2016 CON JULY FINAL LOW

CONSTRUCTION WORLD

JULY

2016

PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS

Background

Since September 2015, its new batching plant

in Phoenix has been supplying concrete for

the construction of the massive Dr Pixley ka

Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital, and it will also

be the source of material for a large low cost

housing project in the area.

According to AfriSam’s Marietjie

Thompson, the building materials supplier

is positioning itself to seize a share of the

promised massive spending on infrastructure

by eThekwini Municipality in the Inanda,

Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) areas. The

local government has already made known

its plans of investing billions of Rands into

housing projects to help uplift these areas

over the next five years.

Clinching the project

While the company has bolstered its

production and supply capacities in the

area its strong Broad-Based Black Economic

Empowerment credentials places it in a very

strategic position when tendering for public

sector contracts.

This was one of the biggest reasons for

AfriSam clinching the concrete supply for

Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital.

More than providing members of the INK

community with important health care

services, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial

Department of Health wants the build to

uplift INK communities during the construc-

tion programme.

For example, one of the key objectives of

the construction programme is that 30% of

all sub-contracts are let out to 100% black-

owned companies.

This is over and above its strict require-

ments to maximise employment opportuni-

ties and skills transfer during the build. By the

end of the year, it is anticipated that there will

be about 2 000 people from the INK commu-

nities employed on the site when fittings and

finishing works start.

AfriSam is supplying 40 000 m

concrete to Aveng Grinaker-LTA Building and

its joint venture partner, Enza Construction,

who arrived on site in January 2015 to start

tackling the four year contract.

Strong supply

The Phoenix batching plant is a mere 1,5 km

from the site and has a production capacity

of 40 m

an hour. This plant services what is

referred to as the P.I.N.K. area which encom-

passes Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma

and KwaMashu.

Six readymix trucks deliver 600 m

of concrete to the construction site per

day, while three more ferry concrete from

AfriSam’s Ottawa operation. This strategy

mitigates any risk to customers should

there be an unforeseen interruption at one

of the plants.

In addition to supplementing production

and supply capacities at Phoenix for the

hospital project the Ottawa plant, located just

more than 12 km away from the construction

site, is supplying major developments well

Concrete footprint in

GROWTH NODES

South Africa’s leading

concrete solutions provider,

AfriSam has strengthened

its readymix production

and supply capacities in the

northern areas of Durban,

KwaZulu-Natal.

under way in Cornubia and Umhlanga.

Both plants receive a steady supply of quality

cement from AfriSam’s grinding station in

Roodepoort and aggregates from

its Verulam quarry.

Mix design

Thompson says the company did four mix

designs for the Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme

Memorial Hospital.

These were for the slabs, suspended

slabs and columns. About 80% of the

concrete for the structure has a com-

pressive strength of 30 MPa, while 35 MPa

concrete is being used for the columns and

suspended slabs.

The materials producer also helped

the JV to co-ordinate the use of the

different mixes on site, once the batches

had been delivered.

Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital is a positive signal of more to come in the surrounding areas.

By the end of the year, it is anticipated that

there will be about 2 000 people on the site.

AfriSam delivers 600 m

of concrete to the site

every day.

W L

2016