Edited by Megan O’Connor
Throughout August, Plumbing Africa is celebrating the women making their mark on the plumbing industry. From plumbers and business owners to leaders, specialists, educators and industry professionals, this series shines a light on the women whose skills, determination and experience are helping to shape the future of plumbing. Here, we shine a spotlight on Shaalin Ngwenyama – a female supervisor breaking all of the stereotypes.
Shaalin Ngwenyama.
All images supplied by Shaalin Ngwenyama
Shaalin Ngwenyama is a qualified plumber, who did her apprenticeship training at BluLever Education from 2022 through to October 2025, when she passed her trade. She has been in the industry for five years now, and currently works at CAE Neeb Plumbers – a company based in Murrayfield, Pretoria.
“Like any other kid growing up from the village, I never dreamed of becoming a plumber because I didn’t know that it counted as a career, so I studied Electrical Engineering.”
Through her apprenticeship, she was given the opportunity to consider plumbing as a career, and she quickly fell in love with the profession. “I realised that a person can also make a difference through plumbing,” says Shaalin.
But her journey is not always smooth sailing. Shaalin is a supervisor in construction, and says “trust me, no one wants a young lady to be their supervisor and telling men what to do.” But this doesn’t stop her. “It is not an easy task, but it does have to be done, so you have to stand your ground and prove that you are responsible and capable.”
Her philosophy when doing plumbing work is to take it easy, one step at a time. “I have come a long way in the plumbing industry, and I believe that I still have a long way to go.”
| Shaalin’s advice to anyone looking at plumbing as a career
My advice to anyone who wants to venture into plumbing is to be aware that it is not easy, but at the end it will be worth it in terms of the large number of opportunities available to you. |
Her strangest moments on the job
“I am a supervisor at work. Luckily, my boss, Mr Neeb, saw my potential while I was still a student and made me a supervisor. I was lucky to have the colleagues that I did because they were all very accommodating to me as a lady, and they did not fall to the typical stereotypes. I really appreciate all of them. However, the strangest thing is when a person requests that I call my supervisor on site, meanwhile I am the supervisor. I have also had people ask me if I am really a plumber, and when I say yes, their response is ‘…but you are a lady?’”
