2 October 2023: The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) acknowledges Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s recent call to address the under-representation of women
and marginalized groups in the engineering sector at the 9th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week (AEW) and 7th Africa Engineering Conference in Pretoria. However, SAICE CEO Sekadi Phayane-Shakhane asked a critical question: “How can we swiftly transition from acknowledging the issue to enacting decisive, transformative action?”
“The scarcity of women engineers in the country is a complex and pressing issue that demands concerted and determined efforts to mobilize. It is time that we move beyond words and place our collective focus on tangible actions and their implementation. The time for tangible progress is now, and together, we can drive substantive change.”
Innocentia Mahlangu, SAICE’s Diversity and Inclusivity chairperson, asserts SAICE’s unyielding commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. She underscores the urgent need for greater female participation in engineering, highlighting that despite progress, there remains a substantial gap in ensuring equitable opportunities and representation. She further emphasized these during a women-focused address at the AEW event.
While there is a call for policy realignment at government level, this needs to be implemented and monitored. There is need for a seismic policy shift to empower women in engineering with decisive roles in strategic planning, major infrastructure projects and for equal opportunities and pay.
Mahlangu called on government to engage proactively with associations like SAICE, armed with established programmes such as the Women in the Built Environment (WITBE) initiative in partnership with Mentorship 4 Success (M4S), aimed at amplifying women’s presence in the built environment. “Together, we will forge an industry that is both inclusive and
pioneering.”
Phayane-Shakhane adds: “What is called for is a not only a change in policy within both the public and private sectors but a societal re-alignment starting with Early Childhood Development programmes through to basic and tertiary education.”