South African female engineers inspire the younger generation to develop infrastructure

As part of Women's Month celebrations, the Institute of Municipal Engineering of South Africa (IMESA) highlights the successes of women engineers who are leading infrastructure development projects across the country, while also encouraging more young women to enter the profession.

Three engineers—Mpho Plaatjie, Roxanne Kenny, and Princess Kabala Muke—share their experiences, focusing not on obstacles but on opportunities. They urge the younger generation of women to view engineering as a field where they can innovate, lead, and participate in shaping the future of South Africa.

Established in 1961, IMESA states that it has never implemented formal gender policies, focusing instead on creating a professional environment for municipal engineers based on technical excellence, ethics, and public service. Today, over 30% of the organization's members are women, many of whom hold leadership positions.

Leaders in Various Regions

Among these leaders are Princess Kabala Muke, Chairperson of the Western Cape branch; Roxanne Kenny, Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch; and Mpho Plaatjie, Chairperson of the Free State and Northern Cape branches. Instead of emphasizing difficulties, these three engineers use Women's Month to showcase the opportunities available in municipal engineering, motivating students, graduates, and young professionals to choose a career that contributes to providing vital public infrastructure.

Inspirational Stories

Mpho Plaatjie, a civil engineer and project manager at the Mangaung municipality, shared that her interest in engineering arose in childhood after living in a community without piped water. She was inspired by watching technicians install a tap in her family's home, which prompted her to work on improving access to clean water for other communities.

Roxanne Kenny, a registered civil engineer specializing in water supply design and an acting area manager at the eThekwini municipality, reported that her mother, who was a draughtsperson, inspired her before she discovered her passion for hydraulic engineering. After starting her career in consulting, she noted that working for local government allowed her to oversee projects from the design stage through to implementation, strengthening her commitment to municipal engineering.

Princess Kabala Muke, an acting manager in the waste management department of the City of Cape Town, shared that life in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, showed her how directly infrastructure impacts people's quality of life. She emphasized that engineering is not just a technical discipline but also a powerful tool for economic development, nation-building, and social transformation.

Prospects and Support

These three engineers are convinced that the profession is becoming increasingly inclusive as women take on more leadership roles in technical teams, manage infrastructure programs, and occupy executive positions. Nevertheless, Plaatjie believes that municipalities must continue to strengthen internship programs for graduates and expand scholarship opportunities to attract more young engineers.

Kenny stated that diversity has enriched the engineering profession by bringing diverse perspectives, while Kabala Muke stressed the importance of creating workplaces where women can be empowered to lead, innovate, and influence strategic decisions. The engineers also highlighted the value of professional organizations like IMESA, noting that mentorship, networking, and leadership development are essential to support women throughout their careers.

Kenny, who co-founded the IMESA Young Professionals Portfolio (YP²), said that this initiative created additional opportunities for students and early-career engineers. This program was later expanded to the Western Cape under Kabala Muke's leadership. Their message to young women considering engineering is simple: they belong in this profession and can play a significant role in shaping the future of South Africa by providing vital infrastructure and public services.

As part of Women's Month, the Institute of Municipal Engineering of South Africa (IMESA) highlights the achievements of female engineers who lead infrastructure projects across the country while encouraging more young women to enter the profession.

Three engineers—Mpho Platjie, Roxanne Kenny, and Princess Kabala Muke—share their experiences during this Women's Month, focusing not on obstacles but on opportunities. They urge the younger generation of women to view engineering as a field where innovation can be implemented, leadership exercised, and the future of South Africa helped to shape.

IMESA, established in 1961, states that it has never implemented formal gender policies, emphasizing the creation of a professional environment for municipal engineers based on technical excellence, ethics, and community service. Today, over 30% of the institute's members are women, many of whom hold leadership positions.

Leaders in Various Regions

Among these leaders are Princess Kabala Muke, Chairperson of the Western Cape branch; Roxanne Kenny, Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch; and Mpho Platjie, Chairperson of the Free State and Northern Cape branches. Instead of concentrating on difficulties, these three engineers use Women's Month to demonstrate the opportunities available in municipal engineering and to encourage students, graduates, and young professionals to consider a career focused on providing vital public infrastructure.

