Our History

Our History

Between 1904 and 1968 advocacy and stakeholder engagements to secure the approval of the Registration Bill were conducted with various key stakeholders such Government and other engineering bodies including, amongst other, the South Africa Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) , the South Africa Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE), the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of Society of South Africa (CMMSAA) and the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering ( SAIMechE)
On 14 February 1969, the Professional Engineers Act 1968 (Act 81 of 1968) came into effect and the first Council meeting of the South African Council for Professional Engineers (SARPI) took place on that day. During that meeting the first President and Vice President of the South African Council for Professional Engineers (SACPE) were elected.
The Engineering Disciplines

The PEAct as amended provided for the registration of graduate engineers as engineers-in training and professional engineers in the following nine disciplines

Aeronautical
Agricultural
Chemical
Civil
Electrical
Industrial
Mechanical
Metallurgical
Mining

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Since the 1880`s efforts were being made to achieve statutory recognition of individual engineers through the legislative structures and Transvaal Colonies, the Zuid- Afrikaans  Republiek and later Union of South Africa.

Registered Professional Engineers were entitled to wite Pr Eng or Pr Ing behind their names. The Minister presented the President of SACPE and four others, certificates of registration as professional Engineers. Registration commenced henceforth.
Boards of Control
The Boards of Control for Engineering Technicians, Professional Technologists and Certificated Engineers were established between 1983-1991 and continued to register other engineering categories other than professional engineers, this was provided for in the amended Act of 1979.
The SACPE as well as the three Board of Control operated autonomously until April 1991.
A Unified Engineering Profession
Soon after, it became apparent that the four categories of registration had much in common and that unification under one umbrella should be pursued.

In 1990, the Engineering Profession of South Africa Act, 1990 (Act No 114 of 1990) “EPSAAct” established the Engineering Council of South Africa as the single body serving all four categories of engineering practitioners and to consolidate the professional registration of Certificated Engineers, Engineers, Engineering Technicians and Engineering Technologies.

The Engineering Council of South Africa
In 1991, ECSA replaced SACPE in terms of the Engineering Profession of South Africa Act to consolidate the professional registration of Certificated Engineers, Engineering, Engineering Technicians and Engineering Technologists
In 2000, Parliament promulgated the suite of seven acts for the establishment of the six built environment professional councils. The Engineering Council of South Africa was then established in terms of the Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act No. 46 of 2000)
In 2001, ECSA became part of the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) together with five the Councils for the seven professions in the Built Environment, i.e Architecture, Construction Management, Construction Project Management, Engineering, Landscape, Architecture, Property Valuation and Quantity Surveying.
Past Presidents of SACPE & ECSA
1969- 1981: SACPE

Dr M R Gericke Pr Eng

1981- 1985 : SACPE

Prof D W de Vos Pr Eng

1985- 1991 SACPE

Mr LR Robinson Pr Eng

1991-1993- ECSA

Dr R S Loubser Pr Eng

1993-2005 – ECSA

Mr R A Pullen Pr Eng

2005-2007 - ECSA

Mr R A Pullen Pr Eng

2007-2009 - ECSA

Mr S E Madonsela Pr Eng

2009- 2012 - ECSA

Mr T T Goba Pr Eng

2012- 2020 - ECSA

Mr C V Gamede Pr Eng

2020- 2021 - ECSA

Mr M L Lebea Pr Eng

2021- 2025 - ECSA

Ms SRM Buthelezi Pr Eng