Town engineers in South Africa before 1910, with reference to water supply
Abstract
This article looks at the town engineers in South Africa prior to Union in 1910. It briefly
examines the growth in the number of municipalities and town engineers in the country
in this period and investigates the background and training of these engineers; why
municipalities decided to appoint an engineer; and what kind of appointment processes
were followed. Finally the relations between engineers and town councils and the
prevailing circumstances at the end of the engineers’ tenures is studied. The article also
presents ten specific cases which have reference to the development of water supply. It
emerges that most early town engineers received training via apprenticeship for the
positions they held, and that there was added pressure from elected councillors in
municipalities who were prone to monitor assiduously how officials were spending public
money. It is also clear that engineers who did not have earlier municipal experience were
bound to have problems in their interaction with town councillors.