Bongani Umama

Bongani Umama takes an up-close and personal look at the pioneering construction programmes being run in KwaZulu-Natal, where women are taking a leading role in building and maintaining the province’s roads. Through the stories of two individuals, Doris Zethu Zikhakhane and Thatheni Dulcie Zondi, the documentary celebrates the remarkable contribution women are making as they are recruited and trained to take on demanding construction jobs. Doris supports five children by maintaining a length of road near her homestead, cleaning, digging and picking up stones. Thatheni is slowly establishing her own large-scale business as a contractor, building roads and bridges. Besides their demanding work, both women play hugely supportive roles within their families and communities. Described as a story about “real and resilient women”, the film moves from outdoor construction sites to inside the homes of Doris and Thatheni as they speak about the challenges that they face, and the pride that they feel in their achievements. The Vukuzakhe and Zibambele Programmes in KwaZulu-Natal currently employ over 42 000 women from mainly rural areas in their road construction programmes.