New e-Book Launch – Long Walk For Nothing by Dominic L Miller

One British man’s extraordinary 765km walk across South Africa in an ostrich costume

Following the release of the humorous new e-book, Long Walk for Nothing (click for Kindle page), Dominic L Miller will be in South Africa for promotional purposes from 17th to 24th September 2016 and available for interview during this time. As well as detailing his experience from start to finish, central to this unique story are the numerous acts of kindness by normal everyday South Africans. The book rightly acknowledges each and every one. The S.A.P.S in particular, contrary to continual headlines regarding brutality and corruption, were more than agreeable in providing lifts to a British fancy-dress fundraiser.

The walk generated continued press coverage throughout, featuring on e.TV national news (click for footage), four appearances on 567 Cape Talk radio station (click for press coverage page) in addition to national and regional newspapers. You have probably read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom. Now you can read about Dominic L Miller’s 765km Long Walk For Nothing from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in South Africa. That’s 18 marathons in 35 painfully unsupported days while wearing an ostrich costume.

This feel-good story about South Africa has initially been published in e-book format before offering a Print-On-Demand option in the near future. Dominic L Miller lived for a total of nine years in South Africa, so his book paints a positive and accurate picture of modern day South Africa. The reviews the book has received to date attest to this.

Complimentary copies furnished upon request

***

Mr Dominic L Miller - Website: https://www.dominiclmiller.com - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +31 (0)644329803

The eLeaf iJust 2 is a sub-ohm electronic cigarette device, also know as a "vape" by enthusiasts which, is manufactured by Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer iSmoka Electronics Company Ltd, widely sold throughout the world by various vape retailers, of which, Maximum Vape is one.

The eLeaf iJust 2 is a great starter vape device for vapers who know nothing about vaping. It offers the user a easy to assemble tank with interchangeable 0.3 and 05 ohm coils, it is pocket-sized, making it easy to carry around no matter where you go and provides its users with a large liquid capacity of 5.5ml, making it possible to keep more liquid in your tank, reducing constant refilling.

The iJust 2 has a 2600mAh battery capacity that lasts the average user between 6 and 36 hours, depending on frequency of use. The device  comes at an affordable initial investment  and its interchangeable coils are just as affordable and can last anywhere between 1 and 4 weeks on average (again, based on frequency of use). The device also comes in a newly-released iJust 2 mini which is a smaller and more compact device with all the same benefits.

Maximum Vape has sold dozens of iJust 2 devices without a single complaint or return on this device. Some of the users have commented that the device "creates great clouds" and "is really easy to use" and comes "at a really affordable price" at a price of R750.00incl.VAT which includes:

• 1×iJust 2/iJust 2 Mini Mouthpiece
• 1×iJust 2/iJust 2 Mini Atomizer Tube
• 1×EC 0.3ohm Head
• 1×iJust 2/iJust 2 Mini Atomizer Standard Base
• 1×iJust 2/iJust 2 Mini Battery
• 1×Airflow Control Ring1×USB Cable
• 1×User Manual

As a starter kit, the iJust 2 is a great vape device for any new vapers and an excellent method to reduce and potentially completely remove the need for traditional tobacco products by providing users with the options of 0mg, 3mg and 6mg from Maximum Vape's very own premium vape liquid supply which comes to its users at only R200.00incl. VAT for a 50ml bottle.

Gutter Science is a Cape Town based seamless aluminium guttering company based in the industrial side of Bellville, Cape Town, in Stikland. The company is owner-managed by Johan Brand who works with his highly skilled team in manufacturing and installing high-quality seamless aluminium gutters and downpipes.

Johan and his team have vast knowledge of the seamless aluminium guttering trade, having worked in the industry for many years before joining together to start Gutter Science in 2015. Johan saw the need for a guttering company that provided better customer service and project management and decided the best way to meet this need would be to start a company that has that as its core mission.

Seamless aluminium gutters have a certain aesthetic appeal to them but, they also increase the value of your home or residential building and carry a lifetime durability span. Gutter Science offers all its clients a 15-year guarantee against rust, corrosion and fading and a 2-year workmanship guarantee. Johan and his team have standardised on the industry standard, making use of 0.6mm and 0.8mm thick aluminium material. The seamless gutters are made in two sizes: 125x85mm, which is generally used in small to medium-sized residential buildings and 150x125mm, used in larger residential and commercial buildings.

