Civil Engineering January-February 2022 | Vol 30 No 1

12 January/February 2022 Civil Engineering Pres ident ial Address T oday I stand before you, humbled to be inaugurated and to serve you in 2022 as the 119 th President of the distinguished South African Institution of Civil Engineering. I remind myself that I am only the third female president, following in the footsteps of the renowned Allyson Lawless and Prof. Elsabe Kearsley, in an institution where almost 20% of the membership today is female. I come from humble beginnings, a mining town in the south of the Netherlands, called Kerkrade, where the majority of inhabitants were blue collar workers and unemployment rates during the 1970s raised to 28%, after the closing of the mines. My love for transport engineering was initiated by my late father, who had a driving school. As a six-year-old I washed his car daily, as the car was his ‘business card’ and therefore had to look good. As a teenager, I cannot count the numerous Sunday morning dis- cussions with my father about transport issues in the region, while simultaneously solving crossword puzzles. During my studies, my parents and sister were my support base, always looking at ways to assist. This role was taken over by my loving husband and soulmate in 2000, the year in which we moved to South Africa. Over the past two decades, Angus has not only supported me in my quest to educate the next generation, but also to make a positive contribution to the country and in my various roles in SAICE, which include SAICE Western Cape Branch Chair from 2008 to 2009, Council Member, Executive Board Member, Vice President and President-Elect. He himself has spent many volunteer hours, specifically supporting scholar outreach activities by the SAICE Western Cape Branch. I also thank my son Eric and daughter Lara for their encourage- ment over the years and the motivation they give me to make the world a better place for future generations. Friends, both personal and in the civil engineering industry, as well as students, both under- graduate and postgraduate, thank you for walking alongside me over the years. I would not be here without you. My introduction would not be complete without mentioning the inspiration and support provided to me by colleagues from the University of Cape Town (UCT). From the late Prof. Alfred Ernest Snape, who was the SAICE president in 1916 and has buildings named after him on the UCT upper campus – big shoes to fill – to the late Prof. Sparks, who made numerous contribu- tions to SAICE, and the late Prof. De Kock who introduced me to this esteemed institu- tion. My Dean Prof. Lewis, and Head of Department (HOD) Prof. Moyo, thank you for supporting my Presidency. Thank you to my previous HODs, Professors Alexander, Ekama, Zingoni and Armitage, for giving me the space to serve SAICE over the years. UCT colleagues, academic and support staff, thank you for being there for me every step of the way. Last but not least, SAICE membership, Council and Executive Board, who have entrusted me with the distinguished Presidential portfolio, I pledge to do everything humanly possible to serve you and make you proud. CIVIL SOCIETY When consulting various dictionaries as to what ‘civil’ means, many quote: “aspects relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns”. For civil engineers this can be directly translated to the provision of civil engineering infrastructure and services, such as shelter, water, roads, public transport, and stormwater, to name a few. The South African population has been steadily increasing and continuing to do so. An increasing population translates into a further need for civil infrastructure and services. According to the UN (2019), the South African population is due to grow by another 25% in the next 50 years (see Figure 1). Growth is expected to be larger in cities due to migration. Although the largest portion of the population growth is in the age group 25 to 64 years (see Figure 2), the expectation is that there will be around 15 million children looking for education (UN, 2019), needing not only teachers, but also school buildings with electricity, running water and sanitation. Similarly, around 40 million inhabitants will be of working age (UN, 2019), requiring jobs in companies that are economically viable. Viability of industries, again, requires various civil services for the production and distribution of goods and services. Care, reboot and rebuild Prof. Marianne Vanderschuren, 2022 SAICE President