A BIT OF EFFORT GOES A LONG WAY!
The world of construction has brought a sense of achievement to Siphesihle Xaba. She shares her story with us.
Like many South Africans in search of a better life, Siphesihle Xaba (30) left her home in Hlabisa, KwaZulu Natal and made her way to Johannesburg. That was in 2010. Siphesihle settled in Jeppestown and immersed herself in community projects while looking for opportunities. “I didn’t want to get trapped in the cycle of having days pass by while you sit in the sun with your friends. I decided to sign up for anything that was available at the councillor’s office. I also made it a mission to attend the weekly meetings so that I could stay in the know of what was happening in and around the community.” Over the years, Siphesihle has worked for a cleaning services company and done other odd jobs. She also did a Safety Management course, which she found interesting. Unemployment came in bouts over the years but the goal of building a better life was never lost. When Motheo put out the call for 20 young people to apply for a year-long learnership at their Fraser House site, Siphesihle was one of the first to find out about it. “Because I was committed to the weekly meetings in my area, I was one of the people that quickly found out about the opportunity. The age cut off was 29, which was a concern for me because I was already 29. I took the chance because I knew it could be my last one due to the age limitations. When I was told that I had been accepted, I felt like I had been given a gift,” she recalls. Even though she knew very little about construction, Siphesihle went in with the desire to be excellent. “Because I knew nothing about the industry, I didn’t have expectations; I just knew that I wanted to do very well. I had known it as a man’s world but I knew that there is nothing men can do that I cannot.” As she acquired more skills, Siphesihle’s talent and tenacity became clearer. “I am very good at listening and learning so that is what I focused on. I wasn’t even that focused about the money we were being given as a stipend because I knew that gaining skills would be the biggest achievement. Being older has helped me focus on long-term goals better.” Siphesihle is one of seven Fraser House learnership holders who were offered work on a project at the Premier’s office in Johannesburg. “I was so happy to be given the opportunity to take everything I had learnt and take it to an actual site, not as a student but as part of the team. It felt like I had proven myself and that makes me want to continue to prove myself and better my skills even further. There is so much empowerment in construction and I hope other women and girls get to see that. There may not be much glamour in the actual work but there is glamour in building a better life and that is what I am doing."
