Tsakani – For Zandile Mbali (32) life had come to a standstill. After years of being at home with no prospects, she found a new path, one she never imagined for herself.
Today, she studies building engineering at the Xilembeni Project Centre of Excellence, an NPO funded by the Gauteng Department of Social Development.
Mbali dreamed of being a social worker, but financial difficulties forced her to put her education on hold. She struggled with uncertainty, unsure of how to move forward.
That changed when a friend, already a student at Xilembeni, introduced her to the diverse training programmes offered at the institution.
Initially, she hesitated at the thought of joining a male-dominated industry. Lifting bricks, mixing concrete and working on construction sites seemed intimidating.
However, her classmates, mainly men, encouraged her and gave her the confidence to take a leap of faith.
