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The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) is a wholly owned, area-based development agency of the City of Johannesburg with an emphasis on the development of resilient, sustainable and liveable urban areas in identified transit nodes and corridors. This means that as an area-based development agency, it is more than just a project-management or economic-development agency.

The JDA is mandated as an area-based development agency; it is unique in that, unlike traditional development-agency models, it straddles both a market and citizen-facing approach (not fully bound to either direction). It combines a social, economic and environmental mandate. Johannesburg cannot afford to consider economic factors only. Instead, it requires developmental approaches attuned to complexity. The JDA deals with the renovation, innovation and re-imagination of Johannesburg’s built environment and urban communities through a reinforced programme of place making and area-based development. In the past, it has undertaken and delivered projects and programmes that have been located spatially on a city, precinct or neighbourhood scale.

The agency has implemented more than 600 projects across all administrative regions of the city in 19 years of operation. Over the past five years, it has grown by almost 75% from 50 to 87 employees, resulting in a bigger capital budget and an increase in the number of projects to implement on behalf of City of Johannesburg client departments. The total capex allocation has to risen to just in excess of ZAR5 billion over the past five years. The JDA believes that the co-production of solutions in partnership with local communities and stakeholders allows for its development programmes to meet local requirements and mitigate needs. This is an essential component of development interventions in cities. It promotes a more responsible and effective approach, which is to work with local stakeholders to produce solutions, drawing on their knowledge of the development context. This can cultivate a much more sustainable sense of ownership, civic pride and citizenship.

The JDA implements capital projects across a variety of programmes aimed at achieving the agency’s ‘4Cs’, namely:

• Catalysing growth in areas with latent investment potential

• Creating robust democratic public spaces that give dignity and choice to city users

• Connecting people with opportunities to live, work, play, learn and be healthy in the city

• Co-producing solutions in partnership with local residents and stakeholders to meet local needs and mitigate community challenges.

The JDA reports to the City of Johannesburg’s department of development planning, whose mandate focuses on urban management, building control and city spatial transformation, which is under the leadership of councillor Lawrence Khoza. Implementation of strategies to transform the cityscape for the benefit of the citizens lies at the heart of the development planning department. In 2016, the City of Johannesburg metro council responded by finalising the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) 2040, which imagined an inclusive, integrated and socially cohesive City of Johannesburg.

The SDF 2040 calls for the drafting of a nodal review to give expression to the urgent spatial challenge of integration and inclusion. After months of modelling and public participation, the nodal review was approved by the council of the City of Johannesburg on 28 February 2020. This strategy promotes the idea of living in proximity to schools and places of work, and easy access to public transport infrastructure and other services. Invariably, such an approach cuts the cost of infrastructure and other services, reduces pressure on the natural environment and, through agglomeration and clustering, promotes economic growth. The JDA aligns itself to the SDF 2040 in the delivery of infrastructure to ensure there is sustainability and long-lasting benefit to the communities it serves. The work implemented by the JDA is delivered through three substantive programmes.

STRATEGIC ECONOMIC NODE DELIVERY PROGRAMME
This programme focuses on nodal development projects (generally situated along key development corridors). Projects under this programme include the Jabulani Transit-oriented Development in Soweto and the Brixton Social Cluster, which lies along the Empire/Perth development corridor.

ACCELERATED INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY PROGRAMME
The delivery of health-, recreational-and transport-related projects are the basis of this programme. Projects include the Florida Clinic; the Watt Interchange, which forms part of Phase 1C of the city’s Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) System; and Paterson Park, which is a modern architecturally designed recreational facility, providing a safe space that facilitates the development of fundamental skills. These include reading and writing, in conjunction with sport, physical activity and health to stimulate growth and development in the community of Orange Grove and surrounds.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME
This programme focuses on the development of skills and capacity within the construction industry in Johannesburg, as well as optimising the JDA’s contribution to inclusive economic growth and empowerment, and the transformation of the construction industry. SMEs are an essential stakeholder group to be engaged on local-area projects, both for determining the economic conditions and opportunities within areas, and for identifying potential for enhancing the prospects of small business in development areas and directly in JDA projects. This allows for a meaningful connection to opportunities within the JDA’s development areas.

