Knight Piésold Southern Africa received three awards at the 2025 Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) Aon Engineering Excellence Awards, held on August 21 at Vodacom World in Midrand, South Africa. These recognitions reflect the hard work, dedication, and excellence of the Knight Piésold team across Southern Africa.
Commendation, Best International Project: Karowe Diamond Mine Fine Residue Deposit Project
Knight Piésold Botswana was awarded a Commendation in the Best International Project category for its work on the Fine Residue Deposit (FRD2) facility at the Karowe Diamond Mine. The Gaborone team supported Lucara Botswana (Pty) Ltd. on the project, which was designed to align with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. This implementation helped establish world-class safety, environmental stewardship, and long-term operational integrity, while creating socio-economic opportunities through local contractor engagement and job creation.
Commendation, Projects with a Value Less Than R50 Million: Cooling Tower Structural Assessment and Repair Methodologies Project
Knight Piésold South Africa was presented with a Commendation award in the Projects with a Value of Less Than R50 Million category for the Cooling Tower Structural Assessment and Repair Methodologies Project. The Phalaborwa supported the Palabora Mining Company in the assessment and refurbishment of a severely compromised cooling tower. The project required careful planning and staged demolition in a brownfield environment, with stringent protocols for the safety of workers and surrounding infrastructure. Delivered on time, within budget, and with zero incidents, the project exemplifies high standards of engineering excellence and health and safety compliance.
First Runner-Up, Job Shadow Initiative Competition: Bokamoso CSI Initiative
Knight Piésold South Africa was selected as First Runner-Up in the Job Shadow Initiative Competition category, recognizing the company’s strong mentorship culture and dedication to inspiring tomorrow’s innovators.
As part its Bokamoso Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative, Knight Piésold took students to project sites in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Phalaborwa, and Durban to experience engineering firsthand. This initiative, more than just exposure, aims to cultivate interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among the next generation and demonstrate the impact young people can make as future engineers.
About the CESA Aon Awards
The CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards are held annually to recognize outstanding achievements in the industry across various categories, highlighting the fundamental role of consulting engineers in driving sustainable socio-economic development.
“These awards belong to all of us at Knight Piésold,” said Vishal Haripersad, Managing Director of Knight Piésold Southern Africa. “They reflect the collaborative spirit, technical skill, and unwavering commitment of our team. From engineers and project managers to support staff and CSI champions—every contribution has helped us showcase what African excellence and ubuntu mean in practice.”
Haripersad added, “As we celebrate these wins, we are reminded that excellence is not a one-time achievement but a continuous journey. With every project, we have the opportunity to push boundaries, uplift communities, and lead by example in delivering world-class engineering solutions.”
Source: Knight Piésold
Images: Knight Piésold
