In its annual media address Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) flagged South Africa’s deepening national infrastructure maintenance crisis as a matter of critical concern. CESA President, Dr Vishal Haripersad, made the point that the current and worsening infrastructure maintenance backlog results from years of underinvestment, reactive asset management and a growing shortage of engineering skills. The country’s infrastructure challenges are no longer abstract policy concerns, he said, but are being felt daily by citizens, businesses and government [as we all know].
Yet, even in this context, he said, South Africa has not lost its engineering capability. “Where expertise is respected, where planning is sound, and where maintenance is prioritised, infrastructure still works. Across the country, there are projects where collaboration between engineers, clients, and communities has delivered reliable services, safer systems, and long-term value. These examples remind us that when engineering judgment is central, outcomes improve. The challenge is to replicate this approach at scale.”
Looking to the renewed planned infrastructure spend of over R1 trillion in the medium term, as indicated by National Treasury, Haripersad said, while this is welcomed, funding alone will not reverse the decline unless longstanding structural issues are addressed and investment materialises into projects delivered – including maintenance alongside new build projects.
CESA will continue to call for credible multi-year project pipelines, accelerated approvals, and enforced timely payments to stabilise workloads and counter persistent cancellations and delays. This will see real infrastructure built on the ground.
Haripersad emphasised: “As a profession. we must reclaim the role of our engineering expertise, and ensure accountability in both the public and private sector space as the foundation of development.”
In his comment upfront in this February 2026 issue of Electricity + Control, Technical Editorial Consultant, Professor Ian Jandrell, also flags maintenance as a fundamental principle of operational management – whether in the country’s infrastructure at national, local or community level, or in industrial plants. He makes the point that maintenance, or the lack of it, sets the tone. It speaks volumes about the intention of the organisation – and the will to get the job done (or not).
Plant maintenance, test + measurement is one of the features in this issue. Here, Annemie Willers of WearCheck questions whether AI – with all its promises for comprehensive diagnostics and predictive maintenance – can fully understand machines. What do you think?
Dennis Williams of AES outlines the factors that companies running on-site boilers within their operations need to consider to manage harmful emissions, in line with legal requirements and ESG expectations.
And Henk Wynjeterp of PRAGMA, Europe, notes that although many OEMs now offer full lifecycle services beyond sales, they often do not have the appropriate systems in place to make this a practical and streamlined benefit for customers. He sets out how this can be done.
Also in the context of maintenance, test + measurement – and considering the severe impacts of climate change induced flooding recently experienced in parts of South Africa – Instrotech shares a Senix application report on the use of its Toughsonic ultrasonic level sensors in the world-leading flood monitoring and warning system set up by the US State of Iowa's Flood Centre (IFC).It has already proven its value in past flooding events.
Turning back to industry, in the feature on Control systems + automation, Adrian van Wyk of Referro outlines the options for strategic upgrades on aging automation systems to help companies pre-empt system obsolescence and win sustainable productivity gains.
Schneider Electric shares the findings of research conducted last year by Omdia, which show how closed industrial automation systems are eroding competitiveness and costing mid-sized organisations a substantial share of their revenue. This clearly points to the benefits of switching to open automation systems.
In Drives, motors + switchgear we share a MechChem Africa report on Africa’s world-class service provider for rotating equipment, South Africa-based Marthinusen & Coutts. And Fanie Steyn of WEG Africa sets out key steps that organisations can take now to maximise the value they gain when transitioning to MEPS-compliant IE3 motors in their plants.
There is always more to learn from out regular columns on Cybersecurity, Reskilling, upskilling + training, Engineering the future, and Write @ the back. Enjoy the read!