Civil Engineering nOVEMBER 2021 | Vol 29 No 10

60 November 2021 Civil Engineering T he work and expansion of the SAICE Ethics Committee recognises the pervasiveness of the ethical challenges that face practising engi- neers across the spectrum of organisations and companies in South Africa. These challenges are both professional and ethical in a con- text where a history of political bias and injustice has resulted in wide-scale flouting of procedures at all levels in the implementation of engineering projects. This has potentially significant impacts on the social and natural environment be- yond the engineering project. The SAICE Ethics Committee is comprised of a diverse team including established members of SAICE and student representatives as well as invited and associate members. The vision is to build relationships with different core groups, drawing on the experience and ethical commitment that is evi- dent in the different layers of the SAICE community. These initiatives include a drive to build relationships with civil engi- neering students at the various institutions where engineering programmes are accredited. Looking back at the history of SAICE, ethics has fea- tured prominently in professional discourse at various points in time. This extract from the Presidential Address of the incoming President of SAICE, Seetella Makhetha, in 2011 emphasises the importance of ethics in engineering and beyond, and that ethics is everyone’s business: Ethics has been a subject matter within the scope of phi- losophers and is regarded as important for the few. Ethics, however, is anything but that. It involves everyday life choices by all living on this planet. It enables reflection on what we have done and what we wish to do. It enables us to reflect on whether we have acted for the good of others or in self-interest. Ethics [can be] defined as the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession. Politicians have often misled citizens by stating that we live in a world of endless possibilities. They do not consider, however, that these endless possibilities are limited by the earth’s inability to regenerate itself. To ensure ethical and sustainable development, it is our duty as engineers to constantly bring to the attention of politicians that, whilst possibilities are endless, our resources are not limitless. Alison Gwynne-Evans Stewart Gibson Nthabeleng Lentsoane ethics@saice.org.za SAICE Growing Forward: Ethics and Professionalism Update on the development and operation of the SAICE Ethics Committee The SAICE Ethics Committee has been operating for close on a year and in that time has expanded its footprint and seen the start of several new initiatives aiming to increase the profile of ethics within the discourse and practice of the SAICE community and beyond. Assist-a-University Grow-a-Graduate Grow-an-Expert 5–6 Grow SAICE 7 1 Getting to know your SAICE Ethics, Diversity and Inclusivity 2 Knowledge Trailblazer The Voice – Advocacy 3 4 SAICE STAR Success Through Academic Readiness Programme SAICE SOS Support Our Students