African Utility Week industry survey yields interesting results

Solar PV is overwhelmingly seen as the most promising generation source for Africa while corruption, skills gaps and access to finance are some of the biggest challenges that power and water professionals face in their industries. This is according to a survey by the organisers of African Utility Week among attendees of the annual event in Cape Town last year. Other questions in the survey included what respondents think will have the biggest impact on the energy and water sectors, what future technology excites them and what the biggest challenges are that they face in their industry.

Of the 834 people surveyed, 696 are South African (71%), 199 are from 24 other African countries (63 Kenyan, 85 Nigerian) and 40 from the rest of the world, including Europe, USA, China, India and Canada.

Most promising generation source
Asked what the most promising source of generation is for Africa, Solar PV scored more than 54% amongst the respondents while nuclear was second with 11%. “The reason could be that rooftop PV, when measured against the other technologies, is easy to execute as a project and photovoltaic modules are becoming very affordable,” says Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl, editor of the energy trade journal, ESI Africa.

She adds: “it is also the most obvious technology to use in mini- and off-grid projects as well as for use in hybrid models. However, what is interesting but not surprising is that 11% of respondents feel that nuclear energy is the most promising generation source. Nuclear has its merits. What is disappointing is how few are in favour of biomass as a promising source of generation capacity, considering that this technology offers a distributed model and a measure of reducing the mounds of waste that Africa’s cities are confronted with. Another concern is the lack of interest in wind energy – only 8% of respondents felt this technology a worthy source; however, it does rank slightly higher than hydro where the continent’s impressive potential capacity is recorded. Wind energy is likely to make tentative steps towards market growth now that South African, Kenyan and Moroccan wind farms are making good headwinds.”

Nuclear scored the lowest amongst power and water professionals when asked what they think will have the biggest positive impact on the energy and water sectors in Africa within the next 5-10 years:  (Respondents were allowed to select more than one of the 12 options provided.)

1. Technology innovation 59%
2. Government commitment and transparency 55%
3. Uptake of renewables 47%
4. Expansion of mini grids 28%
5. Distributed generation 25%
6. Cross border partnerships 24%
7. Investment in capacity building 21%
8. Local investment 21%
9. Direct foreign investment 20%
10. Roll out of ICT systems 9%
11. Nuclear 7%

“Even though nuclear made a spectacular appearance in the previous question, here it ranks lowest, with technology innovation taking the prime spot” says ESI Africa’s editor, adding that “Tech R&D in all spheres of energy, power and water are already advancing with enthusiasm. And sometimes the simplest of solutions can be developed for the specific needs of a local community making the most impact. This is made possible by various organisations that are investing in entrepreneurship programmes and providing support to local innovators.”

She continues: “the other key area that respondents are hopeful will make a positive impact is around government’s commitment and transparency. Now that there has been an increase in public and industry association monitoring groups, such as OUTA and SAWEA, along with the ongoing Eskom Inquiry and South Africa’s leadership changes – this area is set on the right path to make a noteworthy impact.” 

Future technology 

Asked which future technologies most excite the respondents, the results were as follows:

1. Smart Grids 54%
2. Energy storage 49%
3. Energy trading 49%
4. Connected/smart cities 37%
5. Electric vehicles 36%
6. Energy trading 14%
7. Blockchain 14%

“These results show an interesting grouping around smart grids, energy storage and energy efficiency, which are intrinsically connected,” says Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl. “It’s disappointing that energy trading and blockchain are perceived as too futuristic to be the technology that respondents are most excited about. The African continent was able to leapfrog landline telephony straight to mobile; countries can do this again by becoming the leaders in energy trading and the use of crypto currency to fund projects and transact in the utility, energy and water space.” 

That the market has a healthy appetite for the futuristic technology was confirmed in a separate question whether the market is ready for the digital utility with a focus on smart meters, grids, Internet of Things and ICT – the overwhelming reply was a yes from 84% of the respondents.

Biggest challenge = corruption
At 49%, corruption was indicated as the biggest challenge that power and water professionals face in their industries but issues such as skills gap, access to finance, regulation and policy clarity, red tape and  economic slowdown were also perceived as important hindrances, scoring from 36% to 28%. 

Says the ESI Africa editor: “corruption is still perceived as a major obstacle and this goes along with respondents’ strong call for government commitment and transparency. It will take concerted leadership from all levels of government to rid the continent of this deeply entrenched challenge. The skills gap is also pinned as a high concern, putting development at risk – the loss of engineers, technicians and managers who are now retired or close to retirement age is a real factor; perhaps reviving apprenticeships along with attractive offers would make inroads to solving this risk.” 

