Despite losing her mother at a young age, Kokeletso Moiloa, from Ganyesa village in North West, grew up to become a woman of substance.
The 35-year-old is the founder of a construction company, Blue Dot Consulting, which she established in 2015.
Through her determination to make a mark in the male-dominated industry, she believed in her quest and pushed forward to achieve the best in the industry.
Her company focuses on building infrastructure, renovations, development and maintenance, civil and roadworks including consulting engineering and quantity surveying.
Raised by her late grandmother, Moiloa was taught at a young age to be an independent woman with a vision and goals.
“I was raised with love by my granny after my mother had departed and sadly, she also passed on while I was in my high school years. Through the gift of love and life she had provided me with, I soldiered on to make her proud as I took my studies very seriously to become a professional civil engineer and quantity surveyor. Due to hardships while in tertiary, I started doing odds jobs such waitressing to make some pocket money while I was studying through a bursary,” she said.
She believed she would one day own her own company, focusing on the structural development of the country. “I started this business after working in construction companies for a few years and learnt the tools of the trade.
“Even though it is a challenge as a woman to work in the industry dominated by men, I never let masculinity stand in my way to making my presence felt. I never allowed myself to be just a person who is here to add numbers and being regarded as redundant, but I stood firm to make sure that I will learn at all costs to become a formidable woman who will run her own business empire one day. As my fierce personality helped me not to be intimidated by anything, I emerged victorious and started Blue Dot Consulting,” she said.
She said there were still challenges faced by women in the construction industry where they are only viewed as beauty without brains. She added there is still a lot to be done to transform the industry to accommodate the role played by women.
One of the biggest projects she undertook was the renovation of the laboratory at the University of Venda, and building and renovating the military base of the South African National Defence Force in Tshwane.
She also worked for the Mangaung metro municipality, the Department of Public Works, Sedibeng Water and Anglo American for the Kumba Iron Ore mine before venturing into her own business.
Moiloa also runs Kokeletso Moiloa Foundation aimed at empowering women from all walks of life.
Her biggest dream is to see women standing up for themselves by accessing resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential, and to excel in whatever they believe in.
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