Languages: 
“Every day still feels like the first'”, were the words used by Abulele Zaga, as she described the opportunity of being selected as part of the team that will be developing the first South African Mercedes-Benz C-Class Model W206.
A proud product of WSU, Zaga first joined the Mercedes-Benz team in 2017 when she obtained her National Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Butterworth Campus, Ibika site.
"I have always wanted to work for a global company and being an employee of MBSA has made that dream come true for me. It is just the beginning of more beautiful milestones in my career and I am very proud to have gotten this far," said Zaga.
Zaga was admitted into the East London firm through their 2-year Graduate Development Program which she saw as the 'best way' to kickstart her career in the field. She was later inducted as an Electrical Engineering Specialist in the Assembly division for the duration of the previous Mercedes-Benz C-Class Masterpice W205.
"There is a vast and amazing team of MBSA employees who have each played a magnificent role in the production of each car that goes out the MBSA plant and I have been very blessed to be part of this team," Abulele said.
The development of a new model opportunity came as she was appointed in the Chief Engineer Production Department as an EE Driver Assist Systems.
"I am responsible for all the systems that make the Mercedes-Benz so fascinating to drive. I also ensure the utmost safety of our customers. The systems obviously have to undergo intense testing to ensure the best quality; this is part of what I am responsible for," she said.
Zaga describes herself as being greatly passionate about leadership and women empowerment, saying, "Being in the cooperate industry, I have seen that there is a big gender imbalance in leadership in South Africa and globally. We have seen good progress from where we used to be, but this is not enough. We need to push this agenda and drive the acceleration of gender equality, and I want play my part."
She added, ". I am working hard to not only be a theorist in this subject but to be a living practitioner in it so that many can see that it is possible."
Recently, the go-getter switched gears and turned into the pegeant world as she entered the Miss South Africa 2021 pageant.
Abulele said, "I will use the Miss SA platform to lobby for the advancement of women in the workforce and also to encourage all females to step into any field fearlessly. Especially those fields that were previously known to be ‘men fields’, we need to shatter this belief."
She added, "It also brings me a great sense of joy to be a beacon of hope to the youngsters out there who have dreams like I had. I hope my story will be motivation for them to reach for everything they have ever dreamt of. The sky is the limit."
-Ongezwa Sigodi
