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Grocott’s <strong>Mail</strong> Friday, 31 July 2009<br />
Feature<br />
7<br />
An empowered woman<br />
ynthia Nyama<br />
What you see is<br />
what you get!”<br />
she says as she<br />
uts on her helmet and gets<br />
eady for the job at hand.<br />
ynne Kent is no ordinary<br />
4-year-old woman, she does<br />
ne of those jobs that women<br />
ardly ever think of – she is<br />
health and safety officer<br />
nd electrician on construcion<br />
sites. At first glance she<br />
oesn’t look more than 17<br />
ears old, but Kent is one of<br />
nly two female electricians<br />
n the whole of the Eastern<br />
ape. Born and bred in Port<br />
lizabeth, she comes from a<br />
mall, close-knit family of four,<br />
wo boys and two girls.<br />
When one thinks of<br />
eing an electrician a dangerus<br />
mass of cables springs<br />
o mind, not to mention the<br />
at chance of being fried to<br />
shes by just by one jolt. But<br />
or Kent, handling those tricky<br />
ables is all in a day’s work. At<br />
resent her and her crew are<br />
orking on the construction<br />
ite of the Rhodes University<br />
ain Library building a new<br />
ing onto the library.<br />
As a graduate of NMMU<br />
he decided to venture into<br />
he industry encouraged by<br />
er older brother, Vernon Rosouw.<br />
Through training with<br />
ig companies subcontracted<br />
y Rossouw she got her foot in<br />
he door. She says from as eary<br />
as six years old, she had alays<br />
been fascinated by how<br />
echanical things work, takng<br />
apart her toys and putting<br />
hem back together again.<br />
While growing up she says<br />
er brother “motivated me<br />
nd told me to study, do courss<br />
and enhance myself.<br />
He also told me that this<br />
ndustry will never die out, it<br />
as great potential for growth<br />
nd can empower you as a<br />
oman.”<br />
When her parents passed<br />
way six years ago, she was<br />
till at school but this did not<br />
eter her although it meant<br />
that finance would be a challenge.<br />
Kent studied through<br />
the Masters Builders Association<br />
in Port Elizabeth and<br />
qualified as an electrician.<br />
She also completed Health<br />
and Safety courses and qualified<br />
as a health and safety<br />
representative officer. After<br />
doing her practical training<br />
at the new world soccer stadium<br />
in Port Elizabeth, she<br />
was brought on board at the<br />
“... it’s a working environment<br />
we have respect for each other<br />
and our roles are well defined. ”<br />
Rhodes Library construction<br />
site. She calls this project “her<br />
baby” as she is responsible for<br />
the health and safety of the<br />
workers and has been working<br />
on the site right from the<br />
beginning.<br />
Her face changes to that<br />
of serious, deep thinker when<br />
asked about what she dislikes<br />
most. She answers forcefully:<br />
“The attitude of the youth of<br />
today, by not doing anything to<br />
educate and empower themselves”.<br />
According to Kent the government<br />
makes information<br />
and resources available to our<br />
youth but they all too often<br />
“turn to prostitution, drugs<br />
and sugar daddies for attention<br />
and money”. This leads<br />
MAKANA MUNICIPALITY<br />
MUNICIPAL NOTICE<br />
INTERRUPTION IN WATER SUPPLY<br />
This notice serves to inform the general public that due to maintenance<br />
work on water lines, there will be interruption in the water<br />
supply on Sunday, 02 August 2009 between 08:00 and 17:00. The<br />
following areas will be affected:<br />
• extension 6<br />
• extension 7<br />
Any inconvenience thAt will be cAused by this<br />
ArrAngement is regretted.<br />
ms. n.l. bAArt<br />
municiPAl mAnAger<br />
Notice No: 95 of 2009<br />
HARD-HEADED WOMAN... Health and safety officer Lynne Kent on site at the Rhodes Library.<br />
Kent is also an electician and gives all the men in the industry a run for their money, respectfully<br />
of course. Photo: Cynthia Nyama<br />
to the high crime rate and “it<br />
really ticks me off” she says.<br />
She says often the youth of today<br />
are “lazy, they want everything<br />
to fall in their laps.”<br />
I ask her if she ever<br />
feels intimidated by being in<br />
charge of men old enough to<br />
be her father or her grandfather.<br />
She laughs and quickly<br />
says, “No, I don’t feel that at<br />
all because it’s a working environment<br />
we have respect<br />
for each other and our roles<br />
are well defined. Of course<br />
you do get one or two guys<br />
that want to challenge you. “I<br />
don’t worry about that, l just<br />
put them in their place.”<br />
Every Wednesday at exactly<br />
1.15pm she does something<br />
that she calls a tool box<br />
stock where she educates<br />
the workers about health<br />
and safety issues and talks<br />
through their problems with<br />
GBS MUTUAL BANK<br />
Assistant Accountant<br />
A position exists in the Accounts<br />
Department. The applicant should either<br />
have a formal accounting qualification<br />
