The eThekwini Municipality won the lion’s share of awards at the municipal engineering excellence awards co-hosted by the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) and Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA). Projects focused on climate resilience in informal settlements in the City of Cape Town and eThekwini also took top honours in their categories at this year’s prestigious competition, which is held biennially.

The awards were presented in East London last night, at the opening of this year’s IMESA Conference and Exhibition, which runs until 31 October 2025. More than 700 engineers and municipal officials have convened to learn, share knowledge and network. A total of 21 projects were submitted for consideration for the 2025 awards. The high standard of all the submissions received, together with their variety and complexity, ensured that the judging team had a challenging but inspiring task, IMESA says.

Projects were entered in three categories: Community Upliftment and Job Creation; Environment and Climate Change; and Engineering Excellence in Structures and Civils.

The eThekwini Municipality’s Engineering unit won the Community Upliftment and Job Creation category for the construction of a critical pedestrian bridge that has improved the lives of residents in the Amaoti area of Inanda. It has delivered far-reaching economic and social benefits, including enabling access, mobility and employment, and enhancing people’s health and safety. IMESA president Geoff Tooley expands on what this project entailed and what made it stand out for the judging panel comprising representatives from CESA and IMESA: “The Amaoti community has suffered repeated devastation from flooding. The April 2022 storm events have been followed by ever worsening infrastructure and living conditions due to climate change. One major challenge was that during the floods, the river widened and destroyed the existing 12-metre steel pedestrian bridge, leaving residents vulnerable and cut off from essential services. In response, the eThekwini Municipality’s Engineering unit launched a strategic intervention guided by the principle of ‘Building Back Better’. The project entailed the construction of four 25-metre, single-span, U-shaped reinforced concrete pedestrian bridges, all within a 1.7-kilometre radius across the Ohlanga River. These new structures are designed to withstand future extreme weather events, ensuring safe and permanent access for the community.”

The City of Johannesburg was awarded both second and third place in this category. The metro won second place for Naledi Clinic in Soweto, which has improved the local community’s access to quality primary healthcare. Developed by the Johannesburg Development Agency on behalf of the City of Johannesburg, the clinic features four specialised wings - Chronic, Antenatal, Acute and Emergency - supported by 18 consultation rooms and multiple service areas. The third-placed Vlakfontein Public Transport Facility, which is located in Zakariya Park, Johannesburg South, was developed to improve safety, efficiency and accessibility for thousands of daily commuters.

In the Environment and Climate Change category at this year’s IMESA and CESA Excellence Awards, the City of Cape Town and eThekwini Municipality shared first place for the “Climate Resilient Sanitation Demonstration Project” that was implemented in informal settlements in both metropolitan municipalities. This project addresses the urgent need for climate-resilient sanitation in South Africa’s informal settlements, where conventional service models often fail due to dense topography, poverty and increasing climate risks such as flooding, drought and shifting rainfall patterns. Tooley explains that it is an innovative approach to water efficient sanitation systems, also known as non-sewered sanitation. “These solutions are designed to recover water, energy and nutrients while reducing environmental contamination, offering dignified and sustainable sanitation services to underserved communities.” This winning project is a partnership between the City of Cape Town, eThekwini Municipality and the Water Research Commission, and is supported by the Gates Foundation and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The eThekwini Municipality’s coastal modelling and forecasting project took second place in this category. “The eThekwini Municipality has long been recognised for its sophisticated Forecast Early Warning System, originally developed to predict stormwater-related floods. Building on this strong foundation, the municipality has achieved a significant breakthrough: the seamless integration of inland and coastal forecasting and modelling,” Tooley reveals. The result is one of the most comprehensive and complex integrated early warning networks globally. The system’s advanced modelling framework forecasts currents, waves and coastal flooding with precision, while dedicated internal research and development allowed for the rigorous testing and configuration of multiple coastal models.

The City of Johannesburg was placed third for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the eastern stormwater channel in Orange Grove. This project began as the rehabilitation and upgrading of the eastern stormwater channel and adjoining systems in the Orange Grove and Norwood areas. During the works, City Parks identified the need to include the rehabilitation of Patterson Park, where re-profiling of slopes was required once the culverts were completed.

The improvements included new pedestrian walkway links, sustainable green features such as solar-powered charging docks and lighting, and the installation of modern play equipment. The result is an integrated project that combines essential stormwater infrastructure with urban renewal.

First place in the category for Engineering Excellence in Structures and Civils was awarded to eThekwini Municipality’s Engineering unit for the construction of the Shallcross / Blundell Road Bridge. Located on the border of Shallcross and Queensburgh, this project involved the construction of a new road alignment, increasing the minimum curve radius and widening the cross-section to accommodate larger vehicles, including heavy trucks and buses that frequently use the route. Pedestrian safety was a key priority, with sidewalks incorporated on both sides of the entire stretch. The old bridge was 32 metres long and six metres wide, making it severely undersized for road traffic, pedestrian use and hydraulic capacity, Tooley notes. The new bridge, at 90 metres long and 14.5 metres wide, is the first fully integral bridge in Africa to feature a partial curved layout. Its unique structural arrangement is monitored with built-in, web-linked instruments to collect data and inform future designs for flood-resistant structures. The construction included the demolition of the existing bridge, with materials repurposed for platforms and embankment protection, as well as service relocations, a new stormwater facility, river rehabilitation and the creation of a picnic area. “This project impressed the IMESA and CESA judges because it successfully balanced the economic needs of the local community with environmental considerations, delivering sustainable, low-maintenance and elegant infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with the surrounding landscape,” Tooley says.

The eThekwini Municipality also netted the second place in this category for the Hunslet Road Bridge over the Piesang River on the border of Phoenix and Kwa-Mashu. Like the Shallcross / Blundell Road bridge, the new Hunslet Road bridge is another landmark project for eThekwini. It features a full instrumentation system to gather critical data, making it the first long, fully integral bridge constructed in a coastal climate in South Africa. The structure comprises four spans with a total length of 90 metres, complemented by a new road alignment with vertical curves extending approximately 200 metres on each side, carefully integrated with the existing road network. Extensive gabion works were implemented to protect adjacent embankments and guide water flow effectively. This project successfully addressed the immediate transportation needs of the community while delivering durable, sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure.

The City of Cape Town was awarded third place in the category for Engineering Excellence in Structures and Civils for the new education dome and experiential education garden at Green Point. The IMESA and CESA judging panel recognised the Green Point Dome as a first-of-its-kind timber structure in South Africa, featuring an innovative engineered timber frame supported by precision-fabricated 3D plywood panels. These panels form a seamless curved skin that enhances both structural performance and architectural expression. A central glass skylight crowns the dome, flooding the interior with natural light. The project leveraged digital design tools, CNC manufacturing and environmentally sensitive construction techniques, setting a benchmark for sustainable and advanced timber engineering. Beyond its technical achievement, the Green Point Dome serves as a multifunctional learning hub, hosting STEM education programs, environmental awareness initiatives, and community events. Passive design features, including natural ventilation and rainwater harvesting, further strengthen its sustainability credentials.

Since the IMESA and CESA Excellence Awards were launched in 1972 to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in municipal infrastructure in Southern Africa, this event has gone from strength to strength. “We are proud to have been honouring and promoting innovation, design and our profession’s contribution to community upliftment, sustainability and the engineering field for more than 40 years. With some of the winning entries marking African and South African firsts in engineering excellence, this year’s event was especially significant,” Tooley concludes.