 Midrand

Register online: www.saice.org.za | All dates are subject to change

Civil Engineering May 2023 51

 SAICE Training Calendar 2023 (Face-to-Face)
Course Name Course Dates Location CPD Accreditation No Course Presenter Contact
5 June 2023 Port Elizabeth
3 July 2023 Midrand
Legal Liability Occupational Health and SAICEcon20/02617/23
31 July 2023 Bloemfontein Cecil Townsend Naude
Safety Act (OHSA) Credit: 1 ECSA
4 September 2023 East London
2 October 2023 Polokwane
6–7 June 2023 Port Elizabeth
4–5 July 2023 Midrand
Register:
Construction Regulations from a Legal SAICEcon20/02618/23
1–2 August 2023 Bloemfontein Cecil Townsend Naude store.saice.org.za/
Perspective Credits: 2 ECSA courses
5–6 September 2023 East London
[email protected]
3–4 October 2023 Polokwane
11–12 May 2023 Cape Town
8–9 June 2023 Port Elizabeth

Legal Liability Mine Health and Safety 6–7 July 2023 Midrand SAICEcon21/02922/24
Cecil Townsend Naude
Act (MHSA) Act 29 of 1996 3–4 August 2023 Bloemfontein Credits: 2 ECSA

7–8 September 2023 East London

5–6 October 2023 Polokwane

SAICE Training Calendar 2023 (Webinars)

Earthmoving Equipment, Technology 17–19 May 2023
SAICEEL20/02719/23
and Management for Civil Engineering Online Prof Zvi Borowitsh
18–20 October 2023 Credits: 3 ECSA
and Infrastructure Projects
7–8 June 2023
12–13 July 2023 TBC
Corrosion, Cracks, Catastrophes Online John Broli
6–7 September 2023 Credits: 3 ECSA

18–19 October 2023

Elementary Construction Dispute SAICEEL21/02972/24 Adv Hubert
16 August 2023 Online
Resolution Procedures Credit: 1 ECSA Thompson
2–3 August 2023
SAIChE-383
Design of Vessels, Tanks and Piping 12–13 September 2023 Online John Broli
Credits: 2 ECSA
1–2 November 2023
17–18 May 2023
SAIChE-382
Design of Piping Systems 23–24 August 2023 Online John Broli
Credits: 2 ECSA
15–16 November 2023 Register: store.saice.
31 May – 1 June 2023 org.za/webinars
Multi-Variable Problems in Engineering SAIChE-389
Online John Broli
(Analysis, Solutions and Control) 19–20 July 2023 Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]

16–17 August 2023 SAIChE-369

Design of Pumping Systems Online John Broli
4–5 October 2023 Credits: 2 ECSA

26–27 July 2023

Design of Optimum Electrical Power SAIChE-390
27–28 September 2023 Online John Broli
Usage Credits: 2 ECSA
29–30 November 2023
Knowledge Management, 29–30 June 2023
SAIChE-384
Communication and Report Writing, Online John Broli
11–12 October 2023 Credits: 2 ECSA
Presentations
12–13 June 2023 SAIChE-368
Design of Process Systems Online John Broli
22–23 November 2023 Credits: 2 ECSA

Materials in Engineering Design, 5–6 July 2023 SAIChE-380

Online John Broli
Important Trends and Innovations 28–29 August 2023 Credits: 2 ECSA

Engineering Design as Creativity, SAIChE-381

7–8 August 2023 Online John Broli
Innovation and Value Adding Credits: 2 ECSA
Register online: www.saice.org.za | All dates are subject to change

52 May 2023 Civil Engineering

 SAICE-PDP / Candidate Academy 2023
Course Name Course Dates Location CPD Accreditation No Course Presenter Contact

