16 Apr 2014

Surveyors have been called upon to be professionals and avoid acting outside their code of conduct in order to protect public interest. 

University of Botswana (UB) Head of Department of Civil and Engineering Dr Boipuso Nkhwae explained Tuesday, April 16 at the first ever Botswana Surveys and Mapping Association (BSMA) training workshop that efforts to make the Geometics profession to be the best profession in the country would be doomed if there was no commitment from surveyors themselves.

He told participants that BSMA was in the process of drafting a manual of professional ethics and conduct which would help bring enhance professionalism.

Dr Nkhwae said BSMA aimed for all surveyors to be globally competitive and that this called for regulation of veryone involved in the practice to ensure conformity with global operational standards. He said in this regard, BSMA had identified three key areas that required regulation.

These were fair pricing, quality of service and professional ethics and conduct.  Dr Nkhwae said it was important that surveyors in Botswana should charge reasonably.  He said currently, there were too many variations in the pricing of the same products and services offered by surveyors in Botswana.

He said the re-introduction of survey tariffs was expected to allow customers to choose who to engage based on the quality of service provided and not solely on pricing which was currently the case.

This would force local companies to adopt best practices to lure customers and thus ensure clients receive top notch service. In turn this would restore the credibility and trust that the profession had lost over the years, he said. The two day workshop attracted participants from various institutions that provide land survey and mapping services such as the land boards, mines, water affairs and private surveyors. ENDS