WOMAN IN PLUMBING
SA Women Plumbing Apprentices share their thoughts . ( Part 5 )
Edited by David Smith . Sourced by SA Women in Plumbing ( SAWIP )
Continuing our series on Women in Plumbing , at the request of SAWIP , we are chatting to apprentice plumber Siyathemba Nomfundo . As Plumbing Africa has consistently maintained , we do not wait for Women ’ s Month but recognise women monthly / all the time .
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1 . What is the best part of being an apprentice plumber ? I started my plumbing apprenticeship knowing nothing about plumbing except that it is about connecting water pipes and I didn ' t even know how to measure , cut , and assemble those water pipes .
But being an apprentice I can proudly say I have learnt a lot about plumbing , though I can ' t say I know all about it so being an apprentice has helped me know what is plumbing and how other plumbing tasks are done from health and safety , hand tools and also some power tools .
2 . What is the worst part of being an apprentice plumber ? The worst part of being an apprentice is that many people still see plumbing as a male dominant job , in that case they undermine my ability to do work that needs to be done like they can do it .
Many people believe that there is no woman that can dig a trench , chase the wall using a chisel and a four-pound hammer , or even using grinders or jerking hammer , so they always mock me . Others always offer help when it ' s not really necessary to me . I also get challenges even in the community with people asking me why I chose to do plumbing , do I like sh * t that much , etc . Well , I don ' t get offended by those questions because I know they lack knowledge about plumbing so I really don ' t mind them .
3 . How are you managing the worst part ? I had to be brave enough and resume my confidence in order for me to address them ( especially those who were on the same working site as me ). That there is no more work for men only – we can all do the work as long we are trained for it .
4 . What do you believe is plumbing all about ? I believe that plumbing is all about hygiene .
5 . What will you contribute to plumbing when you qualify ? When I am qualified I would like to open a plumbing institute that
Siyathemba Nomfundo , apprentice plumber .
will have many ladies , reason being I want to see more ladies in the plumbing industry and I want them to know that they are capable of working as plumbers .
6 . Who is your employer ? My employer is Skhokho Plumbing and Services .
7 . Are you a team player ? Yes I am a very easy person to work with ; I am humble person , I know my role , I always ask if there is something we are doing as a team that I don ' t understand , I take criticism very seriously because it helps me with not repeating the same faults when working , I am flexible and I am committed to my work . PA
Siyathemba Nomfundo
August 2022 Volume 28 I Number 6 www . plumbingafrica . co . za