Getting Acquainted with Basic Contract 30–31 May 2023 CESA-2076-08/2025

Online Theuns Eloff
Administration and Quality Control 20–21 November 2023 SACPCMP/CPD/21/004
SAICEwat21/02897/24
Getting Acquainted with Basic
24–25 August 2023 Online SAICEEL21/02898/24 Andrew Brodie
Stormwater Design
(Online)
Getting Acquainted with being a
Resident Engineer: Pipelines 18-19 October 2023 Online TBC John Cato
(New Course)
25–26 May 2023 Online
29–30 June 2023 Midrand SAICEproj21/02957/24
Getting Acquainted with being a
27–28 July 2023 SAICEEL21/02958/24 Jan Bierman
Resident Engineer: Roads
28–29 September 2023 Online (Online)
26–27 October 2023
Getting Acquainted with Estimating, 15–16 May 2023
CESA-2063-05/2025
Costing and Pricing of Construction 10–11 July 2023 Online Theuns Eloff
SACPCMP/CPD/21/006
Tenders 9–10 October 2023
Getting Acquainted with General
Conditions of Contract for Construction
22–23 June 2023 Online CESA-2075-08/2025 Theuns Eloff
Works (GCC2015) (Includes the GCC 2015
and GCC Guide in PDF format)
22–23 May 2023 SAICEgeo20/02758/23
Getting Acquainted with Geosynthetics
Online SAICEEL20/02759/23 Edoardo Zannoni
in Soil Reinforcement 6–7 November 2023 (Online)
SAICEcon20/02672/23
Getting Acquainted with Planning,
SAICEcon20/02673/23
Scheduling and Programming for 14–15 August 2023 Online Theuns Eloff
(Online)
Construction Projects
SACPCMP/CPD/21/005
Register:
Getting Acquainted with Road
4–5 September 2023 Online CESA-2064-06/2025 Theuns Eloff store.saice.org.za/
Construction and Maintenance training-courses
Getting Acquainted with Sewer Design 14–15 September 2023 Online CESA-2065-06/2025 Andrew Brodie
[email protected]
12–13 June 2023 SAICEEL22/03151/25
Getting Acquainted with Technical
1–2 August 2023 Online (Online) Les Wiggill
Report Writing
1–2 November 2023 SACPCMP/CPD/23/116
7–8 June 2023 Cape Town SAICEwat21/02986/24
Getting Acquainted with Water
20–21 July 2023 Midrand SAICEEL20/02755/23 Stephen Mallory
Resource Management
15–16 November 2023 Durban (Online)

Pressure Pipeline and Pump Station 6 & 8 June 2023

Online CESA-2066-06/2025 Dup van Renen
Design and Specification (2-day course) 3 & 5 October 2023
Road to Registration for Candidate 18 July 2023
Engineers, Technologists and 12 September 2023 Online CESA-2067-05/2025 Dr Allyson Lawless
Technicians 23 November 2023
20 June 2023
Road to Registration for Mature
22 August 2023 Online CESA-2127-02/2026 Stewart Gibson
Engineers, Technologists & Technicians
17 October 2023
Road to Registration for Mentors, 21 June 2023
Online CESA-2105-10/2025 Dr Allyson Lawless
Supervisors and HR Practitioners 24 October 2023
The direct route to registration as
a Construction Project Manager or 12 May 2023 Online CESA-2052-12/2024 Jeff Pipe
Construction Manager with SACPCMP
Understanding the 6 Stages of the
1–2 June 2023
Project Life Cycle to register as a
Online CESA-2084-05/2025 Jeff Pipe
Construction Project Manager or
20–21 September 2023
Construction Manager (New Course)
Understanding the technical
implications of developing and 28–29 August 2023 Online SAICEEL22/03157/25 Ken Bromfield
operating a landfilll (New Course)
In‑house courses are available. To arrange, please contact: Cheryl‑Lee Williams (cheryl‑[email protected]) on 011 805 5947.
For SAICE‑hosted Candidate Academy in‑house courses, please contact: Lizélle du Preez ([email protected]) on 011 476 4100 or 072 356 5230.
Register online: www.saice.org.za | All dates are subject to change

Civil Engineering May 2023 53