Responsibilities

In order to give an idea of my responsibilities as ACE and later CE Planning, I quote below from my CV. Some of the projects mentioned have already been dealt with in more detail above.

• Second phase of the Tugela-Vaal inter-basin water transfer project
• Studies of the hydro-electric potential of the Tugela River basin.
• The multi-billion Dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
• The Usutu-Vaal Project
• The Inanda dam on the Mgeni River.
• The Goedertrouw dam on the Mhlatuze River, with preliminary planning of central water purification works for the Richards Bay - Empangeni area.
• The Zaaihoek dam on the Slang river and the Slang-Vaal inter-basin transfer scheme.
• The Palmiet River Scheme.
• The Knellpoort dam and Tienfontein pumping station.
• The Wolwedans dam and water supply to the Mossgas project.
• The Sundays River irrigation scheme and additional water supply to the Port Elizabeth metropolitan area.
• The Lower Fish River irrigation scheme.
• The Roodekoppies dam and Roodekoppies-Vaalkop canal.
• The Mooi river diversion to the Mgeni and preliminary plans for the Mgeni augmentation from the Mkomaas River for additional water supply to the Durban/Pieter­maritzburg metropolitan area.
• Chelmsford Dam raising
• The Driekoppies and Maguga dams for the development of the Komati river jointly with Swaziland
• The Braam Raubenheimer dam to stabilise irrigation along the Crocodile River.
• The Wriggleswade dam and the Amatole Water Supply Scheme to augment the supply to the East London metropolitan area.
• Studies of the potential of the Umzimvubu basin for hydro generation and for diversion to the Vaal river basin via the Lesotho Highlands project.
• Irrigation potential of the White Kei, the Black Kei and the Kat River basins in the Eastern Cape.
• Tugela-Vaal extension to Little Tugela, Bushman's River and Mooi River.
• Mfolosi Basin development plan.
• Mount Pleasant Dam - Ladysmith flood protection.
• Lower Orange Irrigation Scheme - Kakamas
• Molopo River - Water supply to Mafikeng
• Ngagane River - Chelmsford Dam raising
• OFS Goldfields Water Supply - Extensions
• Riet River Irrigation Scheme - Betterments
• Riviersonderend- Berg River: Distribution
• Southern Namaqualaand Water Supply: includes desalination of brack water.
• South Ndebele Water Supply
• Vaal Dam Betterments and raising
• Vaal-Harts drainage and canal betterments
• Klipfontein Dam - White Mfolosi
• Also responsible for the Division of Survey Services which provides aerial and other surveys to all divisions of the Department of Water Affairs.

When I succeeded Dawid Keyser as Chief Engineer (Planning) on 1 June 1975, At Rabie was transferred to the Hydrology Division. I managed to assemble an excellent team of engineers to whose diligence and intelligence a lot of my success in the post is due. I only mention the more senior ones: Rob Pullen was already in the Division but was appointed RE of the Tugela-Vaal; Claus Triebel came over from Design, where he had been in charge of canal design; there were Wouter van der Merwe, Colin van der Linden, Charles Littlewort and Piet Pretorius.

As Managing Engineer (Water Resources) I was responsible for: Directorates: Planning, Planning Services, Design, Mechanical and Electrical Design and Survey Services and for the Dam Safety Office. For the first three years of this period, also responsible for the Directorate of Pollution Control. During that time my Chief Directorate produced its 1986 “magnum opus”: “Management of the Water Resources of the Republic of South Africa.” This publication attracted international attention. I want to recognise here the major role played by Claus Triebel, then CE (Planning) and ACE Alan Conley.     Bob Pullen, who was then in the private sector, was contracted to edit the volume. 

Another important publication was a June 1978 paper by Johan du Plessis and myself delivered at a symposium in Stellenbosch arranged by Die Suid-Afrikaanse Genootskap vir die Bevordering van Wetenskap under the theme:  Die Toekoms en sy Uitdagings.  My co-authorship of that paper gave later rise to my chairmanship of a “Committee on Water Demands in the Vaal River Supply Area – Forecast to Year 2025”.  The other members of the committee were Eric Hall, then retired from the Johannesburg City Engineer’s post, Jacques Kriel, ex Secretary for Water Affairs and then Chairman of the Water Research Commission, Bob Laburn, then retired from the post of CE of the Rand Water Board, Des Midgley, retired from his Professorship at Wits and Dawie Kotzé, an economist of the Rand Afrikaans University. The Water Affairs engineers called it the Prima Donna Committee! Its report was published by the Department as TR 134 dated 30 November 1987

As Deputy Director General (Water Resource Development) I had the following responsibilities:

Responsible for the Chief Directorates of Planning, Design and Construction, that means all the work of the Department, except the administration of existing projects, pollution control, Admin Services and of the water law.

Chief Delegate: RSA Delegation to the Joint Permanent Technical Commission - Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Responsible for agreeing to all designs, cost estimates, specifications, cost allocation etc. because South Africa was responsible for all payments for the water transfer components of the project.

Leader of the Joint Permanent Technical Committees (JPTC's) and the Permanent Water Commissions (PWC's) (with neighbouring states and self-governing territories). In that capacity responsible for all the negotiations and studies with Swaziland and Mozambique for the development of the Komati River Basin, which is common to the three countries. The latter resulted in the establishment of KOBWA (Komati Basin Water Authority) and the construction of the Maguga Dam on the Incomati in Swaziland and the Driekoppies Dam in the RSA, downstream of Swaziland. I remember with pleasure the close co-operation with the Swazi delegation’s members Libsekal, Mentz and Brooks. During this period, a number of major complete river basin studies were launched with the aid of consultants: Sabie, Letaba, Olifants, and Levuvhu Basins.

 

I owe a lot of the success of my career in the Development Branch to the senior engineers who assisted me. I have already mentioned a few, but like to pay tribute to Paul Roberts, Claus Triebel, Peter van Niekerk, Hein Elges, Willie Croucamp, Alan Conley, Johan van Rooyen, Hans Pettenburger, Alan Davies, Bernie Marchand and of course, my Secretary Tessa van Buuren.