FairWinder: Nontsasa Gaga
Nontsasa Gaga is the first female South African to join FairWind as a wind turbine technician. She is helping with our projects in Kangnas and Perdekraal, where we are putting up 109 turbines for Siemens Gamesa.
Read what being a FairWinder means to her:
How did you get started in the wind industry?
I started with service and trouble-shooting in Vestas.
After that, I began working with Vestas’ client on facility management, reporting, site monitoring – basically anything involving the performance of the turbine.
How is your work at FairWind different?
As a technician, I am now beginning to gain experience on how a wind park starts, not just being there when it’s already operational.
I now have a feeling for how a turbine is built, from the base, towers, and nacelle – a heavy job!
I also wanted to find out, is this a good job for women or is it too hard? But so far there hasn’t been anything I felt I couldn’t do!
How do you feel working with so many men? Is it difficult?
Since my youth I’ve been involved in male-dominated industries. You go to engineering, it’s male-dominated. Go to the military – again all men.
Now I go to FairWind and people naturally ask me “are you going to do office work here?” and when they find out, no, I am joining them on-site, they are very welcoming and even proud that I am involved with them.
So far I have not felt anything funny about it, and haven’t felt discriminated against in any way.
Why do you think that is?
We are all people, we work together.
I think this is going in the direction that we are all one big family. Because in the wind industry, you do not leave your partner behind. You put your life in their hands.
Their safety is on me, and my safety is on them – so I need to have a good relationship with my coworkers.
