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SAICE can assist in ensuring sustainable solutions
have advanced to production at much higher volumes,” Vanderschuren says. She adds: “The President is correct that electric vehicles and the development of a green hydrogen pipeline are on the agendas of many countries around the globe. These are certainly options for the future. The question arising, however, is: have we properly investigated what this means in the South African context, with the obvious challenge of limited electricity supply? A further question is: if we are going to invest in both, would we then need two types of energy distribution systems and at what cost?” President Ramaphosa spoke of the need for capacity building and referred to the scarce skills list. SAICE welcomes the fact that civil engineering features prominently. However, many young South African engineers are leaving the country, due to a lack of work. How quick can the turnaround on projects be, through the investments mentioned? Lutchman emphasised that employment remains a critical priority for South Africa and for the civil engineering sector. “It is estimated that up to 20 civil engineers leave our country every month in search of greener pastures where there is a more reliable stream of projects. We cannot afford this draining of expertise.” One of the major concerns with regard to the President’s State of the Nation address, was the minimal reference to maintenance. With the country’s challenged infrastructure, this should be at the top of the agenda, says Vanderschuren. “The President mentioned that this requires capacity in municipalities. To date, a lack of capacity has paralysed many municipalities, leaving citizens without services. While government builds capacity, we need interim measures to ensure that investment in civil infrastructure and its maintenance is monitored and audited. How about identifying infrastructure auditors who assist the municipalities, while they build capacity?” SAICE would also like to see plans that identify building codes and standards to minimise the need for maintenance. “Instead of infrastructure failing three months after completion, we must build to last. We need to work on standardisation for durable infrastructure – and we need to monitor the implementation of those standards.” She adds there are still many questions that need answers. “If the President commits to the capacity building and education as suggested in his address, scenario planning will need to be done, unpacking what different future scenarios could look like, and what the advantages and areas of concern are on the journey ahead. This is the type of evidence-based planning that SAICE expects and we have the capacity to assist government in this regard,” Vanderschuren says.
Professor Marianne Vanderschuren, President of SAICE.
Vishaal Lutchman, CEO of SAICE.
F ollowing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2022 State of the Nation address, Professor Marianne Vanderschuren, President of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), reiterated the organisation’s call on government to continue to engage the available resources, entities and professionals in mapping out the far-reaching plans that he outlined in his address to the nation. “With 15 000 members SAICE has the capacity to tap into their knowledge, skills and wisdom to move towards a sustainable, resilient and economically viable future,” she says. “As a learned society SAICE is pleased that government has already proactively approached us to support it with the implementation of some of the projects that have been pro- posed, and we will continue to enhance and take that en- gagement forward,” says Vishaal Lutchman, CEO of SAICE. He previously indicated that SAICE’s strong network – supported by its platform SAICE Connect – means the institution can assist the state in recruiting technocrats who are primed to guide infrastructure portfolios to success. “We have made great strides in partnering with the public and private sectors; we have empowered engineers to form connections between entities and this can be leveraged by government,” Lutchman says. With reference to the use of block paving for rural roads, Vanderschuren cautions that although there are advantages to using these materials, the risk of floods, as mentioned by the President, could easily result in a road washing away. “The theft of materials, as we see in the rail sector, among others, could also become an issue.” Furthermore, the lack of maintenance that we see around the country, could result in unusable infrastructure, soon after implementation. SAICE was pleased to hear the President speak about climate change and the Paris Agreement. During the last Conference of Parties, COP26, significant international funding was committed to South Africa, creating the potential to change the energy industry. “However, we must ask what has happened between 2015, when South Africa signed the Paris Agreement, and now. The development of South Africa’s renewable energy industry should already
For more information visit: www.saice.org.za
32 Electricity + Control MARCH 2022
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