Page 106 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE

tourist attractions in the world. It all came about due ◊ From top to bottom:
to the decreasing interest in Cape Town as a major ◊ Small harbours
commercial harbour and the development of modern ◊ Malgas Pont
new deep water harbours along the South African ◊ Cape Town Abattoir
east coast which are much closer to the Gauteng
commercial heartland of the country, the advent of air
travel becoming the preferred choice, rather than the
stately and leisurely travel of mail boats to Cape Town.
Civil engineering can be seen in this project where it
delivered its best in terms of rejuvenation, aesthetic
appeal, construction and reconstruction alongside
working harbour conditions. Blending the modern
with the old and reinventing the concept of exposed
structural elements delight the eye.

Taking into account that the civil engineering services,
including substantial provision for stormwater discharge
from the city at the back of the Waterfront had to be
redesigned and reconstructed. The old harbour basins
and even dry docks became waterfronts for luxurious
upmarket residential developments – a major achieve-
ment for the profession and its associates in the built
environment.

33°54’23.03” S, 18°25’11.36” E

4. Small harbours along the coastline of the
Western Cape are not only providing the commercial
fisheries, the South African Navy and associated indus-
tries with infrastructure but have also become major
tourist and residential focus points. Among these Si-
monstown, Gordons Bay, Kleinmond, Hermanus, Gan-
sbaai and many others adorn the east coast. On the River. Here and there you can still see old road signs
west coast, a string of small harbours range from Lam- with the original Malagas name, like the Malagas Hotel.
bertsbaai where its slipway features some unique ele- A Malgas is a beautiful sea bird, with a bright yellow
ments to Velddrift and Laaiplek. head.
The Mossel Bay harbour has the distinction that it was
the first ever port of call for the early seafarers and this 34°22’39.54” S, 20°40’42.36” E
is where Bartholomew Diaz landed in 1488. The spring
from which he fetched water is still there as is the place
where mail was left for other ships – mail being left 6. The Cape Town Abattoir was one of the
in a boot tied to what was later called the Post Office most modern in the world when it was commissioned
Tree. Lately, Mossel Bay harbour has become the near- in 1966. At the time its design was lauded as being
est harbour to service the offshore gas fields feeding a breakthrough in many aspects including automa-
the petrochemical refinery giant near the town. tion. Abattoirs are complex civil engineering structures
that require close collaboration with other engineering
5. The Malgas Pont near Swellendam dates disciplines like electrical and mechanical engineering,
from the early 1860s and is most probably the last of and environmentalists. Handling of the various items
this type of river crossing of its kind in the Western including highly corrosive blood products and offensive
Cape. This pont was chosen since a bridge over the odours require a thorough knowledge of construction
river would obstruct passing boats. It can take a maxi- materials and handling methods. It is well served by
mum of three cars or ten tons of cargo over the Breede road and rail infrastructure.

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