Civil engineers
UNSPLASH

The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) has identified a critical shortage of engineering skills as one of the key drivers behind the country's collapsing infrastructure. Over the last decade, this shocking decline has had devastating consequences for South Africa's ability to maintain its infrastructure.

The SAICE published its latest Infrastructure Report Card (IRC) last week, which identified the shocking decline in South Africa's engineering capacity over the last decade as one of the key drivers behind the country's collapsing infrastructure.

According to the report, vital infrastructure segments are deteriorating quite rapidly, and many are at risk of collapsing without government intervention.

SAICE found that the country faces a severe shortage of engineering skills, especially in the public sector.

The institute has been tracking the profile of engineering expertise in public service since 2005 and has found that while there has been an influx of black and female technologists and technicians over the last 20 years, the country has lost a significant number of experienced engineers.

The attrition rate for engineers is alarmingly high. Many left the industry to join the advisory and banking sectors or emigrated to other parts of the world.

According to a report from the Engineering Council of South Africa, there were a total of 17,226 registered professional engineers in the country - 80.7% of which were white (13,903), 11.5% black (1,985), 6.7% Asian (1,144), and 1.1% colored (194).

The displacement of experienced white engineers is considered a significant reason for the exodus, as many youngsters were deprived of mentorship.

"While government continually speaks of its commitment to the National Development Plan, the professionalization of the public sector and emphasizing job creation and infrastructure development, there's been virtually no positive outcome of this commitment," the SAICE said.

What is the reason behind the mass exodus of engineers in South Africa?

SAICE, which has 12,000 registered members, stated that they have seen hundreds of engineers leave the country between 2016 to 2019 through emigration. The trend is alarming as it suggests that the economy will suffer from a lack of these high-level skilled workers.

Several issues prevent engineering professionals from joining the public sector or force them to emigrate to another country. These include:

  • Over-politicization of infrastructure departments.
  • Diminished decision-making roles of technocrats.
  • Lack of systems, processes, and structures for efficient administration.
  • Lack of training, development, and career paths.
  • Unwarranted interference of HR and Finance divisions in the work of infrastructure engineering.