Civil Engineering nOVEMBER 2021 | Vol 29 No 10

Civil Engineering November 2021 61 Makhetha’s address goes on to challenge us beyond engineering into demonstrating ethical leadership in public service delivery, where he asks if government is capable of combating and pre- venting fraud and corruption on its own. His words are just as relevant today: The effect of fraud and corruption is that it eats away at the tax collected from the public, in the process eating away at the moral fabric of society. In turn, corrupt practices result in non-delivery of essential public services, so denying com- munities their right to an improved standard of living. Makhetha, in turn, directed us back to two figures, JS Wessels and PC Pauw (1999), who warned that public officials without personal morality and the necessary sense of public duty will either themselves be prone to abusing their positions or will fall prey to being abused by corrupt elements. We are challenged through the years that: Leaders and managers must lead and manage by example, as must engineers who have in the public eye a distinguished and honourable reputation. Their conduct and attitude must remain beyond reproach and above suspicion of selfishness in their service rendition to the public. Everyone in government, too, must pass this test to champion public service delivery. The public interest must supersede private and personal in- terest, if government is serious about turning service delivery around for the good of the public. While corruption and unethical behaviour in the public service is highlighted because it is in the “public eye”, the private sector is by no means immune to dishonest practices. In fact, often the private sector and individuals conducting business for the public sector are the initiators of corrupt practices, offering bribes to public officials, as well as ac- ceding to officials’ requests for unscrupulous benefits. ETHICS COMMITTEE UPDATES The operations of the SAICE Ethics Committee include influ- encing future SAICE members. This has seen the SAICE Ethics Portfolio Champion, Greg Skeen, host a number of online webi- nars. The most recent of these, in conjunction with SAICE Youth and SAICE Growing Forward Support our Students Champion Karabo Mohlanne, saw Skeen address students and young profes- sionals on the topic, The DNA of an Ethical Engineer . This process of increasing awareness has also seen Skeen addressing final year civil engineer students at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Cape Town on their professional and ethical responsibility as potential engineers. This input builds on a critical engagement with the require- ments of the SAICE Code of Ethics and the Engineering Council of South Africa’s (ECSA) Code of Conduct and uses practical scenarios to evoke a response from students. This input was valuable in supporting the building of confidence and competence relating to ECSA’s Graduate Attribute 10, namely Engineering Professionalism. The Ethics Committee welcomes the opportunity to present at other universities and colleges, online or in person. In this regard, or to get involved, contact ethics@saice.org.za . The Committee will also be looking to profile a number of candidate engineers and engineering students who have posi- tive stories to contribute about their experiences as engineers. Details about this competition, open to candidate engineers and students, can be obtained by contacting Takalani Netshipale on tnetshipale@gmail.com . We conclude by profiling the Credo of an African Engineer, composed in 2011 by Makhetha. It resonates and speaks to us in a language that goes beyond rules and conduct to connect with the heart of our identity as engineers in Africa: I am an engineer and in my profession, I take deep pride. To it I owe solemn obligations. Since the origins of humanity on the continent of Africa, human progress has been spurred by the engineering genius. Engineers have made nature’s vast resources of material and energy usable for humanity’s benefit. Engineers have vital- ised, and turned to practical use, the principles of science and the means of technology. Were it not for this heritage of accumulated experience, my efforts would be feeble. As an engineer, I pledge to practise integrity and fair dealing, tolerance and respect, and to uphold devotion to the standards and the dignity of my profession, conscious always that my skill carries with it the obligation to serve humanity by making the most sustainable use of Earth’s precious resources. As an engineer I shall participate in none but honest enterprises. When needed, my skill and knowledge shall be given without reservation for the public good. In the performance of duty and in fidelity to my profession, I shall give the utmost. A copy of the Credo should be kept in every engineer’s top drawer!  REFERENCES Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). 2017. Code of Conduct. Engineering Professions Act No 46 of 2000 (2017). Government Gazette. 142(40691). 17 March. Government notice 41. Cape Town: Government Printer. Accessed: 20/10/2021. Available: https://www. ecsa.co.za/regulation/RegulationDocs/Code_of_Conduct.pdf . Makhetha, S. 2011. Presidential Address, SAICE Annual General Meeting. South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE). 2017. Code of Ethics. Accessed 28 February 2020. Available: http://saice.org.za/wp- content/uploads/2017/09/SAICE-Code-of-Ethics.pdf . SAICE Industry News. 2021. Tribute to Seetella Makhetha, 109 th President of SAICE. Available: https://www.specifile.co.za/ new-saice-president-advocates-credo-of-the-african-engineer/ . Wessels, J.S. and Pauw, P.C. 1999. Reflective Public Administration: Views from the South. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. 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