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Mancha Maraka (39) years old, is a Civil Engineer by profession, a radio enthusiast and an activist at heart. 

Born and bred in a small town of Bochum in Polokwane, Maraka dreamed of becoming a Dietician growing up. However, her thirst for a better life and a career that would assist uplift her community, she enrolled for a National Diploma in Civil Engineering at the Tshwane University of Technology after matriculating. 

After years of hard work and determination, Maraka currently holds a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Johannesburg and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Stellenbosch Business School. 

She is one of the best performing officials at the Department of Water and Sanitation and has been appointed as an acting Chief Director for the Construction Unit within the Department. 

The Construction Unit is an internal contractor of the Department, tasked with the implementation of mega water projects across the country. 

“The Department received me with warm hands when I arrived in 2013. I was the first female senior manager within the Construction Unit, not to mention the first black one,” Maraka said. 

She says she was dumfounded when her former manager insisted she forms part of a delegation that was deployed to Spain for a symposium on Roller Compacted Concrete on Large Dams to represent the country, only a month after she joined the Department. 

“This was an experience of a lifetime which has shaped my career in so many ways. When we returned from Spain, all I wanted to do was be on site and get exposure in the actual dam construction work,” she added. 

Maraka has since been involved in the raising of the Clanwilliam Dam wall project in the Western Cape between 2014 and 2016, amongst other water projects. 

With the experience of close 10 years in the water sector, Maraka says this has not been without challenges, especially as a black young woman.

“Skills transfer and knowledge sharing have been the two stabling blocks in my career. This is because the engineering sector previously employed white men, who too often stayed far too long in their posts,” she maintained. 

“It is not easy for some of these experienced engineers to share experience with black women coming up in the industry. As a result, I have had to deal with ageism, sexism and racism in the same environment,” she added. 

However, her resilience and hunger to learn has kept her top of the game for a decade in the sector. 

With a chuckle in her voice, Mancha said: “perhaps what has kept me afloat is my love for extreme sports.”

When she is not on site ensuring proper implementation of water projects, Mancha can be found bungee jump, sky diving and rafting. She expressed one of the things on her bucket list is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. 

She also has a passion for uplifting young black girls and providing mentorship. “I provide mentorship and give career advice to young people in my community.  At times, I assist to fund their studies at university level,” she said.  

Engineering is not the only sector Mancha is passionate about. She has ambitions of one day hosting her very own talk radio show. 

“I did a short course in radio with On Cue Communications in 2008. I volunteered to read news at Thetha FM over the weekends. I read news for about two years at that radio station. 

I also do cameo roles for TV soapies and was also part of the cast of the feature film called Bogoši Bjaka which won an international award this year. I do radio voice overs as well as TV commercials as well,” she said. 

“To young black girls, and boys, I say to you go for it! Do not be afraid to grab the bull by its horns. Do not be frightened by what people say about this industry. Dive in and always ensure that as you rise, you take others with you,” the ever so enthusiastic Maraka encouraged. 

Issued by the Department of Water & Sanitation