Protecting what matters today, while building for a more sustainable and resilient tomorrow Sustainability has become an increasingly important consideration in the design, construction and operation of buildings. From energy efficiency and water conservation to material selection and carbon reduction, developers and building owners are under growing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment. However, sustainability cannot come at the expense of safety. When it comes to fire protection, the challenge is to find solutions that protect people, property and critical infrastructure while also reducing the environmental impact of fire protection systems themselves. For Michael van Niekerk, CEO of ASP Fire, this requires a more holistic approach to fire protection. “Fire protection has a non-negotiable objective to protect life and property. However, that does not mean environmental considerations have to sit outside the fire strategy. The industry needs to look at how systems are designed, what suppression agents are used, how much water or other resources they consume, and what happens to those materials over the operational life of the system.” Safety remains the starting point In South Africa, fire protection is already embedded within the regulatory framework governing the built environment. The National Building Regulations require buildings to be designed, constructed and equipped to protect occupants, facilitate safe evacuation, limit the spread and intensity of fire, control smoke and provide suitable means for detecting, fighting and extinguishing fires. Compliance with the functional requirements of Part T can be achieved through the relevant provisions of SANS 10400-T. The latest edition, SANS 10400-T:2024, reinforces the importance of competent design for automatic sprinkler systems, fixed firefighting systems, smoke-control systems and fire detection and alarm systems. It also provides for fixed automatic …
Fire Safety in Warehousing and Logistics Protects People, Products and Business Continuity
As warehouses grow taller, supply chains become faster and storage densities increase, fire safety has become a strategic business imperative. Michael van Niekerk, CEO of ASP Fire, explains how South African businesses can effectively manage fire risks while remaining compliant with increasingly stringent regulations. Today’s warehousing and logistics facilities bear little resemblance to the distribution centres of a decade ago. High-bay racking, automated storage and retrieval systems, lithium-ion powered material handling equipment, flammable packaging materials and around-the-clock operations have transformed warehouses into highly efficient logistics hubs. They have also created increasingly complex fire risks. “A warehouse fire can escalate within minutes, particularly where there is high-rack storage, combustible packaging or hazardous materials,” highlights Michael van Niekerk, CEO of ASP Fire. Beyond the immediate threat to life, businesses face operational downtime, supply chain disruption, environmental damage and potentially catastrophic financial losses. As South Africa’s logistics sector expands to support manufacturing, mining, retail and e-commerce, proactive fire protection has become an essential component of operational resilience rather than simply a regulatory obligation. Warehousing environments present a combination of fire hazards that require specialised protection strategies. High-rack storage can significantly accelerate fire spread by creating vertical channels that allow flames and hot gases to travel rapidly through storage systems. At the same time, densely packed goods can make it difficult for fire services to reach the source of a fire before it grows beyond control. Fire characteristics of stored goods The nature of stored goods further influences fire behaviour. Paper products, plastics, packaging materials, chemicals, fuels, aerosols and lithium-ion batteries each present different fire characteristics that …
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Building a More Resilient Municipal Electricity Network
Helping municipalities move from reactive maintenance to informed, prioritised investment in the electricity networks of tomorrow By Egon Worthmann, Electrification Leader and Distribution Solutions Division Manager, ABB South Africa South Africa’s municipalities face a difficult infrastructure challenge. Electricity networks need to be maintained, modernised and, in many cases, substantially upgraded, while municipalities operate within significant financial and resource constraints. The question is not simply how to replace ageing equipment, but where investment will have the greatest impact. As the industry gathered at the 72nd AMEU Convention in early October under the theme ‘Municipal Power: Pioneering the Future of South Africa’s Electricity Energy Market as per the ERAA’, this is an important conversation. Building the network of the future does not necessarily mean replacing everything with the latest technology. It starts with understanding the condition and requirements of existing infrastructure, identifying the greatest risks and developing a prioritised path forward. Start