Johannesburg - The overwhelming shortage of engineers in the public sector will lead to a further collapse of infrastructure in the country if not given urgent attention, says the Consulting Engineers South Africa association (Cesa).
Today there are only about 1 800 engineers in the public sector who must attend to the needs of 47m South Africans. In 2005 there were 5 400.
Cesa president Zulch Lötter says there are six particular areas that need urgent attention.
These are the lack of technical expertise in government departments and local authorities, in particular, water and sanitation, transport, energy, and funds for infrastructure and urbanisation.
Lötter says although fewer engineers are emigrating and more qualifying, the country has a huge shortage of experience.
The average age of civil engineers here is 60. Most of the people that have to build dams and roads, for instance, are on the point of retiring.
According to Lötter, Cesa claims there is no expertise at government level.
On the contrary, he argues, there is plenty of skill. The problem, rather, is one of experience. One can, for instance, find a capable, qualified pilot who has never flown a Boeing. Then the pilot gets thrown in at the deep end and has to fly the Boeing. But when a storm blows up the pilot is at a loss.
Cesa deputy president Naren Bhojaram reckons money is not the reason engineers are reluctant to work for municipalities.
Instead, it's the lack of career prospects. In the past a municipal engineer was permanently appointed to a post up to his retirement. These days it's a case of a five-year contract, and the engineer has no idea what will happen after that. Engineers therefore look for positions with better work security in the private sector.
Cesa chief executive Graham Pirie agrees.
He says that the career path for engineers in the public sector needs urgent review.
Unfortunately what happens is that every time there is a change in the government or the political environment there are changes in the officials working at municipalities, he explains.
According to Lötter, the lack of experienced engineers at municipal level is one of the biggest reasons for ineffective service delivery. In 1980 40% of all professional engineers in South Africa were working in the public sector. Today the number is closer to 10%.
- Fin24.com
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