The future lies in…
When asked the question: “The future lies in:” and given four choices only, namely distributed generation, mini grids, utility scale grids and storage, distributed generation was a clear winner at 40% with storage second at 27%, then mini grids with 22% and utility scale grids scoring the lowest with 11%. 

According to Pombo-van Zyl, distributed energy resources (DER) are top of mind as an imminent risk to the traditional utility and municipality business model – and not just in Africa. She explains: “it is being discussed at all levels of the utility business from its executive boards to internal auditors as it poses a threat to traditional revenue streams. However, the good news is that utilities have acknowledged a future that includes distributed generation – the challenge is in how to manage the technicalities around accommodating this on the national grid and its impact on revenue.” 

She adds: “it must have been a tough choice for survey respondents to choose between distributed energy, mini grids, utility-scale grids and storage. This is evident in the close percentages, with the obvious outlier being utility-scale grids; probably due to grid connected generation having made little inroads on increasing electrification rates across the continent.”  

Skills deficit in power and water sectors
Skills in finance, engineering/technical, people management and leadership all scored high (29%-33%) in a question on what power and water professionals perceived to present the biggest skills deficit in their companies. The ESI Africa editor’s take on these results: “it is a concern that there is a joint winner from this question: finance and engineering/technical skills. Without these two significantly important skills being resident within the utility market it is no wonder that companies’ cash flow is untenable and technical losses along the value chain are present due to maintenance challenges. A potential solution lies in leadership and people management, which also scored very high in this question.”  

Award-winning energy platform
The 18th annual, multi-award winning African Utility Week will gather over 7000 decision makers from more than 80 countries to discuss the challenges, solutions and successes in the power, energy and water sectors on the continent. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions the event also boasts a seven track conference with over 300 expert speakers.

The African Utility Week expo offers an extensive technical workshop programme that is CPD accredited, free to attend, and offers hands-on presentations that take place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. They discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.

Industry support
African Utility Week has already secured important industry support including Eskom Rotek Industries, Hexing and Landis+Gyr as platinum sponsors and Aberdare, Africa Utility Solutions, SAP and Sensus as gold sponsors.

Dates for African Utility Week:
Conference and expo: 15-17 May 2018
Awards gala dinner:  16 May 2018
Site visits: 18 May 2018
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com  & www.african-real-estate-summit.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities    #AUW2018  
Linkedin: African Utility Week

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.  

Released by AUX Studio in January, TapOff is a free mobile app that not only provides Capetonians with real-time updates on the city’s water consumption, but inspires them to make positive changes that will have a lasting impact.

While Cape Town’s ongoing drought will certainly break at some point – and with it, the current watercrisis – it’s equally certain that the amount of water available will decrease over the long term. This means residents must permanently change their water-saving behaviour.

“Information alone doesn’t drive behavioural change,” says Trevor Swart of AUX. “The key is to summarise and frame it in a way that’s meaningful for the individual.” Besides displaying the city’s overall consumption for the week, TapOff enables residents to log their own water usage and compare it with the maximum amount prescribed by city authorities. In this way, individuals see how their efforts can make areal difference to a community-wide issue.

The app goes even further to encourage participation, gamifying water-saving with suburb leaderboards where residents can ​display their consumption figures. “The response has been great so far,” says Trevor, “with growing numbers of users posting their water usage to neighbourhood leaderboards on a monthly basis.”

AUX has also produced a public API that delivers Cape Town’s latest water statistics. This has opened up opportunities to drive awareness beyond the mobile app. “In partnership with Tractor Outdoor, we’ve created digital billboards to make a clear emotional connection with the viewer about Cape Town’s overall water consumption, putting the city’s progress quite literally front and centre. It’s also a friendly reminder to keep up water-saving efforts – whether you’ve downloaded TapOff or not.”

TapOff has featured in both the Play Store and the App Store as a top app in the Free Education category. AUX is currently looking for more partners and sponsors so that they can offer real rewards to water savers and engage hundreds of thousands of residents.

Download the TapOff app at http://www.tapoff.co.za

Contact AUX Studio at www.aux.co.za

TapOff has been featured on the following websites:

MEMEBURN: https://memeburn.com/2018/01/tapoff-cape-town-water-app/

FINANCIAL MAIL: https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/fm-fox/gimme/2018-03-01-gimme-every-single-drop/

WHAT’S ON IN CT: https://www.whatsonincapetown.com/post/waterwise-initiatives-capetonians/

ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:

https://www.pressportal.co.za/it-new-media-and-software/story/14326/tapoff-app-summarizes-the-latest-water-crisis-stats-for-cape-town-it-also-invites-residents-to-post-their-water-usage-leaderboard.html

Event going ahead as planned despite water shortages 

Investment in water solutions is needed by the public and private sector to enable universal access, water security and resilient societies. African Utility Week will have a strong focus on water again this year from 15-17 May in Cape Town when the strategic water conference will showcase how partnerships, financial models and latest technological advances can make the greatest impact in meeting Africa's water demand. 