with the network, not the product Municipal electricity networks often comprise assets installed at different times, using different technologies and operating in varying conditions. Some equipment remains fit for purpose, some is approaching the end of its useful life, while deterioration in critical assets may present an immediate operational risk. A blanket approach to upgrading can therefore be both difficult and expensive. At ABB, we believe technology selection should follow an assessment of the network, rather than the other way around. Engaging with municipalities to understand their networks and assess existing equipment can help identify problem areas, highlight assets in poor condition and inform investment priorities. This is not about taking over the operation of a municipality’s network. It is about bringing specialist expertise and technology …
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Strengthening Rail Networks Through Intelligent Low-Voltage Infrastructure
How intelligent Low-Voltage (LV) electrical infrastructure underpins the reliability, safety and resilience of modern rail networks across Southern Africa. ABB Electrification’s LV portfolio includes intelligent circuit breakers, switchgear, motor control and digital monitoring solutions that support safe, efficient and reliable rail operations. Digitalisation, predictive maintenance and resilient electrical distribution, reduce downtime, improve energy efficiency and strengthen the region’s transport infrastructure. As governments, rail operators and technology providers prepare to meet at the Southern African Railways Association (SARA) Conference from 20 to 23 October, one theme is likely to dominate dis-cussions: how to build rail networks that are more reliable, resilient and fit for the region’s long-term economic ambitions. While investment in rolling stock and infrastructure remains essential, the performance of every mod-ern railway also depends on an often-overlooked foundation, namely the Low-Voltage (LV) electrical systems that keep passenger stations, depots, signalling infrastructure and critical operational assets running safely and efficiently. As Southern Africa looks to revitalise its rail sector to improve commuter mobility, strengthen regional trade and reduce pressure on road transport, reliable electrical infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. From passenger stations and maintenance depots to signalling buildings and operational control centres, every rail facility depends on resilient LV power distribution to ensure safe, uninter-rupted operations. According to Veron Maharaj, Product Marketing Specialist at ABB Electrification, modern rail infra-structure extends well beyond tracks and trains. “A reliable rail network depends on reliable electrical infrastructure.” He adds: “Low-voltage technologies form the backbone of the systems that power passenger stations, signalling facilities, maintenance depots and …
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Zutari and PLEXOS® Join Forces to Power Sa’s Emerging Wholesale Electricity Market
Combining Zutari’s deep African energy engineering expertise with PLEXOS®’s world-class modelling technology to establish the definitive decision-intelligence benchmark for South Africa’s Emerging Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM). To address a critical market gap, leading multinational infrastructure engineering and advisory firm Zutari has partnered with Energy Exemplar, the creators of PLEXOS®, to launch an integrated market intelligence and scenario-planning solution tailored specifically for SAWEM. By combining Zutari’s extensive on-the-ground South African energy data, regulatory context, and engineering advisory expertise with the physics-based PLEXOS® fundamental modelling engine, the collaboration delivers a trustworthy, defensible market view from day one. As South Africa transitions from its historic single-buyer electricity model toward a competitive wholesale market structure under SAWEM, energy market participants face an unprecedented analytical challenge. With no historical price data, established benchmarks, or local wholesale trading models to rely on, market participants are confronting significant commercial and operational uncertainty. Bridging the Analytical Gap for SAWEM The transition to SAWEM, encompassing day-ahead, intraday, and balancing mechanisms, requires independent power producers (IPPs), energy traders, large power users, and emerging market participants to evaluate price formation, dispatch behaviour, and portfolio risk under rapidly evolving market conditions. Traditional forecasting tools, reliant on past market trends, are insufficient for a system undergoing fundamental structural reform. Through this partnership, market participants gain introductory access to PLEXOS® Pulse, an accessible, out-of-the-box cloud-based market intelligence service that provides ready-to-use, fundamentals-based forecasts and scenario modelling relative to South Africa’s electricity market, requiring no internal modelling teams or …
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PPS to Showcase Innovative Enclosure Solutions at 72nd AMEU Convention
