Leading consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Zutari celebrated its collaboration and co-creation with key clients at its 2024 Impact Awards. “The projects celebrated captures what Zutari is all about,” said CEO Teddy Daka at the gala event at the Pretoria Country Club on 18 April.

“Very few professions allow you to see the impact of your work in real life and how lives have been changed. We not only make it possible, but we also make an impact. Our impact allows us to innovate and experiment and produce new ideas, and the people who enable this are our valued clients,” acknowledged Daka.

Zutari’s third annual Impact Awards celebrates the various projects and teams that co-create an engineered impact for clients and communities across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. “These teams apply their sought-after expertise, contribute immensely to our success, and are the reason for our eminence in the industry,” highlighted Daka.

“While we gathered to celebrate the 2024 Impact Awards, we understand this takes place in the larger context of engineered impact. That is the lens through which we celebrate our collective achievements,” Transport MD Vishaal Lutchman said in his opening remarks.

Sustainability matters because it tangibly improves the lives of people. “It allows us to see how responsible engineers make an impact to sustain humanity. As a company, we play a role in ensuring a sustainable planet for our country’s future and that of local communities. It is all about how teams collaborate with clients and stakeholders and create innovative solutions, building trust and collaboration for a win-win situation.”

Former Resources MD Dr Eduard Vorster said that the Impact Awards not only celebrated resilient and future-proof infrastructure but illustrated how South African expertise are contributing to major global projects. “We create thriving cities and environments where people want to live,” added Client Director: Energy Heskin Mzungu.

“Zutari is fascinating in that we like doing unprecedented things from an engineering and soft engineering perspective. It reflects our six impact themes, in tandem with our strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) focus,” said Water MD Mpho Rampao.

The various categories and projects showcased at the 2024 Impact Awards reveal the diversity of Zutari’s client base and its depth of expertise. The ‘Shaping Radically Collaborative Networks’ category celebrates a project that combines technical engineering and strategic advisory service across traditional boundaries, with improved outcomes due to exemplary collaboration with partners, clients, and end users.

The winner here was a major new toll road project where the Zutari Consortium implemented the client’s Legacy Programme to empower local communities while also designing and overseeing the construction of a national route and associated access roads in Package 4 of a seven-package N2 development.

The Legacy Programme mitigated the risk related to community action for the road project, maximised its long-term impact, and addressed unemployment by empowering 14 rural villages through training and development initiatives that goes beyond road infrastructure. This will create local capacity to establish and sustain businesses to build on local assets and benefit from the opportunities the new road will bring, said Amelia Visagie, Associate Design Director at Zutari.

The ‘Enabling Responsible Production’ category award is presented to an impactful project in the mining, petrochemicals and manufacturing industry that has demonstrated remarkable sustainability and economic benefit while touching the earth lightly. The winner was a carbon-neutral energy storage for a major mining company that combined solar PV and wind generation, supported by energy storage, explained Reginald Barry, Technical Director at Zutari.

The ‘Building Digital Worlds’ category awards a project that has used innovative digital technology to extend human senses, enhance cognitive power, free up creativity capacity, and improve links with clients, partners, and stakeholders. The winner was a rail decarbonisation battery locomotive project for a Tier 1 mining company in Australia. The Identification Phase Study (IPS) is being undertaken by the Global Design Centre (GDC) in collaboration with Aurecon, Perth.

The client aims to decrease operational emissions by at least 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels and achieve net zero operational emissions by 2050. It needs to replace its current fleet with a more environment friendly alternative while still allowing the mine to increase its future iron ore export volumes. Battery-electric locomotives were identified as a potential solution, and Zutari has conducted energy balance modelling, battery state-of-charge modelling, and energy variability modelling, among other analyses.

The ‘Creating Adaptable Infrastructure’ category awards a project that has developed responsive and future-proof infrastructure through human-centred design and full-lifecycle engineering. The winning project involved designing and documenting modern construction methods for government employee housing in Queensland, Australia.

“Our expertise in forming collaborative networks enabled us to establish strong connections with various offices, contributing their expertise, knowledge, and experience and fostering trust across boundaries for the benefit of all stakeholders,” said Keiran Snow, Engineer for Aurecon Queensland Land & Water. The Global Design Centre team focused on major civil engineering design elements and reporting for five sites.

The ‘Delivering Resilient Spaces’ category awards a project that contributed to creating productive environments that support thriving communities and growing economies. It aims to generate spaces where people want to work and live. The winner was an infrastructure management turnaround project for a large South African metropolitan city. It focused on improving infrastructure management practices and processes across 17 infrastructure business units, shared Dr. Chris von Holdt, Expertise Lead: Infrastructure Asset Management at Zutari.

The ‘Accelerating Equitable Quality of Life’ category honours a project that has directly and significantly impacted people’s lives. The winning project, Palabora Lift II, was a life-of-mine extension at a major platinum operation, which was more than a mining endeavour. With the initial ore body nearing depletion, the future of the mine hung in the balance. However, the extension project represents the community's lifeline, weaving a narrative of economic stability, social progress, and environmental stewardship, said Berto de Gouveia, Technical Director at Zutari.

In his concluding remarks, Daka said that the 2024 Impact Awards winners showcased leading projects making an impact not only in South Africa, but through Zutari’s global reach and expertise. “Making an impact is about the positive impact we have on society, our communities, the environment, and in all aspects of the economy.” This is related to Zutari’s core value of ‘We Are One.’

“It is deeply rooted in Zutari and South African culture that the world we live in today is not just ours. It belongs to future generations. Impact is about ensuring we do not disappoint in this goal and create a liveable environment for ourselves, but also to declare our commitment to leaving behind a legacy for others to follow,” said Daka.