INDUSTRY MATTERS
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the industry could offer, Buyiswa spent the year recovering
from the stroke.
In 2018 she was awarded Iopsa’s Industry Lady of
the Year award. “This came as a huge surprise, and
the recognition from my industry was one of the best
moments of my life. That same year, Iopsa asked all
the regions who would like to join the transformation
committee and I volunteered. I became the chairperson
of that committee,” she adds. Mooi also become a
compliance auditor, something she says she had wanted,
ever since she found out about the inspectorate.
Mooi was the Master of Ceremonies at the Iopsa 2019
awards evening, as well as winning the Industry Lady of
the Year for the second year in a row. “My awards mean a
lot to both myself and my mother. Having your contribution
recognised by your peers is an amazing experience. For
it to happen twice has made me want to give back more,
and hopefully inspire ladies that are in the Industry to get
involved and make their voices heard.
Reflections on a burgeoning career
“As a business owner and being a woman in a male-
dominated industry I have always found my gender as
a positive factor. This is because as women, we are
more inclined to see the minor details in comparison to
the guys who mostly see the bigger picture. I love what
I do. I believe if you don’t go into an industry with a
deep-seated passion for your chosen profession you are
wasting your time.
“I participate in the various portfolios because I believe
that if you want to change anything you have to make your
voice heard. Become part of the solution. It’s easy to talk
from the sidelines but you have no real voice.
“The hardest part of running a business is trying to
convince potential clients and your peers that you are here
because you want to be and are serious about what you do.
Every time I tell someone I am a plumber they laugh – until
they realise I’m serious. I get that’s is ‘surprising’, but I
hope that in the future it’s not such a surprise,” says Mooi.
“The women I have always looked up to are my
Amazonians; my aunt Nokwanda Mahlati; as well as more
generally British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Queen
Elizabeth I, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams , Doreen
Morris and Estée Lauder,” concludes Mooi. PA
August 2019 Volume 25 I Number 6
She lists Steve Brown, Adriaan Myburgh and Brendan
Reynolds as having been instrumental in her progression as
a plumber. “I value their mentorship and support,” she says.
Lorraine Mooi, co-founder of Just Plumbing Girls.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za