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PROFILE : My journey to Professional Registration - Innocent Gininda

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Innocent Gininda shares his journey to becoming a registered Professional Engineer (PrEng), emphasizing the importance of mentorship, early preparation, and understanding ECSA requirements. He offers advice to aspiring PrEngs, highlighting the value of diverse feedback and a positive mindset. My journey to becoming a registered Professional Engineer (PrEng) culminated successfully in November 2024. I was fortunate to begin my career at a company with a Commitment and Undertaking (C&U) Agreement with ECSA and a robust mentorship program. This commitment to training engineers to the standard required for Professional Registration provided me with essential resources and a structured path to track my experience against ECSA requirements. Early exposure to these expectations instilled a positive outlook on registration and solidified my desire to achieve this milestone. My views on Professional Registration have remained consistently positive throughout this journey. Working alongside ...
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INSIGHT : Lesotho Highlands Water Project won’t fix Gauteng’s infrastructure and supply woes

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The completion of Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in 2028 could potentially provide Gauteng with an adequate water supply. However, the effectiveness of this solution is contingent on the repair of aging municipal infrastructure. Without such repairs, the additional water supply will not fully address the water challenges faced by the region.


According to experts, political influence caused the delay in the completion of Phase 2 and corruption might have also been a major factor. The experts also agree that change in [the] Lesotho government was not a factor in the delay because the TCTA held firm, and managed to withstand this powerful attempt to hijack the process. This is consistent with an earlier case in which the TCTA successfully resisted major corruption by winning a legal battle that put a senior official of the Lesotho government into jail.

Growing demand

The demand for water in Gauteng, South Africa, has significantly increased due to population growth and leaks in municipal distribution systems. The province's population has grown by 2% annually since 2011, reaching 16 million. The increasing population and demands on infrastructure have been identified as causes of water challenges by municipal authorities. The demand-supply relationship for treated water in Gauteng is tight, making the system susceptible to disruptions caused by load shedding, mechanical breakdowns, or cable theft. High-lying areas are most affected by supply disruptions.

Water distribution infrastructure

Most municipalities are not adequately maintaining their water distribution infrastructure, leading to disruptions in supply and high-lying areas being worst affected. The lack of reserve supply capacity means that even minor breakdowns can have a significant impact.

Careful management’

Rand Water's daily supply is 5,200 million liters of treated water, and it's currently extracting the maximum amount allowed from the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS). Increasing abstraction from the IVRS will only be possible after Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) comes online. Rand Water has a R35-billion capital program to increase treatment and storage capacity by the time Phase 2 is operational. The program includes the recent R3.5-billion upgrade of the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant. While LHWP Phase 2 will increase water supply, the long-term consumption needs of Gauteng require careful management due to the limited potential for further water transfer projects without significant costs.

The Vaal River Eastern Subsystem Augmentation Project has taken seven decades to reach Phase 2, with multiple phases planned for the future. It is a strategic resource but cannot resolve the water supply problems in Gauteng, as these are caused by institutional failure in the municipalities.

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