Page 19 - NHBRC Flipbook

16| City Press Careers / Rapport Loopbane 19.04.2015
opportunity index

From left: Xoliswa Daku, Ntebo Ngozwana, Portia Tau-Sekati, Nqobile Ndimande, Busi Nzo, Seitisho Rammutla and Thandiwe Ngqobe PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE

PAYING IT FORWARD

brick by brick

ast year, to celebrate 20 years of A hundred women in SA’s construction industry Ngqobe is hugely pleased the initial 20 delegates on
democracy, the National Home Builders’ the NHBRC empowerment course “say that they have
Registration Council (NHBRC) selected 20 enhanced their entrepreneurial skills, as well as gained
women in the construction industry to do a have had their businesses boosted over the confidence and a sense of ‘taking charge’, both in their
course to give their businesses a hand up, personal and business lives”.
Las well as to step up transformation in the past 12 months by the National Home Builders’ Ngqobe, who began her career as an auditor in the
industry. This year, as our nation comes of age, a further Auditor-General’s office, has 10 years’ experience in
80 women have been put through the programme. executive management in the public sector.
The NHBRC selected female delegates from areas as Registration Council. Sue Grant-Marshall She was most recently chief director at the Gauteng
diverse as the deeply rural Eastern Cape to industrial provincial treasury and COO at the Gauteng Enterprise
Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. They attended a Propeller.
business development programme at the Gordon Institute spoke to the dynamic panel of established She has vast experience in operations, financial and
of Business Science (Gibs). project management, as well as in small, medium and
The success of the 20-delegate programme last year businesswomen who selected the delegates microenterprise development. She has also led financial
was such that the minister of human settlements, management reforms at both provincial and local
Lindiwe Sisulu, urged the NHBRC to increase the number government level.
of participants during the second round.
“That is why we went really big and selected 80 ‘I can’ attitude
women,” says Thandiwe Ngqobe, chief operating officer TOP 5 CRITERIA FOR DELEGATES Portia Tau-Sekati, CEO of the Property Sector Charter,
(COO) of the NHBRC. who was CEO of the National Association of Real Estate
Agencies before that, believes an “I can” attitude is vital
80 delegates Anele Mkuzo, senior programme coordinator at Gibs, said NHBRC delegates’ businesses had to comply with the following: for a female entrepreneur.
How to select 80 delegates? That was the challenge “We can help her [the entrepreneur] through a course
facing nine members of the NHBRC selection panel. They R500 000 to 51% black Had to be Had to work in any Only women were like this Gibs one, but it is a positive attitude that will get
looked for particular attributes and are, ultimately, 1 R15 million- 2 (according to BEE 3 in the 4 region in South 5 considered her going and keep her clearing all the hurdles she will
thrilled at the empowerment programme’s success. per-annum codes) ownership of construction or Africa encounter,” says Tau-Sekati.
“When you educate a woman, you educate a nation – turnover the company construction- “The NHBRC aims to give these women skills that will
that speaks to the core of who we are as women. So, related enable them to cope in a male-dominated world. In fact,
through this empowerment programme, the construction industries women have creative skills that particularly lend
industry will continue to be transformed because our themselves to working in this industry.
delegates will nurture, support and teach other women HOW THE DELEGATES FARED “Once the houses and offices are built, interior design
in our industry,” says Ngqobe. . Many of them have moved from being survivalists to running sustainable businesses and functional requirements come into play.”
“We looked for delegates who were tenacious, hungry Tau-Sekati points out that many women stumble into
to succeed in their businesses and wanted to be leaders . Attitudes have changed from a reliance on tenders for business to realising they need to innovate and market themselves the construction and property industries, “rather than
in the construction industry. Certainly, a defining planning to enter them while they are still at school”.
moment in my career was the personal encouragement . Their self-confidence has increased enormously This was the case with her when she took “a leap into
from women who believed in me. I am determined to do . Collaboration and networking between the 80 businesswomen was encouraged – and began during the programme property”, which she is thrilled she did.
the same for other women, wherever I am,” she says. Continued on the next page