Advancement of Technologists of All Engineering Disciplines
Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists
IPET would like to congratulate Ms Welheminah Nthangeni, IPET President, on her appointment to serve on the Biennial Engineering Symposium Advisory Board.
This is an initiative in which ECSA will partner with a VA for symposiums that serve
to bring South Africa’s engineers, academia, students, government and other leaders of society together,
to shape the global, regional and engineering industry agenda.
Ms Nthangeni has demonstrated that she has the leadership qualities
and the knowledge and understanding of the engineering industry that will stand her in good stead for this important role.
She will serve on the Advisory Committee for four years.
IPET wishes her all the best and trust it will be a both rewarding and productive four years
Welheminah Motene Nthangeni (Pr Tech Eng, AgilePM® Practitioner)
President of IPET 2024/2025
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
She is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as a Professional Engineering Technologist and an AgilePM Practitioner. She serves as a member of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Audit & Review Panel, an Accreditation Team Member, and a Training Academies Task Team Member (2021 –2023), she was a member of the ECSA Registration Committee (2015 – 2016) where she also holds the responsibility of serving as an Assessor, Moderator, and Reviewer, evaluating candidates for registration as Professional Engineering Technicians and Technologists. Her active involvement in professional organisations also includes membership in the Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists (IPET), Construction Adjudication Association of South Africa, and the Project Management Institute (PMI). She is also a Fellow Member of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA).
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
She holds an extensive range of academic qualifications, including:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Future Studies, focusing on Managing New Technologies from the University of Stellenbosch
- Programme in Construction Adjudication from the University of Pretoria
- International Certificate in Construction Health and Safety from NEBOSH
- Masters in Technology Management from the University of Pretoria
- Programme in Project Management from the University of Pretoria
- Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Technology Management from the University of Pretoria.
- Graduated Cum Laude with both a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering and a National Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), formerly known as Peninsula Technikon.
MERIT AWARDS
Throughout her academic career, she has received numerous awards including:
- The Top Student Medal at the BTech level from both the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South African Institute of Chemical Engineers.
- The Best Student Medal across all engineering disciplines from the Institute for Professional Engineering Technologists
- The Dean’s Merit Award from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology for outstanding academic performance.
WORK EXPERIENCE
She worked in the mining sector as a Plant Metallurgist and has over 16 years of experience in the Energy and Water industries where she has successfully managed a variety of medium to large-scale complex infrastructure engineering projects.
She is currently a Programme Manager at Rand Water, overseeing the implementation and management of water-related infrastructure projects.
Her previous roles include:
- Project Engineer at Eskom’s Grootvlei Power Station, and later, Lead Discipline Engineer at Eskom’s Kusile Power Station.
- Plant Metallurgist at Anglo American’s Coal Division – New Vaal Colliery Mine.
- Plant Metallurgist at Anglo American – DeBeers Finsch Mine.
Ron F A Berkers Pr Tech Eng FIPET MSAT
President of IPET 2021 – 2023
IPET would like to thank Ron Berkers for his dedication and service to IPET in his term of service as the President of IPET for the years 2021 to 2023 and especially for extending his commitment to another year after the untimely passing of Johan de Koker. His vision and leadership ensured that IPET ran smoothly during this challenging time of transition.
Our Mission
The Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists is committed to:
Advancement
The advancement of technologists of all engineering disciplines by representing them and promoting matters affecting them on a national and international basis.
Education and Training
Promoting the education and training of engineering technologists through liaison with the relevant educational institutions and employers and the encouragement of professional development.
Recognition
Obtaining due recognition for engineering technologists in all spheres of society and improving public relations for them.
Communication
Encouragement of communication between societies with engineering technologists amongst their members and the Institute by regular liaison, consultation and other suitable means.
Consult with ECSA
Consulting with and providing the Engineering Council of South Aftica with information and advice affecting engineering technologists
Study Legislation
The study of proposed legislation affecting engineering technologists and initiating any necessary action. Strive for a unified engineering profession.
The Professional Engineering Technologist
They are first and foremost persons who are registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), as Professional Technologists (Engineering).
In order to register, the applicant must provide proof of having obtained a qualification at a Technikon in South Afiica and a period of practical experience in industry, acceptable to ECSA. Qualifications obtained elsewhere will also be considered. Acceptance for registration is at the discretion of ECSA.
A senior or equivalent qualification, with acceptable pass marks in mathematics and science, is required for admission to the Technikon courses. These courses:
- render the best possible service to the profession of engineering technologists by promoting their skills and resources,
- provide comprehensive theoretical knowledge, include practical applications of engineering practice and techniques,
- thoroughly prepare the students for the job market by ensuring that they spend adequate time in applying their knowledge to practical work in the engineering field.
