From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report. Likely to soon become a familiar brand in the city of Rustenburg, the North West-based metropole has, some three years after first announcing its integrated public transport strategy, officially launched the name and logo of its developing R7-billion integrated rapid transport system, now dubbed Yarona. Natalie Greve travelled to the platinum belt to find out more.

Natalie Greve:
The first phase of the Rustenburg rapid transport, or RRT, project will officially launch in 2016 under the brand name Yarona – a Setswana word meaning “it is ours”.

The network would be anchored by two trunk corridors from which various feeder routes would emanate, ultimately linking the bulk of the city’s industrial, commercial and residential hubs.

The total system will, once completed in 2022, service 80% of the 3 500 square-kilometer municipality, offering public transport services to some 200 000 commuters a day.

Phase 1 would see the R412-million completion of dedicated BRT lanes and stations along Corridor A, or the R104, which would be extended to include additional taxi lay-byes and pedestrian paths.

Rustenburg executive mayor Mpho Khunou told Engineering News Online that the launch of Yarona was a step towards Rustenburg becoming a world-class city.

Rustenburg executive mayor Mpho Khunou

Natalie Greve:
The orange and green Yarona logo was designed to represent the relationship between the commuter and movement and had garnered support from the general public, as well as from various bus and taxi associations in the city, with whom negotiations to formalise contractual arrangements to operate the Yarona bus services were ongoing.

Procurement of the buses for the BRT portion of the network would be managed by the project’s bus operating company, which was formed on behalf of the affected taxi and bus industry.

The Rustenburg municipality and affected taxi and bus operators represented by the Taxi Negotiating Forum, or the TNF, had regularly gathered around the negotiating table since 2011 to discuss the absorption of the city’s taxi and bus operators into the Yarona network.

TNF chairperson Herman Sebego told a post-launch media briefing that the industry was initially unsure how it should respond to the announcement of an integrated transport system in Rustenburg, but was ultimately supportive of the project following engagements with their counterparts in Johannesburg and Cape Town, who had been incorporated into similar transport networks.

TNF chairperson Herman Sebego

Natalie Greve:
Meanwhile, Khunou told Engineering News Online that current talks between the parties were centred around the negotiation of an operating licence, which would see taxi associations managing and operating the Yarona network for a 12-year period.

He further emphasised the importance of including the taxi industry in the development and management of Yarona.

Rustenburg executive mayor Mpho Khunou

Shannon de Ryhove:
Pipe manufacturer Southern Pipeline Contractors recently moved into the manufacturing of high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, pipes, having invested R70-million into a new factory in the East Rand. Leandi Kolver tells us more.

Leandi Kolver:
At this new factory SPC will be able to produce about 15 km a day of HDPE piping for applications such as sewage, stormwater, drainage and cable protection applications

SPC GM Louis Xavier Havard discusses the reasons behind establishing this new factory and tells us more about what will be done there.

SPC GM Louis Xavier Havard:
“Because of the European experience. I cannot tell you that South Africa does not get experience but this product has been proved a long time ago in Europe and that is why we decided to go through.

“And it is a normal future and a normal way to [evolve] from the concrete to the plastic.”

“We started to install the machines eight months ago and we did the start up of the machine, so we pressed the button on the 28th of August this year.”

“We are going to manufacture cable protection from 75 mm to 160 mm, for telecoms and electrical protection. And then for the sewage and the stormwater from 200 mm to 450 mm.”

Leandi Kolver:
SPC also pointed out that there were various advantages associated with using HDPE pipes as opposed to concrete piping, including aspects such as being more environmentally friendly.

Havard elaborates on some of the other advantages.

Xavier Havard:
“It is a light product so it’s easy to be installed. It is very light compared to concrete pipe. If you compare a 300 mm diameter. A 200 m of concrete is 300 kg, so for plastic it is only 60 kg for 60 m. That is one of the advantages. And the resistance is the same.

“And it is labour intensive as well, because for the concrete you must have heavy equipment, but for the plastic you just need one or two people.”

Shannon de Ryhove:
That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.