IMESA | Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa.

The Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) is a voluntary association of engineering professionals and associates which is primarily in the business of facilitating the development of its members through the establishment and expansion of knowledge resources and networking.

Its primary objective is to promote the interests of its members and the development of professional knowledge and skills in order to empower its members to promote service excellence on local, provincial, national and international level. It aims to better the quality of life of all citizens through infrastructure engineering excellence and innovation.

Since its formation in 1962, IMESA has grown to represent over 600 individual members and many companies from several countries in Southern Africa who are involved in the field of municipal engineering and the built environment. It has played a significant role in municipal engineering, acting as a catalyst to share and develop new initiatives. Municipalities are key role players in identifying, prioritising, funding and implementing integrated development planning and community based programmes. The Institution also advises municipal councils on municipal engineering matters and serves the broader community through representation on a number of bodies where it provides input from the municipal engineer's perspective.

IMIESA Journal

Members of IMESA are granted free subscription to the IMIESA Journal, a high quality monthly publication that serves as a mouthpiece for the engineering fraternity. It disseminates up-to-date information on technical news and developments. The IMIESA Journal has received the prestigious PICA award for the best journal in 1999 and 2001, in the Urban Management, Civil Construction and Infrastructural Development Categories.

Bursary Scheme

IMESA has established a bursary scheme for full-time studies in the field of civil engineering for students from designated groups as well as dependants of members of IMESA.

The aim of the scheme is:

To provide financial assistance to students from designated groups who would otherwise not have been able to afford to study
To contribute towards the purpose of the Employment Equity Act
To recognise the achievements of students and prospective students who are dependants of IMESA members
To provide for the direct and reasonable needs of the student
Since the establishment of this scheme in 2000, more than 23 bursaries have been awarded.

IMESA Awards

The achievements of municipal engineers are numerous and can be witnessed in towns and cities around us. To give recognition to some of the achievements, IMESA issues a biennial award for the 'Best Engineering achievement' as well as 'Best community based project'.

The more recent awards include:

1998: Midrand MLC - The New Road interchange
2000: Knysna Municipality - Knysna raw water Augmentation Scheme
2002: City of Cape Town - The Khayelitsha Pressure Managment Project

International Ties

IMESA is also a member of the International Federation of Municipal Engineers (IFME) and attends international conferences and workshops in order to keep track of global developments in the industry.

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