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Tip

‘Knowing the technical
side of construction is not
enough to start your own
business. You also need to
know the fundamentals of
business administration,
such as taxes’
MIRACULOUS In 2012, Jennifer Shirindza opened an office at the Business Place in Marshall Street in Joburg’s CBD. Today she has two
office staff members and about 15 people working on different building sites PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE
In the beginning
opportunity
Jennifer Shirindza comes from the generation that
matriculated in the late 1990s “and broke the mould of
nurse-teacher-secretary that women were supposed to Breaking
conform to back then”.
“My peers are engineers, radiographers, accountants
and pharmacists,” she says.
“School was all about getting good matric symbols for
science and maths. It’s such a pity that kids today are
no longer like that.”
Shirindza was born in White City, Soweto, but her THE MOULD
parents sent her north to the village of Bungeni near
Louis Trichardt in Limpopo to be educated.
“I lived with my grandparents in a stable, quiet
community that was conducive to education,” she says.
Her father was an orderly and cleaner at the
Kenridge Hospital in Parktown, Joburg, while her
entrepreneurial mother sold sandwiches and vetkoek in FOR WOMEN
Bungeni to make enough money to support her family
of three girls and three boys.
Shirindza wanted to be a radiographer, but when she
applied to Baragwanath Hospital “the sight of all that
blood was too much. I opted for construction.”
Today she holds a diploma in construction Joburg quantity surveyor Jennifer Shirindza,
management and a BTech in quantity surveying from
the University of Joburg.
She is still studying, with Raizcorp, to learn more who started her Shirindza Trading and Projects
about business management.
While she was studying for her diploma in civil construction company in 2007, has worked on
engineering at the Central Johannesburg College, she
needed to do practical on-site work.
She was taken on by Grinaker, the multidisciplinary various projects from the Walter Sisulu
construction and engineering group, to work as an
assistant site surveyor.
They were building the Walter Sisulu Square of Square to posh golfing estates, writes
Dedication in Kliptown, Soweto, in 2004.
“I realised I loved construction and asked Grinaker Sue Grant-Marshall
for study opportunities. They gave me a bursary and
sent me to the University of Johannesburg, where I did
construction management.”
The good thing about the bursary, says Shirindza, “is Going strong necessary equipment for construction work.
that I knew I had a job to go to when I graduated”. Shirindza has divided her company into three areas “I see great potential down the line. And having
of expertise – the construction, civil and mechanical worked for Grinaker, my dream is to reach the
Getting started aspects. magnitude of that company one day.”
After completing her bursary and working back her At present, she is doing civil work for Johannesburg
time at Grinaker, Shirindza decided she had done her Water and also for City Power. The NHBRC is important…
fair share of studying and wanted to work. Regarding mechanical work, Leeuwkop Prison in “My next target, hopefully by the end of 2014, is to
So she decided to go it alone. northern Joburg has employed her to manage the huge get a share of the work from the human settlements
“I was lucky that I had done small jobs such as boilers it uses to steam “the healthy food they cook for department so that we can build RDP houses. The
painting and tiling while I studied, so I had lots of their prisoners”. NHBRC is the gateway to that.”
contacts. She is keeping busy with the construction aspect by
“Then my sister entered me in the 2011 SAB building houses for the private sector at Blue Valley
KickStart competition. I won it with a R55 000 prize Golf Estate in Midrand and also at the Pavilion Estate at
and used that to buy tools and office equipment. Waterkloof Boulevard in Pretoria.
“The great thing was that I was also given a mentor
who helped me with marketing and tips on how to TALK TO US
approach clients. Wow!” Next step Email projects@citypress.co.za
In 2012, Shirindza decided she needed to look the “I want to grow as a company and get even more Tweet @City_Press #OppIndex or SMS us on 34263
part of the professional she was and opened an office work in the private sector. We’re lucky that our work is using the keyword PROJECTS and tell us what you are
at the Business Place in Marshall Street in Joburg’s CBD. marketing itself. interested in. Please include your name. SMSes cost
Today she has two office staff members and about 15 “But I most certainly won’t neglect the government R1.50 each
people working on different building sites. and parastatal sectors because there are such
opportunities there,” says Shirindza.
Hurdles
Finance is the usual problem, “but I used my prize
money and savings to get going”, says Shirindza. Dreams and goals A project in partnership with the
“Yes, it’s a male-dominated world, but when people “I want to buy land and build my own office block
ask me how I handle it, I tell them that men, as well as on it. I’d like each department of my company to have NHBRC
women, sell perfumes and cook. its own manager.
“We do what we feel best at doing.” “And I want my own plant division so I own the