THE GIFT OF FLEXIBILITY

Lufuno Muavha had no real plans to be in construction but when the opportunity came up, her ability to be flexible made her take it.

Lufuno Muavha (27) was a part-time Business Management student living in Jeppestown when she found out about the learnerships that Motheo was offering. She had no real knowledge about construction but she was interested in what the opportunity offered. “I had never considered it for myself but as I asked more questions, it seemed like something I could be good at.” Lufuno says that even though she had her future mapped out in relation to her Business Management studies, she knew that having multiple skills was important. “There are many young people who have qualifications and cannot find jobs and I didn’t want to be one of them. So even though construction was different from what I was studying, I knew that an extra skill could help me create a life with options,” she says. Lufuno’s sister who is studying Mechanical Engineering was also a positive influence. “She told me that there were women who were doing very well in construction. She also made me see that I could maybe combine construction and business management in the future.” Flexibility is the characteristic that has helped Lufuno make a success of her journey into construction. “I think that my ability to change direction and adapt helped me make the most of my learnership. I made sure that I did well and that paid off when I was one of the few that were asked to come work on the project at the Premier’s Office. Now I have a qualification and real on-sire experience too,” she exclaims. Painting is Lufuno’s favourite part of the job, even though she knows how to work different departments. “I love the attention to detail that painting requires. I feel at peace when I get into that zone. A lot of people don’t like that it has so many steps but that is part of the beauty of it for me,” Lufuno adds. Lufuno’s plans include getting more experience and studying further. “I would like to continue working with Motheo because the more work experience I have, the better I will be. I would also like to see what else I can study in future so that I can combine all of my skills and make the most of all of those things.”