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It has become a cliché to call us a ‘throw-away society’ but, according to Brindha Roberts, head of sustainability at waste-management solutions provider Averda South Africa, it’s a fairly accurate description.

‘In earlier days, consumers understood and appreciated the value of the “whole”,’ she says. ‘The consumption of a natural resource was utilised to its maximum extent, with minimal wastage. We see this in the habits of the elderly, where plastic carrier bags are folded, stored, reused and appreciated as a thing of value. As we progress as a species it seems we predominantly learn by experience, and we have just realised the error of our ways regarding the sourcing, design production, utilisation and disposal of goods.’

Circular economy
At Averda, the concept of a ‘circular economy’ is central to finding value in the whole. Roberts believes this can be achieved by an integrated life-cycle approach, and by redesigning products to include responsible sourcing of renewable raw materials, fit for purpose and with post-use (reuse, recycling or repurpose) in mind.

‘A successful circular economy designs, manufactures, uses and reuses products for as long as possible with only the truly spent items being discarded as waste,’ she says.

‘Products are made by combining several valuable materials to form a useful and functional product, and in most instances can be “de-manufactured” back into valuable raw materials to feed into the start of the process. ‘This post-use beneficiation, as opposed to linear disposal thinking, has the potential to create new economic sectors to improve employment levels and spur technological development,’ says Roberts.

The question is, what to do with those products when they finally reach the end of their life cycle. As a leader in the waste-management sector, Averda is constantly rethinking the process by finding sustainable alternatives to sending that waste to landfill. In 2017, after all, 96 million tons of waste were deposited across South Africa’s 826 operational landfills, and the country’s Department of Environmental Affairs has warned that if it continues to be a throw-away society, it will run out of landfill airspace.

‘Averda has identified that the need for landfills will be our reality for the foreseeable future due to the sheer expanse of the land – logistics – and the lack of economically feasible technology,’ says Roberts. ‘But we acknowledge and have identified the need to re-think the waste chain in partnership with our clients. We are in the process of designing and implementing global best practice in the treatment and handling of hazardous waste to unlock the potential value.’

While landfills will continue to exist, Averda is working on ways to limit their environmental impact

The NIMBY effect
While this is the case, using licensed and legally compliant facilities will help minimise any negative consequences. These facilities have a number of mechanisms in place to manage their social and environmental impact, including contamination barriers, monitoring committees and ongoing measurement of air and soil quality for periods of up to 30 years following the facility’s closure.

‘In addition to the environmental hazards, improperly managed dumps also pose serious health problems as they become breeding grounds for disease vectors such as rats and mosquitoes, and illegally dumped waste could cause respiratory illnesses, including asthma and TB,’ she says.

This all adds to the NIMBY (not in my backyard) effect. ‘It’s a common reaction by people who aren’t necessarily opposed to landfill sites, but don’t want them in close proximity to their properties,’ says Roberts. This opposition adds to the scarcity issue, pushing landfills further and further away from urban areas and increasing the cost and carbon footprint associated with managing waste.

Finding the sweet spot
Roberts adds that seeking out compliance and innovative alternatives in waste management comes at a cost, so using licensed waste-management facilities and abiding by their requirements can be a more expensive option for waste disposers. ‘However, this should not be a cost-only decision,’ she says. ‘Waste-management value chain outcomes should be a priority, and non-compliance should not be an acceptable cost-saving mechanism.’

Currently waste-management providers compete with unlicensed counterparts who can carry out the same service at a fraction of the cost, without any regard for the environmental consequences.

Brindha Roberts, head of sustainability, Averda South Africa

In South Africa, and across the continent as a whole, waste diversion is not only an environmental objective; it also has wider reaching economic and social impacts. ‘It’s about finding the sweet spot between people, planet and economic stewardship,’ says Roberts.

‘For example, recycling is currently favoured because it is the main income source for a large portion of the population, therefore structuring diversion without inclusion will be faced with resistance.’

If more entities were to prioritise the environment and people over cost, it would enable investment in sustainable alternatives. ‘Currently, options like refuse-derived fuel and anaerobic digestion are only available in selected regions, whereas bio-drying and gasification are not available at all,’ according to Roberts. ‘Investing in compliance will drive vital funds into an industry that’s plagued by under-pricing – increasing the ability for waste experts to invest in much-needed alternative technologies.’

When it comes to waste management, the duty of care is assigned to the waste generator. However, they do not necessarily have the knowledge or competence to track legislation or best practice, as it is not their core business. For this reason, it is beneficial to engage the services of responsible waste-management providers.

