44
PERSONALITY PROFILE
Rugby player turned plumber
Changing careers is no easy task, more so if one’s chosen career does
not work out. Pieter van Rooyen had to change careers and fortunately
for him, his interest in plumbing helped him become successful.
By Dineo Phoshoko
Pieter van Rooyen,
technical manager at
Plumbing Connection.
I earned
respect
through
hard
work and
providing
a quality
service.
Initially, Pieter van Rooyen wanted to become a
professional rugby player. Unfortunately, it was not
possible due to injuries and circumstances beyond his
control. “I then put everything I could into becoming
a qualified plumber,” he said. He started out as a
driver for a plumbing company. “The local rugby club I
played for organised me a job as a driver at a plumbing
company, to enable me to stay in town and represent
the club. My initial responsibility was just to drive the
plumbing team around from one job to the next.” spending most of his free time with family. “I enjoy fishing,
playing golf, and spending time with friends.” He believes
that there are many misconceptions about plumbing,
particularly people’s understanding of what a plumber does
and the amount of work that goes into a plumbing project.
As the technical manager at Plumbing Connection, Van
Rooyen is responsible for all site-related matters, including
overseeing plumbers and apprentices. “I do planning and
design of the plumbing systems required and place orders
for all relevant materials.” He has been in the plumbing
industry since 2003 and getting into the industry was
not a problem for him; however, once he was in it, he
encountered various challenges. “I think the worst was to
earn the respect of friends who were going to university and
getting degrees in engineering and so on. I earned respect
through hard work and providing a quality service.”