PUBLIC ART, PLACE-MAKING AND CO-PRODUCTION PROGRAMME
The JDA always seeks to engage the public in a meaningful way at every stage of development. This includes undertaking public participation in the planning stage, consultations with communities and affected parties during the design stage, and value-adding activities involving community members in projects such as the peoples’ history and heritage exhibitions, and public art projects that tell the story of the neighbourhood. One such programme that speaks to the value-adding activities of the agency is the JDA’s Public Art, Place-Making and Co-Production programme. The JDA remains committed to the continued roll-out of its Public Art programme in partnership with the City of Johannesburg’s department of community development (directorate of arts, culture and heritage), where great strides have already been made towards the creation of great places through public art. The creation of great places is also about developing sustainable adaptable spaces that are robust and resilient to changes in their local context. The JDA will in future interrogate the quality of design of public areas to enhance the level of adaptability of the spaces it establishes and the sustainability of the agency’s initiatives.

Since 2016 the JDA has re-imagined the Public Art programme not as the production of iconic pieces of art but more importantly as an interactive, community-rooted, place-making process that brings community co-production to life through art. It is the JDA’s intention that locally embedded and relevant forms of physical place-making be produced to enrich and enliven public spaces in local communities and along transit routes. Co-production is defined as the meaningful engagement of stakeholders such that local actors form part of designing interventions for the neighbourhood. This involvement means going beyond community briefings or one-on-one meetings to include, for example, design workshops; historic storytelling to share past and future visions of the space; participatory budgeting forums; thematic workshops to study specific solutions; use of social media to invite input and share information about the space; and use of multiple media platforms such as art, theatre, radio, podcasts, infographics and videos.

For instance, the focus of the JDA’s #ArtMyJozi project has been on working on local creative place-making with local people in Noordgesig, Brixton, Orange Grove and various points along the Louis Botha corridor. What is most exciting about the #ArtMyJozi journey is that it has allowed the JDA, as the city’s development agency, to really engage with the expressions of local identity in each place, space and node as part of its area-based development mandate.

+27 (0)11 688 7850
[email protected]
www.jda.org.za

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The Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Limited (Armscor) is an acquisition agency for the South African Department of Defence. Its mandate is to provide armed forces with the state-of-the-art defence matériel required to deliver safety and security to South Africa, its citizens and the continent. The organisation plays an important role in supplying the national defence force with proper resources to execute their duties efficiently and effectively.

Armscor has extensive experience in product development, technology development, enhancement, sustainment and disposal of products. The organisation has world-class facilities that can be used by both local and international clients to test and evaluate the performance of their defence and security-related products. It prides itself on maintaining high-quality international standards through rigorous testing and evaluation processes on all its technology-management projects.

One of Armscor’s core businesses is research and development (R&D). The R&D unit provides scientific research, test and evaluation services and technology management, analysis and innovation-management services. The organisation has capability to perform independent, centralised co-ordination and management roles for technology acquisition and technology commercialisation.

Armscor is geared towards providing unmatched sustainable defence solutions to all its clients and potential clients across the African continent and globally. Recent successes have seen the conversion of some of these traditional defence technologies in application and use in a myriad of other industries and situations, affirming Armscor’s ability to remain relevant and in the forefront of an ever-changing world.

Some of Armscor’s research and development facilities include the following defence science and technology institutes, and test and evaluation facilities.

DEFENCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTES
Institute for Maritime Technology
The Institute for Maritime Technology (IMT) located in Simon’s Town, Cape Town, specialises in defence research, development, testing and evaluation of maritime systems. The division plays a key role in developing and maintaining a sustainable technology capability for providing technomilitary expertise in support of naval decision-making. IMT also has capacity to provide services to the broader maritime community and other clients as part of its commercial initiatives. Some of its specialities include above-water sensors, underwater sensors systems and applied sciences.

Protechnik Laboratories
This is where biomedical studies focusing on characterisation and identification techniques for biological warfare agents are undertaken.

It is an applied chemistry/biochemistry facility with the primary focus on chemical and biological defence R&D. Specialised fields of research include:

• Detection
• Warning and identification of trace amounts of hazardous chemicals
• Protection of personnel in chemically hazardous environments (respiratory, body and collective protection)
• Decontamination/detoxification of chemical/biological agents
• Synthesis of test compounds and chemical verification standards in support of commitments to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Ergonomics Technologies
Armscor is recognised as a leader in ergonomics research, both locally and internationally. Through its facility, Ergonomics Technologies (ERGOTECH), which is based in Centurion, Gauteng, Armscor provides a comprehensive range of services in ergonomics (human factors) and occupational health and safety to the South African National Defence Force and commercial clients. The services offered focus on three interlinked domains, namely research and databases; design and specification; and test and evaluation. ERGOTECH adopts a holistic approach focused on the application of its capabilities to provide human-centred solutions that optimise human performance and efficiency.

