PRACTICES 19
Philani
Philani of Gaabai Holdings .
different sites at the present moment , one of which is on hold for now . Slowly but surely , I ’ ve been growing my business and I hope to keep expanding to be able to provide the services which people need , especially in underprivileged communities where people need it most .
David : What has kept your interest in plumbing ?
Philani : Well , that ’ s the interesting part for me . I would have to say something which has kept me interested is the involvement of PIRB and IOPSA , and why I say that is because since I registered about 5 years ago it has given me a sense of certainty in my capabilities . IOPSA makes it easy for us with the training they provide us , by teaching us safe practices in order to protect people ’ s families from diseases , as well as the leadership they provide to us here in KZN in particular . I want to mention Steve Brown , Mahen , and Ralph Scott . These fine men put in a lot of time and effort to pass on their knowledge to me . They ’ ve done a lot to guide us and keep the plumbing industry on the right track . As we are currently facing issues of non-compliance with materials and individuals in the industry it makes things very challenging for everyone . It ’ s difficult to describe but when you get to a site and there has been work done which is incorrect then it puts you in a position where you first have to fix their mistakes before you can begin to work on the system .
Another thing I would like to mention is the solar geyser and heat pump training which they provided . It goes a long way in giving a person the right tools to do things the right way . Not only does it help the environment , but it also diversifies the offering your business can provide for a given client . Aside from normal domestic water supply and drainage , we are now embracing renewable energy sources so it ’ s wise to have the certification to work on these two types of systems as a plumber .
David : Very wise indeed with the current energy crisis . What has been one of your favourite projects to work on ?
Philani : We had to complete a project , a four-storey building , which had a very short time frame with a lot of work to be done . That was a project which taught me to be strategic and plan for every stage of the plumbing process . This was my first time working with HDPE pipe and I have to say I was very impressed . Once the project was completed , I am proud to say that all the plumbing work done was hugely successful and is still working to this day . PA
“ Having memberships with these official bodies gives me great confidence in my work as a plumber .”
August 2023 Volume 29 I Number 6