Plumbing Africa July 2017 | Page 45

PERSONALITY PROFILE 43 Quality standards mean everything By Dineo Phoshoko When Wynand Deysel was 15 years old, he did plumbing work for a neighbour during the school holidays in exchange for hands-on experience. From this early age, Deysel was learning how to do plumbing on houses from the ground up and he has never stopped since. “Plumbing was something that interested me from a very young age; I was always curious about pipes and valves and how everything works together. Only at a later stage in my life did the fluid dynamics pique my interest,” he says. The 29-year-old from Centurion values hard work and ethics, and has been in the plumbing industry for nine years. Deysel acknowledges how challenging the plumbing industry can be, especially for someone who has just completed his or her schooling. “Right after I finished school, I worked for a plumbing company with no morals or ethics. The only thing that mattered to them was money. All the apprentices who worked for the company learned the hard way that time is money; we were all overworked and underpaid.” He also mentions the lack of support he experienced in terms of training and mentorship. Seeing no prospects where he worked, Deysel decided to leave the plumbing company to go and start his own. Today, Deysel proudly owns Alldays Plumbing and Maintenance Solutions. Plumbing was always high on Deysel’s list for a career choice, despite the many stereotypes around the profession. “One of the major misconceptions is that being a plumber is easy and everyone who does it is too lazy to get a job. Being a plumber today is not an easy job; it’s physically and mentally demanding and yes, it is a real job,” he says. He also adds that the state of plumbing could be improved, especially concerning the training of plumbers, to enable them to do their work properly. He also feels strongly about the fact that unqualified plumbers should not be allowed to do any plumbing. “The most difficult thing about being a plumber is to keep your client happy and complying with all the regulations that we must adhere to.” Although it is hard, Deysel and his company seem to be on the right track after he received a call to do a job at a big company. Later Deysel found out that he got the job after a referral from the CEO of the company, for whom he had unknowingly done plumbing work. “He was more than happy with the level of service he received,” he says. Wynand Deysel, owner and plumber at Alldays Plumbing and Maintenance Solutions. Looking ahead, Deysel explains that he hopes to grow his company and employ ‘decent hard-working people who want success in their lives’. He emphasises the importance of hard work, explaining that it always pays off in the end. “Always do your work to the highest standard possible. If you can walk away from a job and say to yourself that no one could have done the job better, then you know the job was done right.” PA The Personality Profile is sponsored by Geberit www.plumbingafrica.co.za July 2017 Volume 23 I Number 5