Since its establishment in 1961, IMESA has never implemented any formal gender policies, the organisation says. It has simply strived to build a professional home for all municipal engineers, where technical excellence, ethics and service to communities are the common ground. Inclusion has followed naturally, and today, more than 30% of IMESA’s members are women. Many of them serve the organisation in leadership roles, including branch chairpersons Roxanne Canny in KwaZulu-Natal, Princesse Kabala Muke in the Western Cape and Mpho Plaatjie for IMESA’s Free State and Northern Cape branch.

They share their stories this Women’s Month not to talk about barriers but about opportunities, and to encourage the next generation of young women to see engineering as a place where they can innovate, lead and help shape South Africa's future. For every young woman wondering whether she belongs in engineering, their message is clear: if you have a passion for solving problems and improving lives, consider engineering. More specifically, they urge all learners, students, graduates and young professionals to consider municipal engineering, which is about building the infrastructure that enables communities to thrive.

The opportunity to contribute to infrastructure that provides essential services such as water, sanitation, roads and public facilities is what inspired civil engineer and Mangaung Municipality project manager Mpho Plaatjie to pursue this career, and she says that purpose continues to drive her today. Her career journey started at a young age, growing up in a small town where water was a scarce resource. “Like many families, we did not have running water. One of the defining moments of my childhood was when a private company was installing a water tap in our yard, and my job was to make sure that my friends did not play with the newly installed water meter. Watching the technicians’ work fascinated me. I asked countless questions about how the system worked and how water reached our home. I realised that I wanted to be part of creating solutions for communities like mine. I wanted to ensure that no child would have to grow up without access to something as fundamental as clean, running water.”

Now a registered civil engineer specialising in water design and working as an acting area manager at eThekwini Municipality, the young Roxanne Canny was inspired by her draughtswoman mom and then drawn to water engineering because it applies problem-solving to real challenges that people face every day. “I started my career in consulting, designing water infrastructure projects for both municipal and private sector clients. Joining eThekwini Municipality gave me the opportunity to see projects through to implementation, and I found that incredibly rewarding. That's when I knew municipal engineering was where I wanted to build my career. It's a space where I feel I can make a real, tangible impact, and that's what has kept me passionate about it throughout my career.”

Africa Vision 2035, which featured extensively in her university assignments, is what led Princesse Kabala Muke to pursue a career in engineering. “The vision of a futuristic Africa with interconnected megacities and infrastructure where every child is safe and provided for is something I want to help realise.” Growing up in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Princesse says that she witnessed first-hand how access to infrastructure such as roads, water, sanitation and public services directly influences the quality of life and opportunities available to communities. “I realised that engineering is more than a technical profession, it is a powerful tool for nation-building, economic development and social transformation.”

Today, as acting manager in the City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management division, she leads large multidisciplinary teams responsible for delivering essential public services. “Municipal engineering has given me a deep appreciation for the direct impact our work has on people's daily lives. Every clean street, every waste collection service and every infrastructure investment contributes to healthier, safer and more dignified communities. The decisions I make today create more resilient and sustainable cities for tomorrow.”

Over the past ten years, Roxanne has planned, designed and implemented major water infrastructure projects, while also leading teams and mentoring young engineers. She believes that mentorship is critical. “Looking back, I've learnt so much from people who were willing to share their knowledge and encourage me along the way. I think we all have a responsibility to do the same for the next generation.”

It is this responsibility that led Roxanne to co-found IMESA’s Young Professionals Portfolio (dubbed YP²) to create more opportunities for students and young engineers. “This is one of the achievements that I am most proud of, and it's been incredibly rewarding to see how it has grown,” she says. That growth has included the recent launch of YP² in the Western Cape, driven by branch chair Princesse and geared towards helping IMESA build future engineering leaders who are technically competent, ethical and committed to public service.

All three women are upbeat about the engineering profession’s transformation over the years, and the fact that it is now more inclusive and welcoming to women. “Today, there are more women entering engineering, leading technical teams, managing infrastructure programmes and occupying executive leadership positions than ever before,” Mpho says, but she adds that municipalities should still be working to strengthen internship and graduate programmes, and offer bursaries.

Roxanne notes that the conversation around women in engineering has changed. “People are recognising that diversity isn't about meeting targets; it's about bringing different perspectives to the table, and that's making our profession stronger.”

“We need to continue creating environments where women are not only present but are empowered to lead, innovate and influence strategic decisions,” Princesse stresses.

They agree, too, on the importance of professional communities, like IMESA, which offer mentorship, technical support, networking opportunities and leadership development that are invaluable throughout an engineer's career. For women in engineering, these communities are particularly important, they contend, because they provide visible role models and a supportive environment where women can share experiences, learn from one another and develop into future leaders.

This Women’s Month, the most important advice that these engineers have for young girls and women considering engineering as a career is that they belong and can make a real impact in the municipal engineering field.

“Engineering is an incredibly rewarding career if you enjoy solving problems and making a difference,” Roxanne advises.

“Believe in yourself and never allow stereotypes to define your future,” stresses Mpho.

“Never underestimate the impact you can have on your community and your country through engineering,” Princesse concludes.