Civil Engineering September 2022 | Vol 30 No 8

Civil Engineering September 2022 59 Johan Brink Pr Eng Johan is a Technical Director for the Western Cape office of ITS. He holds an MEng and has worked in transport engineering his en- tire professional career, both in South Africa and abroad. Johan is involved in many traffic and transport planning projects and tries to assist developers where he can. Johan says that every time he can solve a transport problem or contribute to a solution, it is a career highlight for him. Each challenge or problem in transport engineering is different, which makes every project exciting, whether it is small or large. Johan is involved in managing the events portfolio for the division. Risenga Chauke Risenga is a Senior Researcher at the CSIR and holds a BSc (Civil), MSc (Civil), BCom (Transport Economics), PGCE, and MBA. He has more than 20 years’ experience in civil engineering, transport planning, transport modelling, transport economics, railway engineering and project management. These were acquired both in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Risenga recently left his position as Senior Traffic and Transport Engineer at AM Consulting Engineers where he worked as a project leader on two projects and was tasked with launching operations for the Leeto la Polokwane BRT project which successfully launched in September 2022 – a career high- light for him. He is excited about his new role at the CSIR where he will be involved in the development of transport policies. Risenga says that transport provides people with access to economic, health and leisure services. The work of a transport engineer affects and enhances the quality of life of the communi- ties around us and he is proud to be part of a profession that makes a difference in people’s lives. Victor de Abreu Pr Eng Victor is the Functional General Manager: Planning and Traffic Engineering and Regional Manager of the Johannesburg office at SMEC South Africa. He holds a BSc (Eng), GDE and MSc (Eng). Victor has 35 years’ experience in the traffic and transportation industry and has been privileged to have been involved in the planning of some of the most iconic transport projects in the country, such as the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg as well as planning for events such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Ecomobility festival held in Sandton in 2015. Above all, Victor has found it inspiring to have worked with some of the brightest young minds in the country, pushing the boundaries of transport in a very challenging local transport environment. “None of this would have been possible without the foresight and ambition of the clients who are at the foundation of every project that I have had the privilege to be a part of,” he says. One of the highlights in Victor’s career was meeting Nelson Mandela at the inauguration of the Nelson Mandela Bridge, as well as realising that South African engineers can compete globally in terms of capability when he worked in the UK in the early 2000s. Victor says that the thinking we do today will have an influ- ence on the lives of many generations to come, making transpor- tation a legacy to the thinkers of the current age. Victor is mar- ried to Sally and is father to triplet boys and a young daughter. Madeleen Engelbrecht Pr Eng Madeleen is a transport planning consultant. She holds a BEng and BEng (Hons) in trans- port and is currently busy with an MSc (Eng) at the University of Cape Town. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the consulting engineering industry, specialising in traffic engineering, land-use and transport integration, and transport master planning. She has completed numerous projects in the city planning, transport, and property sectors, with a specific focus on sustainable solutions. Projects range from traffic signal system design and optimisation, to parking concepts, roads plan- ning and intersection design, traffic impact studies, development master planning as well as multi-modal transport assessments. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will always stand out as a career highlight – nothing beats being part of a real world-class event. Madeleen enjoys the interaction with different people and being able to serve and help make transport better. She has been on the SAICE Transport Division committee since 2009 and was the Chair in 2014 and 2015. Tanya Joubert Tanya is part of a small but dynamic team at EDS Engineers, which specialises in transporta- tion planning and traffic engineering services ranging from traffic signal design and warrant studies to traffic impacts studies, public trans- port studies, parking studies and site traffic assessments. Some of the projects the team has undertaken include the Woodmead diverging diamond interchange, Atterbury quarter link in Menlyn, Castle Gate precinct planning and Jewel City precinct in the Johannesburg CBD. Tanya holds a BEng (Civil). One of the highlights of her career was taking part in the transport planning of the Dubai Expo 2020 and the research she was involved in regarding autonomous vehicles all over the world. Tanya says you can learn something new every day as the field of transport engineering is ever-changing. There is never “only one correct answer” when it comes to transport solutions, only ranks of best to worst from a traffic and transport point of view. “It can be a very rewarding job as it teaches you to remain open- minded and provide solutions as part of a bigger picture. Summed up in a short phrase: Never a dull moment!” says Tanya. Tanya is involved in the courses and events planning portfo- lios of the division. Kerisha Govender Pr Eng Kerisha is a Project Engineer: Planning, Traffic & Toll Division in SANRAL’s Northern Region and holds a BSc (Civil) and MSc (Transport Engineering). She is a professional engineer with 7 years’ experience in the civil engineering field. Her core areas are in transport planning, traffic forecasting, and developing strategic transport models for SANRAL’s national