South Africa stands at a critical juncture in its development. With the government committing to spend R940 billion for infrastructure over the next three years, all of that new building and maintenance work will need not just tender-preneurs but actual professionals, engineers, to bring it to life.While we boast the most industrialized economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, we as #SouthAfrica are a nation facing significant challenges in areas like infrastructure development, service delivery, technological advancement, and sustainable growth. Addressing these complex issues necessitates a robust and thriving engineering sector that can support us. Now, with us only having around 40-65K across engineering and architecture professionals, we are going to need to up these numbers if we are to meet our infrastructure goals.Engineers are insanely important; they are not merely builders of infrastructure; they are the architects of progress; they are problem-solvers who translate scientific principles into tangible solutions that improve the quality of life for all citizens. They bring things to life and make sure those things stay there for long. So in this essay I am going to put before you an argument as to why South Africa urgently needs a significant increase in its engineering capacity, supported by data I've sourced and professional insights, and also dive into a comparative analysis about how South Africa compares with other leading economies when it comes to engineers. Furthermore, we’ll look at why engineering is a particularly crucial field for South Africa's current development trajectory and consider the ambitious possibility of making engineering education free in South African universities.