Tshwane North Technical and Vocational Education and Training College student Kearabilwe Motswaledi is building a promising career in electrical engineering through a Work-Integrated Learning programme at the CSIR. This Women's Month and beyond, we celebrate Kearabilwe for embracing mentorship to the fullest and exploring new ideas that can help shape the future of transport
Since joining the CSIR Smart Mobility Transport Infrastructure and Mobility team a year ago, she has participated in a range of activities, helping her build a research-focused career, while developing her technical and report-writing skills.
"I have learned so much since starting this programme. My mentors, Tebogo Matsaung and Sabelo Nhambe, have helped me develop my technical capabilities and self-confidence," she says.
The Pretoria-born student has also participated in the Transport Safety Laboratory team's 2025 crash-test experiments and has taken advantage of professional development opportunities through LinkedIn Learning, completing courses in Microsoft Excel and Excel programming.
"I was appointed Media and Communications Officer of the CSIR Youth Forum. This is the result of hard work and listening to my mentors and manager," she says.
Kearabilwe highlighted the significance of mentorship in the workplace and thanks her manager, Khangwelo Muronga, for playing a role in building her confidence to deliver presentations to internal CSIR audiences and external stakeholders.
Looking ahead, Kearabilwe is excited about the future and says, "I look forward to achieving even greater things through the opportunities I have received at CSIR Smart Mobility."
Published 20 August 2026