In addition to the manufacture and installation of seamless aluminium gutters and downpipes, Johan and his team also strip and remove old asbestos, PVC and cast iron gutters and downpipes, fascia preparation, sanding, repairing and painting and the cleaning and servicing of aluminium gutters whether installed by them or not. 

Johan and his team offer great customer service and excellent project management to ensure that your installation is done in the most professional manner possible. If you have just bought a new house or you're tired of looking at the ghastly PVC or cast-iron guttering you have now, contact Johan for a quote.

Johannesburg, South Africa – This year Cape Town will host the second EGE (Electronic and Gaming Expo) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 29 to 31 July.  

“With the growth of the Gaming and Tech community in the Western Cape we expect EGE to be the biggest gaming expo Cape Town has seen this year. To add to the already booming hype around E-Sports in South Africa, ASUS, EGE and Orena will be hosting the qualifying round of the E-Sports World Convention 2016 CS:GO Tournament” said Reuben Naude, Marketing Specialist and OPBG for Sub-Saharan Africa at ASUS.  

ASUS has also sponsored 10 robustly impressive machines as well as 10, 144hz 24” monitors that will be used by players during the final stages of the CS:GO Tournament at EGE which will take place on Sunday from 10:00.  

“As ASUS, we plan on offering visitors an epic ROG (Republic of Gamers) experience with an ASUS stand featuring all our greatest and latest products from motherboards, monitors to gaming routers. We will also display pure works of art as Enigma Mods (Martin Le Roux) has crafted four masterpiece PC Mods that house the newest and most powerful components on the market for visitors to experience”, Naude added.  

“Attending EGE this year will be the perfect opportunity for you to experience the World’s first water-cooled gaming notebook. The GX700 is designed to deliver superior overclocking performance to go toe-to-toe with extreme gaming desktops.  On its own, it packs quite a punch, and easily outperforms other gaming laptops on the market. It even fits snugly in your backpack, so you can dominate LAN parties too.” Said Yolandi Venter, Marketing Manager for System products focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa at ASUS.  

As if that is not enough, ASUS has collaborated with NVidia and the HTC Vive to bring visitors the thrilling experience of Virtual Reality which is powered by two of their beastly STRIX GTX 1080 Graphics Cards.   Rebeltech will also be running some exclusive and exciting deals with ASUS Components. So apologise to your wallet and be sure to visit the stand for champion deals.  

About ASUS
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.  

NOTES TO EDITORS
ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com
ASUS South Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUSza
ASUS South Africa Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASUS_za
EGE Website: http://egesa.co.za/

“Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty”

“Record attendances at our events are important to show growth and momentum but knowing that we are relevant to the industries that we serve and are also making a difference outside of our business is equally, if not more, important” – this is according to David Ashdown, MD of Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.

During 2016, Spintelligent will host 15 events in the energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture, education and real estate sectors across the African continent. “The company is performing positively against a volatile backdrop after the first half of this year” says David Ashdown, “and we are looking forward to an even busier and equally successful second half of the year, including a number of exciting launch events”.

Reaching out
Projects that the Spintelligent MD is particularly proud of includes an outreach programme at the Golden Valley Basic School that is situated next to the massive Agritech Expo in Chisamba, in Zambia. Some 610 learners and 17 teachers have been reaping the benefits of the Agritech Expo Outreach Programme, from the renovation of school buildings, to a solar power installation and the mechanisation of the schools working farm, from which the profits fund the school. Furthermore, a new school build project in Lubumbashi, DRC, associated to DRC Mining Week, will provide a modern school infrastructure environment for up to 500 junior students.

“Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth, as such we have invested in schooling projects in both Zambia and the DRC. These projects are where the magic happens for us as a business, as we have the opportunity to give back to the communities that support our events. We are committed to these development projects,” says David Ashdown.

Other Spintelligent event highlights from this year so far include:

*  Most recently the DRC Mining Week hosted a record number of more than 1500 visitors in the mining hub of Lubumbashi, more than double compared to last year’s figures. During this conference and expo, the third annual DRC Mining Industry Awards also honoured the leading people and projects in the sector.In May, the 16th edition of African Utility Week, the flagship pan-African power and water platform organised by Spintelligent, took place in Cape Town and gathered a record 6445 attendees from 81 countries, including 27 African nations, as well as 250 exhibitors and 299 conference speakers  while 79 power and water utilities were represented.  

