PERSONALITY PROFILE
53
gap between the poor and the wealthy. The only means
of doing this I have is to educate people in things beyond
what they learn at school,” Dell stated.
PONDERING LIFE AFTER WORK
Outside of work, Dell still enjoys football, even though he
doesn’t play anymore. He also enjoys the more spiritual side
of life now being a “bit older” and spends time meditating and
thinking about the greater meanings in life. He believes that
to live a pure and a clean life, caring for people and helping
people to make the right choices is our purpose. “I like to
question things like why there is religion, why do different
faiths argue who is right or wrong, and so on,” he said.
Another big passion of his is politics: knowing what is
going on in current affairs, what is happening in the
country, and what the country’s leaders are doing or
saying that will affect the average person on the street.
CHANGING THE PLUMBING INDUSTRY
Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to plumbing
that it is a lower class of trade, especially in South Africa.
The rest of the world sees plumbers as highly skilled
and highly respected, but our history called for labour-
intensive industries to be driven by the masses, who are
in reality uneducated, and therefore “cheaper”.
“That sentiment still follows through today, so if you are
a plumber, electrician, or any tradesman, the assumption
His objective since he left school 10 years ago, has been
to teach people. Many refer to him as ‘the teacher’,
having offloaded all his knowledge. Considering the
figures, Dell has taught hundreds of people the modern
plumbing specifics of the 21st century. Some have
even gone and started their own businesses or are still
working for the company but, “they have all progressed
and are better off from where they were; they have been
uplifted both from an educational and financial point of
view,” Dell proudly shared.
is you didn’t finish school and are not intelligent
enough to run a business. When I go and meet
with new people and tell them I’m a plumber,
their immediate thought is that I get into my
bakkie and go and do my work with my pants
falling down with a plumber’s crack. This is one
major thing I would change if I could for this
space, and trade in general for that matter,” Dell
stressed. Blake Dell (left) and his father
Michael Dell have used each
other’s strengths to build up the
Dells Plumbing Group business
into a highly successful operation.
ADVICE FROM THE SIDELINE
“No one is going to do things for you; no matter
what your situation, your circumstances, or
wherever you are in life — you need to just take
the necessary steps yourself. There are only a
few rules to this: yes, it’s hard work; you will likely
get done in by someone; but that is just the luck
of your draw and you need to move on. You must
always be honest, loyal, work hard, and follow
through on your word and you will succeed. When
others see your values, doors will open and you will
only experience the rewards,” Dell concluded. PA “I think humans have
already inhabited
other planets and
they messed those
up and then somehow
we landed up here on
Earth, and now we
are doing the same
thing here — trashing
this planet, too.”
DO YOU THINK HUMANS
WILL EVER INHABIT
ANOTHER PLANET?
- Blake Dell
The Personality Profile is sponsored by Geberit
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
April 2019 Volume 25 I Number 2