Ntala

Ntala Lelimo has been a proud part of Royal HaskoningDHV for ten years. He joined the company as a Building Services Mechanical Engineer in a department which has since integrated with Industry, Energy, and Asset Management.

 He thoroughly enjoys his job and thrives on ensuring you’re as comfortable in your space as possible. “I love all the projects we’re involved in,” he laughs. “As building services engineers, we are concerned about creating comfortable, safe, and functional spaces in buildings. And that’s what I enjoy. I also love travelling to different locations, meeting people, and interacting with different communities. I’m a lover of nature, so travelling and seeing the world is something I really enjoy.”

Throughout his tenure at RHDHV, Ntala has seen not only career growth but personal growth too. He believes the company instilled a sense of confidence in him that he didn’t have before.

“When I first joined the company, there were limitations in my mind. Previous work environments told you that you would need to have, say, a minimum of five years’ experience before you can do specific things. But when I joined Royal Haskoning, I immediately had to get rid of those fears because they would limit me in terms of being able to perform the duties I was given when I joined.”

“For example, I was given an opportunity to do the things that I thought I couldn't do previously, in terms of running projects and managing them on my own, of course with support from the team. That helped me grow in confidence because I could perform duties beyond just being an engineer who does design. So, I managed projects, went to site, attended meetings, engaged with clients, and made decisions on the projects that I was running.”

Ntala fondly recalls his favourite project to date – designing the new offices they moved into when they relocated from Pinetown to Umhlanga. He cites the team’s energy and excitement around the move as a major source of joy for him.

“The main motivation at the time,” he says, “was that most of our competitors were moving in the direction where the office space you occupy needs to mean something to the clients too so that when you invite them to your office, it’s a welcoming space that reflects what your company is about. The offices we moved into were in a new building designed from scratch. The deal we had with the client was that we would be their core tenant. They then gave us the services for the building, and we were appointed as the main building services engineers. The building had to have a four-star Green Building accreditation, and you had to prove that you had met the criteria. And we achieved that. It was quite an exciting project. And for us as the RHDHV community, it was exciting to be moving from a small office to a big one that was modern and where attention was paid to the internal office environments by the interior designers.”

So, what do Ntala’s colleagues not know about him?

He warms as he talks about his passion for long-distance running. “I'm a long-distance marathon runner. Some of my colleagues do know, but most don't. I’ve done Comrades twice—both the up run and the down run. And I've done the Two Oceans Marathon twice. I've done the Soweto Marathon, and I’ve done the Cape Town City Marathon. I'm still hoping to do other major marathons in South Africa. I’m planning to do even more next year.”

What Ntala loves about running is the mental challenge. “By the time you finish, you’ve gone through so many emotions, you ask yourself, why am I doing this? And then at the end, it’s like, I’m glad I did.”