REGULARS 33 that cannot do anything that it has not been taught to do. So, I listen, close my mouth and open my ears.”
His unforgettable moments on the job“ My first unforgettable moment at work was one that taught me about the importance of safety at work. I was standing on a bucket to reach a part of the wall( we didn’ t have a step ladder) and I was using the angle grinder. I don’ t know what happened, maybe the grinder hit the wall and bounced off, but the grinder hit my face while it was on. I still have the scar.
“ Another unforgettable moment was when I was with my team lead and we were called to a client’ s house to inspect a geyser. I had an idea of how to fix the leaking shower creatively but my team lead wanted to do it another way. Well, we checked the pressure regulating valve and everything was fine, so I started looking at the jet shower area of the bathroom and started cleaning the area. As I am cleaning, the team lead forgot to tell me that he has opened both the hot and cold water, and then turned off the cold water. Lo and behold, boiling hot water starts coming out from the solar geyser and burning me. But the bathroom was en-suite and the bedroom carpet looked very expensive, so I stayed in the water and used creative thinking to use two spanners to close the hot water.” PA
Makhubela’ s advice to anyone looking at plumbing as a career
1. Always apply yourself in a professional way. It can be difficult at first, but every step you take builds you up and helps you grow.
2. Love yourself and love what you do. Water is always moving and is always happy – be the same.
3. Be dedicated, self-motivated, and always be inspired by what you do. 4. Focus plays a big role. 5. Humble yourself – be down to earth and able to listen to others, ready to grow and learn. 6. Build your discipline. 7. Respect plays a role in everything. 8. Be able to‘ think out of the box’.
“ His engagement with others, confidence, love for learning, self-motivation, creativity, ability to think out-of-the-box, love for growth and physical fitness all help him in his plumbing career.”
What’ s in your toolbox?
By
Megan O’ Connor
In this edition of‘ What’ s in Your Toolbox?’, Fortune Makhubela from Burgess Plumbing tells us all about his favourite tool to use on the job.
“ My favourite tool in my toolbox is my bobbejaan spanner as it was taught to me – or pipe wrench spanner. I love my bobbejaan spanner because there is no small job, there is no big job, there is no heavy job and there is no light job that this tool can’ t be used for. This tool can always solve bigger problems within a few minutes. I’ ve realised that the most common issues we face all of the time are leaks in heavy duty units or systems, but by using this tool you will find no leaks. It makes sure that whenever you use it, everything that you are working on will have to be worked on in a proper way, and then you won’ t have any issues at all because it always solves the problem. It is a huge solution in the plumbing industry.” PA
For Fortune, there is no big, small, heavy, or light job that his bobbejaan spanner can’ t help with.
Supplied by Fortune Makhubela
April 2026 Volume 32 I Number 02 www. plumbingafrica. co. za