The story of how two individuals came about working in the construction industry.

 

Jonathan Hoffman is an ambitious plumber who has dedicated his whole life towards plumbing. It is his job to go and install all the plumbing units in a specified time period, so that the building process can continue without delay. Jonathan is struck by a difficult learning curve when he leaves school and is thrown straight into the deep end of the plumbing industry. Under the circumstances, Jonathan’s hard work and perseverance pays off, as he is rewarded with many great opportunities in his career.

Jonathan grew up in Rustenburg and attended Grenswag High school in the North-West. At first Jonathan wanted nothing to do with plumbing, however, his grandfather who was already working in the plumbing industry, compelled Jonathan to go down the same career path. Thus, after matric, Jonathan went straight into plumbing, and started working for his grandfather. Although Jonathan did not study after school, he learnt everything there is to know about plumbing through his grandfather, as well as many years of trial and error.

Jonathan’s hard work eventually paid off over time, as he was given the opportunity to work on many large and interesting construction sites that play an important role in today’s society. He has worked on a total of 8 giant projects, the main ones he had worked on was, Lynwood Bridge mall, Woodlands Mall and Wonderpark.  Even though it must be an honour to work on such large sites, Jonathan’s favourite part about his job is the end result, he compares his job to art, as he says that he starts off with nothing and ends up building and installing objects that stay there forever, objects that he can always come back to and know that it was his hands that built them, which to him feels like a great achievement.

The plumbing industry is a very stressful industry to go into, and has many challenges. Some of the challenges that Jonathan has to face on a daily basis are the time limits and deadlines that he has in order to complete his work. As a result of the deadlines, Jonathan has to work longer hours which puts him at a disadvantage, as he goes home much later at night, and has less time to spend with his family.

Our interview with Jonathan Hoffman was of great insight into the plumbing industry. It helped us realise the importance of plumbers and how their job contributes to the building industry. We also learnt a lot about what process to follow if one of us were to pursue a career in plumbing.

 

 

Wilston Mashomba is an aspiring electrician working in the building industry.  His job is to install all the electrics in a building without shocking himself. Wilston had to learn the hard way as he had to drop out of school and find a job due to the fact that his parents couldn’t pay for his schooling anymore.

Wilston was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He dropped out of school in grade 9 to start working, after 2 years of doing odd jobs for money, Wilston stumbled across a construction company in Zimbabwe that took him in and taught him the ropes. He learnt all that he could possibly learn about being an electrician, and then finally made the decision to go to South Africa and find work there, as he knew the opportunities to make money were abundant.

The challenges that Wilston faced were tremendous, due to the fact that he wasn’t qualified for the job, he found it difficult to find work in South Africa. As a result of his situation, Wilston accepted a job in a lower position, and worked for someone else. Although he doesn’t enjoy his job much, he works to earn money in order to support his wife and children.

Our interview with Wilston Mashomba opened up an understanding of the tough life he has faced in order to get where he is today. Wilston has taught us the importance of hard work and dedication, as he had to drop out of school in order to work so that he could make enough money just to afford food, and as a consequence of his determination to strive towards success, Wilston can proudly say that he is successful. Wilston has also helped us understand the obligations of an electrician, as well as what process would be best to follow if we ever had to embark on a career as an electrician