Unlike most South African civil engineering companies, Sigodi Marah Martin started out working the so-called "soft" issues, doing research into meeting the needs of communities, especially under-developed rural communities, and developing appropriate solutions. The evolution into the "hard" side of engineering soon followed and today this special South African company offers integrated and multi-disciplinary solutions to both engineering and development challenges.

Mike Cotton manages the company in Joburg. "The company has three divisions: the Research & Development Division; the Division specialising in management support and the Engineering and Built Environment Division. The Research and Development Division provides an important source of intelligence on government policy and trends. Some fascinating community studies have been done in the past. We are currently researching the role that Traditional Leaders play in community hygiene for the Water Research Commission," he explains.

"By working with communities and establishing their needs, we are able to provide engineering solutions that are used, and valued, by the communities. "Today the engineer must take into account the needs and expectations of the community, government policy, environmental factors, future scenarios, and of course the budget," says Mike. "A lot of our research informs government on the performance of current policy and introduces ideas on how to improve new policy.”

The division specializing in Management Support provides input to all levels of government in strategic policy and project planning "We have particular strengths in strategic policy and communications support, etc. We second our staff to relevant government departments to support them in dealing with development issues. For instance we have recently seconded staff to the Water Services Sector Development Division in the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, as well as to the DWAF Free State Provincial offices in Bloemfontein and to the Water Regulatory Division at DWAF Head Office in Pretoria.

“The third division is the Engineering and Built Environment Division. We have an impressive and experienced professional team that uses a holistic approach when providing engineering solutions. In fact, I have always had the privilege of working with the most amazing people in my working career and have always had the added benefit of using state-of-the-art software. When I was at Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn, the PE branch used AllyCAD to great success and at Sigodi Marah Martin, we have employed Civil Designer to meet all our civil engineering infrastructure needs. Both programs are in a league of their own," says Mike.

With respect to water and sanitation projects, Sigodi Marah Martin has provided significant support to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and municipalities over the last four years.
 

"We have done a lot of bulk water and sanitation projects particularly in the Eastern Cape. Our project list shows a significant number of water-related work. There is the Mankosi Rural Water Project in the OR Tambo District Municipality, the Zizamele Sewerage Reticulation project in the Mnquma Local Municipality, previously Butterworth, Phase 1 and 2 of the Umnkhunja Water Project at the Engobo Local Municipality, and so much more. There are just too many to mention. The work range includes feasibility studies, engineering design and construction monitoring.”

"We don't just do water projects though. We do a lot of roads. Our work ranges from putting "science" into the upgrading of rural gravel roads that are seldom more than a track, to finding a solution to a "dead-end" problem at the Avalon Cemetery in Soweto for the Johannesburg Road Agency. Every Saturday between 120 and 150 funerals take place at the cemetery leading to massive traffic congestion. Each funeral has around 20 vehicles - cars, busses and taxis - mostly trying to get in and out at the same time, through the same entrance."

"The problem was further complicated somewhat by existing drainage problems and surfaced roads that only lead to areas in the cemetery that are now full. After asking a lot of questions and listening to the answers, we came up with a very neat solution. We are going to create a one-way system through the cemetery, so that traffic can flow properly," he says.

In the case of rural road upgrades, Sigodi Marah Martin really goes the extra mile. "Often we don't have the budget to do a comprehensive survey, so we use aerial surveys that gives us limited accuracy, but we can put in proper alignments, not just simply follow the existing tracks."

Sigodi Marah Martin enters into joint ventures with big engineering companies at times. "We have done a number of projects with Africon and also Stewart Scott. For instance, in December 2004 we were invited by Stewart Scott to work with them in designing a reservoir for Johannesburg Municipality."

Managing Director Lansana Marah, is driving expansion into Sierra Leone. "Since the war ended, development aid is pouring in. The World Bank and the UK, and a whole host of different countries are involved in the rebuilding process. Lansana was born there, so it is a natural choice for us to make. We will shortly be opening an office in Freetown."

"Our BEE scorecard is really impressive, we are 90% black owned, of which 60% is owned by a woman, chairman Thandi Sigodi. More than 60% of the staff from all functional levels are from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, and nearly half of those are women," says Mike proudly.

Sigodi Marah Martin has an enviable reputation for providing maximum benefit to all the communities it works with. As Ross Perot says, business (and engineering is ultimately a business) through the cobweb of human relationships, can improve the lives of South Africa's citizens. Civil engineers, simply by what they do, are in the forefront of this process, and Knowledge Base is a proud supplier to this innovative South African company.