Page 23 - NHBRC

Dephney Makhubela worked in computer training, was an
CITY PRESS, 1 JUNE, 2014
SABC newsreader and then an IT specialist for the Scorpions

before deciding to open her own company. ‘I wanted to improve

schools in Mpumalanga’, she told Sue Grant-MarshallSue Grant-Marshall

index

SELF-STARTER Dephney Makhubela does not allow life’s obstacles to get her down and continues to challenge herself PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE

To infinity Calling all

opportunity
builders

to upskill

and beyond Last year, the National Home
Builders’ Registration Council
(NHBRC) trained 2 303 home
builders, among them female
contractors and youngsters
coming into the industry.
This year, the council is also
offering training to any NHBRC
registered contractor.
The council’s Mninawa Ngcobo
says it is expecting an additional
In the beginning and road construction. 1 200 home builders to register
Dephney Makhubela was brought up as one of six children Today, Makhubela is involved in building projects for the park this year and the success of the
in Sidlamafa township near Malelane in Mpumalanga. and for Eskom at between R3.6 million and R4 million. She programme depends on the
“My mother was Venda and sold bales of good second-hand specialises in general building, civil work and electrification. involvement of emerging
clothing, the equivalent of Zara and Topshop today, to educate contractors.
us all.” “Currently, we have young
Her mum also helped at a preschool and laid a good Hurdles people in Port Elizabeth College
foundation in the lives of many children, including Makhubela’s. Male attitudes. “Women have to be twice as good as men absorbed into artisan training as
“She’s still remembered for this today,” says Makhubela. before they [men] will believe that you can do what they do.” graduates of the NHBRC skills
Her father was a chef and passed his love of cooking on to Finance is also a problem “because government pays us late”. training programme.This is one
his daughter, who has also inherited her parents’ generosity. of the exciting opportunities
“I always make more food than is necessary in case somebody identified in our training
comes to see us in our Nelspruit home.” Overcoming obstacles strategy, which also includes
Makhubela initially thought of becoming a doctor, but the “I hire people who are smarter than I am so even if I am identifying entrepreneurial and
thought of blood makes her squirm. “No, I couldn’t!” she not on a particular site, the work gets done as well as if I employment opportunities for
recalls. So she opted for computer science instead and TIP was there.” our graduates.
became an IT specialist for the health department in Makhubela pays herself a steady salary no matter how “We have committed to
Mpumalanga for three years before returning to the much she earns for a project and she saves the rest for provide training interventions
Nelspruit Computer Training Institute (CTI) to train ‘Push yourself. when she’s not paid on time. targeted at registered members
government employees in computer literacy and salary The sky is not informed by the corporate
systems. the limit. strategic plan; training requests
When her contract with CTI ended, she had to return Next step from home builders; the nature
home to her parents without a job. Go further.’ Makhubela wants to mentor women “like the Take a of structural defects identified;
“It was devastating,” she says. Girl Child to Work Day. I want women who work for me and requests submitted by
Not one to mope, Makhubela applied for, and was chosen to eventually go out on their own.” municipalities and provincial
as, the SABC’s first female Siswati news reader. departments of human
A short while later, the Scorpions asked her to work on their settlements to capacitate
computer systems. She worked for the unit for two years. Dreams and goals their contractors.”
By 2006, she was the mother of the first of three children. She TALK TO US: “My vision is to become a construction company that will be Some of the subjects offered
decided to work for herself and, shocked by the poor state of projects@ recognised by all local and regional municipalities and state include contractor management
Mpumalanga schools, decided to open a construction company, departments in various provinces. I eventually want to form a skills, financial management
Daph M Construction. citypess.co.za company like Group Five.” skills, construction project
Makhubela was lucky to be mentored by Nunu Maome, the or tweet management and technical
owner of a big Mpumalanga construction company, “who taught building skills training.
me about bricklaying, plastering and painting”. @City_Press NHBRC is important… This will contribute towards
“Because they advocate using women in construction. I’m the development and integration
#OppIndex going to learn as much as I can from it. I want to better my life of previously disadvantaged
Getting started and that of communities.” emerging home builders into a
By 2009, work was rolling in thanks to Maome, and Makhubela competitive home building
started working on her own. Her first job was to repair a storm- industry.
damaged school for the public works department. . For all training requests,
She worked on six schools between 2011 and 2012, and A project in partnership with the home builders should
extended a mortuary at Carolina Hospital before renovating contact their nearest NHBRC
the administration block at Ermelo Hospital. NHBRC office or send an email to
In addition, the Kruger National Park asked her to do some mninawan@nhbrc.org.za
work on water reticulation projects that included piping, fitting

Assuring quality

homes since 1998

The NHBRC is a statutory body whose role is to protect the interests
of housing consumers and to regulate the home building industry – in
line with the Housing Consumers Measures Protection Act.

Toll Free Number: 0800 200 824 / Fraud Hotline: 0800 203 698 / Tel: +27 11 317 0000

Find us at www.nhbrc.org.za
@NHBRC NHBRCSA Assuring Quality Homes