FACE TO FACE
By Eamonn Ryan
The Department of Mineral Resources was recently surprised to learn that all AfriSam’s quarry
managers in KwaZulu-Natal are black. Avendra (Avi) Bhoora, currently executive, Construction
Materials at AfriSam SA, can take full credit for this.
A
vi Bhoora has been on
both sides of the materials
value chain – he entered
the construction materials
(quarrying) side of the business only after
15 years in construction. He has been in
the industry since 1994 and since then has
made a huge impact on its transformation.
His passion for mentoring others is
derived in large part by his own humble
background growing up on a farm in
KwaZulu-Natal’s Phoenix, adjacent to
the home where Mahatma Ghandi once
lived. His family consisted of his father, a
factory worker, his mother who dreamed
of raising the family’s standard of living
and his siblings.
Bhoora developed an early interest in
mechanics, repairing cars and machinery in
his leisure time and drawing house plans.
This earned money to pay for his education,
as he was intent on obtaining a good
education and his local high school did not
offer physical sciences. This required a long
daily commute to Durban, something that
was beyond his family’s resources. Such
dedication to an education was a rarity
in his community – the only one in his
community to do so – though his brothers
and sister shortly followed suit.
“What drove me is the desire for
a better life. We lived in a tin shanty
without water or lights at that time.” After
matriculation he did a national diploma in
civil engineering (ML Sultan Technikon)
which included work experience, which
also helped pay for his education. Prior
to that time engineering was a ‘restricted’
profession, and Bhoora was among one
of the first batches of non-whites to study
and enter the engineering profession.
This meant the first intake was still busy
with their studies and there were no role
models or precedents.
In those days racial tensions were high
www.quarryonline.co.za
and people were not prepared to trust in
the ability of blacks in a profession where
they had no history. In fact, he was one
of the first Indians to have been posted to
work in the Free State (as punishment for
being cheeky), where he broke many racial
barriers on the way to being accepted in a
province where at that time Indians were
not permitted to live.
Upon qualification he moved to
Johannesburg in 1979 and worked for 15
years in construction until 1994 when
he joined AfriSam. The company at
to 40% within two years.
During this time, he ran quarries
and became the senior works manager
of Coedmore Quarry, during which he
extended the lifespan of the quarry from
five to 50 years by obtaining DWAF
permission to divert the Londonspruit.
He also privatised the transport fleet
through a driver empowerment project
in 1998 and then joined a local cement
company, Natal Portland Cement, where
his transformation work peaked.
Bhoora was fortunate to have some
“During his time in construction, he became a pre-
eminent expert in concrete, winning the Concrete Man
of the Year award from the Concrete Society in
1993 for excellence in construction.”
that time known was known as Hippo
Quarries (which changed to Alpha Stone
& Readymix, then Holcim before finally
being named AfriSam).
On top of his game
During his time in construction, he
became a pre-eminent expert in concrete,
winning the Concrete Man of the Year
award from the Concrete Society in
1993 for excellence in construction. The
following year he returned to Durban
when he was appointed by Holcim to
pioneer its new ready-mix division in
KwaZulu-Natal and grew its market share
important mentors during this time
including Mike Doyle and Karl Meissner
Roloff (both headed AfriSam); Sir Rupert
Bramley (director of industry body Aspasa
who came to South Africa from the UK
and was the doyen of the industry); and
Piet Strauss at NPC. Each of these men
Bhoora knew in their early careers and each
subsequently rose to the top of their fields.
This was a different generation, says
Bhoora, and from them he learned lessons
seldom imparted today.
“They taught me how to conduct myself
in meetings and how to contribute to the
culture of the organisation – even how
to dress. At that time, we used to have
QUARRY SA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018_29