Drawing from their expertise and experience, waste generators can negotiate the complexities of compliance – and benefit from the innovative thinking of the waste-management experts.

‘If it is possible to recycle a fraction of a used disposable diaper back into the process of making a new diaper, surely it is possible to find the value in presently landfilled chemicals or to find value in the molecular structure and properties of the waste as a feedstock to alternative industries,’ says Roberts.

‘Averda’s clients’ core functions do not include R&D for waste beneficiation – and rightly so. Their focus is upstream and on raw-material sourcing, product design and increasing efficiencies,’ she says.

‘Division opportunities dependent on volume and access to a panoramic view of inputs and outputs over diverse sectors and, of course, economic influences… Averda offers this and more.’

+27 (0)86 128 3732
[email protected]
www.averda.co.za

South Africa is a water-stressed country, receiving an average annual rainfall of 492 mm, while the rest of the Earth receives 985 mm. In addition, the WWF cautions that 98% of South Africa’s water has already been allocated to users, leaving little surplus water to cater for a growing population and demand.

With this in mind, prepaid water – as with prepaid electricity – is a good solution to more sustainable consumption and management of shared resources.

Smart water
Smart water has many of the answers for South Africa, the world’s 30th-driest country and one that spends ZAR7 billion a year because of water losses.

Marcus Thulsidas, business development director of Utility Systems, a Sebata Water Technologies company, says the focus needs to move from crisis management to the implementation of proactive water-saving technologies – because water shortages promise to be an ongoing issue.

In addition, infrastructure, reticulation and bulk meters have not been well maintained over the past 25 years, with many leaks resulting in a huge amount of water being wasted.

In this context, one should consider a smart water-supply system fitted with sensors to measure water pressure, chemical composition and flow. When undesirable changes occur, authorities can take immediate action.

Technology has the potential to win the fight to reduce water consumption. Smart meters can detect leaks and tampering, and monitor water in almost real time (while it can take a consumer four months to detect leaks). With this control, consumers can manage their own consumption and prevent waste.

Water-metering systems can manage and reduce consumption

Prepaid water means that the consumer purchases water credit in the form of a prepaid water token. When entered into the user interface unit (located in the consumer’s home), the token instructs the water management device to allow a certain amount of water through the meter before closing. Consumers can track usage, load credit remotely and decrease the possibility of bill shock due to leakages or incorrect monitoring.

According to Leon Vermaak, MD of UMS, also a Sebata Water Technologies company: ‘Municipalities find themselves in a compromised position, because they can’t know with accuracy how much water is going where. Balancing is inaccurate and revenue is lost without explanation. Failure to implement appropriate metering and billing systems contributes to a worsening crisis.’

What’s possible?
There are solutions to the water crisis. As a start, municipalities need to be able to collect revenue efficiently, to enhance profitability and deliver services. Forward-thinking municipalities are already implementing smart metering, which drastically reduces government’s administration costs. This is because they don’t need to chase bad debts or budget for legal fees on unpaid accounts. Public-sector cash flow is immediately improved when municipalities are paid upfront for water.

A prepaid water meter can be used to limit water flowing to a particular area. This helps authorities and property owners control the amount of water used at certain outputs and prevents wastage in low-income households that can’t afford to pay for excess use of this basic need. They can make payments in smaller, frequent increments. This prevents their falling into debt, which can compound in a post-paid arrangement.

Collecting data from prepaid meters is more efficient than the manual collection required for post-paid meters. A radio link receiver can be fixed, vehicle-mounted or carried by municipality personnel. Data is transmitted to the receiver as soon as it’s within signal of the meter, so meter readers don’t need to enter the property. They can walk or drive by a prepaid meter to read it.

Prepaid systems are cost-effective solutions to sustainable water management in that they are not expensive and, by curbing water usage, capital recovery is possible within months. The systems are also able to distribute water equally, based on free water quotas, water balancing and fluctuating demand. Yet because of the diversity of South Africa’s socio-economic and natural environment, warns Vermaak, we must not think there is a single solution to all consumers’ needs.

Diverse solutions
Utility Systems, Amanzi Meters, UMS and Sebata Municipal Solutions are proud subsidiaries of Sebata Water Technologies, Software Solutions and Consultancy Services, which is part of the Sebata Holdings family.

Utility Systems
Smart water management
Utility Systems’ smart water-management devices (WMDs) connect to most pulse-output water meters to convert analogue units into smart devices. They offer flow limitation, prepaid water metering and bulk water management.

