SA Institute of Civil Engineering CEO agrees to leave over ‘sexist’ column

The CEO of the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE)‚ Manglin Pillay‚ has resigned from his position with immediate effect.

SAICE president Errol Kerst made the announcement in a statement issued on Thursday.

Pillay has come under fire for a column‚ “Out on a rib”‚ in which he insinuated it was not a good idea to invest in female engineers. In his piece Pillay claimed that research showed women to be “predisposed” to caring and people-oriented careers.

He wrote that “most women” at a certain age “prefer to work part-time or dedicate themselves completely to child rearing or pursuing other meaningful exploits related to caring”‚ the Sunday Times reported.

In the statement issued on Thursday‚ Kerst said the executive board had spent “many hours contemplating the matter”. However‚ he said SAICE was determined that due process was followed.

“Manglin Pillay and the executive board of SAICE have agreed to part ways. Manglin’s tenure as CEO has thus been terminated with immediate effect‚” said Kerst.