This article was written by Dr Msizi Myeza, CEO of the Council for the Built Environment.
On 14 November 2024, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure ,Honourable Dean Macpherson said when addressing members of the National Assembly:
“Another key contributor to delays has been the lack of enforceable oversight standards within our regulatory framework. We are addressing this by empowering the Council for the Built Environment, or CBE, to set mandatory standards across the sector. Legislation will require registration for all practitioners in the built environment.
We believe this measure will ensure that only qualified, accountable professionals are entrusted with our nation’s infrastructure projects. This is not merely a bureaucratic requirement; it is a safeguard for public funds and a commitment to quality.”
Again, on 1 April 2025, Minister Macpherson, when delivering his keynote address at the Public Works and Infrastructure Summit, said:
“To improve our infrastructure delivery, the CBE, has a major role to play. CBE, under the leadership of Dr. Msizi Myeza, who has organized today’s important gathering, has proven itself more than capable of helping professionalize the industry to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
One of the key areas the CBE can help to improve the state’s functioning is with the Infrastructure Audit Programme, which we are launching today. The Infrastructure Audit Programme represents a game-changer for the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure to ensure that there is always compliance and optimal resource utilization. Over the years, the state has become overly reliant on external consultants. Many government agencies depend heavily on external expertise, which has led to high costs and inefficiencies.”
From the aforementioned, one can observe that there is no silver bullet in addressing the infrastructure delivery challenges, transformation challenges, as well as the ethical dilemmas facing the built environment sector. It requires a deliberate, coherent approach, systematic interventions, and is a long-term investment. We have started implementing our strategy, and the results are beginning to show across various state organs.
We as the CBE strongly believe that the built environment sector must be inclusive, diverse, accessible, representative of South Africa’s demographics, professionalised, and ethical. Anything short of this will be a diversion and breach of the Supreme Law of the Republic – our Constitution.
However, we also accept that for any South African to gain access to the profession, they must at least be academically trained and qualified; demonstrate work experience acquired post-schooling years under the supervision of a registered person; and competently assessed and issued with a Professional Registration Number, which is a license to practice from the regulatory body under the CBE.
In addition, in appreciating South Africa’s unique history, the regulatory bodies also administer the recognition of prior learning certification for individuals who can demonstrate competence and experience.
Insisting on the entry requirements into the built environment should not be construed as a barrier but as a measure to ensure the protection of the public, public infrastructure, and state resources.
This is primarily because since the dawn of democracy, the South African government has ensured that doors of learning and training are accessible to all, and all South Africans are afforded an equal opportunity and supported financially through NSFAS (the National Student Financial Aid Scheme) and other financial instruments to pursue the careers of their choice, including those in the built environment profession.
The CBE comprehends the nature of the problem in terms of numbers, demographic profile, and gender participation of various sectors of society. In response, we have developed the “Professionalisation of the Built Environment and Capacity Building Strategy of the Public Sector,” which is framed around 12 implementable interventions.
These interventions include: Establishing a Built Environment National Logbook and strengthening systems in relation to the demand and supply within the built environment; Tailor-made compulsory programme for non-registered built environment persons in the public sector; Aggressively implement Skills Development; Transformation Collaborative Forums and Expanding the Footprint of the Built Environment Programme; Transformation Sector Charter Codes for the Built Environment; Fighting corruption and building of an ethical sector; Government-wide capacity development, design, and project management; the establishment of the Skills Academy/ College; Repositioning and professionalising the DPWI as South Africa’s Project Management Office; Adopting new technologies and methodologies in the context of Climate Change.
Technical State Capacity; and Professionalisation of the Asset Management and social facilitators to support the built environment programmes. The strategy was endorsed by Public Works and Infrastructure MinMEC for implementation. These interventions cut across the work that the CBE does in collaboration with its nine professional councils, support to government departments in terms of capacity building programs, partnerships with other government entities, local government, MISA (Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency), SALGA (South African Local Government Association), the private sector, sector education and training authorities (SETAs), TVET institutions, voluntary councils, as well as academic institutions offering built environment training programmes.
We accept that the transformation challenges facing the built environment sector must be seen as a long-term investment, with deliberate and systematic interventions. Mentorship and structured programmes involve industry players because we believe in the principle to transfer skills and knowledge, the same person must have been through the same process – put simply, you cannot teach what you do not know or what you have not been taught. At a minimum, for you to teach, you must demonstrate a level of competence on the subject matter.
The transformation and professionalisation of the built environment has started; it is moving like a tsunami, and as the CBE, we will not be deterred. This is because we have also learned from other professions, such as SAICA (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants), a voluntary association that promotes the accounting profession. Through various deliberate measures and proper funding of its programmes, in the last decade or so, SAICA has been able to increase the number of black chartered accountants.
We will not fail the young people of this country who have chosen a career in the built environment, but importantly, we will not fail South Africans who expect better from the built environment professionals. We make this commitment because we are fully aware that ours is not just about the bricks and mortar, but it is about the dreams and aspirations of many who call South Africa home.
Therefore, we are duty-bound to do what is right, to develop resilient infrastructure and create sustainable, liveable, and resilient villages, towns, and cities.