Proving she has the drive to succeed
Being raised by her domestic worker mother alongside her three brothers sparked Zukiswa Sithole’s interest in cars – and that interest has now won her a national award.
But Sithole’s road to winning the Motor Industry Staff Association’s national Woman of the Year award was not an easy one for the KwaNobuhle apprentice technician, who grew up in Bizana.
Sithole, 28, said that when she was growing up other girls had expressed an interest in careers like teaching and nursing, but she had been determined to achieve her dream of working with cars.
Growing up in a village where cars were a rare sight, Sithole’s passion and interest were kept alive by a talent and imagination she shared with her brothers, who grew up creating wire cars to play with.
“I grew up with boys and have always been familiar with boys’ games, so my brothers got me used to all sorts of boys’ games,” she said.
After completing matric at Hlamandana High School, Sithole took her first trip out of Bizana when she got a job as a domestic worker in Uitenhage to finance her first year of mechanical engineering studies at Port Elizabeth College in 2013.
“When I came here I didn’t know anyone and I got the job through someone who knew my mother from her job as a domestic worker back in Bizana,” Sithole said.
She used her salary to cover her tuition fees and travelling costs between Uitenhage and PE College, where she sold vetkoek for a second income.
She then received a study bursary to continue with her studies from the second year.
“I was one of three students who often went to work for Volkswagen to gain experience and that led to me getting an apprenticeship with them.”
She now works for Tavcor Volkswagen at William Moffet Expressway.
Sithole, who is also a motivational speaker, is the only woman technician in her workshop.
“I always motivate young people – especially women – to never limit themselves for any reason.
“I use my story to open women’s eyes so they see there is nothing they can’t do just because they are women.”
Sithole was selected as the national winner among finalists from the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Free State.
She was nominated by her technician husband Paul, 30, who she met in college.
“My husband nominated me and I went through an interview in which I was asked mostly about what I would do to make the world a better place,” she said.
The Misa Woman of the Year award honours women with the potential to develop far beyond their current job titles and roles and make a difference in the lives of others.
Sithole will travel to the United States in 2019 for an educational trip set to equip her with industry-related skills and knowledge that she can return to instill at her workplace.
She plans to work her way up to management level in her industry.
“I don’t really face any difficulties because of my gender because I can stand up for myself, and I have always been able to bounce back from whatever challenges I’ve faced in life,” she said.
Sithole’s resilience is an attribute she inherited from her mother, Nozipho Mlilo, who raised her children on a domestic worker’s salary of just more than R400 a month.
“I made my mother stop working after I got my bursary and I continued working to support myself and her while studying ... she has been staying at home in Bizana since then and we visit as often as we can.”
Tavcor VW dealer principal Lisa Hundleby said: “Zuki has the most wonderful personality, a beautiful big smile and will go far with her ‘can-do’ positive attitude.”