A notable presence at African Utility Week this year was Sierra Leone’s Dr Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), who not only delivered an inspired address during the opening day’s keynote session, but also won the Lifetime Achievement category at the African Utility Week Industry Awards. 

*  The Copperbelt Mining Trade Expo and Conference (CBM-TEC) in Kitwe also performed solidly in May with more than 1400 visitors and 100 local and international exhibitions to retain its top position as full mining indoor and outdoor expo and conference experience in the region. High-level speakers included the Hon. Christopher Yaluma, MP, Minister of Mines and Mineral Development in Zambia and the Hon. Margaret Manakatwe, MP, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry in Zambia.

*  The Zambian President H.E Edgar Lungu officially opened the third edition of Agritech Expo Zambia which in April attracted a record-breaking attendance of 17 605 visitors, a 50% increase compared to last year. The event is organised in partnership with the Zambia National Farmers Union and has firmly established itself as the leading outdoor agri event in the region.

*  All indications are that the upcoming 10th edition of the SABC Education EduWeek powered by Intel from 29-30 June at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg will also reach new attendance and participation levels from thousands of teachers and suppliers to the education industry. The Department of Education has also committed to a five-year partnership with the event.

*  In March, the fifth edition of Career Indaba in Johannesburg attracted 19,381 visitors over two days, up 160 per cent from last year.

Busy second half of 2016
During the second half of the year Spintelligent is hosting well-known and long running flagship events as well as launching new titles. Returning successful events include the East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC) in September in Nairobi, iPAD Rwanda in Kigali in November and the West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC) in Lagos in November.

New events that will be launched by Spintelligent include the Kenya Mining Forum in Nairobi in September, the African Real Estate Summit in November in Cape Town and Agribusiness Uganda in Kampala in November.

Publishing
The Spintelligent Publishing division, with market leading titles that include Metering International & Smart Energy, ESI Africa, Mining Review Africa and Mining Elites, has also been growing from strength-to-strength over the last six months.

Says David: “we have had an increase in the frequency of our ESI Africa magazine, our staff complement has grown and we have begun significant work on refining our database and building on our publication digital platforms with a view to continue to grow and align these with the growing trends in digital media.”

Training Academy
The Spintelligent Training Academy is in its second year of operation. According to the Spintelligent MD David Ashdown: “we have already seen a 33% growth in delegate numbers from year one, running public and in-house training courses every month throughout multiple regions. Currently, our most popular topics include; Effective Financial Modelling, Financing Power Projects, Power Purchase Agreements as well as Infrastructure Finance – all relating to current industry challenges. An exciting portfolio development is the leadership and culture change courses that are in demand across the African continent as economies develop from emerging to established market status.”

Website: http://www.spintelligent.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spintelligent

Media contact:
Senior Communications Manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kigali, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam are open for business and are showcasing their future land and development plans at the African Real Estate Summit in Cape Town from 2-3 November 2016.

“We passionately believe that Africa is a continent of opportunity. With improving economies, rising populations, rapid rates of urbanisation and burgeoning middle classes, some African cities are expected to grow between 70-100% in the next 15 years.”  This is according to Mr Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG).

The UCLG Africa is the patron of the upcoming African Real Estate Summit in Cape Town - an international platform that will bring together the full spectrum of the continent’s real estate sector. The summit will assist African cities and governments in securing new international investment for economic development based around commercial real estate and infrastructure projects that will contribute to Urban Development Plans (UPDs).

Mr Mbassi adds: “it is our hope that the African Real Estate Summit can help African cities and local governments highlight the need for quality commercial and residential real estate that this growth creates. And in turn generate the partnerships and investments from investor groups, developers and operators to deliver on this worthwhile opportunity”.

The summit will provide an invaluable opportunity for investors, developers, landowners and the cities themselves to conduct business, sign contracts and develop the future cities of Africa. Alongside the Urban Development Plan City Showcase sessions, the two-day high-level conference will also offer private companies case studies and practical guidance on how to do business in new markets.

Leading African cities
The African Real Estate Summit has invited some of the top cities in Africa to showcase their UDPs in the form of models or presentations. This will allow for delegates and exhibitors to understand the future plans of developing cities and build business relationships with key city officials including: city managers, city mayors, city council members, town planners, town clerks, district officials and city and finance directors amongst others.

