Taking Up Space: Tamara Nkolisa's Journey in South Africa's Heavy Lifting Industry
From witnessing a 300-ton deck crane being transported for the first time to leading one of South Africa's busiest crane hire branches, Tamara Nkolisa's career is a testament to curiosity, determination and the power of embracing opportunity.
Born and raised in Cape Town, Tamara holds a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Project Management and is the proud mother of a young daughter. Today, she serves as Branch Manager for Johnson Crane Hire's Johannesburg branch, where she oversees every aspect of the operation, including human resources, sales, safety, maintenance and finance. "My role is focused on managing the overall performance and success of the branch," she explains. "Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn, improve and develop both myself and the team around me."
Tamara's introduction to the heavy lifting industry came unexpectedly while working as a Site Coordinator at DCD Marine, a company specialising in the refurbishment of local and international vessels in Cape Town. During a major vessel refurbishment project, sections of a deck crane weighing nearly 300 tons needed to be transported from the workshop to the dockside. The solution was presented by ALE Heavylift using a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT). Seeing the equipment in action sparked a fascination that would ultimately shape her career. "I had never seen anything like it before," she recalls. "The technology, engineering and precision involved were incredible."
Driven by curiosity, Tamara immersed herself in learning about specialised lifting and transport equipment before joining ALE Heavylift as a Sales Engineer. Her career soon progressed into Project Engineering, where she conducted engineering studies, site inspections and managed complex lifting and transport projects. A defining milestone came when she was entrusted with managing wind farm projects at Johnson Crane Hire.
"Moving into managing large-scale wind turbine installation projects was a major step in my career," she says. "Being trusted with that responsibility showed me that I had developed the skills, knowledge and leadership ability to manage complex operations." Like many women in engineering and heavy lifting, Tamara has had to navigate the challenges of working in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Rather than allowing those challenges to become obstacles, she used them as motivation. "There were moments where I had to prove myself," she says. "Instead of seeing it as a barrier, I focused on continuously learning, building my technical knowledge and allowing my work ethic and results to speak for themselves."
For Tamara, one of the greatest rewards of the industry is its variety."No two days are the same," she explains. "Every project brings a new challenge that requires problem-solving, teamwork and innovation. Whether it's moving heavy equipment, installing wind turbines or solving complex lifting challenges, it's incredibly rewarding to see careful planning transformed into successful execution. She has also witnessed encouraging progress for women throughout her career. "When I started, seeing women in technical, operational and leadership positions within heavy lifting was far less common," she says. "Today, there is much greater recognition that diversity strengthens teams and brings different perspectives to leadership and problem-solving."
Although she believes there is still work to be done, Tamara is optimistic about the future and is encouraged by the growing number of women entering engineering, operations, safety and management roles. Her advice to the next generation is both simple and powerful: "Take up space. Don't allow being a woman in a male-dominated industry to limit your ambitions. Be curious, ask questions, learn as much as you can and challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone."
Tamara's journey demonstrates that success in the lifting industry is built on passion, continuous learning and the courage to seize opportunities. As more women step into technical and leadership roles, professionals like Tamara are helping shape a stronger, more diverse future for the industry.
Johnson Crane Hire,
+27 (0) 67 622 5093,
Comments