THE employment of 34 Cuban engineers by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation has caused an uproar in local engineering circles and now the Democratic Alliance (DA) is posing parliamentary questions over the matter.The estimated cost of employing the Cuban engineers, who arrived in SA on February 17, is about R50m a year. SA has hundreds of unemployed engineers, according to the DA.Earlier this month Water Affairs and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane welcomed the Cubans to SA to work on a number of projects to refurbish crumbling water infrastructure.However, the South African Institute of Civil Engineers has slammed the recruitment of the Cubans, saying local engineers would have applied for the jobs if they had been offered the same incentives as the Cubans in rural communities, national and provincial infrastructure departments and local authorities."The money spent on establishing and accommodating these engineers in SA could possibly be better spent relooking at c...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.