Engineering in Africa Nkululeko Thusini

EP6 - Engineering in South Africa, Standing out during a Pandemic with Ayanda Mbatha


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In Episode 5 of the Engineering in Africa Podcast, I spoke to Kunda Tembo about his Mining and Services Industry experience in Zambia.   

The purpose of the podcast was to help get insights into the engineering scene in Zambia. The context of the conversation was based on Kunda's experience as an engineer in the Zambian Mining Industry.   

The content was meant to help Zambian expatriates gain information on the engineering industry and how they can position themselves to get engineering work in Zambia.  

We also had a chat about how Zambian students and graduates can better position themselves to succeed in the engineering environment in Zambia.  It was a great chat that gave meaningful advice on surviving the first couple of years as an EIT in Zambia and the typical challenges in the Engineering Industry in Zambia.  



Follow Kunda Tembo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunda-tembo-beng-peng-reng-z-m-eiz-19123180/ 

Follow Nkululeko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkululeko-thusini/ 


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The great thing about being an engineering student is that the path to succeeding is predetermined:


You know the engineering qualification's subjects and syllabus upfront.
You know the number of assignments you must complete and the pass mark.
You know the exam scope, dates, and pass marks.
You know the books and material you need to utilize.

Once you graduate, your instinct is you will obtain all the guidelines to navigate work-life. You will get all the support from colleagues and managers. You will seamlessly climb the corporate ladder.

Yet, the reality is the opposite.

Finding your voice within the chaos

In Episode 4 of the Engineering in Africa Podcast, Ziningi Malinga talks about her journey from studying towards her Mechanical Engineering degree to discovering DecantAir.

Her story is that of finding your voice and purpose within the chaos. The self-discovery led to finding a product that solves a common sanitation problem that many despise - the smell!

As a child, Ziningi Malinga knew one thing - She wanted to solve problems. That aspiration she had as a kid evolved over the years to using her engineering training to solve problems that affect Africans.

DecantAir was born

DecantAir is a dissolvable toilet deodoriser. It is a simple product that seeks to eliminate the ever-so-common smell at the loo. Yet it has many other advantages, for example:


it eliminates the harmful allergens from traditional toilet deodorizers,
asthmatic persons avoid common sufferings from conventional deodorizers, and
in the future, it will address sanitation issues related to bacteria/viruses that have serious social problems, especially in rural areas.

What started as a simple home project is evolving into something that changes how we deal with sanitation.

Becoming a socially aware engineer

Ziningi's DecantAir journey demonstrates the importance of the engineers' role in solving some of Africans' social problems, especially in the rural areas.

The reality is that African countries are mostly third-world. The budget constraints from many African countries mean we do not have the luxury of devising expensive solutions.

Innovation and simplicity have become a must-have for many engineers in Africa.

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Learn more about DecantAir

Click here to visit the DecantAir Facebook page

Click here to visit the DecantAir Twitter page

To place an order of DecantAir toilet deodorizers, WhatsApp 071 250 5220


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The dawn of the South African democracy in 1993 meant more opportunities for many South Africans.

Access to higher education was one of the opportunities that many black South Africans did not have.

According to Stats SA Education Series Volume V, there was 98095 first-time enrolment at South African public universities. By 2016, the first-time enrollment increased by 61% to 158 891 [1].

In the year 2020, Wits University received 68 752 first-year applications. There were 19 000 engineering studies applications, which made up the institution's highest number of applications [2].

First-generation engineers

Many first-generation university students graduated, and many of them never had role models or mentors to guide them along the way.

The lack of role-models or mentors meant that they had to make their own mistakes along the way and improve as they progress.

Engineering in Africa Episode 3

In Episode 3 of the Engineering in Africa Podcast, Nkululeko speaks with Itumeleng Mmutloane about his experience.

Itumeleng is a Mechanical Engineer with a Master's in Engineering Management and has over 11 years of industry experience. He occupies a very senior engineering role. His experience in the private sector, State-Owned Enterprise, Local Government, and Provincial Government in South Africa gives him the advantage of having a unique perspective regarding engineering career development.

Itumeleng's humble township beginnings will sure inspire young students and graduates coming up ranks. Senior engineers can draw wisdom on their role as mentors to junior employees.

Itumeleng shares some tips he wished he knew during his early engineering days, which include:


The importance of patience and sticking it out with one employer.
The importance of having engineering role-models and mentors as you progress with your career.
Balancing the notion of believing in yourself and the ability to accept advice.
Setting realistic engineering career goals.