Hazmat Protective Systems
Hazmat, also situated in Centurion, manufactures and markets a comprehensive range of filter cartridges, canisters, half- and full-face masks to protect individuals against respiratory health hazards. It also manufactures impregnated activated carbon, which is used as one of the primary filter materials in the manufacture of air-purifying respiratory filters. Hazmat has a state-of-the-art carbon impregnation plant that provides it with a competitive advantage in the manufacturing of respiratory filters. These products are suitable for both the military and commercial sectors.

TEST AND EVALUATION FACILITIES
Alkantpan Test Range
The Alkantpan Test Range is located about 70 km outside of Prieska in the Northern Cape, in a small town called Copperton. This facility is a one-stop shop for clients who want to test and evaluate their weapons and ammunition. It has six test sites and a demolition zone that can accommodate various sizes of weapons and ammunition. The range, which is about 67 km in length and 15 km wide, is located in a sparsely populated semi-desert area. Alkantpan offers much more than just ballistic-test services. From the landing strip, ammunition assembly and firing sites to the end results of test analyses, all is possible at Alkantpan.

Gerotek Test Facility
This facility is located about 20 km west of Pretoria, in the Gauteng province. Gerotek enables clients to test and evaluate the performance of vehicles in terms of speed, braking, fuel consumption, acceleration and power output. Mobility tests are conducted to measure off-road mobility, step climbing, gradient ability and ditch crossing. Furthermore, homologation tests are conducted to determine centre of gravity, speedometer calibration, stationary noise and braking performance. These state-of-the-art tracks are able to determine both endurance and reliability of vehicles, irrespective of size.

A wide range of test measurements such as strain, temperature, vibration, pressure and displacement can be supported from the instrumentation to data processing phases. Advanced driver training as well as corporate events, restaurant and conference facilities are also offered.

Corporate Communications Division
Private Bag X337 
Pretoria, 0001
South Africa
+27 (0)12 428 1911
[email protected]
www.armscor.co.za

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A mill shell, for the gold mining industry, that weighs some 180 tons and spans 5.9m x 8m, is obviously considered an abnormal load in the transport industry. For Afrilog – the company that has been designing, executing and managing Africa-specific supply-chain solutions for some 20 years – the approach by a customer to deliver one from Vereeneging via Richards Bay, South Africa, to a site in Liberia, was therefore not considered to be particularly daunting; challenging yes, but not impossible, which proved to be the case.

Basil Pietersen, Southern Africa Group Executive of Afrilog, explains that doing due diligence prior to delivery is standard procedure, so Afrilog had anticipated and prepared for most of the challenges it would face when the mill shell arrived at the port of Monrovia, in Liberia.

‘We knew that the Liberian port was not equipped to offload the abnormal load, which is why we shipped the mill shell on a geared vessel equipped with our own cranes, to position it onto a specially imported truck. Shortly after that was when things became interesting.

‘The port exit gate was too narrow and not high enough to allow the vehicle to pass through, which required us to dismantle and rebuild it the same day,’ says Pietersen.

Problem solved, the truck made its way along narrow streets, encountering not only low-hanging cables and electrical wires that required disconnection and reconnection but also the physical removal and rebuilding of ‘corner shops’. Pietersen says that even these obstacles were anticipated and not of particular concern. What was, however, was the presentation of a low bridge.

‘We had previously acquired permission from the road authorities to scrape away the road surface beneath the bridge to facilitate the truck and cargo’s passing, but this permit was withdrawn on our arrival. The authorities stated that it would be too disruptive for traffic flow. The only way to move forward was to lift the mill shell from the truck and pass it over the bridge and reload it on the other side, using a crane we urgently sourced from Accra, Ghana.’

Along the 200 km route, Afrilog also filled in potholes (requiring 21 truckloads of sand) and levelled road edges so the gradient was properly in line to facilitate the balancing of the cargo. Overgrown roadside vegetation was also removed by the convoy accompanying the truck. ‘When we arrived at our destination three days later – equating to roughly 3 km/h – seasonal rains had washed away roads as well as the bridge linking us to the delivery site,’ he says. ‘Again, we improvised by filling containers with cement that we laid on the ground, which allowed the truck to pass over – and just held.’

What this highlights is that Afrilog is agile and solutions-focused; that no matter what the challenges, it will and does mobilise its networks to get cargo delivered. And it has been operating in this manner since it was established in 2000.

