Aphiwe

Aphiwe Zweni has been with Royal HaskoningDHV since 2014, when he started as a student doing electrical engineering work. In June 2016, he was hired as a qualified technician and is now an airside systems technician in airport design – and he is proud of it.

When asked what he enjoys most about his job, he chuckles, “I know that everybody says this, but I enjoy just having an opportunity to learn something new. For me, it’s accessing these experiences – not necessarily having to master something, but just being exposed to different things.”

“Ever since I started as a student, I've always had access to different fields. I started doing buildings work and then I ended up working in substations and distribution. And then last year, I moved to airports. So, I've always had opportunities to try something new over the years.”

Being part of RHDHV has changed Aphiwe’s life on more than just a professional level. “Because I started here as a 19-year-old, I’ve seen my life grow here. My colleagues definitely helped me in terms of personal growth. The first team, which I stayed with for four years, gave me advice on literally everything, from getting a house to buying a car. And at Royal HaskoningDHV, because of the type of work we do, we’re sometimes required to go to sites or meet with clients, so you are subconsciously forced to make adult decisions. I had to get used to diving into the deep end and coming back up. The challenges presented helped me mature faster than I would've ordinarily. Oh, and obviously, the salary they pay me helps too,” he laughs.

Aphiwe’s most significant source of pride is the Royal HaskoningDHV name. “When I started, the name wasn’t as well known in South Africa as, say, Eskom. So, it was almost like a huge but small private company. But what makes me proud is, when you’re having a chat with anyone internationally, they recognise it. When I went to the Netherlands, I remember we were at the airport, and a guy asked us what we were doing there. I told him that we were visiting the company, and then he said, in Dutch, ‘I know that company!’. So, it was nice. It's always nice when you work for a brand that's recognisable by people who are not necessarily involved in any way, shape, or form. It makes me happy.”

He says that he took his first-ever flight with RHDHV, a memory he recalls fondly. “I didn't fly before I started here. I’ve managed to go overseas within the company too. Those are my favourite non-technical memories. A technical one is a project we did in Tsitsikamma, which was more data collection and inspection. But the project was handed to me, and I had to devise a way of making it efficient. It used to be a two-month, four-person job. I had just discovered a tool online that I could use to make it work and, basically, I turned it into a two-week, one-person job. That felt pretty good.”

We asked Aphiwe what’s one thing most people don’t know about him. “I think anyone that’s ever interacted with me will know this – I have a ginger cat named Peanut. But I tell everyone about him, so that’s probably not news,” he laughs. He says he also does some photography, but he has far less to say about that than he does about Peanut.