The Foundations of Success: Zama Koleka Shares His Civil Engineering Journey

From Rural Roads to Engineering Impact

Bad roads are easy to ignore until they affect your daily life. For Zama Kokela, Managing Director of Indlela, they were impossible to ignore. Growing up on a farm, he didn't just see potholes; he saw limitation. Roads that should have connected communities instead became barriers. Over time, that frustration turned into curiosity: Who builds this? Who maintains it? And why does it fail so often?

That curiosity became a calling. During high school career exhibitions, engineering finally gave shape to what he had been observing all along. Civil engineering wasn't just about construction; it was about solving the very problems he grew up witnessing.

A Career Built on Foundations of Experience

Zama's journey into civil engineering formally began when he was accepted into the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2003. But the real education started when he entered the field. His internship at Power Construction became an apprenticeship in real-world infrastructure development: roads, bridges, and the often-unseen complexity behind them. This is where theory met mud, machinery, and deadlines.

By 2017, he joined VEA Road Maintenance & Civils and steadily progressed into a contracts manager role, gaining not only technical expertise but also a deeper understanding of project delivery, coordination, and accountability. But Zama didn't stop there. In 2020, he made a decisive shift: he founded Indlela Construction. It wasn't just a career move; it was a statement. After years within structured systems, he chose entrepreneurship to unlock innovation, flexibility, and broader impact.

Leadership, Responsibility, and a Better Way Forward

In Zama's view, engineering is not just about technical precision; it's about people, responsibility, and shared outcomes. His leadership philosophy is simple but demanding: lead by example. In practice, this means accountability is never isolated. Success is shared, and so is failure. Teams don't function as collections of individuals; they function as systems where every decision affects the outcome.

This mindset becomes especially important in civil engineering, where misalignment can result in delays, cost overruns, or even safety risks. He also places strong emphasis on mentoring younger engineers. For him, sustainability in the industry doesn't only come from infrastructure; it comes from people. Creating space for younger professionals to learn, contribute, and lead is part of building a stronger future workforce.

The Reality Check: Infrastructure Challenges in South Africa

South Africa's infrastructure environment presents ongoing and visible challenges. Zama highlights a recurring issue: maintenance gaps at the municipal level. Roads deteriorate not only from use but also from neglect — grass overgrowth, delayed repairs, and insufficient stormwater management systems compound the problem.

These issues are not just technical; they are systemic. Budget limitations, planning inefficiencies, and reactive rather than preventive maintenance approaches all contribute to infrastructure decay. The result is familiar to many communities: roads that degrade faster than they can be repaired.

The Opportunity: Innovation, Transport, and Technology

Despite these challenges, Zama sees a sector full of possibility. Urban congestion, especially in areas like Gauteng, signals a growing demand for smarter transport infrastructure. This includes better road systems, improved public transport integration, and long-term planning that anticipates population growth rather than reacts to it.

Technology is another major frontier. From advanced surveying tools to automated machinery, like self-driving graders, the future of civil engineering is becoming increasingly digital. But Zama is careful not to frame technology as a replacement for people. The future, in his view, is not automation versus jobs; it is integration.

What the Future of Civil Engineering Demands

Zama Kokela's journey reflects a broader message for the infrastructure sector: progress requires both technical excellence and human-centred thinking. For aspiring civil engineers, the way forward is simple but powerful:

• Build strong technical foundations while staying rooted in real-world conditions.
• Step into leadership early, long before the title arrives.
• See infrastructure not just as a job, but as a public responsibility.