Civil Engineering April 2022 | Vol 30 No 3

46 April 2022 Civil Engineering C onstruction of the new Netcare Alberton Hospital has been completed and main contractor Trencon Construction has officially handed over the building to Netcare for the next phase of preparations for the hospital’s scheduled opening in April this year. The new 427-bed hospital will add to the already extensive set of disciplines and services moving across from the nearby Netcare Union and Netcare Clinton hospitals, introducing further specialised sub-disciplines and creating additional health- care capacity to serve people in the surrounding communities and much further afield. “The handover represents a significant milestone in the devel- opment of our new future fit healthcare facility,” says Jacques du Plessis, managing director of Netcare’s hospital division. “I would like to thank Trencon Construction and express our appreciation to the highly professional team of project manager, architect, quantity surveyor and the consulting engineering firms, as well as the many local, national and international sub-contractors and suppliers, for their hard work and exacting standards in bringing this large construction project to fruition.” Following functional testing, the four-story building, comprising a total gross building area of 60 343 m² including a basement parking area, was handed over to Netcare after all the necessary requirements were met by the main contractor. “We are very proud to have delivered the new Netcare Alberton Hospital in time and to the highest quality, given the impact of Covid-19 and difficult market constraints. It was also a very difficult time for our business with the passing of our founder, Amarnath Singh, during the construction,” says Yavani Singh-Ninan, CEO of Trencon Construction. The hospital has been developed by the Rejem-Linton-Netcare Joint Venture, a joint venture consisting of Netcare Properties, local businessman Riaan Jonker, and Nedbank. The project included substantial investment in local labour and businesses, and at the peak of construction, offered employment to more than 800 local people, while more than 90 local companies were utilised, and in excess of R200 million was spent with local busi- nesses and suppliers. “The handover of the site represents the culmination of a decade long journey of options analysis, planning and implementa- tion of this new purpose-built hospital. We are currently liaising with the Gauteng Department of Health to complete the licencing process and are working at full steam to install all the medical and other equipment, furnishings and consumables necessary to manage such a large, ultramodern and well-appointed healthcare facility,” says Du Plessis.  Surface miners ready for infrastructure boost I n his annual budget speech Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced a R17.5 billion budget earmarked for accelerated infrastructure development projects throughout the country as part of government’s mid-term plan to revive the ailing economy. Commenting on the this, ASPASA Director Nico Pienaar said that although the announcement is good news for the industry, it would not be the first time that government has announced such packages that have failed to launch. “The minister has indicated that all government departments will be included and that innovative financing and delivery mechanisms will be launched as announced by the president in his State of the Nation Address. We therefore sin- cerely hope that government will include ASPASA and other professional bodies in the planning and execution of the infra- structure plans,” says Pienaar. He notes that if government wants to unlock higher levels of employment in the sector it is critical to work with industry associations and regulatory bodies to ensure that jobs created are meaningful, sustainable, safe and empower the larger communities. “These organisations play an im- portant role in regulating the industry, ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation as well as labour requirements. We want to avoid the use of roadside borrow pits and unlawful illegal sand or aggregate operations. We expect govern- ment to make use of compliant ASPASA members who are tax-paying, law abiding enterprises that contribute to local and national economies. “If we are to succeed in these plans to upgrade roads, bridges, water and sewer networks, transport, school infrastruc- ture, hospitals and clinics, then we need to work together to ensure capacity and the right products are available when required,” says Pienaar. He adds that the material mining and quarrying industry in South Africa is a strong and resilient one that directly employs nearly half a million people. Largescale projects will have a direct and positive effect on this end of the industry which is ready to meet the supply demands when government releases funds for largescale infrastructure projects.  ASPASA wants government to avoid use of roadside borrow pits Milestone reached in new hospital development The new Netcare Alberton Hospital