“We want utilities to start thinking out of the box on water solutions, capabilities and solutions,” says Gerardt P. Viljoen, Managing Director of Sensus SA and GM for Sensus in Africa, an event sponsor and one of the expert speakers at the water conference at African Utility Week. 

He continues: “the water situation in South Africa is not only worrisome it should be considered as THE top priority for any form of economic sustainability. Increasing storing capabilities, reviewing traditional catchment areas and weather pattern changes, recycling of water and waste water treatment, network infrastructure maintenance and demand side management should all be top NATIONAL priorities going forward.”

The Sensus SA MD adds: “it’s important to not only have smart metering. Smart metering should be intelligent. How to make smart metering intelligent and use it to solve infrastructure, supply and demand issues is what we are all about this year.”

The full interview with Gerardt Viljoen can be read here: http://www.african-utility-week.com/Sensus-interview  Sensus is a returning gold sponsor at the event.

Event going ahead as planned despite water shortages
Meanwhile, the organisers of African Utility Week have assured all stakeholders in this long running conference and exhibition that the event will go ahead as planned despite the current water restrictions in Cape Town.

“As a major event in the City, African Utility Week plays a crucial role in contributing towards the in-ward bound travel market,” says event director Evan Schiff, “by holding the event as planned, African Utility Week will continue to support the Cape Town economy as we cannot allow for there to be massive job losses on top of a water constrained situation.”

He adds: “at present, no events have been cancelled by the City, Provincial or National Government. Working together, we have ensured that each responsible party is doing what it can to ensure water savings and keeping events water-neutral. To this end, African Utility Week has engaged the City, venue, suppliers and all surrounding hotels to ensure that every opportunity has been taken to reduce water use and guarantee that attendees will have access to water.

”Please consult the African Utility Week website for FAQs on attending the show and managing your water usage.

Award-winning energy platform
The 18th annual African Utility Week will gather over 7000 decision makers from more than 80 countries to discuss the challenges, solutions and successes in the power, energy and water sectors on the continent. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions the event also boasts a seven track conference with over 300 expert speakers. The conference programme will address the latest challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors: ranging from generation, T&D, metering, technology and water.

The African Utility Week expo offers an extensive technical workshop programme that are CPD accredited, free to attend, hands-on presentations that take place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. They discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.

AUW wins two more AAXO ROAR Awards!
Earlier this month, African Utility Week won its second and third AAXO ROAR Awards (Association of African Exhibition Organisers) when it was named Best Trade Exhibition in 2017 in the 12000+ sqm category, as well as the Best Overall Exhibition for 2017.

Co-located to African Utility Week is another AAXO award winner for best confex in 2016, the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, an international platform that brings together the full spectrum of the African real estate and infrastructure sectors.

African Utility Week is the flagship energy event organised by the multi-award winning Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and part of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Other well-known energy events by Spintelligent are Future Energy Nigeria and Future Energy East Africa.

Dates for African Utility Week:
Conference and expo: 15-17 May 2018
Awards gala dinner:  16 May 2018
Site visits: 18 May 2018
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com & www.african-real-estate-summit.com   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities   #AUW2018  
Linkedin: African Power Forum

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.

Last year in March AUX conceptualized and built the TapOff app – an experiment to inspire people of Cape Town to save water. They wanted to make it easy for residents to have access to the latest and most important information, but also to promote the idea of per-person-per-day usage by household. At the time this information wasn't readily available. They also wanted to test a simple gamification idea to see if it would inspire people to take action and share ideas.  

“At the time (March 2017) we felt like the drought and cape town water crisis was a great real-world problem to tackle. It seemed like a rewarding and worthy problem to tackle with real social impact.”

Client work got in the way during the course of 2017 and the project was put on ice. Then, in November 2017, the studio decided it was still a worthwhile project and completed the first version. We officially trickled the link to social media on the 27th January. Since then the app has been featured on Memeburn.com and has also been highlighted in both the Google PlayStore and the AppStore as a top app in the Free Education category last week. 

At the moment, only residents with CoCT billls can calculate their per-person-per-day usage using the app calculator, and then post that result to their suburb leaderboard. Some people have rightly pointed out that this excludes residents without a water bill. The developers provided the following response to users in the app store:

“You've raised a great point here which we need to consider. We decided to release the product before it contained all the possible features we could build, otherwise we might never have launched at all, and we didn’t want that. We realise there are things that we have not conquered but we will get there as we gather feedback like this, learn and adapt. Plans to capture water usage in a different way are already underway.”

