LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
One of the big challenges facing South Africa and the region is maintaining power supplies for business and consumers. To achieve that goal requires continual specialist engineering construction and maintenance services to be provided from highly professional and experienced businesses that have a track record in getting the job done. In South Africa, one such company bringing such specialist solutions to the table is Gebane Engineering Services. This fully integrated and innovative Black Woman Owned (BWO) engineering services company is headed up by entrepreneur Pumza Ndlotyeni, who is steering the company to new heights in the industry, continuously expanding its capabilities, knowledge, personnel and geographical footprint.
Pumza Ndlotyeni, Founder and CEO of Gebane Engineering Services — a force for gender equality in Africa’s electrical engineering & supply industry.
Gebane Engineering Services (GES) was established in 2007 and today offers its customers a range of highly specialist services which include: Substation Construction and Maintenance; Civil works; MV & LV Construction & Maintenance; and Live Works Up To 132 kV. The company has expertise for substation construction from 6.6kV to 765kV and is one of the few service providers appointed by Eskom to handle their distribution and transmission work for substations up to 765kV.
Gebane Engineering Services is also known for the provision of highly specialized Distribution Services Live Work and has one team dedicated to performing Gloving, Stick and Bare Live work methods on Distribution Networks of up to 132kV. In South Africa, GES currently has 3 year Line Work Maintenance contracts with Eastern Cape Operating Unit (ECOU) & KwaZulu-Natal Operating Units (KZNOU). In future the company intends to expand its capacity to be able to work on lines up to 765kV.
In the specialized field of MV & LV Maintenance and Electrification, GES has further extended its services to electrification for domestic and rail clients and has established a team dedicated to handling maintenance and new installations.
Speaking about what inspired her to start the company back in 2007 and what makes the company different from the competition, founder and ceo, Pumza Ndlotyeni, says:
Pumza, participating in and pitching her company at the Start-up Night Africa! London event hosted by Lionesses of Africa and UK DIT as part of the UK Africa Investment Summit 2020.
“I wanted to take on a new challenge, skill and invest in myself. I wanted to live a meaningful life. I saw an opportunity of making a difference and adding value to people's lives by creating jobs. I wanted to play a significant role in the youth unemployment in our country, South Africa, by focusing on providing skills, training and by employing the youth. I wanted to manage my own time and do what I’m passion about. I wanted the flexibility and being able to work my own hours. I wanted to get involved in the community and to help the under privileged. In terms of what makes us different in the industry, at Gebane Engineering Services we build a good relationship with our clients. We help our clients to clarify their needs and define solutions to key challenges. We have a skilled and experienced team that provides a quality service. We have in-house resources that enable us to execute and complete jobs on time. We work well under pressure and are always available for emergency jobs. Importantly, we know our pricing and understand what's negotiable.”
Understanding that in any successful, highly specialized business, people are the key to success, at Gebane Engineering Services Pumza is proud of the people who make up the team. She says: “We have a good and functioning team. They are well experienced, loyal and committed individuals. They make a great team. Any conflict is usually repaired quickly and managed well. The GES team is always results focused and driven. We understand that if we fail, we all fail; and that if we succeed, we all succeed.
Like many women entrepreneurs on the African continent, Pumza is driven to succeed and make an impact in society and on the lives of others. She is also passionate about seeing greater gender equality in South Africa and on the continent as a whole. Speaking about her background, she says:
“I might have a bit of an entrepreneurial background as I used to sell snacks at my primary school to make extra pocket money. Nothing formal or structured. Today, I am a co-founder at Gebane Engineering Services; we registered the business in 2007 but started operating in 2008. My vision of achieving greater gender equality in the electrical engineering and supply industry is a driving force within the organization. I manage and oversee all-important Finances, Human Resources and Administration. This includes the designing of a structure to support business processes and procedures. I have a Bcom Financial Accounting, Certificate in Project Management and have completed a Business Management for Entrepreneurs Programme through GIBS. I am passionate about community work and giving back and have been involved in various community development projects. I have been exposed in Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering projects within the Power Industry for over 10+ years.”
As Gebane Engineering Services plans for the future, Pumza and her dedicated team of professionals are predicting lots of growth and contining success. The company is looking to securing new business in such fields as renewable energy, and is looking to try and transcend borders. Going forward, GES is looking to partner up with potential investors and take the business to even greater heights.
What gives Pumza the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur is knowing that she has built something from scratch and is still building. She loves the independence and freedom that being an entrepreneur brings. But ultimately, she passionately believes in what she is doing, and importantly, seeing the work she does making a real difference and changing people's lives by contributing to the economy and providing jobs. What keeps her excited and driven is driving growth in the business and finding solutions to key challenges, an approach that keeps everyone on their toes.
Pumza’s advice to other women looking to start-up in business is to never give up on your dreams, to maintain a positive attitude, to see opportunities amongst the challenges and look for those gaps; and above all, to have passion, patience, perseverance, and resilience. As she always says: “Don’t overthink it, just do it!”
Have Passion, Patience, Perseverance and Resilience
To find out more about Gebane Engineering Services, contact Pumza Ndlotyeni via email at pumza@gebane.co.za or via LinkedIn:- Pumza Ndlotyeni; or visit the company website http://www.gebane.co.za
