07 May Empowered Consultants Lubisi reach 20 year milestone
7 May 2024: Lubisi Consulting is proud to announce that it is celebrating 20 years of providing engineering excellence to the communities that it serves. Specialising in the design and construction management of water supply infrastructure; dams; township services; roads and stormwater; water; and wastewater treatment works, Lubisi Consulting was established in 2004 by its Managing Director, Chalmers Pagiwa.
According to the University of the Western Cape, the majority of new businesses and start-ups fail within the first five years, so it is particularly noteworthy when a small, specialised engineering consultancy reaches a twenty-year milestone.
As a qualified engineer with many years in government service, Pagiwa’s vision was to establish his own consultancy: “My initial vision was to develop into a medium-sized company in the civil and structural engineering consultancy space within ten years.”
Pagiwa’s extensive experience working in the public sector and understanding how work is procured and services delivered, enabled this vision to come to life complemented with good marketing and employing appropriately qualified staff – a crucial factor.
“’Lubisi’ in SiSwati means ‘milk’ and is associated with quality, purity and integrity – this is what underpins the culture of what this company should embody. The company was formed with headquarters in Mbombela, (previously Nelspruit), and the dominant language spoken there is SiSwati. We are a proudly Mpumalanga-based company!”
The journey of Lubisi commenced with two employees, reaching an employment target of 10 by 2009, five years after formation, but rapidly grew to a peak of 20 employees. In the early days, the company concentrated on providing design and construction management services to mainly the water and wastewater sector and to local municipalities but has since expanded to the provincial and national governments providing civil, irrigation, structural and road construction services.
“Memorable milestones include the award of our biggest project – a R500-million project (construction value) – in 2014; and attaining ISO certification status in 2023. “Skills, experience, recognition, and reputation in specific areas of expertise, play a huge part in the consulting space. Thereafter, marketing and maintenance of clients is crucial for repeat business and of course recommendations by existing clients to new potential clients.”
With a mantra of being committed to continuous improvement, Pagiwa related that of the twenty or so major projects that the company has worked on, a current project is likely to be the most fascinating and probably the most challenging. “This project will see the upgrade of the whole sewer distribution network and wastewater treatment plant for a municipality located close to an important watercourse in the country. This project will be a test of our resources, as there are multiple public sector stakeholders. It is a multidisciplinary project involving complex technology and challenging engineering conditions, but we are up to the task!”
He concludes: “We have certainly evolved and look forward to the next 20 years with hope and anticipation having proved our credentials as a trusted partner in the development of key infrastructure that serves our citizens with dignity and opportunities for a better life.”
ENDS
About Lubisi Consulting:
Lubisi Consulting is a professional services firm, which provides Water Resources Engineering and Structural Engineering Services. The firm was founded in 2004 and has since its inception supported and provided services to government institutions and the private sector.
Media Contact:
Phyllis Chikondo, Account Manager
Tel. +27 82 833 9109
phyllis@swmcommunications.co.za
Contact:
Chalmers Pagiwa, Managing Director
Tel. +27 82 883 8260