A leading South African Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the low-voltage electrical enclosure sector, Power Process Systems (PPS), will participate in the 72nd Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities (AMEU) Convention, taking place from 4 to 7 October 2026 at the Ranch Resort in Polokwane, South Africa. With its theme ‘Empowering South Africa’s Energy Future: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Smart Technologies for a Stable, Balanced, Just and Sustainable Energy Transition in Electricity Utilities’, the AMEU Convention is the premier annual gathering for electricity distribution industry leaders, municipal utilities, engineers, and technology providers. The event provides a vital platform for knowledge-sharing, innovation, and collaborative solutions to South Africa’s evolving energy challenges. Speaking ahead of the convention, Nhlanhla Zondo, Director of PPS, highlights the company’s objectives: “The main goal for PPS this year is to reiterate the presence position and abilities of PPS within the Electrical Enclosure Industry, including the introduction of some new and very exciting products which we believe will have a big impact and add definite contributions to the national electricity enclosures and associated equipment industry.” Tackling Infrastructure Vandalism and Enhancing Safety South Africa’s electricity sector continues to face significant challenges due to vandalism and infrastructure sabotage. PPS is actively addressing these issues through dedicated research and development. At AMEU 2026, PPS will showcase solutions specifically designed to counter such threats. These include AV-CAB, an anti-vandal copper aluminium busbar, refurbishment of minisubs and kiosks to enhance public safety and protect utility revenue, and new secure kiosk locking mechanism designed to strengthen revenue protection for municipalities. “PPS continuously strives, through our R&D programme, to be innovative and develop new ideas and …
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How Middle East Innovation Is Reshaping Future Infrastructure
Climate resilience, commercial discipline and engineering excellence are creating new opportunities for Africa to accelerate infrastructure delivery As climate change, urbanisation and geopolitical uncertainty reshape infrastructure priorities around the world, the Middle East is emerging as a global laboratory for resilient engineering. The region’s willingness to experiment, invest and innovate is generating lessons that could fundamentally change how infrastructure is planned and delivered across Africa, comments Denver Dreyer, Chief Executive Officer: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at Zutari. Following the growing alignment between African engineering expertise and Gulf investment capital, Dreyer believes the next opportunity lies in exporting knowledge, particularly around climate resilience, water security, project preparation and digital engineering. A global testing ground for resilient infrastructure The Middle East has spent decades designing infrastructure to withstand extreme temperatures, limited freshwater resources and harsh environmental conditions. Today, as Europe, North America and other regions experience increasingly frequent heatwaves, droughts and flooding, many of these engineering approaches are attracting global attention. “The Middle East has adapted to living in one of the world’s most demanding environments,” comments Dreyer. “Buildings are designed to minimise heat gain, district cooling systems improve energy efficiency, and infrastructure planning increasingly considers resilience from the outset.” Recent events have also demonstrated that resilience must extend beyond traditional climate considerations. Following severe flooding due to heavy rains in the UAE, infrastructure planners have had to rethink stormwater management in environments that were never designed for significant rainfall. At the same time, geopolitical instability has broadened the definition of resilience to include redundancy, security …
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Why Local Expertise Is Shaping the Future of Data Centre Development Across the Middle East and Africa
As investment in digital infrastructure accelerates across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), successful data centre projects require more than technical excellence. They demand regional insight, multidisciplinary engineering capability and an understanding of local regulatory, environmental and infrastructure realities. The rapid growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital services is accelerating investment in data centre infrastructure across the MEA region. As demand for resilient, scalable facilities increases, successful projects require far more than technical excellence. They demand multidisciplinary engineering expertise, regional insight and an understanding of local regulatory, environmental and infrastructure realities. “Data centres are among the most complex infrastructure projects being delivered today,” says Christo Reeder, Lead: Data Centres at Zutari. “Success depends on understanding the entire