The award was celebrated by key leaders from the University’s Infrastructure and Campus Operations teams, including (from left): Dr Andre Hefer – Deputy Director: Sustainability Services, Gibson Brown – Deputy Director: Campus Operations (Missionvale, Bird Street, and Second Avenue), Graham Gouws – Deputy Director: Projects in Planning, Abulele Mbanga – Deputy Director: Infrastructure Delivery and Sharon Masiza – Senior Director: Campus Operations (Missionvale, Bird Street, and Second Avenue)
HEFMA is the flagship association for best practice in facilities and infrastructure management for higher education institutions in southern Africa.
This year’s conference was hosted by North-West University on 16 October with the theme: Innovating Campus Spaces. HEFMA membership includes the 26 public universities and 50 TVET colleges in South Africa, as well as universities in Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho.
At the same conference, Melvin Syce, Nelson Mandela University’s Senior Director: Infrastructure Services and Space Optimisation received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to best practice in facilities and infrastructure management, with 25 years of service to what is now Nelson Mandela University and HEFMA.
“Managing large universities is effectively like running a municipality,” says Syce, a registered architectural professional with a Master’s degree in the built environment, focusing on facilities management.
“All the services, requirements, rules and regulations of a municipality apply to campus infrastructure, management and maintenance, and to running all our operations within budget and with continuous sustainability goals.
HEFMA strives to benchmark infrastructure, facilities and financial management against the best institutions in southern Africa and internationally, with strategic partner associations in the UK, USA and Australia.
Syce has served on numerous HEFMA panels and, during his three-year term as the association’s president – from 2013 to 2015 – also represented South Africa at conferences in Tasmania, California and Scotland.
“All universities, local and international, face the same facilities and infrastructure issues,” he explains.
“These include funding for maintenance, ageing buildings, optimal space usage, suitable and updated software for the range facilities management needs, safety and security, shortage of residence beds and sustainable water and energy systems.”
The HEFMA award for sustainable water management was recognition for the University’s best practice Water Sustainability Plan on all seven of its campuses.
“It’s really good to have the recognition as we have put considerable effort and finance into implementing it, and it’s ongoing,” says Dr Andre Hefer, the Mandela University’s Sustainability Engineer who is leading the institution’s Water Sustainability Plan.
The multi-faceted water sustainability initiatives implemented according to the plan carried the Gqeberha campuses through the severe drought and threat of Day Zero from 2021 to 2023, when the feeder dams were down to 12%.
“Drought cycles in our part of the Eastern Cape occur approximately every eight to ten years and we have a five-year strategy to 2029,” says Hefer.
“This will ensure water resilience and full business continuity to buffer emergencies, including municipal breakages and the next drought which we are anticipating from about 2029. The strategy is also aimed at reducing our considerable municipal water bill.”
At full capacity, the University’s total water usage across all its campuses is 1.5 megalitres (Ml), or 1.5 million litres, per day during peak periods. Up to 70% of this usage is on the largest of its seven campuses, South Campus in Summerstrand, Gqeberha.
“To supplement the potable water we purchase from the municipality, boreholes have become our most reliable and biggest alternative water source,” Hefer explains. “We have eight licensed boreholes with quality water on our Summerstrand North and South campuses and our Second Avenue Campus. Borehole water is used to irrigate all sports fields and gardens.”
He adds that groundwater use is monitored according to sustainable yield research to ensure groundwater resources remain strong.
At the Missionvale and George campuses, large water storage reservoirs have been constructed. At the George Campus, for example, a 600kl water reservoir was completed in December 2024 to complement the 1000kl reservoir completed in 2022. The Campus required additional water storage for times when the municipal supply fails and for firefighting purposes as it adjoins a forest area.
“On all our campuses, where required, we are also replacing old water reticulation systems to stop breakages and leakages,” Hefer continues. “And we are well on our way to replacing the traditional flushing mechanisms in all the toilets as these account for approximately one-third of all water usage on our campuses every day.”
These are being replaced with a cistern-less system using flush valves. They flush directly from the water supply, using up to half the water of a cistern system. Standard toilet systems also tend to leak, resulting in a considerable amount of water wastage. Flush valves are more expensive but they are exceptionally hard-wearing, long-lasting, require very little maintenance and are tried and tested.
Hefer adds that water meters and electronic water use readers have been installed on all campuses and at all residences to determine water usage, and the amount of people linked to usage, to keep track and address any over-use.
“Over the next four years the university will be spending approximately R13-million to upgrade our water sustainability systems to ensure we are resilient and adaptive for all scenarios,” he explains.
“The University’s Communication and Marketing Division is partnering with us to promote behavioural change and encourage students and staff to use less water. The strategy is intended not only for water shortage and drought periods, but to advance our ongoing institutional water conservation and sustainability drive.”