with a minimum of 5 years experience<br />
or at least 10 years experience in<br />
a related field.<br />
Application forms available at reception.<br />
Closing date 7 August 2009<br />
The DR Wynne School of Music is an integral part of the Diocesan School<br />
for Girls and St Andrew’s College and is one of the most exciting school<br />
music departments in the country, offering students a diversity of musical<br />
experiences.<br />
Applications from suitably qualified and motivated teachers are invited for the<br />
post of<br />
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC<br />
St Andrew’s College<br />
Job Responsibilities:<br />
• Work closely in a shared department with the Director of<br />
Music DSG<br />
• School orchestra or Chapel Music or Choir<br />
• Experience in strings and piano would be an advantage.<br />
Applications, including a detailed CV and the names and contact<br />
details of two referees, should reach Mrs Kay Robinson by<br />
Friday 28 August 2009 at PO Box 182, Grahamstown, 6140.<br />
E-mail: k.robinson@sacschool.com Tel: 046 603 2300<br />
Fax: 046 603 2381<br />
All applications will be treated in strict confidence. The schools reserve the right not to<br />
proceed with the filling of the post. An application in itself does not entitle the applicant<br />
to an interview. The successful candidate will be required to start in January 2010.<br />
www.sacschool.com<br />
them (whether they personal<br />
or work-related); empowering<br />
them and helping them maintain<br />
high standards.<br />
“My dear, men in Grahamstown<br />
are not used to working<br />
with women, let alone being<br />
bossed around by one. They<br />
are so stereotypical, they believe<br />
women cannot tell them<br />
what to do, worse still with me<br />
being small, I had to assert<br />
myself, I put them in their<br />
place by defining our roles, so<br />
now we respect each other,”<br />
she says. Kent looks forward<br />
to completing the project so<br />
she can say:<br />
“I was at the core of this<br />
project, a pioneer of a project<br />
of such magnitude”. We take<br />
a tour of the site and she<br />
demonstrates all the safety<br />
checks and the cables she<br />
sorts through to ensure that<br />
they are connected correctly.<br />
We climb down a tricky piece<br />
scaffolding and I think, at least<br />
she isn’t scared of heights!<br />
Her brother Roussouw<br />
also happens to be the manager<br />
of the company she<br />
works for. I asked him what<br />
DANCE TEACHER<br />
he thought about women being<br />
artisans and what sort of<br />
qualities one should have to<br />
excel in this field.<br />
He says, “To be an artisan,<br />
women need to have the right<br />
attitude, because this is a fast<br />
paced field”. He is also working<br />
with government initiatives<br />
for women electricians,<br />
giving women a fair chance to<br />
empower themselves.<br />
He acknowledges that<br />
this world can be difficult for<br />
women, as they have to carry<br />
ladders and other heavy<br />
equipment and sometimes<br />
have to deal with men who<br />
speak coarsely, but “most importantly<br />
you need to have the<br />
right physique and physical<br />
make up”.<br />
It is clear that Kent has<br />
what it takes. This is reflected<br />
in the advice she gives to<br />
young people:<br />
“If you have passion for<br />
a certain field, go for it right<br />
from the start, don’t chop and<br />
change, don’t go looking for<br />
comfortable jobs. If you give<br />
it your best, you will reap the<br />
rewards someday.”<br />
PUBLIC LECTURE<br />
Department of Environmental Science<br />
Francis E. “Jack” Putz<br />
Professor of Biology and Forestry,<br />
University of Florida and Visting Professor,<br />
Environmental Science, Rhodes University<br />
Eden Grove Red, Friday 31 July 6:30 PM<br />
TRADEOFFS ENROUTE TO SUSTAINABLE NATURAL<br />
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: CARBON, TIMBER,<br />
AND BIODIVERSITY<br />
St Andrew’s College and the Diocesan School for Girls, exciting educational<br />
environments and schools with immense tradition, invite applications for the<br />
position of:<br />
Job Responsibilities:<br />
• Arts and Culture dance: Grade 8 and 9 girls and boys.<br />
• FET Dance Studies: majoring in Ballet and Contemporary<br />
dance.<br />
• Royal Academy of Dance Ballet training: Pre-primary and<br />
Advanced Open Contemporary Classes<br />
The purchase of a dance company is a possibility.<br />
Applications, including a detailed CV and the names and contact<br />
details of two referees, should reach Mrs Fran Gradwell by<br />
Friday 28 August 2009 at PO Box 194, Grahamstown, 6140.<br />
E-mail: f.gradwell@dsgschool.com<br />
Tel: 046 603 4300 Fax: 046 636 2363<br />
All applications will be treated in strict confidence. The schools reserve the right not to<br />
proceed with the filling of the post. An application in itself does not entitle the applicant<br />
to an interview. The successful candidate will be required to start in January 2010.<br />
www.sacschool.com<br />
www.ru.ac.za<br />
www.dsgschool.com