Comments on: Zambian Engineers Cry Foul Over Unfavourable Condtions

By: dr dre

dr dre — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:19:36 +0000

Ati nalikwata ACCA, hahahahahaha……..ubukopo ama courses ya 6 months yaba zoona nipa zed

By: Ounce

Ounce — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:09:40 +0000

It really makes my heart bleed,seeing how much effort one has to put in to be admmitted to an engineering faculty,and later on graduate as an engineer.Seeing the gravity,risky and amount of work pressure an engineer contains.To say but the truth,if someone graduates as an engineer,then failure is not part of their vocabularly,collegues you know what am talking about.Iam tempeted to say that the labs and projects at University are far much difficult than projects in industry,in alot of sense ranging from:Maturity,understanding,financing the list is endless.
Talking about partion for our career,this is the more reason why I have taken my precious time to contribute to this SWEET article.We are not demanding respect as some people may say,all we are saying is take keen interest in engineering,then you will appreciate what we do and possibly give us what we deserve.

By: lukundo

lukundo — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:09:16 +0000

Boss thumbs-up for the article. We have all the ideas to invent but no support. We really need to work together in this matter as engineers and technicians.

By: Reveal!

Reveal! — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:48:29 +0000

True people in engineering profession are not rewarded as the case may be in industrialized nations.
In Zambia most rewarded professions are HR,Accountants and lawyers.
In 1982,we went on strike on the mines demanding equal pay for equal work.All technicians and Artisans downed tools.The mine then NCCM and RCM did adjust some wages but the expatriates were getting more after added allowances.Some goes with the Parastatal companies.Engieers in Zambia need to be recognised and considerd for the nation to develop.

By: Real Engine

Real Engine — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:31:18 +0000

saluveya!! oooh, I was wondering. Thnx fo educating me…

By: Fodya

Fodya — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:21:47 +0000

Geo,
But I am told in Zambia, Engineers work as fitters and bricklayers, no offence. If you need designs South African are called in. Ukamba chani iwe

By: Observer

Observer — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:51:33 +0000

Just to add to this topic. The time I lived in Zambia, I noticed Zesco was employing mainly electrical engineers and ignoring other disciplines. Power generation is 80% mechanical engineering. There is also a lot of civil engineering.

The point I am making is that it seems in Zambia certain proffesions want to ‘own’ a company once they establish themselves.

In the mines in ZCCM, it was a similar picture. Only if you are a mining engineer, geologist or metallurgist could you rise to GM or executive.
In other countries you do not find such restrictions and a lot depends upon how you apply yourself as an individual.I know a radio technician who is a power station manager in South Africa.

A good thing about engineers is that you can use them to do other work like accounts, law, HR and other non technical work. You can not use the others in a similar fashion, because a mature man can seldom study engineering in his 40s.

So what I am saying is that there is a serious problem how skills are managed in the country and I do not see any solution soon

By: brasho

brasho — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:48:20 +0000

this is a very sober-minded article that deserves praises. Well written bwana Frustrated Engineer.

I want to add that the President should have a Science and Technology Special Assisstant to cover all science and all instead of Engineering

By: Candidate

Candidate — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:54:39 +0000

Forget about EIZ. EIZ can never comment on matters of national interest especially now that the current President of EIZ is a puppet of Michael Chilufya Sata or is it Satana? He has been given a good job by state house and he can never say anything negative lest he annoys the President. EIZ has for a long time ignored calls for the introduction of a minimun wage for each field of Engineering and level of qualification.

By: zimandola2

zimandola2 — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:10:52 +0000

@ Sango since when did ACCA become a degree? A degree my friend is a degree. ACCA would be called a degree if it were one. I have seen people Who use to be on the bottom of my class in secondary scool go to accounts schools and get their ACCA. There are no such characters in the University and they can never survive the environment. I remember looking at a chart released by TEVETA recently in one of the newspapers in which they showed the eqivalent qualifications of most UK qualifications in zambia. Take a look at that chart or ask for one from TEVETA. You will realise that ACCA is nowhere near any degree. ACCA will never be a degee because it is just one of those programs that people who have failed to make it to any University pursue with the exception of those that pursue it after obtaining a degree just as a medical doctor may go and study some little program about nutrition for HIV patients. You can never call something like that a degree.