Parliament, Thursday, 28 March 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure released the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and its President, Ms Refilwe Buthelezi, from its meeting yesterday without the engagement the committee planned to have with the entity on various issues, including a report by the full ECSA Board on matters of governance, compliance and transformation.
The committee was shocked by Ms Buthelezi’s refusal to introduce the Board delegation to the committee in the meeting. Instead of introducing the board herself, Ms Buthelezi said that introductions would be made by a departmental official, a move the committee described as demonstrating the highest level of disrespect and arrogance. The ECSA delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms Bernice Swarts.
In welcoming the delegation, the committee Chairperson, Ms Nolitha Ntobongwana, said yesterday’s meeting with the ECSA and the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) followed an earlier meeting on 27 February 2024 that had been postponed after Ms Buthelezi informed the committee by email about her unavailability for the planned meeting a few minutes before the meeting started.
Ms Ntobongwana listed a litany of wrongs at ECSA, including the irregular suspension of Board members, the suspension of the Chief Financial Officer and reported abuse of members of the Board. Other wrongs included a letter that the committee received from ECSA’s Chief Executive Officer, instructed by the ECSA President, demanding, among other things, that the committee disclose its sources of information on what is going on at ECSA, threatening and intimidating emails from the ECSA President, and that the committee is denied access to the information it requires on the grounds of confidentiality.
Ms Ntobongwana said the ECSA, including its Board, is riddled with serious challenges and is in a “shambles”. “We hear that there is a lack of engineers in South Africa. Given the poor state in which ECSA is in, that is unbelievable. The only thing we can say is that there is a lot of rot in ECSA,” she said.
The Deputy Minister told the committee that the Minister of the department convened a meeting with the Board a few weeks ago where, among other things, the issue of corporate governance was discussed and the roles of the Minister and the Board were clarified. According to the Deputy Minister, the Minister told the Board that all its members should attend the committee meeting when the committee invites them.
The committee recommended that there should be consequences for the humiliation, arrogance and disrespect it experienced from the ECSA, particularly its President. There should be an investigation into ECSA and the entity’s council should be dissolved before the beginning of the seventh Parliament. In addition, Ms Buthelezi should not be appointed to serve further at any public entity. The committee adopted its legacy report, which included recommendations on the ECSA.
In thanking the committee for its work in the sixth Parliament, Ms Ntobongwana said the committee remained united behind its constitutional mandate, which had guided its work throughout the sixth term. Members of the committee also thanked Ms Ntobongwana for her impartial leadership.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC WORKS AND IFRASTRUCTURE, MS NOLITHA NTOBONGWANA.
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Name: Mava Lukani (Mr)
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Email: mlukani@parliament.gov.za
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