So far, the response has been great, and there are already hundreds of users who have posted their water use to the Cape Town leaderboard. Last week an update was released so that users per-person-per-day calculation is more visible and people can also navigate to their suburb. All users are created anonymously using a unique and creative naming system.

AUX is a product design studio based in Cape Town. They work with established businesses and start-ups providing naming, identity design, ux design and rapid-prototyping.

Link to the TAPOFF app http://www.tapoff.co.za

Startupbootcamp (SBC) Cape Town and RCS Group have announced a water-saving hackathon to be held on 9 and 10 February to commission technology from the wider Cape community in a bid to push back Day Zero.

The H2O (Hack Two Day Zero) event will host executives from Old Mutual, Nedbank, RCS, Woolworths Financial Services and PwC to engage with entrepreneurs, students, concerned citizens and local government.

“We are in the midst of a water crisis in the Western Cape and with the implications of Day Zero fast approaching there will be wide-spread impacts. The onus is not only on the individual to conserve water, but as corporates we have a responsibility to collectively apply our minds to this challenge facing the society which we operate in. Hosting a Hackathon purely focusing on the water crisis was the perfect opportunity for RCS to show both support and desire to address this issue. At RCS we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and we believe in the agility of tech startups to make a difference. It is therefore our ambition that the event may lead to finding valuable and feasible solutions for both companies and individuals,” states Regan Adams, CEO of the RCS Group.

Hackathon participants will have two days to pitch their ideas, form teams and create prototypes under the guidance of corporate sponsors.By holding events in more than 100 cities each year, SBC supports the world’s most talented founders with hands-on mentorship and access to key industry connections. SBC is known for growing and scaling innovative solutions to modern challenges within the African continent. The cohort strives to solve pertinent issues such as the water crisis by embracing new technology and ideas.

“By creating an environment to collectively pool ideas together, we believe this hackathon can ensure that both short term and long-term solutions can be designed to deal with the crisis. We encourage everyone who has a desire to make an impact to join. By bringing ideas and skills together, we can make a difference,” said Paul Nel, Chief Partnership Officer and CFO of Startupbootcamp Cape Town.

The current dam levels for Cape Town are 26.5%. If dam levels continue to drop, day zero could be a reality by 12 April.When Cape Town dam levels drop to 13.5%, the city will begin to shut down its reticulation system in residential areas.If you or anyone you know has a tech-based idea or solution to solve the problems the water crisis is causing, this hackathon may help you get your prototype produced.

“For the winning team, there will be a cash prize, with an added incentive of building the solutions designed if they are believed they will make the impact we envision,” states Paul Nel.

If you are interested in participating in the event, please sign up here.

RCS will open their corporate offices in Golf Park to host the event which will be managed and coordinated by the SBC Cape Town team.

About Startupbootcamp

Startupbootcamp is a global network of industry focused startup accelerators currently running 21 programs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cape Town, Chengdu, Copenhagen, Dubai, Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, New York, Rome, and Singapore. The cohort has a track record of generating innovative solutions for Smart Cities.

About RCS Group

The RCS Group (RCS) is a leading consumer finance business that offers its customers a range of financial service products under their own brand name, in association with a number of leading retailers in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. RCS collaborates with its retail partners as BNP Paribas Personal Finance South Africa. 

INFORMATION:

Dates and Times:

• 9 February          15:00 – 18:00
• 10 February        08:00 – 18:30

Venue: RCS Group Head Office opposite Mowbray Golf Club, 1 Raapenburg Road, Cape Town, 7700                        

For more information on the Hackathon, to sign up or if you have any additional queries, please contact:

Nsovo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

-- Ends --

For more information about this press release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 081 534 6237

African Utility Week returns to Cape Town in May

Energy expert Ted Blom believes distributed generation will slice electricity costs by up to 90% for the average household.

Blom is a speaker and advisory board member of the 18th African Utility Week that is taking place from 15-17 May in Cape Town, South Africa.

In the run-up to the event, he says in an interview that “South Africa and the world is at the precipice of revolutionary developments in energy generation and distribution, and the next 5 -10 years will render such dramatic changes that today's energy supply chain will not be recognisable, especially with the advent of distributed generation, which in many instances will kill off centralised ‘bulk’ generation and distribution. I believe this move will slice electricity costs by up to 90% for the average household, and be a boom industry for participants in the energy revolution, with concomitant radical improvements in standards of living.”

Parliamentary investigation into Eskom
Last year, the independent energy expert also testified before the South African Parliament’s inquiry into Eskom’s governance: “the Parliamentary Energy subcommittee investigation is a refreshing attempt to decipher what has gone wrong at Eskom since it was ‘commercialised’ in 2001. However, any results will only highlight that prosecution and clean-ups are long overdue, as the committee is powerless to take punitive action against wrongdoers.”

