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Strategic

Communications

This year will be remembered as one of those years where CESA continued to raise pertinent issues in the
public domain in the quest to highlight in some instances frustrations and challenges experienced by our
member firms in the execution of their duties. CESA came up strongly calling for investigation on the abuse of
Section 32.

We have received positive mileage in terms of media coverage pertaining to the issues that we proactively
raised or as a result of a statement made in the public domain. Going forward, CESA will remain vigilant in
raising those issues that affect our members in a way that we create a partnership with Government, working
together in moving South Africa forward but also ensuring that we create quality world class infrastructure that
stands the test of time, and in turn improving the quality of life of the people in our country:

Presidential Media Breakfast

CESA’s President, Abe Thela, presented his presidential message under the theme: ‘Sustaining Consulting
Engineering is Key to Growing the Economy’. He stated that the National Development Plan (NDP)
was created in order to develop the South African economy. Government through the NDP has identified
infrastructure development as key to the socio economic development of the country. Thela believes that the
NDP and its objectives will never come to fruition unless there is involvement of consulting engineers
at the forefront of this development. Consulting Engineering, although a relatively small sector,
has a large multiplier effect on the development of infrastructure as consulting engineers are
the designers that create the large scale infrastructure projects that employ large numbers of
people during the construction, operation and maintenance phases of infrastructure.

CESA Annual Review 2013 / 2014 Advisor
Consulting Engineers not a commodity but Trusted

Consulting engineering services are neither a commodity nor contracting. CESA
President Abe Thela said that consulting engineers provide independent advice
to clients, offer technical advice in the procurement of contractors as well as
design and supervision of construction work. This role can only be played by
a ‘trusted advisor’. In clarifying his point, he pointed out that a commodity

DENNIS NDABA
agricultural product that can be bought or sold, such as copper or coffee.

10 is a useful thing, an article of trade, a product, a raw material, primary Manager: Strategic Communications