Page 36 - NHBRC

Rosbella Sibongile Sithole began her working life as a
TIP secretary. Today, her Ngwekazi Business Enterprise

‘Watch every cent
in your business. is involved in construction projects worth hundreds
Invest wisely for
tough times when of thousands of rands in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-
you may not
index
have work’ Natal, writes SUE GRANT-MARSHALL
Learning

the hard way

In the beginning
Having a baby when she was only 19 years old put
paid to Rosbella Sibongile Sithole’s plans to study
medicine after she matriculated. Instead, she
did a secretarial course and a diploma in office
administration at Damelin College in Nelspruit,
Mpumalanga.
She became a receptionist with a firm of consulting
engineers in the town and the seeds of running her
own company one day were sown.
In time, she moved on to work for the then
department of land affairs and, while there, she also
did a project management course at Damelin. At the
same time, she decided she needed to supplement her
income. So she registered Ngwekazi Business
Enterprise with two friends and began catering for
businesses in the Nelspruit CBD.
“It was incredibly hard work doing all that but I was
always driven by the need to care for my child. So I
looked for opportunities to further educate myself
and to find additional forms of income,” says Sithole.
opportunity
Getting started
She began looking for construction projects in 2002
and got her company on to the database of the
Mpumalanga department of public works.
Her first job was to repair a boiler. She found a
plumber and, with no transport of her own, she
prevailed on friends to drive her to the site.
The gutsy woman chuckles as she remembers her
small beginnings.
By December 2005, she was able to buy her own
home and began to seriously market herself as a
builder. She landed a contract to construct a school
for R1 million and went into business 50/50 with a GUTSY documents very carefully. I knew what I was doing,” “I also plan to train an artisan every year so that
building supplier. Rose Sithole says Sithole. by 2020, I will have trained six women plumbers,
As the years passed, her company continued to PHOTO: ELIZABETH electricians, carpenters and glazers.
grow. She built a veterinary clinic near Hammanskraal, SEJAKE “Additionally, I have put five children through school
a library, a 24-hour clinic, and hawkers’ stalls, as well Overcoming obstacles because education is incredibly important – it’s a gift –
as a high-quality school in Nelspruit. “I broadened my horizons and found new work in and in the future I plan to continue with this and
“I also bought houses in the town’s suburbs and KwaZulu-Natal.” other projects.”
rented them out for further income as I wanted to
give my child the best possible education,” says
Sithole. Next step NHBRC is important...
But 2011 was a tough year for her and she decided Sithole wants to break into the private sector’s “I believe it will help me broaden my horizons.
to spread her wings to another province, KwaZulu- property industry, a project she recently began and Furthermore, the Gordon Institute of Business Science
Natal. There she was appointed by the Coega which she’s “excited about expanding”. course we are doing is a gift – it’s education!”
Development Corporation to build four crèches and a
school extension at Hluhluwe. TALK TO US
Dreams and goals
“I plan to work really, really hard in the next six Email projects@citypress.co.za, tweet @City_Press
Hurdles years so I can reach a level where I have trained #OppIndex or SMS us on 34263 using the keyword
“I had difficulties obtaining new tenders in managers to run my business and it becomes PROJECTS and tell us what you are interested in.
Mpumalanga although I had drawn up my tender self-sustaining. Please include your name. SMSes cost R1.50 each

EMPOWER YOURSELF
Health and safety

City Press Reader Betty Bala, a former As a minimum, some experience in the
nurse now working in the occupational A project in partnership with the construction industry as a health, safety and
health space, wants to know more about environmental officer/practitioner is required.
health and safety in the construction NHBRC Some construction companies offer
sector. mentorship programmes for individuals that
include courses such as Samtrac, Nebosh or
NHBRC replies: their equivalent.
Health and safety in the building industry is safety management certificate that takes six microbiology, epidemiology and research. These individuals are normally put under
an interesting field. It requires dedication and to 12 months. Other courses: the supervision of qualified safety officers
willpower to assist all the affected parties . Another alternative is the Environmental . Samtrac (with diploma or degree) as safety trainee
during a construction project. Health National Diploma or Health Inspector . Nebosh International Certificate or level 1, level 2, etc.
As a safety officer in the construction course. The subject is also offered at some equivalent This depends on whether the learner is
industry, you have to empower yourself. That tertiary institutions up to master’s and . Root cause analysis – incident working to advance and develop
means learning all the requirements for doctorate levels. investigation themselves by studying for a diploma or a
health, safety and the environment. This course includes all elements of safety. . Knowledge of applicable rules and degree in the safety, health and environmental
It includes components that are required by regulations (i.e. OHS ACT, Coida Act, Nema, profession.
A safety officer needs to obtain the the building industry, such as occupational Waste Management Act, etc)
following qualifications: health and hygiene, environmental health . Construction Regulations . All above-mentioned qualifications, skills
. Safety management courses are offered (including air, water and land pollution), . HSE auditing and knowledge will empower the safety officer
by tertiary institutions as a three-year National building technology, waste management, . Environmental course to ensure all safety protocols are followed at
Diploma, a four-year B-tech degree or a BCom occupational safety management, disease . Behaviour based safety all times and safety measures as required by
degree. Unisa also offers a short-term management, food safety management, . Hazard impact risk assessment law are adhered to.

Building a new home?

Use a registered builder

A registered builder is key to any building project. In line with the Housing Consumers Protection
Measures Act, all home builders must be registered with the NHBRC and all new homes must be
enrolled, at least, 15 days prior to construction. Enrolment affords you, the housing consumer,
benefits such as a 3-month warranty cover against minor defects, 1-year warranty cover against
roof leaks and a 5-year warranty cover against major structural defects.
To verify if your builder is registered, visit www.nhbrc.org.za

@NHBRC NHBRCSA Assuring Quality Homes

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