Blom also conducted forensic reviews on the Medupi, Ingula and Kusile power station contracts, “but that work is far from complete and dramatically short of resources. Another milestone is the completion of the legal preparatory work to have the first Tegeta coal supply agreement terminated, but again the action has been suspended for unknown reasons. The other two Tegeta coal supply agreements should also be terminated, but it seems South Africans do not have the political staying power to exercise their rights, with the result that Tegeta has managed to get Eskom to further increase coal supply prices, beyond the already outrageous prices- which eventually feed into new higher electricity prices. So while we appear to be winning on the ‘small stage’, we are falling further behind on the ‘Big Stage’".

“Nuclear deal will be pushed through”
With regards to the pending decision on the nuclear deal, Ted Blom says: “I am convinced that the nuclear deal will be pushed through the moment South African citizens take their ‘eye off the ball’. Zuma's government has already confirmed that it is beholden to the Russian deal, and their delivery of those contracts to Russia is allegedly behind. So expect renewed vigour from Eskom and the Department of Energy to bulldoze these through.”

The full interview with Ted Blom can be read here: http://www.african-utility-week.com/TedBlom-interview African Utility Week endeavours to provide a platform for dialogue in the industry and the views and opinions of event speakers and advisory board members do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the organisers.

Award-winning energy platform
The 18th annual African Utility Week will gather over 7000 decision makers from more than 80 countries to discuss the challenges, solutions and successes in the power, energy and water sectors on the continent. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions the event also boasts a seven track conference with over 300 expert speakers. The conference programme will address the latest challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors: ranging from generation, T&D, metering, technology and water.

The African Utility Week expo offers an extensive technical workshop programme that are CPD accredited, free to attend, hands-on presentations that take place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. They discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.

Industry support
Already the event has secured support from leading industry players including Landis+Gyr, Hexing South Africa as platinum sponsors while water expert company Sensus is a gold sponsor.

African Utility Week is the flagship energy event organised by the multi-award winning Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and part of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Other well-known energy events by Spintelligent are Future Energy Nigeria and Future Energy East Africa. 

In 2017, African Utility Week was named the joint winner for the AAXO Award for Best Trade Exhibition 6001-12000 sqm category (with the World Travel Market). Co-located to African Utility Week is another AAXO award winner for best confex, the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, an international platform that brings together the full spectrum of the African real estate and infrastructure sectors.

Dates for African Utility Week:
Conference and expo: 15-17 May 2018
Awards gala dinner:  16 May 2018
Site visits: 18 May 2018
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com & www.african-real-estate-summit.com    
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities   #AUW2018  
Linkedin: African Utility Week

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.

A marathon a day through Australia’s Simpson Desert. This 6-day desert race will be David Barnard’s ninth, and the sixth leg of his quest to complete one on all seven continents. For this project, Barnard aims to raise funds for the Hippo Roller, promote its work, and contribute to increased public understanding of water-related issues around the world. 

JOHANNESBURG, June 8, 2017  

David Barnard has been participating in multi-stage desert foot races in remote parts of the world since 2010. From the Kalahari, Namib and Sahara Deserts in Africa, to the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Grand Canyon in the United States, and the most extreme of them all, The Last Desert Race in 2014 in Antarctica, David is on a quest to complete one of these extreme desert races on all seven continents.

“My next desert race is the 250km Big Red Run from 24-29 June 2017 in the Simpson Desert in Australia. It will be my ninth multi-stage desert race, and the sixth leg of my quest to complete one of these races on all seven continents,” said Barnard.“

I enter these events both for the physical challenge associated with running self-supported through the deserts of the world, as well as to raise money and awareness for organisations at the forefront of responding to many of the key development challenges facing Africa,” he said.

For this project, Barnard aims to raise funds for the Hippo Roller, promote its work, and contribute to increased public understanding of water-related issues around the world.

Running for Water

Water is a precious resource, a source of life and the basis of all human activities, from drinking to washing to cultivating land and producing food necessary for sustenance. It is also a scarce resource, and its presence and availability is often taken for granted. South Africa is currently recovering from the worst drought in living memory.

Though the UN Sustainable Development Goals (launched in 2015) include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty, there remain more than 600 million people worldwide, many of them living in rural Africa, who are still without a safe water supply close to home.

As a result, they spend countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and carrying heavy buckets. 

Simple ideas. Changing lives.

Barnard said, “Fortunately, a unique South African invention makes it extremely easy to collect, move and store water in rural conditions – up to 5x more water than a single bucket, by simply rolling it along the ground.”

