Learner Electrical Artisan Nelisiwe Ndwandwe

Unjiniyela kagesi osafunda uNksz uNelisiwe Ndwandwe

Learnership lights up Nelisiwe’s career trajectory

ZAC strives to empower women throughout the workforce by providing them with meaningful prospects to grow and develop themselves.

“I saw this as an opening to improve myself and make strides in the mining industry especially here at ZAC. I was a clerk at the time, but my mind was telling me I can do more for this company, as a woman I wanted to push myself more.”

This is according to Nelisiwe Ndwandwe (34), a Learner Electrical Artisan from the Matheni-Traditional Council area. She started working at ZAC as a Shaft Clerk in the mining department from 2010 till 2018 when she decided to apply for a learnership.

There were several reasons why she decided to pursue the electrical engineering career path. “One reason was that ZAC was driving a programme to advance gender equity in the engineering department which gave me the confidence to take the chance that the company was granting us,” she states.

Another reason Nelisiwe notes is that she was not satisfied with just being a clerk, as she had always been interested in electrical subjects but had not previously had the opportunity to pursue these interests. “I am living my big dream at ZAC. Management is consistently encouraging us as women in mining to dream big.”

Nelisiwe completed her Trade Certificate in May 2021, with ZAC covering all the fees for the course. The only module that she needs to complete is a Medium-Voltage course, which once she completes, she will have met all the minimum requirements to become a qualified Electrician. She aims to complete the course this year. Nelisiwe explains that without completing the medium-voltage course she cannot work on substations, which is an important part of the work an electrician needs to do on the mine.

I-learnership ikhanyisa ikusasa likaNelisiwe

I-ZAC izibophezele ekuthuthukiseni abesifazane emsebenzini ngokubanika ithuba lokukhula nokuzithuthukisa.

“Ngabona lokhu njengentuba yokuzithuthukisa ngiphinde ngizakhele igama embonini yezimayini, ikakhulu eZAC. Ngangingumabhalane kodwa ingqondo yami ibingitshela ukuthi ngingayenzela okuningi le nkampani. Njengowesifazane, bengifuna ukuziphusha kakhulu.” Lawa ngamazwi kaNelisiwe Ndwandwe, ngaphansi komkhandlu iMatheni Traditional Council, ongunjiniyela kagesi osafunda.

Kunezizathu eziningi ezamenza wakhetha umkhakha wokunjiniyela ugesi. “Esinye salezi zizathu wukuthi iZAC yayiqhuba umkhankaso wokudala ulingano ngobulili emnyangweni wezobunjiniyela ngaphakathi, okwanginika ukuzethemba ngesinqumo sami sokuthatha ithuba esasilinikwa yile nkampani,” usho kanje.

Esinye isizathu yikuthi uNelisiwe wayengenelisekile ngokuba nje ngumabhalane kuphela, kwazise wayengumuntu obezithanda izifundo ngogesi kodwa engakaze alithole ithuba lokuzifunda. “Ngiphila iphupho lami eZAC. Abaphathi bahlala ngokusigqugquzela thina besifazane embonini yezimayini ukuthi sifise izinto ezinkulu.”

UNelisiwe uphothule iTrade Cartificate yakhe ngoNhlaba wezi-2021, ekhokhelwa zonke izindleko yiZAC. Manje isifundo asalelwe wukusiphothula yi-Medium-Voltage, okuzothi uma esiphothula kube wukuthi usenakho konke okudingekayo ukuze abe ngunjiniyela kagesi ogunyaziwe. Uzimisele ukuphothula lesi sifundo kulo nyaka. UNelisiwe uqhube wathi ngaphandle kwalesi sifundo akakwazi ukusebenza eziteshini eziphehla ugesi, okungumsebenzi obalulekile okumele wenziwe ngunjiniyela kagesi kule mayini.