From welding on the Kusile Power Station project to running her own engineering business, JJ and Daughters Solutions Founder and Managing Director Tebogo Mathebula is building a career that demonstrates how far a technical qualification and practical experience can take you. Now studying Welding Inspection at the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), she is strengthening the expertise she needs to grow a company serving the mining, energy and construction sectors.

For Mathebula, the move from welder to business owner brings a different level of responsibility. Where she once focused on the quality of her own work, she now oversees decisions that affect her employees, clients and the reputation of her company. Her SAIW studies are helping her connect the practical knowledge gained on site with the procedures, specifications and standards that govern welding and fabrication.

Her journey began in Lephalale, Limpopo, where she was born, raised and completed her schooling. An interest in engineering led her to complete an N6 in Mechanical Engineering before an opportunity at ACTOM introduced her to welding as a trainee. It was there that she began developing both her practical skills and an appreciation of the workmanship, safety and discipline expected in an industrial engineering environment.

Joining Murray & Roberts Power as a welder on the Kusile Power Station project gave her exposure to engineering and construction on a much larger scale. It also prompted an interest in the quality requirements behind the work. She wanted to understand what made a weld acceptable, beyond her ability to perform it, and subsequently progressed into inspection, quality and supervisory responsibilities.

“Instead of only concentrating on completing a weld, I had to understand whether the work complied with the applicable procedures, specifications, codes and quality requirements,” she explains.

Learning the finer points

A Murray & Roberts Power bursary opened the door to Welding Inspection studies at the SAIW. Mathebula chose the institute to develop a stronger technical understanding of the work she already knew from experience. Her training covers welding processes and procedures, materials, weld imperfections, inspection principles and quality requirements, alongside the interpretation and application of welding codes and standards.

At the SAIW Practical Welding School, access to specialised training resources and experienced professionals helps her relate theory to practical situations. Processes she once approached primarily as a welder take on a different significance when considered from an inspection and compliance perspective. Understanding why a procedure must be followed becomes as important as knowing how to follow it. This gives her training a direct purpose beyond the classroom.

Learning to interpret welding codes has been particularly challenging. Practical experience gave her a foundation, but the technical requirements demanded further study. She has worked through this by asking questions, remaining open to learning and connecting the theory with situations she has encountered on site. That combination now helps her understand both the work her teams perform and the standards expected by clients.

Forging her own business

Establishing JJ and Daughters Solutions brought these responsibilities together. The business has gained experience in fabrication, installation and plant maintenance within mining environments, giving Mathebula an opportunity to apply her welding and inspection knowledge across its operations. Business ownership has also made her more conscious of the consequences of decisions that extend beyond technical execution.

“As an entrepreneur, I have learned that every decision can affect the company’s employees, clients, finances, reputation, safety and future opportunities,” she says.

Her immediate focus is strengthening internal welding quality systems and ensuring that work meets approved procedures, client specifications and applicable standards. She also wants welders and supervisors to understand that quality is a shared responsibility, rather than something left to an inspector once the work is complete. For Mathebula, developing a technically competent company means making these requirements part of everyday practice.

Passing the torch

The next stage of growth is about people as well as projects. She wants to create opportunities for young artisans, welders and future inspectors to gain practical experience and develop their careers. Having benefited from training opportunities herself, she hopes her progress will encourage others to pursue qualifications and recognise the possibilities within technical work.

“My biggest life lesson is that knowledge becomes more valuable when you share it with others,” she says. “I want to use my journey and experiences to encourage young people, particularly those interested in engineering, welding and entrepreneurship.”

Her learning continues alongside the demands of running a business. As standards, processes and client expectations evolve, she recognises that experience alone cannot answer every question. Building JJ and Daughters Solutions into a respected engineering company will require ongoing professional development and a commitment to sharing knowledge. For Mathebula, the value of her SAIW studies lies in applying what she learns to improve project quality and create opportunities for others.