Technician on the horizon for Kangra Cadet

KHETHUKUTHULA HLATSHWAYO, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CADET

Khethukuthula Hlatshwayo, 22, wanted to provide a solution to the rampant power cuts that trouble her community. Her mission inspired her to study electrical engineering at the GS College, Ermelo campus. A candidate for Kangra’s cadet programme, Khethukuthula from Saul Mkhizeville, formerly Driefontein, is stationed at the engineering backbye department.

After completing her matric at Qedela Secondary School, she went on to do her N4 to N6 levels in electrical engineering at GS College in Ermelo. “Between 2021 and 2022, my family could not afford to take me to college, so I was not doing anything,” she says. During this time, she applied for multiple job opportunities with no luck. She was finally able to enroll for the course in 2023. She completed her studies at the college the following year, but this was not sufficient. She she needed to do practical work as part of the requirements to qualify. 

She joined the mine as a Cadet in September 2025 and was placed at the underground electrical engineering section. “I’ve learned several things regarding belt and pump panels. I also learned about the processing plant and how it operates, and the different belts at the plant,” Khethukuthula says. After qualifying as an artisan, Khethukuthula plans to further her studies in electrical engineering and ultimately become a technician.