Lumko Makonza of Civil & Rural in East London is justifiably proud of his achievement. "We were given the original site to work on. While it was a very pretty and even beautiful site, it had steep inclines. I did the costing, and one month later recommended that they find another site that was more level."
"The Department accepted my recommendation and saved themselves around R50 million in design and construction costs. The final site is located on the outskirts of Mt Frere and is right next to the N2. This is not a small project, the site alone is 5.5ha, and the hospital has some 250 beds," says a delighted Lumko.

Mt Frere is a tiny village in the middle of the Transkei. On a quiet day it takes less than 3 minutes to drive in, and drive out. "Yes, Mt Frere may be tiny, but the hospital serves a huge area. People from as far as Mt Ayliffe, Tabankulu, and Qumbu all come to the Mary Theresa hospital. This hospital makes a big difference to the lives of all the people that live in this area."

"With all the changes to the site, I ended up with only two months to do the civils all by myself. The project included the earthworks, the internal reticulation, sewers, and the pump station. We also designed the access road off the N2, which we designed according to layerworks and specifications laid down by SANRA. Make no mistake, this project exerted a lot of pressure," he says as the broad smile across his face stresses a satisfied confidence.

"We used AllyCAD and Civil Designer for the levels. We worked with Prokon on the structural side. Using Civil Designer for all the design and drawings helped a lot. The software really made this project possible - it is so easy to use and saves so much time. The accuracy also gives me confidence to design on the cutting edge."

"For instance, the administration block is a double story building, with double volume voids. The slabs are supported on beams and columns - it looks stunning, but it posed challenges for us. The architects who designed the building just said 'make it work!' "

"I made it work, on time as well. I used AllyCAD for all the drawings. This project was very satisfying and stimulating to do. The challenge was laid down for me, I took it - and won."

On the way out at the door, Lumko pauses and reflects, "I did the bulk water plan for Madiba at Qunu, as well as the 18 villages within a 3km radius. That project was easier than the hospital, but it was a magnificent honour to work for him."

Completing the East London Master Sewerage Plan with SAFEGE was also another achievement. Success and honour is already his, perhaps fame is still to come.