In an industry built on steel and cement, where boardrooms often echo with the absence of diverse voices, Thoko Tshabalala Shandu is not just making progress; she is setting the pace.
As Managing Director of VEA Road Maintenance and Civils (VEA Roads), Thoko is leading more than just a company. She is leading a movement, one that reshapes infrastructure not only through roads and bridges but also through empowerment, inclusion, and long-term impact.
Her journey began in Balfour North, Mpumalanga, a rural town where dusty streets shaped a leader who is now driving billion-rand projects across South Africa. In a deeply personal letter to her younger self, Thoko reflects on this journey, from an unseen township girl to a national force in infrastructure development.
“You may not see how the dusty streets you walk today could possibly connect to the highways, bridges, and opportunities you will one day build,” she writes.
“But let me assure you: the path you are on, with all its detours, potholes, and steep climbs, is preparing you to transform lives,” she continues.
And transform lives she has.
Building Roads, Empowering Communities
Under Thoko’s leadership, VEA Roads has become one of South Africa’s most empowered and effective civil engineering firms. With more than R4 billion in completed infrastructure projects, the company has directly empowered over 600 small businesses, increased the share of women in management to 33%, and is on track to reach 40% by 2026.
These are not just statistics. They represent safer school routes in rural areas, thriving township enterprises, and real opportunities for communities previously overlooked in national infrastructure planning.
For Thoko, leadership is not about arriving at the top. It is about bringing others along.
“Success is not about arriving at the destination alone. It is about building a road wide enough for others to walk beside you,” she vocalises.
Leadership with Relentless Drive
Thoko’s leadership is guided by a philosophy called DCUPE: Desire, