The SAACE (South African Association of Consulting Engineers) used the Annual Engineering Excellence Awards, held on 6 August, as the platform to launch its new identity as CESA (Consulting Engineers South Africa).
The SAACE (South African Association of Consulting Engineers) used the Annual Engineering Excellence Awards, held on 6 August, as the platform to launch its new identity as CESA (Consulting Engineers South Africa).
Over the past year, the association identified a need to differentiate its contribution to society. According to Felix Fongoqa, president of CESA, “Instead of talking within our industry to ourselves, we need to talk to a broader audience. South Africa is in a crisis, the shortage of engineers is acute, with more leaving every month.” Fongoqa goes on to state that CESA needs to speak to government to find ways of retaining the country’s intellectual capital.
CESA aims to talk to schools and universities in order to create a greater awareness of engineering and elevate public perceptions of engineering as being the career of choice. Existing services need to improve to be more environmentally conscious and actively support the fight against HIV/Aids. Through involvement in organisations such as the Green Building Council, the association intends to take the lead against the threat of global warming and engage every possible means of reducing the current generation’s carbon footprint for its children, and their children.
CESA will further enhance its solution orientation and continue to interact with local government to facilitate greater service delivery. To this end, the association, in conjunction with the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), has established the Project Development and Facilitation Alliance (PDFA), a Section 21 company, to enable CESA and its members to assist local government with service delivery by making available desperately needed skills, to ensure that projects are implemented in accordance with best practices and against the highest international standards in engineering excellence. As such, the PDFA has been appointed an official implementing agent for the DWAF. The PDFA will require permanent capacity to execute its mandate and CESA’s participation in the PDFA will enable it to build the necessary business and engineering capacity and help unlock project delivery.
Fongoqa believes that consulting engineers play a vital role in the development of any economy, and in South Africa this role has never been more important than it is right now. As the country surges ahead to become globally competitive he believes that we need to ensure that vital infrastructure requirements are implemented to meet the ever-growing demands of industry, business and communities.
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