On Saturday, 25 July, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Pietermaritzburg Branch’s ‘Bridge Building’ competition on its Pietermaritzburg campus. More than 70 high school learners presented their bridge designs for testing and competed for a chance to attend the national leg of the competition.
Learners from Grades 8 to 12 at the 10 high schools, worked in groups of two to five to showcase 24 bridge designs they constructed using dowel sticks, glue and a piece of string, demonstrating creativity, engineering skills and teamwork. At the event, the bridges were loaded to determine the maximum weight they could support before breaking. The competition exposed participants to the application of civil engineering processes that shape people’s daily lives.
Participating schools included PROTEC Pietermaritzburg Academy, Maritzburg College, Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, St Charles College, Alexandra High School, Domino Servite School, Umvuzo Secondary School, Edendale High School, Mpophomeni High School and Raisethorpe Secondary School.
“This is one of our biggest events yet,” said Ms Naadira Patel, Chairperson of the SAICE Pietermaritzburg Branch. She thanked Mr Adam Abdullah and Ms Nontobeko Ngubane from the branch for their work, and UKZN for hosting the event.
Dr Sulaiman Patel, a lecturer in the School of Engineering, introduced each of the Engineering fields offered at UKZN, including Agricultural, Chemical, Civil, Electronic, Electrical, Computer, and Mechanical Engineering.
“When engineers do their jobs effectively and properly, we change the country, and we change communities, and we change the world, and Africa and South Africa really need good engineers to build a more sustainable and more efficient future,” he said.
Ms Patel explained the difference between consulting and contracting engineers and noted that engineers could pursue an academic career.
UKZN School Liaison Officer Mr Msizi Dimba introduced UKZN as one of South Africa’s top six universities, and spoke about its campuses, diverse programmes, top research, and entrance requirements.
Ms Mandisa Sibiya from Stefanutti Stocks shared insights into her background and day-to-day work as a contracting engineer. She praised the learners for the thought that went into their bridge designs and their efficient use of available resources.
“I see future engineers who already understand that engineering is not only about design, but about decisions and working as a team,” said Sibiya.
She encouraged them to challenge themselves, explore their potential career paths and participate in programmes such as the bridge-building competition.
Maritzburg College took third place with a bridge that supported 103,8kg. Two teams from Domino Servite School took the top two positions, with the second-placed bridge supporting 168kg and the winning bridge supporting 185kg. The winning team was also the first all-female team to take the competition’s top prize.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photographs: Tisetso Nhlapo