Automated meter reading
This technology enables the automatic collection of data – including basic diagnostic, consumption and status information – from a smart water meter and dispatched to the water authority, to facilitate accurate billing and water balancing across zones.

Advanced metering infrastructure
Bi-directional communication from the smart WMD to the utility, in near real-time, assists with early leak detection, minimises wastage, facilitates accurate billing and allows human resources to be assigned to operational or management tasks.

Water-metering systems can manage and reduce consumption

Amanzi Meters
Water meters
The designers of these state-of-the-art, locally produced water meters have combined a high-precision measuring insert with a high-quality, robust meter body.

Ball valves
These manually operated quarter-turn valves are used for isolating (on/off), not for regulating, via a flow-controlling spherical ball located in the valve body.

Meter boxes
These offer multiple solutions for housing and weather-proofing metering systems.

UMS
Meter audit
The firm conducts physical inspections and assessments of water meters and installations to establish functional condition for serviceability.

Spacial data management and verification
Its geo-spatial and workflow-management solutions are able to verify stand data, services and consumer information.

Meter reading and exception management
UMS carries out the physical reading of all electricity and water meters monthly and compiles exception reports based on field data recordings.

Water-flow restriction devices
These custom-designed devices restrict water flow for all water-dispensing units, as a mechanism for credit control and flow limitation for indigent households.

Sebata Municipal Solutions
Data cleansing
Using a third-party service provider, Sebata Municipal Solutions verifies and completes missing data and metadata from the municipality’s billing database.

Debtors book analysis
Clean data from the data-cleansing team is fed into financial systems (FMS and EMS), to allow municipalities to carry out live reporting and billing.

66 Park Lane, Sandton, 2196
+27 (0)11 218 8080
www.sebata.co.za

Taking action

Sebata Holdings subsidiaries have forward-thinking solutions to the water crisis
26 Apr, 2019

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Consider this conundrum: developing countries with a richness of natural resources, of which the African continent possesses an unusual abundance, tend to have less economic growth and worse development outcomes than many countries with fewer natural resources.

Precise measurements give certainty to small-scale miners

Now consider the same abundance of natural resources but place them in a country such as Australia. For the past few decades, Australia’s mining boom has been legendary, powering the economy through, and beyond, the global downturn of 2008. The resulting contrast could not be clearer. Australia’s level of education, healthcare, social protection systems, infrastructure and governance are what the African continent sorely needs. Australia has taken full advantage of its natural resources and put the country’s revenues to good use. Africa must do the same. The crucial question, however, is how do you go about it, and in what order do you invest the proceeds to gain maximum benefit for a developing country?

A new solution that benefits small-scale miners
Some claim that investing away from natural resources and into, for example, healthcare and education, is the solution to this ‘paradox of plenty’ suffered by many resource-dependent states. Politicians eager for votes tend to be the keenest proponents of this course.

The South African-based Moti Group, however, insists precisely the opposite: while healthcare and education are obviously a necessity for a healthy economy, a solution can also be found in spreading the power and influence of existing producers of natural resources by upskilling small-scale industry and facilitating their tangible participation to the national fiscus.

The Moti Group – one of the biggest and fastest-growing enterprises in Southern Africa, and one of the largest investors in Zimbabwe – is soon to launch its first example of this initiative in that country, with its Zimbabwe Motivation Mining (ZMM) programme, which will target small-scale lumpy chrome ore producers. Through this initiative, the Moti Group – via its Zimbabwean subsidiary, African Chrome Fields – aims to empower small-scale industries to unlock the potential of Africa outside of big business.

Small-scale Zimbabwean miners produce 200 000 tons of lumpy chrome every year. ZMM has the potential to increase this figure to 1 million tons

The Zimbabwe Midlands area is well-known for being home to the world’s second-largest chromite resources in the world. This massive bounty holds great potential for foreign earnings. However, while lumpy chrome has been extensively extracted by traditional, small-scale miners for decades, the potential for mining expansion through these operations – and for drastically improving their livelihoods – stays relatively untapped. The question remains on how the Zimbabwean economy can benefit from the 200 000 tons of lumpy chrome that the small-scale miners produce.

Small-scale miners face enormous challenges, not least of which are access to capital, machinery, geological expertise and fair prices. They also face dangerous working conditions and inevitably contribute to environmental deterioration. These factors greatly hamper their ability to grow their operations and, in the process, to contribute significantly to the Zimbabwean economy through foreign earnings.

