Nokwanda Gcaba, the newly appointed chief director for Infrastructure Maintenance and Technical Support in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, emphasises that her focus extends beyond mere infrastructure.
She highlights the positive impact on people’s lives: children will benefit from formal classrooms, and lives will be saved in hospitals and clinics.
Gcaba, 36, says the department has done well in elevating women, adding that the numbers do not lie. Women make up 55% of Public Works senior management.
“I think it’s partly due to my contribution as well. We stand at 55%,” Gcaba said.
She noted that the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) exceeded its target of 135,238 work opportunities, creating 155,256. It also held six training sessions for emerging contractors and empowerment programmes for designated groups, with women receiving 70% (2,135) of the work opportunities, surpassing the 60% target.
Additionally, the department launched and established the She Builds advisory body.
“I think Public Works is really pushing in the right direction in terms of ensuring that women are represented, and you can see it’s not just a minimum. That advisory body consists of 11 women. There are no men in that body, and you can actually see that we are intentional about this thing of uplifting and empowering women in KwaZulu-Natal,” Gcaba said.
She expressed gratitude to MEC Martin Meyer for being the driver of this initiative.
“He’s very passionate about ensuring that women, youth, and people with disabilities are really benefiting and represented in everything that we are doing, including our HOD, Dr Vish (Govender). They’ve been advocating for such,” Gcaba said.
Nokwanda Gcaba, chief director for Infrastructure Maintenance and Technical Support, champions women empowerment in KwaZulu-Natal.
Gcaba said it is a huge portfolio with many responsibilities, but they were looking forward to the new appointment.
“Understanding the state of the infrastructure in the province. Understanding that it’s not only about building a school, but it’s about the kids who will have formal classrooms. It’s not about building clinics and hospitals, but it’s about understanding that you must be on site and finish on time because you are actually saving lives,” Gcaba said.
“It’s beyond buildings, but it’s about the impact that we want to see and ensuring that we deliver infrastructure that is of high quality on time and within budget.”
In her new role, Gcaba will oversee infrastructure delivery across the province, including both new construction and maintenance.
Her responsibilities cover projects for education (new schools, rehabilitation, sanitation), health facilities (hospitals, clinics), and other provincial departments such as Public Works, Transport, Social Development, and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Her main focus is infrastructure delivery.
At EPWP, Gcaba was the acting chief director for more than a year. She was also the EPWP provincial coordinator from 2019 to 2021 (March). Then, from 2021 (April), until 2024 (September), she was the regional director. Before that, she was the deputy director within the department.
Nokwanda Gcaba emphasises the impact of quality infrastructure on health and education in KwaZulu-Natal.
When asked to compare her new role with her previous one, she responded that she could not characterise them as different.
“I come from a background of engineering. In terms of my academics, from the diploma, the degree, the honours, and the MBA that I’ve done. More than that, I’ve worked in infrastructure delivery before, with Public Works,” Gcaba explained.
“I’ve been the regional director from 2021 until 2024, which is almost four years, where I was responsible for the southern region. We were obviously doing infrastructure delivery, property management, and job creation. There’s also procurement involved, HR finances, which is you’re more like a mini HOD, if I may say it that way. So it’s not as if I’m thrown into a completely different environment.”
Gcaba said EPWP creates jobs through infrastructure projects. Job creation is generated by identifying labour-intensive activities during detailed planning and bill of quantities development, not haphazardly once a contractor is on site.
“So it’s not a different environment even with my work experience, where I was working at CoGTA (2012 to 2015). I was responsible for the infrastructure delivery of traditional council buildings. So I’ve been in the same industry before.”
Farhana Bodi is a multifaceted influencer, entrepreneur, and the captivating star of Netflix's reality series Dubai Bling. Born in India and raised in the vibrant landscapes of South Africa, Bodi has called Dubai home since 2008, where she has carved out a remarkable niche for herself. Initially embarking on her professional journey as a makeup artist and model, she later founded the empowering blog I Woman of the World, which champions […]
