Proving that working in a male dominated world needn’t be a mere pipe dream is Raksha Munian. Cate Clarke meets this young plumber in her stylish la Mercy home to talk about her unusual career choice
“When I drive past a burst pipe, I have the urge to stop my car and jump out and fix it,” says Raksha, the first woman to qualify in KZN as a plumber and one of the first in the country.
This ex-model and married mother of two daughters has been unblocking drains and climbing in and out of manholes for as long as she can remember.
“My dad is a plumber and because there were no sons, as a child I would go along and help him,” she says. She adds that she’d set her heart on following in her father’s footsteps “from as far back as I can remember”.
She laughs as she recalls a not-so-pleasant plumbing experience.
“I was 10 years old, it was Christmas, and the staff was off. My dad got a call about an overflow in a sewerage tank.”
Undeterred, Raksha rose to the challenge, helping her father “desludge” the blocked manhole.
“You can just imagine what that was like but it was nothing a long, hot bath couldn’t sort out. It was all worth it as I was R400 richer for my efforts.”
In matric, Raksha studied part time for her beginner’s plumber’s certificates, before going on to Durban Technical College and a Pinetown training school.
“Some of the boys in the class did not think that I could handle the job,” she remembers. “But I worked hard. It’s not in my nature to give up easily.”
With unwavering determination she proved she was just as capable as any man and passed her final plumbing trade test at 19.
With her career on track she turns to her love life.
“My cousin invited my date and I to her home. The toilet wasn’t working.”
Raksha smiles, thinking back to the look on her future husband’s face when she produced plumbing tools from her handbag and sorted out the problem.
She notched up another skill while working for eThekwini Water Services.
“Some huge underground pipes needed to be transported between different sites. I wanted to be able to get these pipes from A to B myself, so I got my code 10 truck licence.”
More women should consider the building trade as a source of employment, she adds.
“The only way we can make our mark is to take that first step. All jobs are open to females now. As women we have to go for it.”