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Sapoa
unhappy with Cuban imports
Business
Day. SA, September 10, 2003.
THE South African Property Owners' Association
(Sapoa) has added its voice to the growing discontent
over the housing department bringing 38 Cuban
architects and engineers to SA to train local
people to build their own homes in townships and
rural areas.
Brian Kirchmann, CEO of Sapoa and manager at
the Property Council of SA, has questioned why
professionals were being brought to SA when the
country already had enough professionals prepared
to do the work.
Kirchmann said young people were leaving university
but could not find work because companies were
finding there was not enough work to go around.
"On what basis does the department deem these
Cubans to be qualified?
And what are their qualifications? "
Malcolm Campbell, president of the Council for
the Architectural Profession, said there was concern
about the department's move, which implied that
the "relevant skills either do not exist
or are in short supply".
"There has been no consultation with us.
However, we can say with confidence that such
skills do exist in this country," Campbell
said.
If skills shortages did exist in this area, he
said, the council would have expected the department
to have identified programmes for appropriate
skills transfer.
"We have not seen any evidence of such programmes."
Campbell said his organisation, which was part
of the public works department, would be making
a representation to the Council For The Built
Environment, requesting that it set up an urgent
meeting with the public works department so there
could be clarity on the issue and to pave the
way for talks with the housing department.
Housing department spokesman Mandla Mathebula
said the department was not "moved by that
criticism. I don't think they understand what
we're trying to achieve."
He said the Cuban architects and engineers, who
arrived last month, were brought to SA to help
the department in its People's Housing Process
project.
Mathebula disagreed with the view that there
were too many unemployed architects in SA. The
Cubans had a similar programme to the department's
in their own country, he said.
"Since last year the number of people building
their own houses in townships and rural areas
has increased dramatically," he said.
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