By KOPANO MONAHENG
GONE are the days when women were only allowed to work certain jobs.
Today, things have changed and Charlotte-Katlego Pfupa, managing director of Crystal Construction, said gender inequality stops with them. Charlotte is the managing director of Crystal Construction, a company that has been operating for more than a decade.
The company specialises in renovations and maintenance, as well as civil construction, and operates in Moruleng North West and Thabazimbi Limpopo. It currently has 15 permanent employees and five temporary employees.
But Charlotte’s journey into the construction industry was not something she had planned.
It was a journey born out of adversity after a life-changing accident in 2010.
Charlotte was 23-years-old when she was involved in a car accident that left her paraplegic. At the time, she was working for a non-profit organisation, visiting schools as part of the organisation’s work.
“I was working for a non-profit organisation. I was going to schools and I was driving on a gravel road,” she said.
“I was visiting one of the schools that wanted us to fund them. Then, on my way there in the morning, I had the car accident. But we thank God for life.”
Following the accident, Charlotte lost her job after she was declared paraplegic. Faced with the reality of having to continue living and supporting herself, she decided to create an opportunity for herself. She started Crystal Construction.
At first, Charlotte believed construction would be an easy industry to enter.
“I think it’s because of the place where I am. It’s a place full of mines. I told myself, what can I do that’s the easiest to penetrate the mines? Construction was it,” she said.
Her plan was simple: provide services such as painting, renovations and maintenance to mining companies. What started as an opportunity to rebuild her life has grown into a company that has been operating for more than a decade. But Charlotte says she did not walk the journey alone. Her husband and family have been an important source of support and encouragement, particularly after the accident.
“My husband is truly encouraging and supportive. He’s my biggest cheerleader. He’s my biggest cheerleader and also my family,” she said.
Charlotte says her family’s attitude towards her after the accident gave her the strength to continue pursuing her dreams.
“After my accident, they did not treat me like I’m unable. They acted like nothing had changed. They still saw me the way they used to before my accident. That really gave me the zeal and the motivation to go out there and continue living and strive.”
However, despite the growth of Crystal Construction, Charlotte says running a construction company comes with its own challenges. Access to funding remains one of the biggest obstacles facing the business.
“For example, we have got a project where we need trucks and we are a company that’s been operating for a while. Our revenue is not bad. It’s good, but we’re still struggling,” she said.
“We’re still struggling to get funding for the trucks, even though you have a contract. So funding is the major, major one.”
For Charlotte, the challenges have not taken away from the bigger mission of proving that women can succeed in industries that were once dominated by men. And her message to other women who want to follow in her footsteps is simple: believe in yourself and refuse to give up.
