Page 95 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE

for the export markets far away in Europe, to reach the
Christmas table’s fresh and untainted, conforming to ◊ Below Hopetown Bridge
the tough standards of the European Union. ◊ Bottom: Augrabies Waterfall walkways
The stainless steel grape-sugar plant is a shiny example
of state-of-the-art engineering, including civil engineer-
ing.

The local civil engineering firms have developed exper-
tise in terms of these facilities and even export their
skills to faraway places in Africa. Interestingly, most of
these multi-million Rand facilities stand idle for most of
the year except for the short harvesting period mea-
sured in weeks every year.

28°27’26.86” S, 21°14’33.54” E
5. Veertienstrome railway Bridge is where
the trains cross the Vaal River en route from Cape Town
4. Augrabies waterfall walkways which allow to Johannesburg and Pretoria. Further south the railway
visitors to get as close to and as safe as possible to crosses the Orange River near Hopetown where the first
the falls along the massive slippery rock formations are diamond was picked up in 1867. All the bridges along
testimony to what one can possibly define as landscape this route were very important points during the Anglo
architecture and civil structures rolled into one. Boer war of 1899 – 1902, since whoever controlled the
routes to the north would be dictating the war efforts.
The British built a series of what is known as Block
28°36’00.00” S, 20°20’00.00” E Houses from where they guarded the bridges. A num-

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