Construction World December 2018

DINGLETON RESETTLEMENT PROJECT When the town of Dingleton in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, consisting of approximately 3 500 people, needed to be relocated approximately 25 kilometers away to Kathu, Hatch Africa was appointed to finalise the Project Execution Plan (PEP).

D ingleton was constructed in the 1950s by the then state-owned mining company Iscor to serve the new Sishen mine in the Northern Cape. Over the years, the open pit mining activities advanced to the 500-metre limit from the town, the minimum buffer zone required by regulation. To access the ore in this buffer zone, the mine perimeter fence needed to be moved to the west, effectively into the renamed town of Dingleton. Kumba commenced with the

PROJECT INFORMATION • Company entering: Hatch Africa • Client: Kumba Iron Ore – Sishen Iron Ore Company • Project value: R2-billion • Start date: May 2013 • End date: December 2017 (construction activities) • Main contractor: Group Five Housing • Project Manager: Hatch

• Architect: PKA • Architect: HPA • Architect: Delene Snyman Architect • Civil Engineer: WorleyParsons • Structural Engineer: Aurecon • Electrical Engineer: HVR • Landscape Architect: LEAP • Plan Submission Consultant: Zenande • Quantity Surveyors: PCC/MMQS

engagement of the community of Dingleton in 2007 to establish the feasibility and acceptability of relocating the community to a newly constructed suburb of the newer town, Kathu, on the East side of the mine. The Kumba team had substantially progressed the PEP in 2012 with the understanding that the majority of residents were in favour of the resettlement when Hatch was contacted for support the project.

With the successful compilation, presentation, and approval of the PEP from the Anglo and Kumba Gate Review teams, the project was released to implementation stage through the approved project governance processes in December 2012. In 2013, following almost seven years of active engagement with all stakeholders including the community, local business, municipality, and government, the project was ready to move ahead into execution. Hatch tendered for and was awarded the Project Implementation Management Service for the Dingleton Resettlement Project and went on to successfully manage the implementation of the new township services infrastructure including roads, potable water, stormwater, electricity, and sewers followed by houses and building top structures and the physical moves of people and belongings. Given the nature of the works and the real emphasis of the project being on the impact on the communities of both Dingleton and Kathu, compliance to building and construction regulations and quality was a key focus for the team. Very few construction innovation technology opportunities can be singled out for mentioning on this project. Having said that, proper planning, communication, and control of the construction process aligned with opportunities identified in the schedule to focus works in certain areas and therefore move residents in stages improved the project performance significantly. Additional effort was applied to the establishment of a procurement strategy that provided opportunities across the contractor capacity spectrum to ensure broader access to opportunities than traditional project procurement plans. Further innovation was applied to areas including building material selection, construction methods, excavated material management, spoil material reduction, waste material disposal, all of which contributed to the overall success of the project. 