As a family-based business, it comes with an inherent sense of ‘ownership, accountability, dedication, pride and commitment’ – qualities the company’s highly specialised clientele in the mining, industrial, hospitality, infrastructure and construction sectors of the continent experience daily. And because Afrilog is a member of the global CSTT-AO Group (which includes AGS and Multilog), innovation is ingrained in the DNA across all businesses, with CSTT-AO Group being known as one of the logistics and supply chain pioneers in Africa.

‘African operations are co-ordinated from Afrilog’s head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is where we also manage client relations,’ says Pietersen. ‘From this base we have directly delivered logistics and supply-chain solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, inclusive of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal and Sierra Leone. We also have representation in Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria and Zambia.’

Some of these nations present uncertain territory, be that political or in terms of compliance regulations. ‘The inconsistencies and lack of uniformity in requirements across borders can cause significant delays in the movement of goods. We are obviously aware of the resulting financial implications for our clients, and do everything possible to minimise those,’ says Pietersen. ‘And let’s not forget epidemics like SARS, Ebola and the recent COVID-19 that have intensified the challenges of doing business, especially across multiple borders.’

Having an on-the-ground presence in many of the countries in which it operates means that Afrilog has the ability to provide local sourcing and procurement alternatives if required. ‘Any number of multiple factors intensify the burden on an efficient supply chain on the continent,’ says Pietersen. ‘But these are impacts that stimulate our innovative nature to design integrated logistics solutions that are nimble and effective.’

The most pervasive challenges, according to Pietersen, lie in infrastructure. ‘Governments are beginning to accept that without significant investment and improvements in infrastructure, businesses cannot thrive, and they are consequently engaging with service providers like Afrilog to clarify the challenges we collectively face, and work[ing] with logistics and freight forwarders to jointly find solutions.’

Nurturing partnerships, be that with government officials or transport and port authorities, is considered crucial if Afrilog is to deliver cargo expeditiously to destinations along both known – and unfamiliar – routes.

‘We continually interact with like-minded local businesses to ensure we, and they, stay abreast of developments and, where possible, ahead of any curves,’ says Pietersen, adding that ‘these relationships are critical resources that enable us to use alternative corridors or routings to overcome political, social and climatic conditions’.

Afrilog is also supported in its procurement, sourcing and international freight forwarding operations by Belgium’s Commercial Trading Agency (CTA), and its associate company Uni-Forwarding International (UFI), which were acquired six years ago. CTA and UFI, says Pietersen, are recognised leaders in procurement services, and were brought into the stable based on their experience in servicing the African continent.

For clients, the acquisition added enormously to Afrilog’s already well-established offerings of port operations, warehouse and consulting support services, IT, project management and training. ‘We are therefore able to comprehensively and holistically approach supply-chain management projects, freeing up customers’ time and concerns so they can focus on their core business.’

Pietersen is also personally adding value to Afrilog’s reputation. He was recently appointed as president of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA). This organisation represents 160 countries globally, comprising 40 000 logistics and forwarding firms that together employ up to 10 million people. ‘I am fully committed to serving the institution and playing a role in seeing FIATA projects come to fruition, and ensuring all future developments undertaken in my presidency are done so in the best interest of the organisation, its members and stakeholders. It is humbling that this honour comes to me without solicitation, and it further entrenches Afrilog’s presence in the industry. For a family-owned business such as ours, the felicitation is shared across all aspects of our business.’

This very strong sense of family is also generously invested in corporate social responsibility. Afrilog believes it is through education that poverty will be alleviated. School children in local communities are thus provided access to the basics, such as books, stationery and school uniforms. Most recently Afrilog sponsored the construction of a soup kitchen on the grounds of a church that works towards catering to the needs of an underprivileged community.

Service and a ‘can-do’ attitude are inherent in the nature of Afrilog, as demonstrated, and it’s the same philosophy that it uses when dealing with customers, and one that will not change in the future, with growth.

‘As a company our vision is to be the leading independent African service provider operating globally and as a specialist in supply-chain management and integrated logistics solutions. The bottom line is that Afrilog is, and always will always be, a projects company… Nothing is too big or small,’ says Pietersen.

‘There are incredible opportunities for businesses across the continent; to be successful one must be willing to put in the work and demonstrate a commitment to mutual benefit, and Africa will embrace you.’

134/135 Nasmith Ave, Jupiter Ext 5
Heriotdale, Germiston, Gauteng
+27 (0)11 021 5230
www.afrilog.com

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