Beware – the Cubans are coming! That’s the clarion call from some of the most important umbrella engineering organisations in South Africa.

By Dhesigen Naidoo

One has to wonder if the response would be the same if the US Army Corps of Engineers made a similar offer of partnership or would we have rolled out the red carpet with lightning speed.

Manglin Pillay, CEO of the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE) pulls no punches – he wants the “Cubans to go home”.

One of the principle reasons he cites is echoed by the president of CESA (Consulting engineers of South Africa), Abe Thela, namely that South Africa’s engineering registration body ECSA (Engineering council of SA) does not recognise Cuban engineering skills and qualifications as Cuba is not a signatory of the Washington, Sydney or Dublin Accords.

The West dictates what is acceptable

While this is true, it is also true that there are protocols to examine and accredit professionals from beyond the Accord signatories.

The reality is that we sometimes forget how deeply entrenched the well propagandised Apartheid era biases continue to be.

Biases that dictate that only the West, in particular the Washington-London Axis, dictates what is acceptable and good.

I recall similar conversations about engagements with India and China not too long ago. Where, in the same vein, serious and somewhat insulting questions were asked about a candidate scientist who had a PhD from Peking University, as to whether it would be good enough for South African standards.

This is the same Peking University that is ranked 41^st in the THES (Times Higher Education Supplement) world university rankings. The highest ranked South African institution by comparison is UCT ranked at 124.

The irony is that it is these very same Western capitals that are beating an enthusiastic path to Beijing, New Delhi and Havana to set up new collaborations and business relationships.

Dhesigen Naidoo is CEO of the Water Research Commission and writes in his personal capacity

@Dhesigen_wrc

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