The Moti Group’s African Chrome Fields mines and processes alluvial chromite ore along the Great Dyke region, and it is the proprietor of the aluminothermic technology, having established a successful plant utilising this proprietary technology. The Moti Group’s ZMM initiative will enable small-scale producers of lumpy chrome to make a tangible contribution to the national fiscus and, thus, for the first time, to enjoy the benefits of real enterprise for their efforts.

In essence, ZMM will incentivise and train small-scale miners in environmental and safety compliance, empowering them for growth into medium-scale miners by optimising production, over and above boosting their income. ZMM will match the grade of each product with available market prices, and pay miners in a combination of the RTGS (real-time gross settlement) payment platform and US dollars. ‘The programme will incentivise miners to improve and grow their operations through training programmes, financial and intellectual capital, and a trusted channel to the international commodities market,’ says Zunaid Moti, chairman of the Moti Group. Utilising the existing infrastructure and network of African Chrome Fields, ZMM will initially work with small-scale chrome miners before expanding into gold and lithium.

With its partners, ZMM has already earmarked a significant initial funding allocation and, once ZMM is launched, chrome output by small-scale minors may hit 1 million tons in the short to medium term – five times higher than the current 200 000 tons currently produced. ‘Our strategy to empower small-scale industry to contribute to the improvement of export revenues will in turn help support the government’s competition initiatives and improve standards of performance across the sector,’ according to Ashruf Kaka, CEO of the Moti Group. ‘ZMM offers a more sustainable solution to current issues than any existing structure with a similar aim.’

Small-scale industries across the continent should be able to take control of their land and their resources in the same way, and work together to help unlock the potential of Africa outside of big business.

108 4th Street, Parkmore,
Sandton, 2196, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)11 888 8888
[email protected]

Unlocking potential

The Moti Group has plans in place to help small-scale miners reap the fruits of their labour.
25 Jan, 2019

Afrilog provides comprehensive supply management and inventory management services to not only meet but also anticipate the demands of the group’s highly specialised clientele – mining as well as industrial companies.

The Afrilog team has more than a decade of extensive experience on the African continent, which means it is able to offer an international, integrated procurement and logistics solution for the inland, ocean and air transportation of containerised, break-bulk, hazardous and dimensional heavy-lift project cargo throughout the world. The company also provides end-to-end management of the supply chain, including warehouse management. In addition, Afrilog ensures the seamless movement of cargo across Africa. Having operated in various countries across the continent for many years, it has developed good and sound relationships with reputable agents. These relationships help ensure the required cargo can be received and routed seamlessly to project sites.

Due to Afrilog’s sound relationships with reputable agents, cargo can be received and routed seamlessly to project sites

A history of innovation
Afrilog is a proud member of the CSTTAO group, where innovation is central to the DNA of the business. Boasting more than 70 years of experience, knowledge and know-how across the logistics and supply chain industries, CSTT-AO is renowned as the industry pioneers across Africa.

Some of the highlights of the group’s recent history bears testament to this:

  • 1990: It was among the first service providers to offer clients an integrated service that involved not only logistics services, but also taking over the management of clients’ goods from the moment that orders are placed
  •  2000: Development of sourcing and procurement to integrate with logistics
  •  2010: It was the first supply chain management company in West Africa to use the ERP SAP
  • 2015: Regional collaborative storage and distribution (the Moussala platform)
  •  2018: Kaolack river port as break-bulk port for the East Senegal, West Mali and West Guinea Mines.

Today, Afrilog offers complete supply management – from maintenance planning to stock management.

Connecting suppliers and clients
With a legacy of providing innovative and cost-effective supply chain solutions that deliver sustainable operational and financial growth for its clients, the CSTT-AO group of companies launched the African Logistics Platform. Having operated on the African continent for more than 60 years, it has first-hand experience of the challenges clients and suppliers in the mining and related industries face operating in West Africa.

These challenges include:

  • Not being able to stockpile due to a lack of storage facilities and restrictive budgets
  • Long lead times and higher transport costs associated with importing stock as and when needed
  • Complications and barriers that arise during the wet season.
Afrilog’s logistics platform provides suppliers and manufacturers with an in-country presence to store and move goods speedily

With this in mind, the group undertook to provide suppliers and manufacturers with a logistics platform that gives them an in-country presence that enables them to store and move goods speedily. Located on the border of Senegal and Mali, the African Logistics Platform provides complete storage, handling, processing and fulfilment services.

The platform is a natural progression for the CSTT-AO group and brings it closer to realising its vision to be the leading independent service provider, specialising in supply chain management and integrated logistics solutions (across Africa), operating globally.