Some of the development opportunities to be showcased are in Lusaka, Kigali and Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam:

* The City of Lusaka’s vision is of an ECHO Garden City by providing a world class and competitive business and living environment by the year 2030. Lusaka will showcase the following urban developments and infrastructure projects:

• Chibolya Urban Renewal
• Grade Separation Junction improvement
• Dual Central Business District Development
• Industrial Parks Development

* The Rwandan capital of Kigali says its vision is to become: ‘The Centre of  Urban Excellence in Africa’ and will be showcasing:

• Nyarugenge: ‘‘The Green Financial Hub and vibrant Growth Centre of Kigali”
• Gasabo: ‘‘Diverse Employment Hub and Cultural Heartland of Kigali”
• Kicukiro: ‘‘Knowledge Hub and Green Gateway of Kigali”

* Tanzania’s capital Dar es Salaam will be showcasing the Kigamboni New City Master Plan, including residential, commercial, trade and business, industrial, educational, and tourism facilities.

The African Real Estate Summit is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Spintelligent is well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), Agritech Expo, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek.

UCGL Africa
The UCLG AFRICA is the umbrella organisation and the united voice and representative of local government in Africa. It is an institution that gathers 40 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa as well as the 2000 cities that have more than 100.000 inhabitants. Therefore UCLG AFRICA represents nearly 350 million Africans citizens.

Dates for African Real Estate Summit 2016:
Showcase and conference: 2-3 November 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit
Linkedin: African Real Estate Summit

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Johannesburg - The Spur Soccer Masidlale Programme concluded after 17 weeks instilling essential life skills into young lives and reaching more than 30 000 children within historically disadvantaged areas since its inception in 2005.

Bellavista Creche, an NPO located in Bellavista East was the charity who won the R10 000 prize yesterday at the finals played in Soweto.

What started out as 12 one-day soccer clinics involving 10-12 year olds, has grown into a fully-fledged annual soccer league in the main metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

One of Spur’s corporate social investment aims is to use sport to uplift communities. The central venues are selected in historically disadvantaged areas where school sport participation is low. The Masidlale Programme fills this gap.

Each one of the cities had 200 players (100 girls and 100 boys) taking part who come from 10 local schools. The teams are given Spur-branded soccer kits which they can keep. Primary schools that have participated per region were as follows:

Kwa-Zulu Natal

• Zandile
• Emthetweni
• Inkonkoni
• Zwelesithembiso
• Thamela
• Isipingo
• Lindelani
• Mzwilili
• Fundakakhle
• Phila

Winning schools were Zandile (boys) and Inkonkoni (girls).

Port Elizabeth

• Enkwenkwezini
• Elundini
• Dumani
• Elufefeni
• Fumisikoma
• Melisizwe
• Zanoxolo
• Ikhwezelihle
• Mpumalanga
• Siyaphambili

Winning schools were Enkwenkweni (boys) and Elufefeni (girls).

Cape Town

• Lwazi
• Luzuko
• Lehlohonolo
• Ilitha
• Mseki
• Vukukhanya
• Sokhanyo
• Sonwabo
• Vuyane
• Xolani

Winning schools were Sonwabo (boys) and Lwazi (girls).

Johannesburg

• JB Marks
• Julius Sebolayi
• Bonamelo
• Braamfischer
• Nkoni Maruping
• Obed Mosiane
• Moses Kotane
• Mayibuye 
• Khulanolwazi
• Kid Maponya

Winning schools were Julius Sebolai (boys) and Obed Mosiane (girls).

According to Khakhi Diala, Brand Activation Manager of the Spur Group, sport teaches us more than just physical skills; sport is a metaphor for life. That is why Spur has included a life skills programme to run alongside the soccer league.

“Spur Steak Ranches is again proud to have completed a very successful Spur Soccer Masidlale program for the 11th Year now, 800 boys and girls from four provinces duly benefited from the skills development and life skills elements that they went through” We are also proud to have donated R10 000 to a needy charity”, added Khakhi.

Fifty mentors per league met with their groups every two weeks to explore essential skills needed to excel in life. The mentors teach self-esteem, positive behaviour changes and wise decision making. They equip the children beyond the sports field into home and school life. 20 girls and 20 boys are then chosen for further mentoring.

The main prize for the winning team is that they become mascots at PSL games.

To ensure the lessons go further into the schools, Spur has a Masidlale Coaching Programme for the school coaches. These are run by accredited coaching facilitators who train 30 coaches from four provinces.

