StyleISSUE

26 THE STANDARD STYLE /COMMUNITY/ BREAKING NEW GROUND
August 3 to 9 2014
Zimbabwean woman
excels in Civil Engineering
Patricia Mabviko-Musanhu
I
BELIEVE strongly that there
are exciting times ahead of us.
I say this because of the incredible
investment that I find many
Zimbabweans have made in the
area of education. There are those
who have left the country to study
abroad and many more who have
remained and taken every opportunity
to advance their education.
The hardships that we continue to
face as a country have also forced
others to find work abroad and I
believe a time is coming when this
exposure and this knowledge will
become relevant and useful in rebuilding
our nation if not already.
This week I came across a young
lady who, at the age of 34, is probably
one of the youngest Civil Engineers
and first female to be made
partner at Zimbabwe’s biggest Engineering
and Construction Firm.
Grace joined the firm in 2009 and
was invited to become a partner
after working for only a year. With
this company, she has worked on
numerous projects which include
the construction of 3000 houses
for workers at Unki Mine where
she was both the resident engineer
and was involved in designing the
road network, water and sewage
treatment works. As a partner
at the engineering and construction
firm, she is passionate about
improving service systems in Zimbabwe
in particular roads, sewer
and water systems with a view to
upgrading their functionality.
“In the Unites States of America
for example all sewer systems are
automated,” she said.
“When there is a blockage in
the system, that information is automatically
communicated to an
engineer who will know precisely
what the problem is and where it
is and attends to it immediately. In
our case we only get to know that
there is a problem when we see
sewer flowing on the surface for
example and then we have to start
investigating what the problem is
and where it is. My desire is for us
to be able to automate our systems
as well, ” she added.
Grace had an opportunity to experience
this first hand when she
was studying towards her Master
of Science degree in Sustainable
Systems which she completed
in 2013. As part of her study, she
worked for a sewer treatment
plant which used sewer to generate
power.
For someone who has always
been driven by challenges and the
need to be different, Grace chose
to study a BSC Honours in Civil
Engineering at the University
of Zimbabwe after completing
her “A” levels at Thorn Hill High
School in Gweru. There were
only 2 female students in a class
of 33 who enrolled to study Civil
Engineering that year. Grace
graduated in 2004 and was able
to find employment with an engineering
firm soon after her studies.
In order to strengthen her
management skills, she took up a
Masters in Business Administration
in 2007 with the University of
Zimbabwe once again and graduated
in 2010.
Her move to study a second
Masters degree in America was
prompted by the direction the
world is taking to use environmentally
friendly systems to help
protect the environment for current
and future generations. She
applied for a Rotary International
Scholarship which was being offered
to candidates in four African
countries. Grace stood out as the
best candidate. Part of her responsibilities
as a successful candidate
of this scholarship was to sell her
country in the different states of
Pennsylvania where she was going
to attend University.
“I travelled a lot and had more
than 20 speaking engagements organized
for me. I was treated like a
celebrity when I arrived in America
and had interviews lined up for
me on radio and TV as well as the
press. I had photos taken and was
placed on a bill board alongside a
busy highway. It was an experience
of a lifetime,” she said.
When she completed her studies
in America, Grace was offered a
good job by the company she had
worked for as a graduate assistant.
“I turned this offer down. My
desire was to come back home
and use the knowledge, skill and
experience I had acquired to help
rebuild my country. I believe I
have a responsibility to continue
adding value to my company and
to contribute towards the development
of my country. After all, I am
where I am today because of this
country,” she said.
Grace is married to a very supportive
husband who has given her
the space to realize her dreams.
“I also want to thank my mother
and my father for giving me the
best education they could afford.
People usually say the sky is the
limit but I believe that there is no
limit to what one can achieve if
they put their mind to it.”
Patricia Mabviko Musanhu is
a Company Director/Producer
at Black and White Media Productions.
She can be contacted
at pmabviko@gmail.com