Women missing from the top ranks of SA engineering

Tshidi Mndzebele, award-winning engineer and CEO of AvenirHoldings

WOMEN remain significantly underrepresented in South Africa’s engineering sector, making up only 16% of registered engineering professionals, according to industry figures cited by award-winning engineer and AvenirHoldings CEO Tshidi Mndzebele.

Mndzebele is calling for more women engineering graduates and practitioners to formally register as professionals through the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), saying registration is critical for career growth, leadership opportunities and industry recognition.

ECSA, which operates under the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), is responsible for regulating engineering professionals in South Africa. Other built-environment professionals, such as project managers and quantity surveyors, may register through different statutory councils under the CBE umbrella.

“Professional registration is not just a title, it is recognition of your expertise, your experience, and your ability to lead within the industry,” said Mndzebele.