In celebration of Women’s Month, The Kempton Express spoke to Juliet Mushare, an electrical engineer from Norkem Park, who is breaking barriers in a male-dominated field.
The 36-year-old said she started her journey at the Ekurhuleni West College, where she pursued an N6 in Electrical Engineering, followed by the trade test at the SAJ Competency Institution and a three-phase wireman’s license from the WCC Training Centre.
Mushure said her determination to prove that women can excel in traditionally male-dominated fields inspired her passion for engineering.
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“I always knew it had to be engineering. After comparing, I realised the trades require a lot of strength so I chose electrical. I was inspired by an I can do it attitude, even though I did not know what I was getting myself into.
Besides masculinity, if men can do it, I believed I could too,” said Mushure.
According to Mushure companies are starting to warm up to the idea of having more women in male-dominating industries.
She said women are not where they want to be but there is progress. Most artisan or technician senior positions are offered to men.
In 2018, Mushure overcame the challenge of retrenchment.
“I saw God’s hand on my life. After receiving my retrenchment letter on Friday, the following Monday I was offered a job elsewhere,” said Mushure.
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“On my first day on the new job, my new boss said he was introducing a three-shift system and assigned me to lead – just like that,” she added.
Mushure said Oom Hennie was her wonderful mentor.
“He promised to make me the best in the industry,” said Mushure.
“ He has helped identify areas where I can improve; he was honest and open and criticised if he had to.
“He would always say after completing a task, you must wish to write your name so everyone can see who did the job. He pushed me to always do my best.”
Mushure said she was the first woman to qualify as an electrician at her company.
The company then trained five more women after her and that encouraged other women to join.
“Women entering male-dominated fields should focus on their work and let their hard work speak for itself. Not every trade requires physical strength.
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“With electricity, you use your tester and mind the most. You need to be a critical thinker.”
Mushure’s plans include becoming a training manager, where she can share her knowledge and empower other women to succeed in the industry.
“Perfection is overrated. Always be authentic, pray, and work even harder.”