Interactive Sport is involved with the mentoring programme which extends to the coaches and one teacher per school.

Masidlale means “let’s play” in Xhosa. So the programme’s aim is to change lives through play.

For more information about Spur, feel free to visit their website http://www.spur.co.za/

“I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off”  

“Everyone who was part of this year’s African Utility Week felt the same passion for the energy and water sectors on the continent and had the feeling that we are on the brink of enormous progress“, says Evan Schiff, event director of the African Utility Week conference and exhibition that took place in Cape Town and gathered a record 6445 attendees from 17-19 May.

“Technology, water and renewable energy were strong themes this year,” Schiff adds “and there’s no doubt that renewable energy as well as smart technology are changing the way power and water utilities operate and deal with their customers.”

There are big plans in the offing for next year: “as the industry evolves, so will the event” says the African Utility Week event director, “our exhibition will be even bigger next year as we grow into the new expo space at the CTICC to reflect the new markets and developments in the sector, including a focus on non-utility scale projects, large power users, rooftop solar installations, energy storage, lighting products, independent power producers (IPPs) and EPCs (engineering, procurement and construction).”

The event featured 250 exhibitors from 40 countries, 299 speakers who addressed the packed strategic conference over three days in six different topic streams while inspiring industry pioneers engaged the audiences in the daily high-profile keynote sessions. African Utility Week addressed the latest challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors: ranging from generation, transmission & distribution, metering, clean energy, finance and investment, water supply and energy efficiency.

“The energy revolution is powering up”
A notable presence at the CTICC in Cape Town this year was Sierra Leone’s Dr Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), who not only made a lasting impression during the opening day’s keynote session but also won the Lifetime Achievement category at the African Utility Week Industry Awards.  On receiving his award Dr Yumkella said: “I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off. We saw again this week that we have the technology and the innovation. Sometimes we are too suspicious of each other, we should embrace energy trade with each other”.

Other award winners included Johannesburg’s City Power (Utility of the Year), Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Company (Water Utility of the Year), and Akon Lighting (Clean Energy Project of the Year) reflecting the enormous pan-African progress in the energy and water sectors.

The sold-out exhibition also featured country pavilions from Germany, India, The Netherlands, France, South Africa and China. There were dozens of packed, free-to-attend CPD-accredited technical workshops on the expo floor, product demonstrations and technical site visits. Attendees at African Utility Week came from more than 81 countries, including 27 African nations, and 79 power and water utilities were represented.

Annual industry platform
An important part of this year’s growth at the event were the many side events from the industry that have turned African Utility Week into an annual industry platform in the Mother City. These included the Oil & Gas Council’s Cape Town Assembly, KPMG’s IPP Conference, Nuclear Power Africa, the Standard Transfer Specification Association’s AGM, PIESA and International Cleantech Network gatherings. South Africa’s Department of Energy also launched its new energy efficiency label that will become mandatory for household appliances with Energy minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson revealing the new label at African Utility Week.

African Utility Week is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. The event forms part of a global energy event series, including European Utility Week, Australian Utility Week, Asian Utility Week and Latin American Utility Week. Other African flagship events in Spintelligent’s power portfolio are East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), iPAD Rwanda Power & Mining Investment Forum and iPAD Cameroon Energy & Infrastructure Forum.

Dates for African Utility Week 2017
Conference and expo: 16-18 May 2017
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: www.african-utility-week.com 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities 
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off”

Sierra Leone’s Kandeh Yumkella of the Sustainable Energy For All Initiative, Johannesburg’s City Power, George Airport and Akon Lighting are just some of the exciting and pioneering power and water professionals, utilities and projects that were winners in this year’s African Utility Week Industry Awards. Uganda’s NWSC won the coveted water utility of the year award for the second year in a row.

The winners of these prestigious industry awards in 11 different categories were announced at the gala dinner that took place on Wednesday evening, 18 May, during the annual African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa at the CTICC in Cape Town. More than 5000 power and water professionals gathered in Cape Town for the event.

Mr Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), won the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also an inspired keynote speaker on the opening day of African Utility Week on Tuesday. On receiving his award Mr Yumkella said: “I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off. We saw again this week that we have the technology and the innovation. Sometimes we are too suspicious of each other, we should embrace energy trade with each other”.

City Power = Utility of the Year
City Power won the award for Power Utility of the Year, particularly in recognition of the utility’s flagship Solar Water Heating Programme in which approximately 70 000 low income households around Johannesburg were fitted with solar water geysers over a period of three years.

