The Civil Engineering Contractor November 2018 | Page 23

ON SITE
of the dry winter months to get the
earthworks and trenching activities
well advanced prior to the onset of
the rainy season.
The precast concrete for the
culverts and HDPE pipes are non-
standard items that have been specially
manufactured. Motheo is carefully
managing the long lead times for
these special orders. To produce the
pipes, for instance, the factory needed
to close for a day to retool for the
specialist pipes. “These are not off-
the-shelf products, but have to be
specially manufactured as and when
needed. It is made more complicated
by the different sizes required,
each of which is made in a different
factory, usually in a different part of
the country,” says Chapwanya. The
stormwater pipes are high-strength,
though lightweight, spiral-wound
HDPE pipes to cater for the high
pressure of external loads.
These special materials are not
available locally in Tembisa, which
reduces the project’s localisation
targets that Motheo is aiming for.
Working with local communities
has become a key component of
any modern project in South Africa.
Motheo is working closely with
the local community structures to
maximise the local spend on materials
and the employment of local
subcontractors and labour.
While the issue of the 30% project
spend on targeted small business is
topical, especially on construction
projects, there is no such issue with
this project, as it is clearly spelled
out within the contract. Brink
explains that, under the contract,
four Ekurhuleni wards are required to
benefit. Only in instances where there
are no appropriate contractors from
a price and competency perspective,
can Motheo then look further afield,
though still only within Ekurhuleni.
The first option, however, has to
be to empower people within the
four wards. Although the contract
is clear, Brink says that the terms
are sufficiently broad not to be a
hindrance. Highly price-competitive
products such as ready-mix cement
can be acquired “anywhere within
Ekurhuleni”, and counts towards
the 30%, he explains. It can be a
traditional business within the
community, rather than necessarily
having to be community members
themselves, for example.
“While this aspect of contracting
adds a further layer of complexity to
the project, Motheo is committed to
the upliftment of local communities,
and is doing all it can to promote
this important aspect of our socio-
economic objectives,” says Brink.
Motheo is constantly engaging with
community structures in the targeted
wards through the project steering
committee and ward councillors.
“Motheo’s commitment to addressing
the socio-economic challenges facing
our country goes a long way in how
the company treats its responsibility
in this regard,” concludes Brink. nn
Professional team
Client: A joint venture between
the Development Bank of
Southern Africa (DBSA) and
the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan
Municipality
Implementing agent /
project manager: DBSA
Main contractor:
Motheo Construction Group
Architect:
Le Bash Consortium
Civil engineer:
Le Bash Consortium
Quantity surveyor:
Le Bash Consortium
Environmental consultant:
Lokisa Environmental
The water pipes had to be constructed
of HDPE that is more expensive and
the sections welded together due to the
dolomitic nature of the site.
www.civilsonline.co.za
CEC November 2018 | 21