FACE TO FACE
CIVILUTION AND THUMA MINA – THE ENGINEER’ S REVOLUTION
By Manglin Pillay
For success in the built environment sector, we need to mass-mobilise the South African engineering community and, in strategic fashion, restore the value of engineers and engineering in the development of an economy. www. sain. com
Since 2012, following the SONA addresses, government has adopted an infrastructure development strategy for the overall socio-economic development of South Africa, spending on average 7.5 % GDP on infrastructure development, which is more than our BRICS friends spend in any year.
Cyril Ramaphosa believes that infrastructure investment is critical in our government’ s efforts to grow the economy, create jobs, empower small businesses, and provide services to our people. He also assured that he intends to assemble a team to speed up implementation of new projects, particularly water projects, health facilities, and road maintenance. Government expenditure on infrastructure for the 2018 / 19 year is some R140-billion; R40-billion of which is to be spent on municipal infrastructure.
In years to come, when our engineering descendants look back to today, they will recognise that it was a trying time
12
JUNE 2018