'Send back Cuban engineers'

The SA Institution of Civil Engineering yesterday virulently opposed the Free State government's decision to use Cuban engineers to boost service delivery in the province. It said the Cubans should be "sent back home". The institution's CEO Manglin Pillay said Cuban engineers could not be registered by the Engineering Council of SA."They can also not mentor aspiring registrant graduate engineers in South Africa, according to a law created by the South African government - the Engineering Professions Act 2000," said Pillay.By yesterday, about 38 Cuban engineers had arrived in the country to begin work. Two more are to follow soon.Free State Premier Ace Magashule said the Cubans were highly qualified in civil engineering, hydraulic, structural and mechanical engineering as well as project management.They will mainly be involved in construction of government-subsidised settlements, houses, the provision of water, sewerage and bulk infrastructure basic services supply.Pillay said local engineers were being ignored."Consulting Engineers SA has publicly confirmed that there is currently a 40% under-utilisation of local consulting engineering capacity in South Africa," he said.