The Hippo Roller is a simple solution to millions of people living in areas without adequate access to water. Specifically designed to last many years in tough rural terrain, it enables them to transport up to 90 litres to their homes and gardens, making more water and time available for education, household tasks and food production.

Youthzones, our future

It costs $125 to manufacture and distribute a Hippo Roller, and Barnard’s aim is to raise $6,250 (see: http://givewater.hipporoller.org/david-barnard) – the cost of manufacturing, and distributing 50 hippo rollers to needy communities in South Africa.

Whilst Imvubu Projects will take care of the manufacturing of the Hippo Rollers, it is the work done by Youthzones within communities, helping distribute the Hippo Rollers amongst the most needy, which really drives home the impact that access to clean, safe water can have.

Said Youthzones’ Schalk van Heerden, “We are delighted to continue our relationship with social enterprise, Hippo Roller. Working with Hippo Rollers has been a huge benefit to the Youthzones network as now water can be collected easily, without multiple trips to wells, in turn giving people energy and productivity!”

Said Barnard, “The impact of the Hippo Roller is real. It is immediate. And it changes the lives of millions of people. The world’s future and our lives depend on having enough clean, safe water. We need extraordinary commitment to ensure clean water for all.”

“Please join me on this journey and let’s make a difference in the lives on those that could benefit from better access to water with the Hippo Roller,” he said.

/ends

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About David Barnard

Professionally David has more than 25 years’ executive and senior management experience in initiating and leading development programmes across Africa, with extensive expertise encompassing international development, advocacy, fundraising, corporate citizenship, civil society strengthening, policy, ICT4D and governance. He is passionate about applying information and communication technologies in support of social, economic and political development processes.In addition, David is an extreme ultra-marathon athlete, dedicating his participation in multi-stage desert races to organisations working in response to key development issues in Africa.

To interview David Barnard about the Big Red Run and his Hippo Roller campaign:

David Barnard

Mobile: +27 (82) 870 8968

Skype: dbarnard23

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_barnard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Desert2DesertRunning4SocialCausesAndCampaigns/

Desert 2 Desert blog: https://desert2desert4socialcauses.wordpress.com/

Fundraising: http://givewater.hipporoller.org/david-barnard

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbarnardza/

David will be available for pre-race interviews until the close of business on 19 June 2017.

He will be available for post-race interviews from 4 July 2017.

It is envisaged that distribution of the Hippo Rollers will take place on Mandela Day, 18 July 2017.

About Hippo Roller (Imvubu Projects)

Imvubu Projects, which operates as a social enterprise (rather than as a non-profit entity), has been trading as Hippo Roller since 1997. It outsources manufacturing of the Hippo Roller to keep overheads to a minimum, and focuses its resources on securing corporate social investment, crowd-funding and individual donations, in order to donate Hippo Rollers to needy.

To date, Imvubu has distributed more than 50,000 Hippo Rollers to at least 25 countries, impacting the lives of millions of people.Imvubu partners with local NGOs and community leaders familiar with identified communities and best positioned to identify individual beneficiaries with empathy and insight.

Hippo Roller contact:

Grant Gibbs

Mobile: +27 (82) 447 1848

Skype: grantgibbs

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hipporoller

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantgibbshipporoller/

https://www.hipporoller.org/

About Youthzones

Youthzones was started in 2009 as a 2010 World Cup Legacy project under the leadership of Roelf Meyer, with the LOC, Minister of Sport and Recreation and the Foundation for a Safe South Africa (FSSA) collaborating to touch the lives of young people by using football and skills development as a vehicle for transformation. A sports and educational development project, Youthzones works with the poorest-of-the-poor in 43 of South Africa's most-in-need communities.

A flagship project of FSSA, Youthzones today supports more than 330 football and netball teams, across all nine provinces in South Africa, as well as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.Youthzones is about the youth doing it for themselves - giving them a chance to once again believe in themselves and to pursue their dreams.

Youthzones contact:

Schalk van Heerden

Mobile: +27 (82) 815 1224

Telephone: +27 (11) 485 2146

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/youthzones_za

http://www.youthzones.com/ 

More than 35 of South Africa and the world’s top experts on issues relating to plastic piping, water infrastructure and engineering will be presenting at this year’s PIPES XI Conference – an annual event hosted by the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA).

This year’s event will be unlike any other event the association has ever hosted and promises to be an unforgettable experience.

“We are extremely privileged to be hosting our conference this year in conjunction with the Plastic Pipe Conference Association (PPCA). It will be a two-day event taking place on the 4th and 5th of September 2017 at Emperor’s Palace Convention Centre, conveniently located close to the OR Tambo Airport in Gauteng. In addition to the line-up of top national and international speakers we would normally have at our conference, this year’s PIPES XI also see at least 10 of the best papers which were presented at PIPES XVIII in Berlin last year, delivered to our local audience,” says Jan Venter, CEO of SAPPMA.

