The Story of How Johan Became a Plumber

The shy construction cowboy from Atteridgeville can be described as an enthusiastic, polyglot with a huge “colgate" smile. His name is John and he was born in 1967 in Malelane, Mpumalanga.  He is a self-trained plumber but not without the help of “The Big Man”.

Figure 1

John grew up in Mpumalanga and attended TET up until the age of 16, grade 10. He is able to fluently communicate in Swazi, Zulu, Ndebele, Afrikaans and English. Even though his mother tongue and preferred language is Swazi, he will gladly and with ease communicated with us in both English and Afrikaans.  The skill to communicate in five different languages has been developed over the span of his life and further evolved due to his interactions with various “bosses” and working in various provinces. This skill, I believe, has helped him advance his career immensely, seeing that the terminology of the construction industry is mainly English and dominated by Afrikaans speaking employers.  In larger cities as well as the rural areas the work force all speak at least two African languages.  It is evident that John has covered his entire networking and services offering with his linguistic competency.

Figure 2: "Shap Shap"

He was introduced to plumbing just after his school years by Mr. Waits, his first and only mentor, described by John as “The Big Man“. John started working for him at the age of 17 and commented that  "The Big Man taught me all that there is to know about plumbing”, (J, personal communication, February 9, 2015) and in 1999 he started his own plumbing business. Since starting his own business, John has gained 16 years of experience. This has helped him to land his first sub-contract as a self-employed black businessman. This  opportunity has kept him busy and he says he is enjoying every moment of it. The smile on his face (Fig. 2) tells the same story and it’s a pleasure to see an individual who has so much love for his job. 

The project that John has secured as his “first”, is the plumbing installation to an old age home situated in Vergelegen Road, Silver Lakes. The site is approximately 50km east from where he currently resides.

Luckily for him the construction company that appointed him, provides transportation which is not only convenient, but is also free of charge and a safe way to commute. 

Figure 3: "Men at Work"

We have gained insight into the “story behind the story” of this humble man. . . . . 

He had nothing but a grade 10 certificate which he obtained in a remote rural community in Mpumalanga, close to the border of Swaziland.  It is truly amazing that a man like this had the confidence, determination and insight to pursue his dreams and ambitions to become a self employed entrepreneur.

John told us that his ultimate goal is to own a construction vehicle and provide plumbing services in the form of skilled labor and the applicable materials.  By doing this he will provide more service than just the current labor offering.  This will give him the opportunity to earn a better income and thus provide more for his family.  His children will have the opportunity to finish school with a matric certificate and this will be Johns’ greatest thrill in life.  He wants his children to further their education and achieve more than what he achieved in life.  

 Where there is a will there is a way.  John has found this "will" of his and made his "way" to where he is today. I will always respect and admire artisans for the skills they have as it is truly a, “skill”.

I wish upon John a blessed and successful business within the construction industry.