WHEN Gift Kandukira was in Grade 12 in 2005 at Eldorado High School, he realised that his parents would be unable to pay for tertiary studies.
This did not stop this enthusiastic young man from pulling out all the stops to further his education.
“We applied for everything and anything,” pertaining to study fields and bursaries, he told at his Namdeb desk at Oranjemund recently.
For the six months following Grade 12, this company invited him for a site familiarisation visit which entailed half a year’s shadowing during which he could decide whether the mining environment was his cup of tea.
It worked out so well that in June 2006, Kandukira started studying electrical engineering at Vaal University of Technology in South Africa.
In the meantime, he continued working for Namdeb during holiday breaks. This gave him a head start and competitive edge over his peers and when lecturers explained concepts in class, he was on top of his game already.
During his BTechnology qualification, his focus was on power technology, the ambitious engineer says.
Kandukira singles out the vast training opportunities which Namdeb provides as one of many highlights in his career so far. He says your potential for growth with this company knows no limits if you are willing and eager to take up the chances provided.
At a German indaba in Sandton, Johannesburg, he was even fortunate to meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, he said.
In March last year, Kandukira wrapped up his three-year engineering development programme at the company. Despite this being far from easy, he persevered to the end and is now reaping the rewards.
“The requirements were so daunting. It was a big challenge and I worked my behind off.”
He raves about the “really good mentorship programmes” which Namdeb has in place. “Being in engineering is really demanding. So, it helps to have that baseline to reflect, recharge, rejuvenate and fall back on.”
His main motivation and drive behind pursuing a career in engineering, apart from the initial bursary, of course, vests in the broad spectrum of options which the path facilitates and provides access to, he says. “The allure of technology is exciting. It’s like you are limitless.”
Kandukira says his parents were and remain his main source of inspiration.
“They believe in my potential. My father always says, ‘Do it to the best of your ability or do not do it at all.’ They hold me together.”
He also has an engineering mentor who continues to hold his hand as he aspires to further greatness, he says.
His mother’s main advice has always been that “if you believe you are not as smart as them, work twice as hard as them”.
Kandukira believes that there is an abundance of opportunities that anyone and everyone can tap into at any stage.
“I am a firm believer of opportunities. If you seek opportunities, you are able to find anything. Opportunities and resources are not limited. Mother earth is bountiful. Go out there, push and press buttons.”
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