Every two years, the PPCA plays host to the world’s biggest international pipe conference which takes place either in Europe or the USA. Venter explains that it is the first time in history that their spin-off conference, which is organised every alternate year, will be coming to South Africa.

"The excitement over the event is tremendous. We have already sold an impressive amount of tickets and are hoping to have more than 300 delegates attending both days,” Venter says.

As an added incentive, SAPPMA is offering an early bird booking discount of 10 % for all bookings and payments made online (www.pipesxiconference.co.za) before the 31st of May 2017.Topics that will be covered at this year’s event are varied, ranging from raw materials and additives to the life cycle and material design of plastic pipes. Installations, applications and rehabilitations as well as standards, testing and certification, and various case studies will also be addressed.

The opening keynote address will be delivered by Dr Roelof Botha, a local economist of the GOPA Group, after which various delegate can select to listen to presentations in two break-away sessions. International speakers who will be presenting on Day 1 (Monday, 4 September) include Zoran Davidovski of Pipelife International (presenting on behalf of TEPPFA in Austria) on “Main barriers to plastic pipes”, Tony Radoszewski of PPI in the USA, on “Manufacturing and Infrastructure in the Age of Trump”, Bruce Hollands of the PVC Pipe Association in the USA on “Life Cycle assessment of PVC Water and Sewer pipe and comparative sustainability analysis of pipe materials and Jean-Pierre De Grève of PVC4Pipes in Belgium on “Evolution and benefits of PVC pipes”, to name but a few. 

The day’s activities will end with cocktail function and entertainment, before the Day 2 (Tuesday, 5 September 2017), will see more local and international speakers, including Dane Tallen of Baerlocher in Germany, Dr Predrag Micic of Qenos, Australia, Rob Spekreÿse of Rollepaal in the Netherlands and Robin Bresser representing Borealis in Austria take to the stage. Final closing remarks will be made by Zoran Davidovski.

“We cannot emphasise enough the importance of this event, and encourage local engineers, students, specifiers and decision makers on all levels to make the most of this opportunity to be exposed to this kind of professionalism and expertise. We would never be able to host such a big event without the support of our industry and would like to particularly thank the sponsors (Macneil Plastics, Sun Ace, Rollepaal, Van Ryn Rubber, Hultec, AENOR-CEIS, Baerlocher, Marley Pipe Systems, Zerma Africa, Molecor/Sizabanthu Piping Systems, DPI Plastics, PipeFlo, Plastiweld and Plastics|SA) who are making it possible for us to host this event and keep the delegate fees as low as possible.

* SAPPMA and IFPA members: R2 600 pp (excluding VAT)

* Non-members: R3 500 pp (excluding VAT)

* Group bookings (5 delegates or more): R1 900 pp 

For more information about the speakers, programme of events or to register, visit www.pipesxiconference.co.za or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Innovations in the toilet-space are largely led by the innovation and technology driven sanitary leader, Geberit.

Did you know that they have sold more than 60 million concealed cisterns worldwide? The ‘disappearance’ of the pipes behind the wall sparked a paradigm change within the bathroom, where function and design intertwine. The concealed cistern provides more space in the bathroom as the cistern is no longer in the way, leaving the walls to be used in more creative and functional ways. They can save you up to 200mm of space in the bathroom and using wall-hung toilets creates an elegant and spacious feeling and they are hygienic as you can clean underneath and right around them – adding an innovative Geberit Rimfree® toilet is even more hygienic and far easier to clean. The Geberit concealed cisterns are available in several options, equipped with Geberit technology which has proven itself for decades, and with adjustable water-saving functions and dual flush or stop-and-go flush. The fact that Geberit concealed cisterns have been in use for over half a century, demonstrates that Geberit's brand promise of "Know-How Installed" is clearly working.

Even today, plumbers are constantly bumping into Geberit concealed cisterns from the early years that are still in daily use. Geberit still has replacement parts for first-generation cisterns and guarantees spare part availability for up to 25 years. The Geberit concealed cisterns are designed with ease of installation. Style is a big consideration in a bathroom, and using a concealed cistern which is hidden from view, makes the choice of actuator plate that much more important as their visual appearance sets the design tone. The variety and technological advancement of flush plates available today has opened up new design possibilities too. Choose a Geberit dual flush option for your toilet to save water – there is even a touchless version. They are functional, save water and more hygienic. Bring a sense of well-being and freshness into the bathroom with a Geberit DuoFresh system, with an integrated odour extraction unit. The system works effortlessly by removing foul air directly from the toilet bowl, purifies and then releases it back out again as fresh air. Another option from Geberit, and ideal for renovations is the Geberit floor-mounted Monolith sanitary module. The Monolith's sleek glass panel saves space compared to bulky traditional cisterns, making even small spaces feel open and expansive.

