Business

New BEE regulations are putting South Africans’ lives at risk: report

Staff Writer

 ·6 Mar 2017

Fourteen separate organisations representing the engineering industry are taking government to court to try ensure infrastructure construction standards are not weakened, following the introduction of new transformation regulations in the sector.

According to a report by Times Live, the parties are alleging there are several irregularities in the appointment of ECSA’s current 50-person council, which was appointed by Works Minister Thulas Nxesi in September 2016.

The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE)‚ who is leading the legal action on behalf of 14 engineering associations and their 50‚000-plus membership, said the appointments were made without the required consultation

“By undermining the quality of oversight of engineering practitioners in South Africa‚ the entire pipeline of engineering infrastructure services‚ manufacturing and production will be at risk‚” said SAICE CEO Manglin Pillay.

 “This could potentially result in the health and safety of the public being placed in jeopardy.”

The parties are also concerned about the possible loss of international accreditation as as peer review is a prerequisite for South Africa retaining its recognition by the International Engineering Alliance.

“If we lose our international accreditation‚ this will mean that South Africans may not in future be allowed to study postgraduate programmes internationally‚ or even practise engineering internationally‚” said a leading professor and Dean of Engineering‚ who wished to remain anonymous‚ according to SAICE.

“We are also worried about our own university’s good standing in relation to engineering programmes.”

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