Professional Technologists (Engineering) will be required to exercise mature judgement in the workplace and will be expected to have the ability to conceive, identify and optimise solutions to complex engineering problems. Above all, they must be prepared to accept full professional responsibility for their engineering decisions.
In its Constitution and Bylaws, the South African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE) fully recognises the status of the Professional Technologist and no distinction is made between PrEng and PrTech(Eng). The SAACE’s primary requirement for a firm to become and remain a member, is that at least 50% of its principals shall be consulting engineers. The definition of a consulting engineer being a professional engineer or a professional technologist who is registered in terms of the Act, is practising and, as his / her principal occupation, is rendering a professional engineering service to others.
Engineering technologists apply their expertise in any combination of the engineering functions in all branches of engineering. These functions include conceptualising, design, project or construction management, commissioning, measurement and testing, quality assurance, costing and estimating, production, the collection and analysis of data, maintenance, teaching, research and the modification and development of technologies for the solution of complex engineering problems. They may work on their own or can be part of a team.
They may be:
- Consultants in their own right or members of firms of engineering consultants,
- A senior manager in central, provincial or local government, or in private practice,
- A contractor,
- An advisor in a company, practising a high level of technical expertise.
- IPET strives to improve the image and status of engineering technologists of all disciplines and is hard at work to ensure that they get the recognition they so richly deserve.
- IPET has succeeded in getting the National Building Regulations altered so as to authorise professional technologists to sign building plans as competent persons.
- It has provided exclusivity in its membership by allowing only Professional Engineering Technologists as full corporate members of the Institute.
- It has for years been trying to get full recognition for the engineering technologist in the Government Service and it is continuing the battle.
- It is instrumental in the provision of Liability Insurance for its members in private practice.
- IPET assists applicants who have been unsuccessful in obtaining registration as Professional Engineering Technologists in obtaining this sought-after status.
Our History
The Goode Committee instituted by the Government in 1974 to report on the Education, Training and Status of the Engineering Technician in South Africa, published its Report in 1978.
One of its recommendations was that a definite need now existed for the introduction of another member into the engineering team of professional and certificated engineers and engineering technicians. This person was to be known as the engineering technologist. A further recommendation was that societies should be established to look after the interests of technologists and technicians if they did not exist already.
On 5 February 1979, the convening and first meeting of the Interim Committee for Establishing Boards of Control for “Non-Professional Engineers” (ICBOC) took place in Johannesburg under the auspices of the Federation of Societies of Professional Engineers (FSPE). The first Chairman and Secretary was Professor G P R von Willich of the SA Institution of Civil Engineers, and D P du Plooy of the Aeronautical Society of South Aftica, respectively. The members of this Committee were nominated mostly by the various technical societies in existence at that time.
It was instructed to investigate the feasibility of registration under a Board of Control for the above mentioned category of engineers. It took the Committee a little more than two years to find that such a need did exist. In the process, the name of the Committee was changed to the Interim Committee for the Registration of Technologists and Engineers (ICRTE).
The South African Association of Registrable Engineers and Technologists (SAARET) was formed in September 1981 and replaced ICRTE which was disbanded in November of the same year. John Galgut was elected as the first President of the new body.
Apart from the recruitment of members for the Association, its main function at that time was to prepare the documentation for the establishment of the Board of Control for the Registration of Professional Technologists (Engineering). This became possible after the necessary changes to the Professional Engineers’ Act of 1969 were made. SAARET completed this task in 1984 and the Board commenced its operations in 1985 by considering applications for registration as Professional Technologists (Engineering). Guthrie Head was the Chairman of the Board of Control from its inception until dissolution in 1990.
SAARET changed its name to the South African Association of Registrable Engineering Technologists, the acronym remaining as SAARET. With the promulgation of the Engineering Profession of South Africa Act in 1990, the Board of Control was disbanded. The Act combined the Boards of Control for Technologists, Certificated Engineers and Technicians and the SA Council for Professional Engineers into one unifying body viz. the Engineering Council of South Affica (ECSA).
Very soon after the Engineering Profession Act of 1990 became law, SAARET received many requests from its members to meet not only their purely vocational but other needs as well. As a result, SAARET decided that it should also become involved in activities normally associated with those of learned societies.
As a first step, in depth consideration was given to provide a name for this body more in line with the new thinking. At the Annual General Meeting held in August 1994, it was unanimously agreed that the name of SAARET be changed to Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists (IPET)
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