Says Sicelo Xulu, City Power Managing Director: “We are pleased that once again the diligent work that has been done by the City Power team has been recognized and acknowledged. This award is an affirmation of the hard work that has been done by the City Power team, and this accolade galvanizes us to work harder to provide our customers with the superior service they deserve.”

The winners and finalists for the third annual African Utility Week Industry Awards are:

Category: Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General.
As Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Chief Executive Officer of the initiative, he mobilized global action towards a sustainable energy future and was responsible for the planning and implementation of the initiative as well as engaging with the leadership of relevant stakeholders in government, businesses, academia and civil society at the highest level to advocate for and promote sustainable energy for all. 

With over 25 years of international experience, Dr. Yumkella previously served as Director-General of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for two four-year terms (2005-2013). Dr. Yumkella is co-Founder of the African Energy Leaders Group and is a Commissioner at the Energy Transitions Commission. A recipient of numerous international awards, he is a former Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone.

Finalists:
- Akinwole Omoboriowo II, Chairman & CEO, Genesis Energy, Nigeria
- Albert Butare, CEO & Chairman, Africa Energy Services Group Ltd, Rwanda
- Anton Eberhard, Professor, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Elham Mahmood Ahmed Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union, Ethiopia
- Grania Rosette Rubomboras, Program Officer: Power Projects, Nile Basin Initiative NELSAP, Uganda
- Hamanth Kasan, General Manager: Scientific Services Water, Rand Water, South Africa
- Henry Paul Batchi Baldeh, Senior Vice President/Head: Power, Africa Finance Corporation, Nigeria
- Hindpal S. Jabbal, Former Chairman, Energy Regulatory Commission, Kenya
- Jacob Kow Mensah, Clean and Alternative Energy Researcher/Inventor, Sustainable Energy and Environment Project, Ghana

Category: Power Utility of the Year
Winner:  City Power, South Africa - In a flagship Solar Water Heating Programme approximately 70 000 low income households around Johannesburg were fitted with solar water geysers over a period of three years. This project generated 20 000 job opportunities and was one of the biggest projects of its kind in South Africa. The installation of smart meters has gone a long way in improving billing accuracy and enhancing City’s revenue collection capabilities. Over 92 000 smart meters have been rolled out across Johannesburg, and the target is to deploy 250 000 meters by mid-2016.

Finalists:
- Ghana Grid Company Limited, Ghana
- KenGen, Kenya
- Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited, Kenya
- Volta River Authority, Ghana

Category: Power Utility Executive of the Year
Winner:  Mr Albert Mugo, MD & CEO KenGen, Kenya – Mr Mugo has worked in the energy sector for over 30 years. In January 2014, he was appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of KenGen where he is currently leading a team of Executive Directors in the mandate of rapidly increasing electricity generation capacity that Kenya needs in order to achieve its 2030 Vision. In this position, he is executing a strategy of least cost power development options in order to provide reliable, safe and competitively priced energy to the nation.

Finalists:
- Phillip Dukashe, Project Director, Eskom, South Africa   
- Selestino Babungi, MD & CEO, Umeme, Uganda   
- William Amuna, CEO, GRIDCo, Ghana   

Category: Water Utility of the Year
Winner: The National Water & Sewerage Corporation, Uganda - In 2015, the NWSC cemented its position as a key player in the water sector both on the local and international scene. They undertook transformational changes in its operational and geographical mandate, providing new and home grown solutions to water service provision challenges and highlighting its contribution towards the National Vision of transforming Uganda from a peasant to a self-sustaining economy.

Finalists:
- Moshi Urban Water and Sewerage Authority, Tanzania
- Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, Kenya
- Rand Water, South Africa
- Umgeni Water, South Africa

Category: Water Utility Executive of the Year
Winner: Engr. Philip Gichuki, the Managing Director of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd. The utility is the sole provider of water and sewerage services to the City of Nairobi with a population of about 3.8 million. He has over the years promoted the objective of the water sector in Kenya in improving access to water and sewerage services for all under a conducive environment for the consumers, communities, partners and staff working in the sector.

