REGULARS 27
Sindiswa Schoeman
Edited by
Megan O’ Connor
Here, we profile Sindiswa Schoeman – a passionate plumber whose love for plumbing grew after school, driven by her fascination of water systems.
Sindiswa Schoeman did her plumbing training at BluLever Education, completing both theoretical and practical training. Although currently exploring her options, she worked for Dreycor Plumbing as part of her practical training. Her career in the plumbing industry reaches its third year in 2026.
Plumbing wasn’ t always what she thought her career would be. In high school, she considered three career options, including teaching, civil engineering and fashion design. But it was after school that plumbing piqued her interest.
“ I fell in love with plumbing after matric, which led me to pursue civil engineering with a focus on trade. I was fascinated by how water travels from treatment plants to our homes, and I wanted to understand the whole process. Knowing that plumbing is a maledominated field motivated me even more, and I was also driven by a desire to make a difference in my community, where clean water scarcity is a real and serious issue. I wanted to learn how to reduce water wastage and help improve access to water the right way.”
When doing plumbing work, she lives by this motto: Do the job right the first time, if it ' s done right, it will last longer.
Her funniest moment on the job“ One of the funniest moments on site was when we were connecting a water line using an HDPE pipe. I underestimated how quickly the pipe would cut, and as soon as it went through, the municipal water burst out and soaked me completely from head to toe. Everyone on site, including my supervisor, couldn’ t stop laughing Sindiswa Schoeman. – and neither could I. It was a good reminder to always expect the unexpected in plumbing.” PA
Schoeman’ s advice to anyone looking at plumbing as a career“ My advice is to stay curious, respect the trade, and understand the impact your work has on people’ s daily lives. Plumbing isn’ t just about pipes – it’ s about health, water conservation and service to the community. If you’ re committed, it can open many doors.”
Supplied by Sindiswa Schoeman
Can you fix it?
When Lindin Mazilis, Lindin Plumbing, was called in to view this installation in Hyde Park, alarm bells instantly went off.
Mazilis was called to the property when the client had heard a loud bang coming from the geyser the previous night. After searching for leaks and not finding any, Mazilis discovered that a 2l bottle of ginger beer living in the same cupboard as the geyser had been the cause of the‘ explosion’ the night before.
All images supplied by Lindin Mazilis
But it was that very ginger beer bottle that lead him to this geyser installation …
The bad installation Mazilis breaks down everything wrong with the installation: 1. The geyser was installed with the PRV relief outlet piped back into the supply line to the valve. 2. The STP safety valve reduced to 15mm pipe and lever valve fitted and found in the closed position … causing a potential bomb! 3. The drip tray has been installed with no 50mm outlet pipe connected to the tray outlet. 4. There is no vacuum breaker on the hot water outlet from the geyser.
Mazilis immediately reported the dangerous installation to the body corporate and informed the customers living in the unit of the dangers they are facing. PA
November 2026 Volume 32 I Number 09 www. plumbingafrica. co. za