Oarabile wants to be a role model for women artisans

Electrical Apprentice Margareth Oarabile Mbonani

Margareth Oarabile Mbonani (24) completed her artisan trade test in December 2021 and is now a qualified artisan and electrician. Canyon Coal, as part of her apprenticeship, sponsored her studies including her three-trimester blocks of training at the Colliery Training College (CTC), in Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga.

 Oarabile is from the Ekangala community, in Bronkhorstspruit and is currently an Electrical Apprentice at Khanye Colliery where she has been working since April 2019.

 “To be an electrician one needs to understand the electrical workings of everything that is integral appliances and machines. This includes understanding how the plant operates? How do components connect one with the other? How will the equipment work within the plant and how to service and repair equipment?” She explains.

Oarabile did her Electrical Engineering National Diploma (N1 - N6) at Tshwane North TVET College. Prior to this in high school, she studied technical subjects, which was very advantageous when she went to college. “Ever since I was a small child I was fascinated to learn about electricity. Learning about how electricity is just the flow of electrons through a conductor was where my journey started. Electricity is something that you cannot see, but it can be both dangerous and fun to work with,” says Oarabile. She adds that Electrical Engineering is technical and extremely challenging, but “you need to be focused all the time in order to solve complex problems quickly”, an aspect of the career which she immensely enjoys.

Girl Powered Dreams

The artisan trades are still dominated by men however women are making great strides in the sector. Oarabile believes that if a woman is smart and good with her hands then she is ideally suited to a career as an artisan.

“In my opinion, there’s nothing that is stopping women from becoming artisans. If they believe in themselves, they can do it. If they have a passion for it, they need to go for it.,” she asserts.

She gives a special thanks to Engineering Foreman Brian Gwaze and Millwright Gugu Mahlangu for their mentorship and guidance during the apprenticeship, all under the leadership of the Mine Engineering Manager Tshepho Mokwele.

“My ultimate goal is to get my Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) and become an Electrical Engineer and to always be able to inspire other women in the field to reach for their dreams,” Oarabile concludes.