Finalists:
- David Onyango, Managing Director, Kisumu Water & Sewerage, Kenya   
- Silver Mugisha, Managing Director, National Water & Sewerage Corporation, Uganda   

Category: Clean Energy Project of the Year
Winner: The Akon Lighting Africa Initiative – the project is implementing an innovative solar-powered solution that is providing African villages with access to a clean and affordable source of electricity. Since launching, the group has operations in 15 nations, including Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Benin and Sierra Leone and is covering over 480 communities.

Finalists:
- ACWA Power, Solafrica Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power Project, South Africa
- Mobisol, Off-grid solar system, Tanzania
- NVI Energy, “Pay as you use” Solar Project, Kenya
- Vuselela Energy, Eternity Power Thermal Harvesting™, South Africa

Category: Pioneer in Project Finance
Winner:  The Development Bank of Southern Africa - the DBSA has developed an innovative financing instrument to support local parties and communities to acquire equity stakes in companies. The success of the business model is that the local partners then are included in the overall financing package leading to an overall sustainable financing package. The model can be replicated and the DBSA has already replicated it in 17 projects with a capacity of 2100 MW and continues to be duplicated in other transactions.

“More than anything it is a testament to the hard work of the energy team and visionary leadership of the DBSA in addressing South Africa’s energy challenge” said Lungile Mashele, Energy Specialist at DBSA, who received the award on behalf of the bank. She added: “the DBSA is responding to the call of Government to support the renewable projects and would also like to get involved in projects beyond South Africa’s borders.”

Finalists:
- African Development Bank
- Danida Business Finance
- FMO
- International Finance Corporation & Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Category: Community Development Project of the Year
Winner:  The Noble Water Solutions – The Noble Power Station is the only high volume, low-maintenance, portable solar-powered water treatment plant of its kind in the world. Each water station provides 500 people with 20 litres of safe drinking water every day for life. “We have a huge problem in Africa and we have to recognise that” said Kevin Paxton, CEO of Noble Water Solutions, “a third of the continent, that is 300 million people, do not have access to safe drinking water. We cannot develop as a continent unless we solve this problem. Our invention goes some way to addressing this problem, but where there is no political will, it will not happen.” This is Noble Water Solutions’ tenth award for its work in the water sector.

Finalists:
- Akon Lighting Africa, various Countries
- Eco-fuel Africa Limited, Uganda
- Magiro Hydroelectric, Kenya
- Solar Sister, Uganda, Tanzania

Category: Future Leader Award
Winner:  Michael Njoroge, CEO, Multi-link Group Ltd, Kenya - Michael started the Multi-link Group Limited in April 2010 as a small company that focused on addressing the challenges of poor households by supplying clean cooking stoves and solar lanterns to help address the issue of Indoor air pollution and also help in environmental conservation and on the other hand develop grid connected clean energy projects. As an energy liaison for Greening Kenya Initiative Trust he has helped create energy forums in county levels, and assisted in training 600 green energy champions. Currently Multi-link is completing the development of the 3M 40MW grid connected solar project in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya. When it connects to the grid in 2017, the project will be the largest grid connected solar project in East and Central Africa.

Finalists:
- Chimaobi Daniel NNA, Research Officer 1, Energy Commission of Nigeria
- Jarrad Wright, Principal Researcher/Engineer, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa   
- Loda Dedekind, Associate: Power Generation, Aurecon, South Africa       
- Lungile Mashele, Sector Specialist: Energy, Development Bank of Southern Africa, South Africa   
- Siya Xuza, Founder and Managing Director, Galactic Energy Ventures, South Africa
- Werner van Antwerpen, Head: Utilities & Sustainability Growthpoint Properties, South Africa   

Category: Power/Water Woman of the Year
Winner:  Phyllis Engefu Ombonyo, Director: Business Development, National Environment Trust Fund, Kenya

Finalists:
- Bertha Dlamini, Managing Director, EON Consulting, South Africa
- Grania Rosette Rubomboras, Program Officer: Power Projects, Nile Basin Initiative /NELSAP, Uganda
- Jasandra Nyker, Chief Executive Officer, BioTherm Energy, South Africa   
- Rose Kaggwa, Director Business & Scientific Services, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda   
- Rudo Angela Sanyanga, Africa Program Director, International Rivers, South Africa   
- Tlaleng Moabi, Managing Director, Enzani Technologies, South Africa   

Category: Energy/Water Efficiency Project of the Year
Winner: George Airport Solar Plant - owned and operated by Airports Company South Africa it has constructed and recently officially opened a Solar Photovoltaic Plant to meet about 41% of its energy demand. The Solar Powered Plant was built on 200 square meters of land and has 3,000 photovoltaic modules, 30 inverters and a substation and the plant’s peak production is 750kW.

