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The 3rd and 4th of May saw the ongoing PIRB Roadshow visit the province of Mpumalanga in Mbombela and Middleburg, respectively. Our first visit was at House of Plumbing where, although the scale was skewed towards consumers than plumbers, the mandate stayed the same, to inform them about the importance of using licensed plumbers. This also gave us an opportunity to educate them on the inner workings of the PIRB, in particular, our objective to uplift plumbers and protect the consumer’s health and safety.
Due to the nature of the conversations we encounter, we enlisted the assistance of Themba Mtsweni, IOPSA’s auditor and owner of Witbank Plumbing & Projects. This is to ensure that plumbers have access to experts in the industry. It is to assist them with everyday challenges on their installations. After all auditors assess compliance on installations which makes them best suited for understanding the standards and regulations that govern our rich industry.
On the second day in Mpumalanga, we visited Steelcrest High School for Plumbing Africa’s Plumbing Travelling Exhibition (PTE). This was a day filled with all but one Plumbing Stakeholder, the consumer, almost creating a perfect balance for the previous day. There were government representatives, plumbers, the media, and the private sector. Thanks to Plumbing Africa, this gave PIRB a platform to hear the grievances and joys of the people who bring value to the industry. By lending our ear and learning from these respected stakeholders, we were given perspective on the events that occur on the ground as well as in the government, which further enriches our goals and our quest to empower the industry.
Thank you to Mpumalanga for the warm welcome. And a special thank you to House of Plumbing in Mbombela and Plumbing Africa for hosting us. Our journey continues at the end of the month in KwaZulu-Natal. Our first stop will be at Aqua Tap in Richards Bay on the 31st of May. The following day, the 1st of June we will be meeting plumbers and consumers at Northwood Crusaders in Durban North.
See you on the road!