Edited by Megan O’Connor
This month Juan-Pierre Strydom gives his history in the plumbing industry, how he has become the success that he is today, as well as advice for younger generations looking to plumbing as a potential career.
Image supplied by JP Strydom
I grew up in a family where my father’s side were all in the construction industry. My earliest memories are going to building sites with my father and exploring. My earliest recollection of plumbing was how he managed to bend copper pipes using his knee as leverage.
In 2003, I became part of the country’s crime statistics and had eight armed robberies. After a long conversation with my family, I decided to move to Knysna and join my father in his business.
At the age of thirty, I became an apprentice and got into the trenches – learning from the ground up. For the first two years it was all about the basics of storm water, sewer and general drain laying – working with copper pipes and other tools was still a long way off. Learning from and watching my father do plumbing, hold the tools, clean the copper tubes and prepare the areas where an installation was being done was my trade school.
I was taught hands-on, step-by-step until I was allowed to plumb a house from the ground up, until final completion.
Being part of a family business, I was taught how to measure and quantify projects. To further my skills, I enrolled in a quantity surveying course to better understand the intricacies of costing projects, and to make sure that work is carried out within budget and on time.
After six years, I enrolled into the CETA programme and obtained my qualification through the system. Upon receiving my plumbing qualification, I qualified to install solar and heat pump systems.
We have expanded our business and brought in another member of our family. He is now fully qualified and runs our third team in the business.
I am truly blessed to have my father, Japie, still running around and working at the age of 74.
Every day you can set your watch to 07:00, and watch as he starts his vehicle and heads to the local supply store.
He is always ready with advice and “how to” knowledge that he freely gives to all of the younger plumbers. This is wisdom and knowledge gained over a 55-year career that you could not find in any book, code or online video. His dedication to his trade is what inspires me to get up every day and never stop learning, improving myself and those around me.
Japie and JP Strydom . Image supplied by JP Strydom
In the beginning of 2022, I was elected as vice chairman of the Southern Cape Region of IOPSA. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our chairman had to step down. At the time, Steve Brown and Gerrie Botha came to the region to assist where they could. I informed them that I was not ready to take over as chairman due to a large workload, and not knowing the intricacies of navigating the politics of plumbing in the IOPSA organisation.
Gerrie Botha then, with the blessing of Steve Brown, offered to mentor me and give guidance where needed. Earlier this year, Gerrie took off the training wheels and handed the reins to me and my committee. We are now independent and are building our confidence and cohesion in our plans to grow and develop the Southern Cape region to its fullest potential. The region has grown by six members in the past year and plumbers’ evenings are gaining traction again. We are also hosting training days in areas that have not had the strongest participation in the past.
What continues to drive me is the willingness to learn every day – the plumbing trade is continuously evolving, and new technology is always making the application and installation of plumbing in both the domestic and commercial environments a dynamic animal.
My advice to anyone aspiring to be a plumber: Always stay humble and be willing to learn. Be willing to take criticism and learn to take the positive from it. Always thrive to better yourself by reading and being a student of the trade. You must be willing to learn one thing every day, whether from a book or the labourer on the ground. Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them, so as to grow your experience and knowledge base.
