Civil Engineering September 2022 | Vol 30 No 8

Civil Engineering September 2022 9 Le t ter from the ed i tor S peaking at the recent CESA Infrastructure Indaba, ECSA President Refilwe Buthelezi made an argument that seemed to really hit home with the audience. She argued that while professionals like accountants and lawyers expect to sit in boardrooms and contribute to decision making, engineering professionals have not demanded the same seat at the table. “It is for me, in my opinion, because we sit back and wait for instructions; we are not proactive,” she said, arguing that engineers need to take an interest, engage with politicians and be willing to be at the forefront. While countries like Zambia have engineers in ministerial roles, South Africans have not demanded that those roles be occupied by similarly qualified individuals in our own Cabinet. To applause, Buthelezi stressed that if engineering profes- sionals are not involved in making decisions, they cannot criticise them. It is therefore up to our engineers to put their hands up and be at the forefront of making decisions, for themselves and for the betterment of the country. DEMANDING A SEAT It was Chris Campbell, CEO of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), demanding a seat at the table that led to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana making an appearance at the 2022 CESA Infrastructure Indaba. Campbell penned an opinion piece in Business Day in which he argued that, without a meaningful contribution by engineers in government, our country’s rebuild programme is doomed to failure. “It is critical that engineers be given a seat at the table and not just be put on the menu,” he wrote. Using Singapore and South Korea as examples, he outlined the success that can be achieved when engineers contribute to governmental decision- making processes. Godongwana read the article and, in an unexpected turn of events, picked up the phone and called Campbell, telling him that he was ready and willing to engage. As the keynote speaker at the Indaba, Godongwana brought this same message to delegates, issuing an invitation to the sector to collaborate. JUMPING HURDLES Godongwana outlined a plethora of problems that need to be overcome in order to address financial and infrastructure chal- lenges with the aim of increasing spending and investment to the level required by the National Development Plan. He highlighted a decade of declining economic growth perpetu- ated by state capture that destroyed state-owned entities (SOEs). Having to subsequently direct resources into rebuilding and recapaci- tating those SOEs has resulted in a drain on the fiscus, with Eskom alone requiring fiscal support of R230 billion over the next 10 years. The hard work now is to recapacitate SOEs so that they can begin rolling out infrastructure. To this end, Godongwana promised an announcement in October that government would be taking over some of Eskom’s debt to free the utility up to ag- gressively pursue infrastructure development. Godongwana identified construction mafias as a major constraint for infrastructure development and notably stated that, “we’ve got a procurement system which is mad,” vowing to completely change the system. The minister lamented underperformance by the state due to wastage and corruption, often linked to underspending of budgets. Departmental project pipelines are often lacking, and even when funding is made available, execution of projects is a problem. Godongwana stated that government consumption is one of the weakest performers on the expenditure side of GDP, adding that we can’t afford to spend more on grants than on growth. Currently 18 million South Africans, or roughly one third of the population, receive a social grant. He acknowledged that rather than creating inclusive growth, we are excluding people from the economy and compensating them for that exclusion. A metalworker by trade, Godongwana believes in vocational training and argued that the money spent on grants might be better invested in training and certifying South Africans so that they can meaningfully contribute to the economy. Expressing a willingness to invest money in training programmes, the minister extended an invitation to the sector to partner on training initiatives. Ultimately, Godongwana called on engineering professionals to lend their skillset to helping address these many challenges saying, “My presence here is to invite you to help us re-engineer the country.” LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? At face value, Godongwana said all the right things. But words mean little without action that follows. However, the fact that he reached out and expressed a willingness to engage with the sector is a fantastic step in the right direction. It is now up to organisations like CESA and SAICE to hold the minister to his word and take the engagement further so that engineering professionals well and truly get a seat at the table. Danielle Petterson Editor Civil Engineering danielle@saice.org.za A seat at the table The attendance of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana at the 2022 CESA Infrastructure Indaba promised hope that engineering professionals may finally be given a seat at the table and a say in decision making.