•Catherine Musunga demonstrates how to operate an excavator at the showgrounds in Lusaka recently. Picture by CHRISTINE MWAABA

By CHRISTINE MWAABA –
Working in a male-dominated sector could be intimidating for a woman, but Catherine Musunga is only concerned about exploiting her full potential by taking up an exceptional job choice.
She has ventured in a territory of work that is mostly perceived to be a man’s field.
Catherine works as a construction operator using machinery and equipment that is more suited to the menfolk.
This is due to the fact that the machines used on construction sites carry solid building materials like steel bars, blocks, cement, and sand.
But this did not prevent Catherine from chasing her dream and she is in the process of shifting the boundaries that have prevented women from exploring what has been perceived to be a man’s world.
The determined Catherine is the only female at the National Council for Construction (NCC) who operates an earth-moving machine.
Speaking in an interview recently, she said she likes unique and challenging careers, hence the reason she picked her current job.
Her dream to pursue this career dates back to the time she completed her secondary education at Mpatamatu Secondary School in Luanshay in 1995.
She studied agriculture at Kasanka Fisheries Training College in Kafue.
For Catherine, this was the beginning of a road that eventually gave her the opportunity to exploit her capabilities.
She continued to chase her dream by studying road construction at the Roads Department Training School, which is now known as the National Council for Construction Institution.
She later enrolled at Bariol World Operation in South Africa.
As a determined woman who wants to broaden her knowledge, Catherine carried on with her studies by doing project management at the National Institute of Public Administration.
Studying project management was simply an ice-breaker that attested to the fact that she could learn other things in life and still go after her dream.
Currently, Catherine is working for NCC where she has been a trainer since 2004, and has continued to go against the odds.
She says God has given both men and women the same abilities of doing things in the world.
“What a man can do, even a woman can and it is high time that careers were shared equally so that everyone can exercise their full potential,” she said.
Catherine says she does not regret taking up the career of being a construction operator because working with earth-moving machines was her childhood dream which she had successfully nurtured and realised.
She expressed pleasure at the fact that her colleagues have been so helpful in making her understand what is involved in operating the sophisticated earth-moving vehicles.
She believes that being surrounded by men who fully appreciate her passion has given her a chance to compete and earn her place among people who are able to deliver, not just because she is a woman.
But the road to success has not been a bed of roses for Catherine.
She said the first expression members of the public have when they see her operating the heavy duty machines is fear.
Some people often ask if she could really operate the equipment.
Sometimes, people even go to an extent of asking if she is strong enough to handle the machines like a man.
“Such remarks have never undermined my capabilities because I know for sure that I can do it,” she said.
She urged women to take up the mantle and join her if the country was to achieve the 50-50 call for women participation in key positions, especially in decision making, by the year 2030.
Since she joined the construction sector, Catherine has worked on major building projects such as construction of roads, quarry sites and demolition of buildings.
She has operated earth-moving machines like excavators, dump trucks, front-end loaders, loader wheels, and CLV back hall loaders.
She said whenever she is on duty, she ensures that safety checks on the machines are done, carefully tested and checked before operating them.
Her duties on construction sites include moving building materials which involve frequent use of excavators.
Her working hours may vary depending on deadlines for construction projects.
Most of her work is outdoor and conditions for the working environment can be noisy and dirty.
But sometimes, Catherine works at heights, for example, when operating a tower crane or a larger excavator and sometimes it might involve an overnight stay away from home.
She said she operates machinery that is used for piling, demolition, quarrying and road building.
Catherine’s future plans include advancing her education, which is her priority.
She is interested in deepening her knowledge about the machines she uses so that she gets better at what she does.
“I want to study more so that I can do more than what I am doing right now,” she said.
Catherine said she would stand by her career choice in order for her to participate actively in increasing women’s capacity and presence in different professions.
She is eager to help end the stigma that has led society to think women should only be in the kitchen.
Catherine’s enthusiasm to play a part in the 50-50 participation of women in various sectors demonstrates how women are part of the affirmative action currently being promoted in Zambia.