The Civil Engineering Contractor November 2018 | Page 35

PROFILE
The starting line
It was in grade 10 where she
was exposed to the crux of civil
engineering and from that moment
on, she knew it was the field for
her. “I attended a Take a Girl Child
to Work Day at an engineering
firm in Pretoria. They took us to a
site in Olievenhoutbosch; it was an
integrated housing development. We
were told that if you’re good at maths
and science, engineering is a good
path to choose. I enjoyed being out
on site. And I loved that this was a
project that was bridging the gap in
South Africa from a socio-economic
perspective. Being out on site was
fun and exciting. So much so that
engineering was the only degree I
applied for at university. Having that
exposure helped me define the choice
I wanted to go with,” she recalls.
After completing her studies at the
University of Cape Town (UCT),
she went on to work as a project
engineer and landed at Aurecon after
doing her master’s degree with a
focus on water and sanitation. “It
focused on the social sciences, looking
at public participation and stakeholder
engagement in informal settlement
upgrades. People often term this
as the ‘softer’ side of engineering
but I believe it is core to what we
do: we help solve societal problems
through the application of maths
and science. As engineers, we are
trained to identify the problem to
properly solve it. If we aren’t able to
understand what communities really
see as the problem, whose problem
are we solving?” she says.
Paying it forward
Kumbirai finds reward in helping
others. “There have definitely been
surprises during the course of my
career. Given how broad the water
sector is, working on hydropower
projects was something I hadn’t ever
imagined I would have done. It’s been
really exciting to see the connection
between water and energy and how it
can power a large portion of Africa’s
energy needs.” Along the way, she
has picked up skills that she believes
are required to be a holistic engineer.
“You learn a bit about how to work
in teams; how to be a professional
when you get into the workplace.
There’s been a host of skills and it
just really helps to form a network of
people that you can rely on to help
you through your career,” she shares.
This is one of the roles that she
plays in her WomEng participation.
She served in the GirlEng division
that came up with programmes to
To emerging engineering professionals: Be conscious, be
curious, and be courageous in your way of thinking.
www.civilsonline.co.za
expose female high school pupils
to engineering specifics such as
connecting them to opportunities
to finance their studies and also to
connect them to mentors that they
would need throughout their tertiary
years. “I think it’s been very fulfilling
in terms of seeing women getting
excited about engineering,” she says.
Taking the leap
Despite engineering being typecast
a specific way, she shares that her
biggest mistake had been to think that
she had to conform to the status quo;
this made her question her place in
industry owing to her perspective.
However, once she started believing
in her own perspective and allowing
that to drive her, she started growing
confident in that.
One of the projects she has worked
on is a hydropower project in Uganda.
“We went out there for a site visit
with contractors and to assess the
resettlement action plan. That was a
highlight in terms of scope of work.
It was interesting and challenging in
terms of finding the right solution. The
project is helping to address pressing
energy needs in Uganda, as less than
30% of the country is electrified. Just
knowing that the work that you do is
going to contribute in a positive way
is rewarding,” Kumbirai says.
To young and upcoming engineers,
she says, “You are the new engineer.
Be conscious, be curious, and
be courageous in your way of
thinking.” nn
CEC November 2018 | 33