DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
WITH a tidy, well-kept hairstyle and conservatively coloured lipstick, Elizabeth Banda has the look and manner of a stereotypical career woman, but her oversized flannel jacket and work boots hint at a career without a dress code.
She is now a professional, and the drips of solder stuck to the front of her dusty shirt and the smears of white caulk on her blue jeans are evidence that Elizabeth makes her living in plumbing and mending tanks.
She co-owns a firm called The Banda’s Plumbing, with her husband, William Banda.
“People think when they see me on the job that I’m just his helper, but they don’t know I’m also a journeyman plumber just like my husband and I am his wife. I was actually introduced to this job by my husband,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth achieved her journeyman’s work five years ago after just a month as an apprentice under her husband William, who is a master plumber.
The two have worked side by side for five of their almost six years of marriage.
Elizabeth said her husband needed someone reliable to assist him to do the work and he looked no further than his wife.
She said she gladly accepted to be her husband’s helper because she did not want an income meant for their home to be shared with an outsider.
“When we got married, almost six years ago, I found my husband already into plumbing. And each time he went out for his usual jobs, he would tag me along. Then one day he suggested that I should learn the art of plumbing and I did so just in a month,” Elizabeth said.
From small beginnings, their plumbing business has become a well-known initiative in Lusaka and beyond.
Having witnessed first-hand how good business practice can transform lives, William and Elizabeth have set their eyes on this initiative which is their main source of income.
The down-to-earth couple of Lusaka’s Zingalume Township is now sought-after because of their neatness in all their works.
Over the years, the couple have installed and mended water tanks in various towns countrywide.
“We get clients from as far as Ndola, Kapiri Mposhi and to our surprise, people that call for plumbing work grows every day,” Elizabeth said.
And her husband William said when he got married to Elizabeth, he saw it fit to incorporate her in his trade and the only way was to train her.
Throughout their career as plumbers, William and Elizabeth have balanced working together with raising two children and managing their many church commitments.
“She is a fast learner. It only took a month for her to learn the art and she was good to go. It was not easy. Issues of mistrust especially when she is hired to do the work through her own connections,” William said.
Asked how he manages to work with his wife, William said it didn’t go over so well the first few months.
“My wife and I had a hard time separating work from family. It was not very easy. We started arguing on petty issues. But after three months of working together, we decided that it wasn’t working for us to live argumentatively. Surprisingly, since then it has worked so well and it’s five years now,” William said.
He said the couple has been working in harmony since then.
“I’ve learned that the key to working with your spouse at work isn’t that different from learning to work with your spouse in a marriage,” he said.
He said from their experience, one of the most popular benefits of running business as a couple is having the flexibility to spend more time with the family.
“You’re the boss and can set your own hours. As a couple, we decide which job to take up and at what time. We decide what time to be home,” William said.
He admitted that having his wife as a business partner has provided an advantage for what he does as a plumber.
“We have our times, but you know, usually she will be doing one part of the job and I’ll be doing another part so we are always together in the same place,” William said.
He said a jealousy mentality once creeped in especially when his wife got a contact with clients who knew her better.
With time, William said he has learned to trust his wife and through that, he has noticed an influx in female clients who want to deal directly with the wife.
“I used to be so insecure but I am glad I have learned to trust her more now because she has proven to be trustworthy in our plumbing work. A lot of times in plumbing, you’re dealing with women, so when they have another woman to talk to they connect better,” William said.
He said a natural balance has emerged over time. According to him, consulting with customers and helping them decide on fixtures and designs is Elizabeth’s favourite part of the job.
While he likes new construction, his wife likes to do repair works. He hates service calls and she doesn’t mind them. He said while he does all the bidding on jobs, his wife does the bookkeeping.
William specialises in installing and mending works. Elizabeth helps him but leaves the technical stuff to her husband.
When it is a dirty job or an emergency, William usually takes the call, not because Elizabeth won’t go, but because they are one and the same profession.
“My dad taught me from a very early age. He always said to me, ‘don’t ask anybody else to do something you would do yourself.’ So, I don’t think twice about it, I just do it.
“My life as a plumber was not an accident. I grew up in a home where plumbing was the sole profession for my father, who worked for Kazuma Plastics repairing water tanks and fixing water reticulation related issues in households, offices and other premises,” he said.
William said his wife’s arms are scarred from hot solder drips and her knees are creaky and worn.
“We make enough to survive and we are grateful to our clientele for making it happen for us. Sometimes business is slow but we still have clients that opt for the two of us,” William said.
PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON MARCH 14, 2021.
