The Hot Dip Galvanizers Association Southern Africa (HDGASA) received the Award for the Best Environmental Rehabilitation project at the Africa Energy Awards held on 16 April 2008.

The finalists in this particular category were the Vanilla Development Foundation in Kenya and the HDGASA, who submitted an entry on behalf of the hot dip galvanizing industry.

The hot dip galvanizing industry has for more than 50 years been a major supplier to the Southern African Power Distribution Industry.  It has been at the forefront of supplying the primary corrosion control requirements that are used to provide long term service life and sustainability of a wide range of steel structures used in this sector.  Power transmission lines, sub-station steelwork and numerous other ancillary steel installations throughout the Southern African region, have been hot dip galvanized as the primary means of protecting steel structures that are subjected to the destructive corrosive elements present in a wide range of differing environmental conditions.

Due to the fact that the entry met the criteria in this category, i.e. enhancing environmental benefits and meeting the government requirements of environmental rehabilitation, the Award was presented to Robert Wilmot, Executive Director of the HDGASA.

Robert was pleased with the award and said that “Zinc is regarded as one of man’s friendly metals as it is essential for all forms of growth, does not contaminate or harm the environment and is used in the hot dip galvanizing process.  Zinc has the ability to provide long term corrosion protection of steel structures at extremely economical life cycle rates.”