Mathebula sparking in a man’s world

Sanele Gumada

Sustaining a business in a male-dominated industry has never been easy for Leboneng Mathebula.

At the age of 28, Mathebula is the CEO of an electrical engineering business called Gridbow, which is one of those supported by the Gauteng provincial government.

Her interest in electrical engineering sparked at a young age because she is opinionated and it’s in her nature to challenge male figures.

“I was always told that there are certain things that women can’t do so I always tested that theory,” she said.

Mathebula emphasises the importance of being informed about your passion and having a strong support system. “My parents were always supportive and have always been business minded. When I matriculated, I decided to study business management. I also wanted to challenge myself so I decided to also study electrical engineering because it is predominantly a male dominated industry,” she said.

Mathebula grew up in Thembisa and says: “We did not have electricity and when we eventuother ally did, it was amazing for us.

“I then realised the impact it had on my life. I realised that I would also love to change people’s lives by supplying them with electricity,”

Despite the challenges of being in a male-dominated industry, Mathebula says an- challenge was getting the business started.

“We had nothing. We had no cars, equipment and resources. We had to borrow equipment and ask help from family. I used some of my savings to fund the business so it wasn’t easy. Having to convince clients that I’m capable of doing my work and running a business was hard. I didn’t know how to present that to people because as a young black female, people did not take me seriously,” she said.

Mathebula spoke about one of her favourite projects that inspired her to provide electricity in rural areas.

“When I do these projects, my heart is always full. When you see these people finally get electricity, you change their lives and I know the feeling because I’ve been in their shoes before,” said Mathebula.