M.Ing. (Transportation Engineering) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 1991. / Integration of islands of computer Assisted Functions is becoming increasingly important in many organisations and is being driven by the need for Data Sharing and the reduction in Duplication of Effort in order to achieve an Increasingly competitive edge. Technology is increasingly providing the means of taking the "intagrated Organisation" out of the realms of an "idealistic dream World" into the harsh environment of Reality. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Eng (Water Resources Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

Bibliography: pages 293-308. / The provision of local authority services in many metropolitan areas is complicated by the problem of ill-fitting functions and areas. This is particularly so in respect of engineering services. In the thesis, criteria of efficiency and effectiveness, finance, and community participation are selected for use in an analysis of the situation. The thesis critically examines alternative organisational forms for the provision of local authority services, particularly engineering services. These alternatives are assessed against a blend of the three criteria.

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A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of the Master of Science / Drilled specimens from four types of rocks, namely Quartzite, Norite, Sandstone and Coal encountered in the South African mining environment were tested to determine their fracture toughness coefficients, using International Society for Rock Mechanics (I...) standards. The tests were conducted using a MTS servo-controlled testing machine in displacement control mode. (Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2018

The participation of indigenous communities and use of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in environmental governance is provided for in several international and national environmental legislation and policies. In South Africa, the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) in Chapter 1, Principle 4g requires that decisions must take into account the interests, needs and values of all interested and affected parties, and this includes recognising all forms of knowledge, including traditional and ordinary knowledge. This study investigated the Environmental Impact Assessment process (EIA) in mining developments in three rural communities in Limpopo Province, South Africa with regards to the effectiveness of public participation in fostering the incorporation of IKS. The qualitative research design used in this study employed several research methods through the utilisation of 3 villages as a case study. Semi-structured interviews, a focus group discussion and document analysis were used to collect information regarding the public participation process and the integration of IKS into EIAs. This report illustrates that IKS exists in rural communities and some of it is relevant to be incorporated in EIAs. This research study has shown that while expert knowledge dominates the EIA process, there is no indication that this is done deliberately to exclude IKS. This study has also revealed that the public participation process has a number of weaknesses such as in the selection and composition of community stakeholders and communication procedures. Suspicions also developed amongst the villagers of community representatives being bribed by the mine, and infighting started within community committees resulting in some community members losing trust in the committees. The disagreements with regards to the integrity of community committees created divisions and this negatively impacted on the public participation process. However, despite these weaknesses, if capacity building for both EIA experts and rural communities is done, the public participation process has potential as a tool to aid the integration of IKS into EIAs.

Thesis (MTech (Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / Potable water, and especially the accessibility to it, is an essential part of everyday life. Of particular note, is the challenge that residents of remote rural African villages face in order to gain access to this basic requirement. Specifically, the rural areas in the Northern Cape (Province north of Cape Town) region in South Africa is one such example that illustrates this problem very well. In order to address the requirements for drinkable water, various types of water pumping technologies have been used. Up to now, the two competing water pumping systems, diesel and photovoltaic (PV), have been the primary technologies deployed in selected sites in the Northern Cape. The manual data collection of water pumping system data in the Northern Cape is fraught with impracticalities such as travel costs and requirements for skilled personnel. Therefore, as a preliminary step to accelerate development and testing, a local experimental laboratory PV water pumping rig was set-up within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Cape University of Technology. A short-term analysis was performed over a period of three weeks on the rig and the experimental results indicated the following: array efficiency of 16.3%, system efficiency of 15.0% and an average system efficiency of 1.47%. However, the results do indicate that long-term monitoring of PV water pumping systems can be suitable in serving to determine dynamic system performance and system life cycle costs. The purpose of this project is two-fold - firstly, to present the results on the work done on the experimental PV system.

M.Ing. / Recent studies in developed countries such as the United States of America and United Kingdom proved that the design-build procurement method experiences extraordinary growth. In the Far East this approach is also gaining in popularity. The recently completed 414 million pound Pergau Hydroelectric Project in Malaysia, is an excellent example, where design-build was used most effectively to the benefit of all role players. This research seeks to determine the position of design-build in the building and civil engineering fields in South Africa. Questionnaires and personal interviewing were used to collect the primary data. The main findings of this South African research are: (1)Approximately 29% of building and civil engineering projects are delivered by the design-build approach; (2)Design-build was overwhelmingly preferred as procurement method; (3)Design-build can lead to: shorter project duration; reduction in cost; enhanced constructability of the design; better relations and less disputes and claims; (4)This concept also has the advantage of single-point responsibility; (5)It can be used on any size project; (6)The main concerns were: high cost for bidding, especially of the design function; lack of an appropriate form of contract; a well-defined scope of the work is essential; (7)Respondents perceived a bright future for design-build in South Africa. Design-build has the potential to integrate the functionally separate groups of the traditional project team, which can lead to better co-operation and relations. This can ultimately result in an improvement in the three critical project performance criteria, i.e. time, cost and quality.

M.Ing. / This dissertation gives an understanding of principles that can be implemented in a projects department to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. This dissertation consists of a literature review and a case study. The literature review gives a background on principles that can be implemented to improve on the efficiency and effectiveness of a projects department. The effective design of projects and the importance of establishing specifications have been reviewed. Tools such as business process reengineering can be used to rethink and redesign processes in a projects department to improve its current way of working. Materials requirement planning is another tool that can be used in a projects department to calculate how many types of a specific product are required at any specific time. Just-in-time planning and control is a philosophy that can be implemented in a projects department to meet demands immediately, thus improving their effectiveness. Quality management tools and techniques can be implemented in a projects department. Total quality management, leadership and teamwork will help to convey good practises, generate interest, ideas and awareness in the department. The literature also explains the importance of ergonomics. Ergonomics in workplaces has an affect on the performance, fatigue and physical strain of the staff. Assessing the projects department and applying ergonomics to it will help the staff of the department to be more efficient and effective in their work. The literature further explains the stages involved in the risk management process. Developing an initial risk management plan is an effective and efficient way to identify and prevent risks at an early stage. The case study is about different principles brought together and implemented in a newly formed projects department to improve its way of work. Principles were identified through surveys that were given to various stakeholders. These principles guided the projects department to be more efficient and effective in their way of work.