Civil Engineering August 2021 | Vol 29 No 7

Civil Engineering August 2021 29 they shouldn’t have. Politicians are not there to make technical decisions; they are there to follow technical advice and garner social support to implement projects,” he stresses. He points to a recent US President as a good example of a political leader who is reported to have wanted to make decisions without following science and technical advice. Luckily, most institutions were strong enough to stand up and be counted, but Leonard does not believe that is the case in the SADC region. This is in part due to a lack of capacity and capability, but also because many professionals lack the backbone to assert their professional ethos. Leonard argues that professionals need to be strong enough to stand up to politicians and tell them when their plans are wrong. “Oftentimes we see professionals helping ministers to do the wrong thing and then complaining when the country goes the wrong way. I have many times told ministers that I cannot do things their way unless I stop being an engineer. But unfortu- nately, not many professionals explain the implications of making the wrong decisions” says Leonard. “We owe it to the region as professionals to ensure that the professionally correct thing is known in the first instance. If it is known, then we can try and influence that it is done.” Leonard believes that engineers have a tendency to shy away from politics, when in fact engineers need to step up and provide leadership and guidance to politicians. “Otherwise we end up with very well- designed infrastructure that is the completely wrong solution.” It all comes down to the way you address politicians, says Leonard. It is vital that you respectfully offer your advice and guidance while considering their interests – setting yourself up in opposition to them will get you nowhere. “If you explain to them why the solution they are considering is wrong and the conse- quences of making that wrong decision, most of them will listen. Politely, kindly, but firmly assert your position and you will be able to influence decisions based on trust – but most importantly you must believe that you are doing the right thing,” he explains. Another common problem is that many technically skilled people appointed within government entities avoid making deci- sions. Most fear the consequences of making the wrong decision. “You’ll often see this labelled as red tape, but the problem is actu- ally that we have the wrong people in these positions. You cannot put someone who struggles to make decisions into a position where they are required to do so,” Leonard stresses. In many instances people want to refer to someone else to make important decisions, and oftentimes that someone is the politician, who may not have requisite skills in the relevant field. Being in a position that requires decision-making necessitates that you be responsible for the success or failure of those deci- sions. This requires that we make that decision-maker competent and accountable, which is not very common. This also ties back to the issue of political appointees. Historically, appointments were based on merit, namely experi- ence and qualifications. This meant that decision makers were comfortable in their positions and therefore comfortable making decisions because they had the knowledge and experience to do so. Today, the many political appointees filling these positions are accountable to the politicians who put them there – this hamstrings their ability to exercise professional knowledge, since some of them lack the required professional knowledge in the first place. “Unless we go back to having strong institutions that have nothing to do with the wrong politics and can survive from one political regime to another, we will continue to experience these challenges. Institutions need to follow their mandate. “Despite the many challenges, in almost every country there is still a core of very professional people who still know exactly what is supposed to be done, but they keep quiet. If we can strengthen these people within our institutions and encourage them to do the right thing, we will find that the political and institutional risks will become more manageable,” says Leonard. THE DEATH OF LONG-TERM PLANNING Another major concern is the complete lack of long-term infrastructure planning across the SADC region. Instead, a lot of infrastructure is implemented as an emergency measure. “Most countries used to have 20-year master plans, but today they react when the crisis has already happened,” says Leonard. The region has a huge infrastructure backlog and addressing this requires proper long-term planning followed by implementa- tion. “Implementation is a huge problem in this region. A project only creates benefits when it is implemented. But even when projects are implemented, we don’t always provide budgets for operation and maintenance,” he says. Leonard does not believe this lack of planning and implemen- tation is due to insufficient finance, but rather that it has simply fallen by the wayside. “We all have financial needs, but if we use the money we have appropriately, we will make progress. But because we are not using our money appropriately our progress is piece-meal and we are always in crisis mode. “Let us as professionals make sure that we go back to basics: plan, implement and maintain, and provide the influence to ensure that these things are actually done. As the adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail . ’’ We should not just follow electoral cycles. SILVER LINING While it is a problem, Leonard also believes that the massive in- frastructure backlog across the SADC region presents significant opportunities. The money is there, and if we can get the planning and implementation right, the potential for projects is huge. The lack of infrastructure also means that engineers have the ability to implement projects that provide immediate and signifi- cant benefits for communities. “The politicians might and should do the ribbon cuttings and get the accolades, but no one can ever take away the pride and satisfaction from a good project that you have delivered,” says Leonard. Moreover, the region is quite open to foreigners, which allows engineers to co-create with their counterparts in other countries and leave behind a positive legacy. “My career experience has been immensely satisfying because it is a region where things are very different from country to country. You learn a lot and you impart your knowledge and share your experience with your col- leagues in those countries in a big way,” says Leonard. “We all work to make money, and profit is not a dirty word, but let’s make money doing the right thing. From my experience working in SADC, I believe that almost everybody wants to do the right thing, but most of the people in positions of authority don’t know what the right thing is. If we can positively influence the political decision makers to make the right decisions, there is great satisfaction to be gained.”