Award-winning Mulbarton engineer champions women in construction

Tshidi Mndzebele, an engineer from Mulbarton in the south of Johannesburg and CEO of AvenirHoldings, has won two major awards at the 2026 Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction Awards.

Mndzebele received both the Chairman’s Award, the highest honour of the evening, and the Exceptional Woman in Construction of the Year Award.

The double win recognises her work in engineering, her leadership in the construction industry, and her efforts to help more women grow in their careers.

The awards were presented during Women’s Month, a time when the country celebrated the achievements of women.

Mndzebele has used her work to highlight the important role women play in engineering, construction, and infrastructure development.

The CIDB praised her leadership in an announcement on LinkedIn: “The 2026 cidb ERWIC Chairman’s Award recognises an extraordinary leader whose impact reaches far beyond the projects she has delivered.”

Mndzebele’s career has progressed from engineering into business leadership and mentoring. She built AvenirHoldings from the ground up, with the company operating as a South African, 100% black woman-owned, Level 1 BBBEE engineering and infrastructure consultancy.

It provides project management, technical, and engineering services for important infrastructure projects across the country.

However, her contribution goes beyond the work her company delivers. She has also focused on helping young professionals gain the skills and qualifications they need to advance in the industry.

Through her Candidacy and Professional Registration Programme, Mndzebele has achieved a 100% professional registration success rate among the candidates she has mentored. According to the cidb, more than 80% of these candidates are women.

Professional registration is an important step for engineers who want to strengthen their standing in the industry and improve their career opportunities.

By guiding others through this process, Mndzebele is helping more women move into positions where they can make decisions and lead projects.

Speaking about the awards, she said: “This is an incredibly meaningful recognition because it goes beyond what I have personally achieved. For me, leadership is about creating opportunities for others to rise. We need more women entering engineering, but we also need to make sure they become professionally registered, progress in their careers and ultimately take their place as leaders.”

Her work comes at a time when women continue to face challenges in an industry traditionally dominated by men. While more women are entering engineering and construction, creating opportunities for them to develop their skills and become leaders remains important.

The CIDB Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction Awards celebrate the achievements of women in the construction sector. They also aim to support professional development, growth, and leadership in the industry.

For Mndzebele, the awards are not only a personal achievement but also an opportunity to recognise women who contribute to South Africa’s development through their daily work.

“Women’s Month was an opportunity to celebrate women, but we must also remember the women who are doing the work every day in engineering, construction and mining and who are contributing directly to our country’s economic growth,” she shared.

Her message is that women must be given more than the chance to enter the industry. They must also receive the support, training, and opportunities needed to reach leadership positions.

“Do not merely help women enter the industry, equip them to lead it. That is the legacy I want to help build.”

Desnay Peterson 2 minutes read Facebook X LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Share via Email Print Support local journalism Add The Citizen as a preferred source to see more from Southern Courier in Google News and Top Stories.