project lifecycle, from identifying suitable sites and securing power and fibre connectivity through to engineering design, commissioning and future expansion. Bringing all those capabilities together under one multidisciplinary team enables us to reduce project risk while delivering facilities that are built for long-term resilience.” Although Zutari has been delivering data centre projects for many years, the company is placing greater emphasis on showcasing a specialist capability that has quietly evolved alongside its broader engineering business. “We have been delivering data centre projects for many years,” says Riaan de Leeu, Business Development Lead: Data Centres at Zutari. “The reality is that we’ve simply never been very vocal about it. Today, we have a dedicated data centre team serving clients across the MEA region, and we are focused on making the market aware of the depth of experience and capability that already exists within Zutari.” A regional footprint with local understanding While many …
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Zutari Celebrates Engineering Excellence With Major CESA Aon Awards
Consulting engineering firm recognised for technical excellence, infrastructure impact, industry leadership and investment in the next generation It was a standout evening for Zutari at the 2026 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards on 20 August, with its people and projects recognised for technical excellence, innovation, leadership and investment in the next generation of engineers. This recognition follows Zutari’s impressive performance in the ENR Top 225 International Design Firms, where it climbed from #99 in 2025 to #68 in 2026, making a 31-place improvement driven primarily by international design-service revenue. This upward trend underscores the firm’s growing multinational presence and increasing appeal to major global clients. Held at Vodacom World in Midrand, the awards brought together South Africa’s consulting engineering industry to celebrate excellence in the sector. For Zutari, the evening resulted in two major project wins, two individual awards, a project commendation and recognition for its Job Shadow Day programme. “These awards are a reflection of what can happen when talented people, trusted clients, and committed partners come together around challenges that matter,” comments TC Ralebitso, Africa Chief Executive Officer of Zutari. “We are immensely proud of our teams, not simply for the recognition they have received, but for the expertise, perseverance and sense of purpose behind these achievements. From enabling renewable energy and preserving vital community connections to modernising existing infrastructure and inspiring the next generation, these projects demonstrate the meaningful impact engineering can have,” comments Ralebitso. Engineering that enables a changing energy landscape The Koruson Main Transmission Substation represents the scale and complexity of the infrastructure required to support South Africa’s energy transition. The project transformed a basic 400/132 kV substation into a major renewable-energy …
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Zutari Strengthens Global Standing in ENR Rankings
Multinational engineering consultancy recognised among the world’s leading international design firms Zutari has strengthened its position among the world’s leading international design firms, featuring in the Top 100 of Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) 2026 Top 225 International Design Firms ranking and securing a place in the Top 10 in Africa. The recognition reflects Zutari’s growing multinational footprint and the strength of its engineering capability, with the firm’s work spanning complex infrastructure, energy, buildings, water, transport and other critical sectors across multiple markets. Zutari’s improved standing follows a significant year-on-year advance in the ENR ranking. The company moved from 99th in 2025 to 68th in 2026, a significant 31-place improvement based on international design-services revenue. In addition, Zutari’s multinational standing has been strengthened by its recognition as one of the world’s leading design firms, debuting at 7th in the Top 10 by Region for Africa. A multinational reach The ENR ranking provides an important external measure of the scale of Zutari’s multinational business. The 2026 listing includes Zutari Group Holdings alongside some of the world’s largest and most established engineering and design consultancies. ENR identifies Zutari as operating across a wide geographical footprint, including South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and the Middle East. For Denver Dreyer, Chief Executive Officer: Middle East and North Africa at Zutari, the recognition also reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of major infrastructure projects. “Clients want partners who can understand the broader ecosystem that enables data centres, not just the facility itself,” says Dreyer. “Success depends on integrating energy, water, buildings, digital and project delivery expertise to support resilient, efficient and scalable infrastructure.” The comment appeared in ENR’s analysis of …