Sparks Electrical News January 2016

contractors’ corner 3

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. Personality of the Month

do.” - JohannWolfgang von Goethe. Sparks: Name three things on your‘bucket list’(things you want to do before you‘kick the bucket’). SP: I would like to learn to play the violin; to master a strategic game such as chess; and to travel the world.

face in a newsletter, what wouldmotivate those employees tomeet their employers’goals? It is important for me to lead by example but it is also important to empower ECA(SA) members by providing opportunities for advancement when they arise and sometimes to even pro- vide incentives.

constitutional democracy. The other change that is meaningful tome is that women’s rights have been recognised and, as a result, women are now able to progress in fields that were traditionally only open tomen. Some other noticeable changes have been in communication and technology; and the im- pact of social media has been huge. And then there’s global warming ... Sparks: What major projects have you worked on and what is your greatest accomplishment? SP: The regional directors of the ECA(SA) are constantly being tasked withmajor projects and, under the dynamic leadership of our national director, Mark Mfikoe, we often achieve our objectives. One of my greatest accomplishments was when I received the ECA(SA)’s Regional Excel- lence Award in 2013 and another is when the ECA(SA) hosted a most successful charity golf day to help raise funds for the East Coast Radio Toy Story and Game Corporate Challenge. The money that was raised went to feeding needy families. Along with these career accom- plishments are my personal accomplishments: makingmy parents proud when I receivedmy legal degree; and being able to work at my job while simultaneously managing a family. Sparks: Have you won any awards? SP: Yes, I won awards at school, duringmy university years and recently at the ECA(SA). Sparks: Who has been your inspiration or have you had a mentor who has influenced your career? SP: I drawmy inspiration frommy mother (my ‘Oprah’) andmy father (my‘good Samaritan’); I amblessed and fortunate to have them. Sparks: What, to your mind, is one of the big- gest challenges facing the industry at this time? SP: I believe that training is a major challenge as there are not enough electricians in our country. Today, in South Africa, the average electrician is about 55 years old so it is most important that we actively encourage youngsters to become electricians. Sparks: What do you enjoy most about your job? SP: I enjoy empowering ECA(SA) members and sharingmy knowledge with them. Sparks: How do youmotivate your staff? SP: Communication is key. If an employee is nothingmore than a name on an email or a

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Sparks: If you could‘do it all again’, would you change anything? If so, what would that be? SP: We’ve all said or done some- thing that we later regret but I still wouldn’t change anything. I am who I ambecause of the pain, the struggles, and the failures I have experienced. It is only by going through such difficulties that I have become a better person; and, to go back and change those things wouldmean that I amnot happy with who I am today. I amhappy withmy progress and believe that we shouldn’t pray for an easy life but instead we should pray for the strength to endure a difficult one. Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the electrical industry? And why? SP: Yes, I definitely see the electrical industry as a good career choice. Currently, there are not enough young electricians to carry this country into the future so we should be encouraging thembecause this is a very important trade. Sparks: What is your advice to elec- trical contractors and/or electrical engineers? SP: Inmy personal experience, I have encounteredmany situations wheremembers have not been paid for projects they have completed. In several of these situations, our members failed to enter into written contracts and this did not help their cases at all. If there is one message that I would like to get across, it is the importance of signing and read- ing contracts. Sparks: What is your favourite quote? SP: “Knowing is not enough; wemust apply. Willing is not enough; wemust

Shantonette Pillay.

SHANTONETTE Pillay, the Electrical Contractors’ Associations’regional director for the KwaZulu- Natal region is a woman of the 21 st Century who effectively juggles a demanding career and an active young family – without dropping any balls. Warm-hearted and kind, she is an ally to the ECA(SA)’s members but when it comes to protecting those members’rights in legal mat- ters, she is a formidable opponent who goes all out to ensure a win for the members she serves. Sparks: Where were you educated? SP: I matriculated fromTrenance Park Second- ary School in 1997 and then went to the University of Natal in Durban – now the Univer- sity of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) – where I gradu- ated with a Bachelor of Law degree. Sparks: How long have you been involved in the electrical industry? SP: I’ve been in this industry for about five-and- a-half years. Sparks: When and where did you start your career? SP: I startedmy career in 2004 servingmy articles at a firmcalled Pather & Pather Attorneys in Durban. Sparks: What are the greatest changes you have seen over the years? SP: As a country, we have made remark- able progress in dismantling the oppressive apartheid system and creating a thriving

UP Dean of Engineering wins engineering excellence award

The president of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, André Hoffmann (left) presents the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) 2015 Engineering Excellence Award to Professor Sunil Maharaj, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Built En- vironment and IT at the University of Pretoria (UP) at the institute’s annual SAIEE banquet and awards function. This is the first time that such an award has been bestowed on a university academic. This award, sponsored by Doble Engineering, is awarded to an electrical or electronic engineer who is a member of the SAIEE and who excelled in electrical engineering.

Can ten cost the same as six?

Providing flexible protection solutions for low voltage distribution installations with ABB keeps your city running, night or day. The ABB S200 series miniature circuit breaker range rated at 10 kA, in compliance with VC8036, at the price you would expect to pay for a highly engineered 6 kA MCB. Additional information: www.abb.co.za/lowvoltage ABB South Africa (Pty) Ltd Tel. +27 10 202 5880 E-mail: LP@za.abb.com

Definitely.

january 2016

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10 kA Sparks March 2015.indd 1

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