Key features of the platform

  • Safety
    – Fire hose installation
    – 100 m3 watertank, pumps
    – Portable extinguishers
    – Fire sensors and alarm station
    – Security gates
    – Supervision room with cameras
  •  SAP system
    – Warehouse-management system
    – Replenishment system
    – Hazardous management system
    – Real-time tracking and visibility
    – Reporting tool
  •  ISO standard
    – ISO 9001
    – ISO 14001 & OSHASS 1800 in progress
    – ICMI
  •  Qualified and experienced staff
  • Location
    Moussala Platform to:
    – Loulo-Gounkoto: 25 km
    – Tabakoto: 47 km
    – Massawa: 108 km
    – Sabodala: 123 km
    – Mako: 173 km.

Key benefits of the platform

  • Brings the stock (vendor) closer to the mines (customer)
  • Delivers to the mining industry a complete, integrated and flexible supply chain solution that contributes to reduction of inventories and lead times, and optimisation of procurement budge
  • Provides vendors and manufacturers with an adequate and safe distribution solution with a deep knowledge of local procedure
  • Compliance with safety and environmental standards.
Head office: 134-135 Nasmith Road,
Jupiter, Germiston, 2094,
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)11 021 5230
www.afrilog.com

Partner of choice

Afrilog collaborates with clients to design, execute and manage supply chain solutions across the continent.
25 Jan, 2019

The International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) held its 13th international conference on medical regulation (6–9 October 2018) in Dubai, UAE, under the theme: Empowering Regulation with Innovation and Evidence. At this conference, Dr Tebogo Kgosietsile Solomon Letlape, president of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) was elected as chair of IAMRA.

Letlape’s election as the chair of IAMRA came exactly two months after his election as president of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), at its 22nd annual conference, which was held in Ghana.

Dr Tebogo Kgosietsile Solomon Letlape, chair of IAMRA and president of the Health Professions Council of South Africa

AMCOA’s primary purpose is to support medical regulatory authorities on the continent in their quest to protect the public by promoting high standards of medical education, registration and regulation. AMCOA also seeks to facilitate the ongoing exchange of information among medical regulatory authorities.

In accordance with Article 4 of AMCOA’s constitution, membership in the association is open for all councils/boards that regulate medical and dental practitioners within Africa.States applying to become members may be admitted on a formal resolution by AMCOA. The current membership of AMCOA comprises 19 African member states.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is proud of this fact, and of Letlape’s achievements. In congratulating Letlape, HPCSA vice-president Lesiba Malotana said: ‘It gives me immense pleasure to extend, on behalf of the HPCSA Council, our warmest congratulations to Dr Kgosi Letlape on his election as chair of the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities. Dr Letlape is a renowned leader in the healthcare profession and has shown commitment to co-operation and collaboration among medical regulatory authorities as a basis on which to benchmark good practice, promote ambitious standards, and ensure patient safety. ‘Certainly, his willingness to volunteer his time and effort, as well as express his opinions, has contributed to him being elected for the position. Once more, as the HPCSA and as the nation, we commit our full support and wish him all the best as he represents us.’

IAMRA membership extends to 48 countries that comprise both members and partners. IAMRA exists to support the world’s medical regulatory authorities in their endeavour to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards for the profession of medicine.

Through scientific, educational and collaborative activities, IAMRA strives to encourage best practices among the world’s medical regulatory authorities and to respond to both their current and future needs. As a membership organisation, IAMRA values the communication, participation and interaction that are key to the success of this international collaboration. South Africa will play host to the 14th International Conference on Medical Regulation in 2020.

About Dr Tebogo Letlape
Letlape is the current president of the HPCSA and chairperson of the Medical and Dental Professions Board. He made history by becoming the first African to qualify as an ophthalmologist in South Africa during the apartheid years and was also the first African to be elected president of the World Medical Association in 2006. He is a former chairman of the South African Medical Association (SAMA).

Dr Tebogo Kgosietsile Solomon Letlape, chair of IAMRA and president of the HPCSA and Dr Manyangane Raymond Billa, CEO/Registrar of the HPCSA

Urged by the late former South African President Nelson Mandela, Letlape embarked on an ambitious project towards providing access to antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive patients in 2003. Together with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SAMA, he established the Tshepang Trust, of which he is a former executive director. The Tshepang Trust facilitated the treatment of HIV-positive patients when none was provided by the government at the time.

His interest in healthcare for South Africans sees him participating in various health committees and task teams, and he serves as a member of the Global Hygiene Council.

Tel: (+27) 12 338 9300,
Fax: (+27) 12 328 5120
[email protected]
www.hpcsa.co.za