CESA calls for engineers to lead infrastructure decisions in Mpumalanga

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) hosted the Young Professionals Leadership Seminar and Mpumalanga Branch Function in Mbombela on June 24. The event brought together young professionals, engineers, industry leaders and government representatives for a day of engagement, learning and collaboration.

The seminar featured insights from professionals and government officials.

The CESA Mpumalanga branch chairperson and managing director of Lubisi Consulting Engineers, Chalmers Pagiwa, emphasised the importance of partnership.

“We must send a clear message to government: We are ready, capable and willing partners in addressing challenges facing the province.”

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Dr Vishal Haripersad, CESA president and MD of Knight Piésold Southern Africa, challenged guests to place engineering expertise at the centre of decision-making.

“If infrastructure challenges are fundamentally technical in nature, then engineers must play a far greater role in decision-making,” he said.

The MEC for the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, Thulasizwe Thomo, acknowledged the contribution of engineering professionals in his keynote address.

“Behind every completed project there is a professional whose contribution is often invisible to the public. Infrastructure is built in the mind of an engineer before it is built on the ground,” he said.

The MEC reaffirmed the value of the consulting engineering profession, stating that CESA is regarded not merely as a professional association, but as a strategic partner and an important policy and infrastructure think tank capable of contributing meaningfully to the development agenda.

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The CEO of CESA, Chris Campbell, provided key industry insights and unpacked future infrastructure developments in the province.