Additionally, it offers eco-friendly dual flush technology, which allows users to choose between a standard or low-volume flush, saving the average family thousands of litres of water each year. Geberit offers complete bathroom solutions where everything works together in perfect harmony.

He who builds responsibly, builds sustainably. That is why Geberit has always devoted itself to comprehensively sustainable products that meet the highest standards, thus providing innovative system solutions for sustainable building.The globally operating Geberit Group is a European leader in the field of sanitary products. Geberit operates as an integrated group with a very strong local presence in most European countries, providing unique added value when it comes to sanitary technology and bathroom ceramics. To find out more:→ www.geberit.co.za      → This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    → 0861 FLUSH 1

WESTERN CAPE, 19 JULY 2016 – The 55^th annual Berg River Canoe Marathon took place from Wednesday 13^th July to Saturday 16^th July 2016 and saw paddlers from all over the world competing in the 4-day stage race covering 240 km from Paarl to Velddrif in the Western Cape.

It was a warm winter’s day in the Swartland for the first stage of the Berg River Canoe Marathon, matched with some heated racing on tough, low-water river conditions that eventually saw defending champions, Hank McGregor, set up an overnight lead after the 62km first stage.

With an eleventh Berg title in his sights, McGregor also claimed the first-to-bridge prize at the Hermon Bridge, going into the second stage of the race with a significant advantage in that he takes with him his time trial winning margin, which took his overall lead over Simon van Gysen to just 20 seconds, with Adrian Boros in third place overall, despite his second place finish on the Wednesday.

On Day Two, McGregor, with a lead of 20 seconds over Van Gysen, cut his head open on a branch – an accident, which opened a one minute gap for Van Gysen to get ahead. McGregor caught Van Gysen as they made their way from Zonquasdrift to Bridgetown, but the last two kilometres made all the difference. McGregor powered through to the finish as a tired Van Gysen was unable to keep up. The Hungarian, Adrian Boros, battled with the stage, allowing McGregor to gain a solid lead.

McGregor said: “I knew in the last few kilometres that I had to put the hammer down and I got a bit of a gap and I am happy with the result and another stage win”.

The infamous 72km third stage of the 2016 Berg River Canoe Marathon saw plenty of drama as the international duo of Adrian Boros and Petr Mojžíšek matched McGregor right up to the final end sprint.

The 72km stage from Bridgetown to Zoutkloof threatened to produce the goods following an exciting bunch start in the morning, which set off at a blistering pace, and the front group of four, McGregor, Boros, Mojžíšek, and local, Edgar Boehm Jnr, opened a significant gap at the first portage at the Misverstand Dam wall.

Said McGregor “A 72km stage is never going to be easy and it hurts, it doesn’t matter who you are. I was just really chuffed to be on the front bunch and I appreciated the great sportsmen that I was racing with.” 

Despite the running repairs overnight, Jeep Team /Euro Steel/Kayak Centre star, Hank McGregor, won a well-contested end sprint on Friday’s stage 3, and with it, cemented his place at the front of the race for stage 4’s final 60 kilometre into Velddrif, the final hurdle between him and an eleventh Berg title.

Reaching the final day of the Berg River Marathon, McGregor started with a seven minute advantage, and this was enough to cement his eleventh Berg title win.  The world champion paddler was seldom seen alone in the stages of the race, but he managed to take the lead from the time trial to the end keeping a consistent speed throughout the marathon, leading to his eleventh Berg River Canoe Marathon title victory.

Concluded McGregor, “It’s not every day that you race against guys that you raced against in separate World Championships where they both came second behind me, but this year’s race was definitely a prestigious one with a couple world champions and a couple world champ medallists on the start line.”

RESULTS MEN

DAY ONE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:28:59.88
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:29:22.80
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:29:41.19

DAY TWO

1. HANK MCGREGOR 3:26:16.40
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 3:27:11.00
3. ADRIAN BOROS 3:42:21.05

DAY THREE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 5:24:50.77
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 5:31:10.71
3. ADRIAN BOROS 5:24:55.20

DAY FOUR

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:17:32.49
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:17:34.03
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:20:25.98

FINAL RESULT

1. HANK MCGREGOR 17:37:39.55
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 17:45:18.55
3. ADRIAN BOROS 17:57:23.43

Have a look at the following platforms to keep up to date with Jeep Team SA:

Website:       www.jeepteam.co.za
Facebook:     www.facebook.com/jeepteamsa
Twitter:         @jeepteamsa
Instagram:    JeepTeamSA

For more information, please contact:
Bronwen Blunden - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Viv Quann - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.