SA Biodiesel (Pty) Ltd

Experience

Agricultural Engineering projects

Recent consultations

• Various irrigation designs for farmers.
• Cost estimation for the rehabilitation and development of 460 ha irrigation at Queenstown and Grahamstown.
• A reconnaissance visit to the south of Angola to assess the potential for commercial agricultural projects.
• Feasibility study for the production of irrigated vegetables at Fazenda Boaventura.
• Irrigation Development Roodewal for the Seruane CPA.
• The Development of the Capanda Agro-Industrial Zone: Pre-feasibility for vertically integrated production of grain, animal feed, broilers and cattle plus the production of irrigated vegetables with packing facilities and a cold room. Compiled for the DBSA as part of the Angola-Namibia- South Africa Spatial Development Initiative.
• Various preliminary feasibility studies for projects in Burundi, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Mozambique.
• Technical audits at various motor manufacturing plants for the Automotive Industries Development Centre.
• Mechanisation assessment and planning was done for the Limpopo Department of Agriculture of farms transferred to communities as part of the land reform program. The total required mechanisation equipment amounted to approximately R20 million.
• Biodiesel and agricultural development pre-feasibility study for Gert Sibande Districts Municipality amounting to R1 750 million.
• Mechanisation, haulage and farm infrastructure planning for a 12 000 ha sugar cane development in Kenya as sub consultant for SiVEST.
• Technical management consultant for Wildeklawer (Pty) Ltd farming operations that includes about 2 000 ha under centre pivot irrigation with the responsible for:
  • Workshop management
  • Electrical installations
  • Pack-house maintenance
  • Design and building of a watermelon sorter
  • Machinery maintenance, faultfinding and adaptations

Previous agricultural engineering experience

Over a period of ten years members of SA Biodiesel (Pty) Ltd were involved in:

• The development of a procedure manual for conducting feasibility studies, funding and management procedures for irrigation boards.
• Various Investigations regarding availability of water for irrigation which include the potential for irrigation along the Limpopo River and its tributaries, the availability and risk of water for irrigation from Nandoni Dam, Injaka Dam, Doorndraai Dam Sterk River Government Irrigation Scheme etc.
• Development of government irrigation policies.
• New irrigation projects included: viability studies for the Department of Agriculture, recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture for the funding of new irrigation projects and signing off payments to contractors and irrigation boards during construction. Examples are Komati River -, Friedenheim - and Helderberg Irrigation Board.
• Upgrading and restructuring of irrigation schemes that included hydrological, technical and economical viability studies. These were undertaken by multidisciplinary teams under the technical leadership of engineers who became the founder members of SA Biodiesel. Examples are, Pongola -, Sterk River and Riet River State Water Schemes, Golden Valley -, Klaas Voogts -, Cogmanskloof -, Onseepkans -and Kanoneiland, Irrigation Boards.
• The administrative oversight of about 280 irrigation boards who were responsible for water allocation and management of approximately 30% of the irrigable area in South Africa.
• Farm irrigation systems that included: the planning and design of farm dams and irrigation systems as well as the planning and design of the irrigation and drainage system for the Lowveld Agricultural College.
• The approval of irrigation designs for subsidies and Land Bank loans.
• The development of the Government policy regarding repair of flood damaged irrigation infrastructure including the technical and administrative execution of the policy.
• Initiated the compilation of the irrigation manual currently used as reference in South Africa as well as the soil conservation manual used by the Department of Agriculture.
• Responsible for Government soil conservation works and technical oversight for soil conservation subsidies.
• Involvement in and management of agricultural engineering research.
• Many years of experience in agricultural machinery that includes sprayers, fertilizer spreaders, ground engaging implements, crop drying, diesel engine testing, other mechanical engineering development projects and mechanical engineering project management.