Childhood dream comes true with appointment of first woman electrician

Margareth Oarabile Mbonani - Electrician at Khanye Colliery

For as long as Oarabile can remember, she was always interested in all things related to electricity. Growing up in the Ekangala community in Bronkhorstspruit, she always dreamed of becoming an electrician. Sitting in science classes learning about how electricity was just the flow of electrons through a conductor was where her journey formally started. Fast-forwarding to May 2022, Oarabile achieved a major career milestone when she was appointed as the first woman electrician at Khanye Colliery.

 Margareth Oarabile Mbonani (25) has been working at Khanye Colliery since April 2019. She was previously serving as an Electrical Apprentice. “Considering how strongly male-dominated the sector is, it is a significant achievement to be appointed as a woman-electrician at a mine. As a local woman, I hope this will inspire many young girls in my community and beyond to follow my path, as being an electrician is a very respectable career path,” she highlights.

Oarabile completed her artisan trade test in December 2021 to become 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 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.

Oarabile can be found servicing and repairing electrical components and systems throughout the mine site, such as the plant and workshops, as well as at the workshop located near the Bronkhorstspruit Siding.

The most exciting part of the job for Oarabile is getting to work on a new project afresh. “Just knowing that this is where you started, people can have a reference from you. For instance, if I started a project and people were to come to me and say, ‘we're looking for a certain component or where is the source coming from. I'd be able to tell them how I connected it from that point to that point.’ It becomes a situation where people now make you the point of reference. This certainly gives others, a new level of respect for the work I do,” she states.

She is especially thankful to Engineering Foreman Brian Gwaze and Millwright Gugu Mahlangu for their mentorship and guidance during her apprenticeship and now as an employee, all of which is done under the leadership of the Mine Engineering Manager Tshepho Mokwele.

Oarabile reiterates that her ultimate goal is to attain her Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) and become an Electrical Engineer and always be able to encourage other women in the field to reach for their dreams and achieve the highest levels of excellence.

“I do not want to be known as the best woman electrician but rather as the best electrician overall. This is the next goal that I’m striving to achieve,” Oarabile asserts.