Built environment regulator the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) has warned that it is illegal for a non-registered person to administer and lead infrastructure projects in South Africa, and that such practices have led to many a government department and State-owned entity incurring financial losses.

The CBE explains that the illegal administration and leading of projects by non-registered people is one of the most significant challenges confronting the built environment.

Candidates often misrepresent their credentials or register with professional bodies but as soon as they are appointed, they discontinue their affiliation and deactivate their memberships, the council notes, adding that the lack of professional affiliation results in huge financial losses for the State when these individuals cannot be held responsible for their professional conduct.

Additionally, the quality of professional teams has decreased with time, resulting in several design errors, project overruns, unjustifiable deviations, and poor project scoping.

The CBE, as a statutory body, is actively advocating, together with professional councils and recognised voluntary associations, for administration and work on infrastructure projects to be the exclusive domain of registered persons.

For example, the CBE is collaborating with the National School of Government to offer a compulsory programme for non-registered persons to be implemented across all three spheres of government and in the private sector.

This programme will render it illegal for a non-registered person to administer and lead infrastructure projects across the three spheres of government, as well as the private sector. This will be augmented by accompanying legislation through the Built Environment Transformation Charter and Sector Codes, which are currently being developed for public consultation by the sector.