The Civil Engineering Contractor July 2019 | Page 29

PROFILE
Other achievements include:
Victor Malau, supervisor at Gauteng
Piling, and one of many employees
mentored by Maas
During this time, his role models
included diverse engineering
personalities such as Wouter de
Villiers, Nick Wolmarans, Louis Nel
and John Barrow Snr. “They were very
different personalities, but each had
an influence on how I have been able
to handle myself in difficult situations.
In turn, working with people and
motivating others to do their best has
always given me a lot of satisfaction.
In the process I have mentored many
young engineers, including my own
son and have hopefully inspired many
people young and old, to give their
best,” says Maas.
His current site manager, Victor,
is one such person that Maas has put
through college and mentored. He
is in his final year of obtaining his
qualification. “The real problem is
that young people, the millennials, do
not wish to remain in piling – they
all go off and do something else. Of
the perhaps 20 people I’ve mentored
(including my son) only one is left
today in the industry.”
www.civilsonline.co.za
• M
 erit award and medal for
outstanding service to the
University of Pretoria 1974.
• Member of executive committee
of Master Builders Association
North since 1986. President in
1998.
• Extraordinary Contribution
award in 2013, Honorary Life
membership in 2014.
• 
M BSA executive member
since 1993; president in 2003;
co-opted to the board 2009,
2010 and 2011.
• 
Was chairman of Board of
Management of BIFSA pension
fund.
• Part time lecturer in Construction
Management at University of
Pretoria 1990 and 1991.
• 
Elder in Dutch Reformed
Church — head elder 2004.
• 
Chairman of Construction
Industry
Confederation
1999/2000.
• Co-founder and past captain of
QACCS Golf Club in Gauteng
and President of QACCS
Nationally in 2003 and 2004.
Was awarded Honorary Life
Membership of both in 2018.
• Member of Stakeholders Forum
of Construction Industry
Career highlights
“One highlight was the Pachucas for
the Uranium Plant in Stilfontein in
1978. Seven track rigs were used to
predrill each pile, after which the
rock was blasted and the oscillator
machines then excavated the piles to
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Development Board (CIDB)
2001‒2003.
Member of steering committee
of Construction Transformation
Charter Group since 2004;
member of the Executive
Charter Council 2010 to 2013.
Federated Employers Mutual

board member; chairman since
2006.
Director of Medical Nutritional
Institute.
Non-executive director of CIDB
2011 to 2016.
Professional Engineer 1980,
registration number 800048.
Member of South African

Institute of Civil Engineers.
Elected as Fellow in 2006 (over
the years there were fewer than
10 people who were awarded
fellowships, of which only Bernie
Krone and Maas worked in piling
on sites from a young age).
M ember of Institute of

Directors (SA). Attended
various courses, including the
course for chairmen.
Director of Blair Atholl Home
Owners Association since 2017;
chairman in 2019.
depths that varied from 2.5m to 28m,
all in the dolomites. Another tough
site was in Port St Johns where 72m
deep piles, 1 500mm diameter, were
installed from the existing bridge, in
1979. As a civil engineer in piling one
gets plenty of opportunities to work
in difficult circumstances and having
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