HKA G&S: South Africa delegation 2025

Overview

ICE HKA G&S organises overseas delegations to encourage knowledge exchange and networking with engineering professionals overseas. The South Africa delegation 2025 will be scheduled from 30 May 2025 to 07 June 2025. The theme of the delegation is ‘From underground to overground: exploring the innovative and sustainable side of South Africa’. 

South Africa is the destination for our delegation this year. As the continent's most industrialised economy, South Africa has developed a robust engineering industry known by cutting-edge geotechnical technologies and sustainable nature-based solutions. Its rich cultural diversity further enhances the experience, offering a unique perspective on integration between tradition and innovation.

This delegation will provide an unparalleled opportunity for our young members to learn how South Africa addresses industrial challenges following the global trend of sustainable development, and witness the dynamic interplay of engineering, economic leadership, environmental sustainability, and community-driven initiatives. 

Our upcoming delegation will take delegates on a journey to the central hubs of South Africa - Johannesburg and Pretoria. Participants can appreciate various underground infrastructure - mines. Being rich in various minerals including gold, diamond, platinum and coals, as well as rare earth elements, the mining industry plays an important role in boosting South Africa’s political, social and economic development. Through various mine visits, participants shall gain more insights on the development of the mining industry of the country. 

Johannesburg is also a place which reaffirms the global effort in sustainable development in the 21st century. The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development in 2002, focusing on ‘people, planet, prosperity’, ‘from agenda to action’ and ‘partnership’ laid the foundation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), which was later renamed as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In our delegation, we will explore how these sustainable principles are put into action within the city and across South Africa. Participants can visit key sites and outstanding projects that exemplify the country's dedication to sustainability, especially the nature-based solutions that the country proposed for its water-related issues, and strategies to balance infrastructure development with wildlife habitat preservation.

Additionally, we will engage with local experts and stakeholders who play pivotal roles in these initiatives, gaining in-depth insights into the challenges and successes encountered along the way. This immersive experience will provide invaluable knowledge and inspiration for localising sustainable practices and strategies in our communities. 

Following the delegation, participants will have the chance to present their insights and experiences to the wider ICE community during a dissemination seminar. This platform will allow them to inspire fellow emerging engineers and contribute to the continuous conversation on sustainable infrastructure development, facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practices.

Capacity: 24 participants  

Language: English  

Application: 

The online application form will be opened at 10.00 on 07 April 2025 (Monday) and will be closed at 17.00 on 17 April 2025 (Thursday). ICE HKA G&S reserves to close the application early if the event is full. 

Please complete the online application form, and submit your cheque (payable to ‘The Institution of Civil Engineers (Hong Kong) Limited’) together with all other documents in a single envelope in person or by mail to: 

ICE Hong Kong Office 

17/F, 88 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong 

Please specify on the envelope ‘ICE HKA G&S South Africa delegation 2025’ 

Specific remarks: 

• Participants shall stay with the tour guide or ICE HKA G&S representatives at all times, unless expressly allowed by the tour guide or ICE HKA G&S representatives.
  Where participants wish to explore on their own, they shall make their plans known to ICE HKA G&S representatives and demonstrate to the satisfaction of the representatives that they are capable of ensuring their own personal safety. Without prejudice to the generality of this requirement, this is applicable to breaks between scheduled visits, meals, and evenings after or mornings before scheduled visits.
• Participants must attend both the briefing and debriefing sessions of the South Africa delegation. The tentative dates for the two sessions are given as follows and are subject to change.
• Briefing session: 18 May 2025 (Sunday) 
• Debriefing session/dissemination seminar: 12 July 2025 (Saturday) 

Remarks:  

• The itinerary is tentative and is subject to change. 
• Priority will be given to ICE graduate and student members and student prize winners, on a first-come-first-served basis. 
• Application will be considered as completed only upon receipt of your completed online application form (to be submitted together with a 300-word platform statement for student prize applicants), full payment, a declaration form and a photocopy of your HKID card and travel documents. 
• Only successful applicants will receive confirmation emails. 
• Once the application is successful, payment is non-refundable. 
• The tour guide, being an experienced service provider, will advise on the recommended policy to be purchased by participants in the stipulated briefing session. Unless participants demonstrate that they have purchased insurance with coverage not less than that recommended, they may be required to sign a declaration form that they are well informed of the risks of the delegation tour and have hence acquired insurance deemed suitable for themselves based on the advice by the tour guide.
• ICE HKA G&S reserves the right to limit the number of successful applicants associated with the same employer. 
• For details and payment instructions, please refer to the online application form. 
• Attendance certificates will be provided after two weeks of the event only if attendees attend the whole event. 
• ICE HKA G&S reserves the right of final decision in any disputes. 
• ICE HKA G&S reserves the right to postpone/cancel the delegation if there are insufficient number of applications or funding. ICE HKA G&S shall not be liable for any expenses or losses incurred from postponement or cancellation of the trip, or from any reliance on representations in this advertisement or other associated documents.

Delegation student prize:

ICE HKA G&S encourages full time students in higher education to explore the civil engineering industry, both within and outside Hong Kong. The Student Prize aims to promote ICE HKA G&S South Africa delegation 2025 among students and subsidise part of the delegation costs for the prize winners. Awardees of the student prize will be eligible for a sponsorship of HKD3,000 for the delegation. All ICE Hong Kong Student Members currently pursuing full time degrees are eligible to apply for the student prize.

For selection criteria and more details, please refer to the brief of the student prize.

 Application for the student prize: 

To apply, the applicant should:

1. Fill in the online application form for the delegation.
2. Submit to us a 300-word platform statement​ 
3. Submit a photocopy of the student ID card or transcript. (Proof of full-time students.) 

The student prize:

• HKD3,000 sponsorship for South Africa delegation 2025
• A certificate to be presented in the dissemination seminar 

 Obligations of student prize winner after the delegation: 

• To submit a 400-word study report
• To share their learning experience and takeaways from the delegation in the form of delivering a presentation in the dissemination seminar for the South Africa delegation 2025 (or other channels, upon approval by the G&S committee) 
• To be one of the ambassadors for promoting ICE in their respective higher education institutions, including membership promotion. Award will be granted only if the student prize winner undertakes all of the above obligations. 

Disclaimer:

The Institution of Civil Engineers (Hong Kong Association) shall not under any circumstances be liable or otherwise for death or any injury or for any damage to or loss or destruction of property or otherwise, in any such case arising from any accident or mishap, and whether during or after this event, in preparation for it, travelling to or from it or otherwise. 

Prices

The application fee is inclusive of round-trip flight tickets, hotel accommodation (shared double room), as well as breakfast, lunch, local transportation and admission fees of scheduled visits during the course of staying in South Africa. Insurance shall be purchased by the participants themselves upon successful registration for the delegation.