South African engineer and construction and project management company AvenirHoldings CEO Tshidi Mndzebele won two awards at regulator the Construction Industry Development Board SA's (cidb's) 2026 Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction (ERWIC) Awards.

She was awarded the cidb Chairman's Award and the Exceptional Woman in Construction of the Year Award.

The Chairman’s Award is significant, and recognises an extraordinary leader whose impact reaches far beyond the projects she has delivered.

Her greatest impact is through her structured Candidacy and Professional Registration Programme, AvenirHoldings states. Mndzebele has achieved a 100% professional registration success rate in mentoring professionals from organisations across the industry.

More than 80% of the candidates she has mentored are women, which creates pathways into an industry where women have historically been underrepresented, the cidb says.

“Leadership is about creating opportunities for others to rise. We need more women entering engineering, but we also need to make sure they become professionally registered, progress in their careers and ultimately take their place as leaders,” says Mndzebele.

Mndzebele's advocacy has been focused on encouraging women engineers to pursue professional registration with the relevant industry bodies, which is an important step in strengthening their professional standing and opening further opportunities within the sector.

“We must not only help women enter the industry, but must equip them to lead it. This is the legacy I want to help build,” she says.

AvenirHoldings is a 100% black woman-owned engineering and infrastructure consulting firm that provides project management, technical and engineering expertise for some of South Africa’s strategic infrastructure projects.

Mndzebele spent August, which is Women's Month, championing the contribution of women in engineering and mining to South Africa’s economic growth and calling for greater recognition of the women helping to build the country, the cidb says.

The cidb ERWIC Awards celebrate the excellence of women operating within construction and seek to encourage professional growth, development and leadership in an industry traditionally regarded as male-dominated.