Civil Engineering January/February 2021 | Vol 29 No 1

46 January/February 2021 Civil Engineering in his marriage and resulted in a divorce. Theo married Irma Scharffenorth on 28 March 1969, and they had one daughter, Nina. He also had a refresher course in France in 1971 where he was exposed to the concepts of pumped-storage schemes. CONSULTING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR Theo left the DWA during a period of low morale and joined private company Hydroconsults for some three years. There he was active in designing the spillway for the Von Bach Dam in Namibia. In retrospect, this exposure to the private sector was an important career development as his further career entailed much management of consultants and contractors. TUGELA-VAAL AND DRAKENSBERG PROJECTS Theo was recruited back into a re-vitalised DWA in mid-1969 with Minister Fanie Botha and Secretary (now called Director- General) JP Kriel at the helm. He was in charge of the Earth and Rock Fill Dam Division of the Design Office where he and his team were involved with the design of a large number of dams. Theo and his team became involved in a re-planning of the Tugela-Vaal Transfer Project and made a proposal in May 1970 which incorporated the Sterkfontein Dam, Woodstock Dam, and various diversion canals and weirs. The proposal showed great ingenuity and innovation as well as a fine sense of the economy of the proposal, which was accepted by the decision makers. The Tugela-Vaal Transfer Scheme transferred water from the Tugela to the urban-industrial heartland of South Africa in the current Gauteng. Additional water transfers were then required from the Tugela to the Vaal River and Theo joined up with Escom (as it was then called) to develop a combined water transfer and peak power gen- eration project. The success of the venture can be ascribed to the high engineering expertise (from both partners) which went into the project, but above all the great co-operation between the two entities. Theo’s persuasive nature and pleasant personality were clearly key issues in promoting this project. His close relationship with his Escom counterpart, Bruno Graber, was also a vital matter in ensuring close cooperation between the two organisations. The Drakensberg Pumped-Storage Project was the first DWA project where environmental issues played an important role and was the trigger for greater environ- mental awareness within the department. Because of Theo’s proven planning skills, he was transferred to the Planning Division where he was responsible for the western part of the country. It is often said that a planning engineer needs to be a “compleat engineer” and clearly Theo had reached this milestone. WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT POLICY A major achievement of Theo’s Planning Chief Directorate team was its 1986 magnum opus Management of the Water Resources of the Republic of South Africa – a publication which attracted international attention. LESOTHO HIGHLANDS WATER PROJECT Proposals were received from the private sector for an alternative water transfer scheme to the Vaal River system which would com- pete with the Tugela-Vaal Project. Ultimately, an amended solu- tion to transfer water to the Vaal River culminated in the various phases of the LHWP. Full details of this project are described in Theo’s article entitled “Recollections of a mega project” which is in his “Memories”. Theo played a pivotal role in various aspects of the planning and implementation of Phase 1 of the LHWP, where he was the South African Study Leader which culminated in the treaty compilation and signing in 1986. He was also Chief Delegate: RSA Delegation to the Joint Permanent Technical Commission, now the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission. Theo was involved in the project for some 21 years and much of the project’s success can be ascribed to his ingenuity, persever- ance, and character traits. The investigations were started in a period when South Africa was in a poor political position and just before the Sharpville massacre. Both parties were highly suspi- cious of each other, but gradually the charm and innate fairness of Theo’s approach bore fruit. The treaty required some innovative approaches on a variety of issues which Theo influenced such as: Q Q How to determine a royalty stream to Lesotho for the advan- tages of using the Lesotho territory which is at high elevation. Q Q How to implement a practical governance structure for the project within the constraints of the current political climate. Q Q How to cater for the uncertainties of the rather meagre hydro- logical information which governed sizing of components and cost sharing. Q Q Measures to ensure that South African and regional consult- ants and contractors received an acceptable share of the work. Q Q Containment of the cost of the project borne by the two parties. The project stated delivering water to South Africa in 1998. WATER DIPLOMAT South Africa shares several rivers with neighbouring countries. The situation was even more complex in the pre-1994 period when the independent and self-governing territories existed. International water law requires due consideration and consultation with shared basin states in the develop- ment and utilisation of shared water resources. Specific countries concerned were Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, and required much contact and diplomacy. Theo was the main contact for many years and at some stage he was called “South Africa’s water diplomat” in the media. Theo was able to convince several neighbouring countries to participate in joint studies of the river basin which would provide sound information for the planning of further development and the equitable sharing of water resources. An example of a successful outcome was the establishment of the Komati Basin Water Authority and the joint construction of the Maguga Dam on the Incomati in The so-called red book