Women in Welding, Water and Waste Management

Two women are shaking up predominantly male-dominated industrial occupations and doing so with flair and excellence. They offer encouragement to other women to make their mark in their chosen profession.

TIG welding wonder
Vuyisile Precious Kubheka is one of the newest hires at Werner Pumps, where she’s taken over the company’s TIG welding. She says that over the years she has faced issues with people not trusting that she can weld purely because she’s a woman. “But once they see my work, they believe in me,” she says, with a smile.

TIG welding is challenging because mistakes made are very obvious. Kubheka says a skilled welder needs to be able to avoid undercuts and loopholes and create a clean weld. She welds the hydraulic tanks for the high-pressure jetting and vacuuming units that Werner Pumps builds, which cannot afford to have even the smallest hole or weakness, which would create safety issues.

Kubheka came to welding by default, after struggling to find stable work. In 2010, she had an opportunity to pursue welding training, and has been making a living as a welder since 2013. “I’d encourage other women to think about welding as a career,” she says. “It’s a skill that people need and I have been able to support my four children.”

Wading into water reticulation
One of Werner Pumps’ customers, Vaneetha Govender, runs her own company called Lupini Projects, which focuses on civil and project engineering. As a wholly black-owned company headed by one of the only women in water reticulation in South Africa, Lupini Projects is making waves.

Its services include unblocking sewer lines; cleaning dewatering and desludging at pump stations; level control activities and extraction of soil, sediment and foreign matter blocking manholes, gravity lines and bulk lines; pipeline construction, manhole/junction boxes, and formwork; water supply, sewer line, drainage system; earthworks and pipework; and construction of civil works, including steel works.

Govender is quick to note that while her skills lie in driving successful business strategies and initiatives, she has relied on input from people more experienced than herself to navigate the water reticulation industry. “Partnering with Werner has been a proxy to my success. They are well known in the water treatment industry, being a forerunner for many years. They bring technological advancement and experience and innovative expertise to my business,” she says.

READ: Werner Pumps Secures Contract for 9 Trucks for Ethekwini

Her background is a mix of technical expertise in credit and operations, business optimisation and strategy implementation in JSE-listed companies in financial services and telecommunications. She has an MBA, an Honours degree in Business Administration (PGDIP), a degree in Business Leadership Management (BML), and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management from the London Business School.

The idea for Lupini Projects came to her while doing her Masters degree. She was studying social development and researching the depletion of global water resources and its direct impact on quality of life and socioeconomic development.

Living close to the Vaal River, Govender was aware of highly publicised reports on sewer pollution in the area. This, coupled with the desire to start her own business, drove her decision to become a part of the solution in the Vaal.

Lupini Projects was born in 2015. “I have three streams of business that I run within the company portfolio,” says Govender. “These are in the pharmaceutical, personal protection equipment (PPE) and the water management industries.”

The water management industry has several barriers to entry, including high capital costs of equipment, access to finance for small businesses and securing initial contracts, as well as meeting compliance requirements (which can also be costly).

Govender has overcome these challenges by being willing to “fail fast” and learn quickly, showcasing her capabilities to secure contracts, and investing in building, developing and empowering her team.

She’s also invested in quality equipment, including two Werner Pumps Combination Truck Units. “Werner Pumps provides a superior quality product that delivers to my company’s needs and supports my market reputation, if I had an inferior product my company would not be able to deliver the excellent service, we pride ourselves on,” she says.

“The onsite support I had when I purchased my first vehicle was exemplary. Werner Pumps trained my entire team on the vehicle and all its components down to the oils required for each application. They further fully certified my staff as operators of the vehicle but most importantly I had on site support for almost a week, with the trainer spending time with my team at their work sites, ensuring they use the vehicle correctly and that they are comfortable operating the vehicle. Sebastian, the MD, has been a great support and it’s rare to have direct access to the head of the company with whom you can discuss your challenges and get ready solutions. Werner Pumps have made my transition into the water management business less daunting and their support, coupled with the company’s expertise, has elevated my confidence to take on new challenges. They have truly empowered me as a woman in business, and Lupini Projects is ready to navigate the future knowing that we have sound business partners in the industry.”