The above matters tend to lead to many graduates setting vague goals, leading to a disastrous engineering career plan.

[1] Stats SA, Education Series Volume V, Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017, Download link: http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-92-01-05/Report-92-01-052017.pdf

[2] Wits University, Registration for New and Returning Students, Website: https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/general-news/2020/2020-01/registration-for-new-and-returning-students.html


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Electricity supply remains one of South Africa's biggest hurdles that impact its potential to address some of its socio-economic challenges and inequality.

In his 2021 State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa announced that rapidly expanding energy generation capacity remains a high priority for South Africa.

Initiatives to address the energy challenges

The President announced various interventions to address the energy challenges, such as:


the restructuring of Eskom into three separate entities for generation, transmission, and distribution;
Eskom implementing intensive maintenance and operational excellence programmes to improve the reliability of its coal fleet; and
reviewing of the tariff path.

Another initiative includes increasing generation capacity and what Eskom generates through the award of 2000 megawatts of emergency power by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Another Department of Mineral Resources & Energy initiative will be requesting proposals for 2600 megawatts from wind and solar energy as part of Bid Window 5.

Eskom plans to increase electricity generation capacity by an additional 11800 megawatts from renewable energy, natural gas, battery storage, and coal. They will also partner with others to repurpose and repower part of its coal fleet.

The government's initiative is to ease the licensing requirements for new embedded generation projects, which could unlock 5000 megawatts of additional capacity and help reduce the impact of load shedding. The government will amend Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act within the next three months to increase the embedded generation's licensing threshold.

The role of renewable energy

South Africa is vulnerable to climate change. This means that traditional pathways to increasing energy supply, based on fossil fuels' burning, will become increasingly unviable.

Many questions need to be addressed, particularly with renewable energy:


Can we afford renewable energy?
What other options do we have to manage our energy problems?
What role is the private sector playing?

In Episode 2 of the Engineering in Africa Podcast, I talk to Thabo Moyo from Omang energy to unpack some renewable energy challenges.

Thabo's insights promise to provide a unique perspective and inspire the next generation of energy engineers.

With that said, welcome to the Engineering in Africa podcast.



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Follow Thabo Moyo:

Click here for Thabo Moyo's LinkedIn profile

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Follow Omang Energy:

Click here for Omang Energy website

Click here for Omang Energy LinkedIn page


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In 2016, I had the privilege of being appointed project manager on a project that will see me recruiting over 70 employees.

I had to swift through hundreds of Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) for interview shortlisting and eventually appoint the right type of persons.

Eric Ilunga's CV was amongst the pile we were reviewing for a construction supervisor position.

Eric's CV puzzled me. He had a national diploma and bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He was quite old when compared to other prospects. Yet here he is, working at a construction site as a semi-skilled laborer.

After having an interview with him, I found that he was a brilliant electrical engineer. He was unfortunate not to receive his break. He did not have much working experience, but I decided to take a chance on him.

Eric did not have a lot of confidence at the beginning of his supervisor role. He would often lack assertiveness and the ability to reprimand wrongdoing employees.

Having noticed that, Eric was one of the persons we took to supervisor training. From this training, Eric, the supervisor, was born.

He quickly adapted to his new role, having obtained some training and further coaching from me.

A friend of mine had an electrical consulting business, and I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for Eric. When the construction contract ended, he managed to secure a job with my friend's company. He was now a step closer to realizing his dream of being a high-flying electrical engineer.

Eric had many challenges in securing a job in his home country and South Africa.

Having paid the high price of sacrificing his pride, He now works as a Network Support Analyst for a Czech Republic company. He will soon be working as an electrical engineer for another company in the Czech Republic.

His new role will see him working as an electrical engineer on projects around the world.

In hindsight, Eric was just a brilliant electrical engineer. He only needed that one opportunity to take his career to the next level.

Episode 2

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Eric. We talk about his struggles in South Africa and how one opportunity help propels his career to the point where he now works in the Czech Republic.

Eric's story is one of sacrifice. His life story demonstrates that sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. His life story proves that sometimes you have to put your pride aside to achieve your greatest desires.

I hope that this episode can inspire an engineer, technician, or artisan struggling with getting that opportunity to propel their career to new heights.

Conclusion

Thank you for listening to the second part of my discussion with Eric.

Eric's story is very inspiring because I saw where it started and where it is today. I am sure he will fly even higher soon.

I would appreciate it if you could rate this episode and share it with friends and colleagues who might find it interesting.

Thank you again for listening, and I will catch you in the next episode.


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