OPINION: South Africa brings in Cuban Engineers to help with infrastructure (2)

Sibani Ntuli a Candidate Quantity Surveyor in the Public Sector expresses his hardhat OPINION on the recent developments where the South African government brought in Engineers from Cuba to help with Infrastructure problems.

Did the government make the right decision by bringing over Cuban Engineers?

No, I believe the government has made a mistake here. Characterization of a decision as right or wrong, would have to be precipitated by proper analysis and identification of the root cause of a problem we are seeking to address. This decision already lacks that.

However, what this decision does is to suggest that the lack of water service delivery is attributable to a lack of technical skills that cannot be harnessed in South Africa and therefore need to be imported from Cuba. It is true that SA has an infrastructure delivery and maintenance backlog but most of the challenges are well documented (i.e. poor governance structures, lack of proper planning and implementation, and over politicization of the public sector) and cannot just be solved by importing engineers.

So this is just a political exercise that seeks to reinforce or cultivate the bilateral agreement that exists between SA and Cuba which includes the recruitment of "technical experts". But is our biggest problem a lack of technical skills? I do not think so and for me, it just makes this a poor decision.

Are the reasons given for this decision valid?

The reasons the minister has given for this decision do not hold any water. South Africa does not lack technical abilities, ECSA has over 30 000 professionals (Engineers Technologies and Technicians) that could solve many of these challenges we face. Some have even volunteered their time to assist where possible.

The mentoring of candidates would also mean that the mentors have been recognized by the council to which the candidates are registered. As far as I am aware, Cuban engineers are not signatories on the Washington Accord, Sydney Accord and Dublin Accord, and therefore cannot mentor ECSA candidates according to professional standards by which they have not been tested. It will be a futile exercise and a misuse of funds that could be used more strategically.

How will this impact our local pool of Built Environment Professionals?

I think it just deteriorates the confidence in the government's ability to make the best decisions for the industry and for the professionals. It also puts into question the government's commitment to ending the scourge of youth unemployment in South Africa. This budget could have easily been used to employ and train unemployed engineers under the guidance of ECSA accredited engineers.

The country is also facing an exodus of skilled professionals through emigration, as people seek better opportunities elsewhere. These types of decisions add fuel to the fire by depicting a government that is not interested nor committed to creating opportunities for its own professionals.

ALSO READ OPINION: South Africa brings in Cuban Engineers to help with infrastructure (1)

How can Built Environment Professionals show their disapproval of this decision?

I think that the Built Environment Professionals (BEPs) and its regulatory bodies such as the CBE and ECSA must engage and petition the minister to rescind this decision. As BEPs and members of various technical formations, we trust these formations to be our voices and to fight to protect our professions.

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