Construction World August 2018

Onke Ngacu HEADS INDUSTRY BODY Onke Ngacu, a Technologist at engineering and architecture company GIBB, has been appointed Chairperson of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering for the Amathole (East London) region – the first black woman to hold the position.

N gacu, who works in GIBB’s Water sector at the East London office, said she was honoured to be given the responsibility, but also aware that there was much work to do. Ngacu has committed herself to upholding the SAICE mission of advancing professional knowledge and improving the practice of civil engineering. The organisation does this by holding regular talks, facilitating training and skills upgrades for its 315 local mem- bers and through events for school learners to encourage them to study engineering. Of the engineering industry as a whole, Ngacu said there was still a need to change the legacy culture so that the field becomes more accepting of women in a cultural and a practical sense. “It is exhausting for women to have to constantly prove themselves,” she said. She said another industry challenge was a lack of structures to absorb new engineering graduates into the workforce. “We need to be more open to employing black diploma and B.Tech graduates, and to make sure they have clear career paths through to eventually registering with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).” Another priority is being part of the Walter Sisulu University advisory board, to ensure the institution’s engineering faculty retains its ECSA accreditation. “WSU is a rich source of black engineers for our industry in the Eastern Cape,” she said. “It is important for the university to remain accredited and to build recognition for itself.” Despite these industry challenges, Ngacu said there has been progress and that working at GIBB – a black-owned company – is deeply fulfilling. “Over my 11 years at the company, I’ve had the hon- our of seeing projects right through from inception to close-out, and felt the satisfaction of seeing clean potable water emerge from a tap after working on a water project for years.” She said the SAICE role was rewarding in that it gave her a chance to be hands-on in developing her industry. “At our recent schools’ Water and Bridge Building competition, it was amazing to see how grateful students were to be able to learn and participate.”

She said that having inspirational teachers when she was at school in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, had laid the foundation for her engineering career. She looked forward to doing the same for the next generation, mentoring more young black women to become engineers and to seeing her industry growing as a dynamic, diverse sector serving South Africa’s needs. To women looking to succeed in engineering, she had one mes- sage: “Don’t wish for it. Work.”  About GIBB GIBB is one of South Africa’s leading black-owned multi-disciplinary engi- neering and architecture company with a solid footprint on the continent. With a legacy that spans over 60 years, the company is a wholly owned South African entity with a 67% black ownership. The company offers design, planning and management services across the entire engineering and architecture spectrum. GIBB is a partner of choice for the private sector, state owned enter- prises and governments who seek knowledgeable talent, with proven experience and the expertise to respond to the numerous infrastructure demands and needs of the continent. GIBB is a Level 2 BBBEE company. The audit was performed by AVS (Acuity Verification Services), a SANAS accredited verification agency as per the dictates of the B-BBEE policy.

Wages and conditions of employment agreement concluded The Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI) announced the signing between all parties in the civil engineering sector of a three-year settlement agreement with respect to wages and conditions of employment. The settlement will come into force from promulgation by the Minister of Labour later this year. employees by the Building Construction and Allied Workers Union (BACWU) and National Union of Mine Workers (NUM). The parties agreed to a 7,5% wage increase across the board for the first and second year. The increase for the third year will be 7,5% or CPI , whichever is the greater. Negotiations began in the last week of March 2018, and what is significant is that during negotiations real industry issues were dealt with.

The negotiations were characterised by a deep understanding by all parties of the pressure under which the civil engineering sector has been operating for the last few years. The employers were represented by South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) and Consolidated Employers’ Organisation (CEO) and the

The BCCEI is a sector specific bargaining council created in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA), and it responsible for over- seeing the funds and benefits administration, compliance, enforce- ment and exemption of the various Collective Agreements concluded within the BCCEI. 

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2018