It’s Women’s Month and the Daily Voice is focusing on ordinary vrouens doing extraordinary things, in particular those in traditional male jobs.
Ronelle Kensley from Mitchells Plain is a wife and mother of two who is the foreman, or forewoman, for one of the largest construction companies in Cape Town, WBHO.
Ronelle, 30, leaves home at 5am every day, and also works every second Saturday.
And she says she goes from mommy mode to tough voorman when she puts on her work clothing.
“As a woman, I didn’t love my job at first,” she admits.
“I was questioning myself, saying ‘is this really for me, must I really do this?’ Because it’s a stressful job and requires me to be strict and to the book.”
Ronelle says she didn’t study and worked herself up to her current position.
It started in 2009 when, desperate for a job, she gave her CV to her cousin and was called for an interview and got a job as a Quality Controller.
“I needed a job at the time and was willing to take anything,” she says.
“I built myself up over the years as I got to learn and know more about the industry.
“We don’t work on housing, it’s always huge developments, such as skyscrapers.
“I supervise the subcontractors and see that they are doing the right thing and working from the correct drawing.
“I also do citing out preparation for the casting of a slab, I make sure when casting concrete slabs, that the columns are of the correct height, etc.”
Ronelle says as the only woman on site, at first the men made her feel inferior and insecure.
TOUGH COOKIE: In the zone at work. Picture: Supplied
“It was difficult to start off in construction, men treated me differently, it was like they didn’t think I’d fit in or be capable of doing the job.
“Men on site would make remarks that this is a man’s job.
“Even when I meet new people and they hear what I do, they look at me funny and ask why I’m doing such hard work.
“But it’s not difficult at all, the mentality people have is limiting them, they can become more than they think they can be.”
Ronelle says part of her daily routine includes climbing scaffolding, but she doesn’t find it scary at all.
"When I do checking of the columns, I need to climb up on scaffolding to get the numbers and check accuracy.”
Ronelle, who has a four-year-old daughter and five-month-old son, says when she was pregnant, she stopped climbing scaffolds but was still able to execute her duties.
FAMILY TIME: Ronelle with her husband and two children. Picture: Supplied
“I was pregnant on site but got to work on a completed site where I did snags (small complaints from clients).”
She urges girls and young women not to shy away from traditional male jobs.
“Women shouldn’t be boxed in. We can be moms, wives, daughters, sisters and still do ‘tough male’ jobs,” she adds.