Mpho Platjie, a civil engineer and project manager at the Mangaung municipality, shared that her interest in engineering arose in childhood after living in a community without running water. She was inspired by watching technicians install a tap in her family's home, which prompted her to choose a career related to improving access to clean water for other communities.

Roxanne Kenny, a registered civil engineer specializing in water supply design and an acting area manager at the eThekwini municipality, reported that her mother, who was a draftsman, inspired her before she discovered her passion for hydraulic engineering. After starting her career in consulting, she noted that working for local government allowed her to oversee projects from the design stage through to implementation, strengthening her commitment to municipal engineering.

Princess Kabala Muke, an acting manager in the waste management department of the City of Cape Town, shared that life in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, showed her how directly infrastructure affects people's quality of life. She emphasized that engineering is not only a technical discipline but also a powerful tool for economic development, nation-building, and social transformation.

These three engineers believe that the profession has become increasingly inclusive as women take on more leadership roles in technical teams, manage infrastructure programs, and occupy executive positions. Nevertheless, Platjie insists that municipalities must continue to strengthen internship programs for graduates and expand scholarship opportunities to attract more young engineers.

Kenny added that diversity has enriched the engineering profession by bringing different perspectives, while Kabala Muke stressed the importance of creating workplaces where women can be empowered to lead, innovate, and influence strategic decisions. The engineers also highlighted the value of professional organizations like IMESA, noting that mentorship, networking, and leadership development are essential to support women throughout their careers.

Kenny, who co-founded the IMESA Young Professionals Portfolio (YP²), said that this initiative created additional opportunities for students and early-career engineers. This program was later expanded to the Western Cape under Kabala Muke's leadership. Their message to young women considering engineering is simple: they belong in this profession and can play a significant role in shaping the future of South Africa through the implementation of vital infrastructure and public services.

In South Africa, women are showing increasing financial autonomy, which is reflected in significant progress in the ownership of both housing and vehicles. In August, recognized as Women's Month, new data reveals a noticeable transformation in ownership dynamics.

These changes highlight a new level of dominance in real estate investments, which were previously predominantly held by men, according to Hayley Irvine-Downs from Lightstone Property. She noted a steady shift in ownership patterns as more South African women acquire property, indicating their growing financial confidence and belief in real estate as a long-term investment.

The historically male-dominated real estate sector is undergoing a paradigm shift. According to the latest reports, women now surpass men in the housing market. The share of homes owned by women as sole buyers has sharply increased from 30% in 2014 to an impressive 39% by 2025. Meanwhile, the share of joint ownership by couples has decreased from 39% to 30%.

It is important to note that 'female sole buyers' are defined as women who are the sole registered owners of the property, regardless of their marital or partnership status. The overall trend of rising ownership has far-reaching implications: properties owned exclusively by women or jointly with men account for a substantial 69% of total ownership, while male ownership remains stable at 31%.

Lightstone's analysis showed that out of approximately 200,000 residential property transactions made by individuals over the past year, 140,000 involved sole buyers, of which 75,000 were female sole buyers. Furthermore, about 60,000 transactions were joint purchases where women collaborated with male buyers.

The rise in female buyers is notable, especially between July 2024 and June 2025, largely driven by a surge in low-cost property transfers. This shift is also visible in the price ranges of affordable housing, where female sole buyers significantly outperform their male counterparts, particularly in categories below R250,000, from R250,000 to R500,000, from R500,000 to R750,000, and from R750,000 to R1 million.

Government housing support programs also play a significant role in this trend: 26% of transfers to women as exclusive owners are subsidized, compared to 21% for male sole buyers and 17% for male/female joint purchases. When these subsidized properties are excluded from the analysis, it becomes clear that female buyers prefer secure living conditions: 12% chose Estate Freehold, 4% preferred Estate Sectional Schemes, and a significant 37% opted for Sectional Scheme properties.

Over 47% of female sole buyers entered the Freehold market. Financially, female buyers generally spend less on average than men: women pay nearly R2.2 million for Estate Freehold properties and just over R1.5 million for Estate Sectional Scheme properties, excluding subsidies. Moreover, female buyers show a clear trend toward ownership with age: at age 30, women constituted 50% of buyers, and by age 74, this figure rises to 73%, indicating a preference for sectional titles.