Finalists:
- Bayside Mall, Growthpoint Properties, South Africa
- CitiCall, Analog, South Africa
- Hotel Verde, South Africa
- King Shaka International Airport, Airports Company South Africa, South Africa
- Network Upgrade and Street Lighting Project, Kenya Power, Kenya
- Upper Grayston Block F, Tower Property Fund, South Africa
- V&A Waterfront Solar Farm, V&A Waterfront & Sustainable Power Solutions, South Africa

Innovation Hub Awards:
Fifteen SMEs, start-ups and young innovators were selected for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the African Utility Week’s Innovation Hub and take their businesses to the next level.

The winner: PowerOptimal, a power demand management technology that is commercially proven in diverse installations such as hotels, office buildings, shopping malls and golf courses. The Innovation Hub finalists were: Aquaponic Farmer (Pty) Ltd; Bontle Ke Tlhago; D&C Technologies (Pty) Ltd; Ekasi Energy; Garth Middleton; GCX Africa; HeliosLite; Mobile4Energy; SAGIFON Technologies; SeeSaw; Solarus; Tiisetso Dev Solutions (Pty); Ltd/TDS Innovations; WHC; Upande.

Industry support
Once again the utility sector has responded well to what is now becoming a sought-after event on the African industry calendar and the lead sponsor for the gala dinner was Poweroad Africa. Other award sponsors were Accenture, Genesis Energy, Kampstrup, Lucy Electric, Steinmüller and Standard Bank. Mazars were the independent verification partners.

The 16th African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and trade exhibition features 250 exhibitors, 250 speakers, a six stream strategic conference, a free-to-attend technical conference on the expo floor, three high-profile keynote sessions and technical site visits. The trade exhibition is free and showcases water and energy saving technologies and services for the industry and feature hands-on demonstrations and CPD-accredited technical workshops on the exhibition floor.

African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa are organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. The event forms part of a global energy event series, including European Utility Week, Australian Utility Week, Asian Utility Week and Latin American Utility Week. Other African flagship events in Spintelligent’s power portfolio are East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), iPAD Rwanda Power & Mining Investment Forum and iPAD Cameroon Energy & Infrastructure Forum.

Website: www.african-utility-week.com 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities 
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone: +27 82 562 7844
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IAAPA expands its international operations to include Africa

With less than a month to go until the third annual Attractions Africa conference from 8 to 9 June, 2016 in Cape Town, comes the big news that the event has been recognised as the continent’s foremost Attractions management event by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).

Founded in 2014, Attractions Africa is a collaborative effort between some of the continent’s top Attractions including Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Two Oceans Aquarium, SAB World of Beer and Cape Point.  

The two day Attractions Africa programme comprises international speakers sharing trends, benchmarks and best practice, as well as local examples of excellence, case studies and white papers presented by local Attraction managers.

Attracting hundreds of delegates from all over Africa and in the tourism industry, Attractions Africa, chaired by Sabine Lehmann, is the driving force in IAAPA’s decision to include the continent in its operations and change its name to IAAPA EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa):

“What an honour for our conference and Africa to be recognised by such a global Attractions management force! As the only event of its kind on the continent, Attractions Africa is the pioneer in the local attractions industry and we are excited to be bringing together its top leaders and peers each year with the full support of IAAPA EMEA”, says a thrilled Lehmann.

IAAPA EMEA’s announcement of recognition comes as a result of the organisation’s decision to expand the scope of operations of its Europe regional office to incorporate the Middle East and Africa to better serve IAAPA EMEA’s members in the regions.

“The formation of the IAAPA EMEA office in Brussels further strengthens IAAPA’s international presence and reiterates the association’s commitment to serve its members in the Middle East and Africa region,” said Karen Staley, senior vice president of IAAPA EMEA Operations. “With explosive growth in the Middle East and the quickly emerging market in the continent of Africa, we look forward to playing a role in this exciting growth period for the attractions industry.”

Join us at the Attractions Africa conference:

Registration is open for the Attractions Africa 2016 Conference, which will be held at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town – Upper Eastside from Wednesday 8 to Thursday 9 June, 2016.   To register and for more information about the Attractions Africa conference, please visit www.attractionsafrica.co.za or call +27 (0)21 683 2934.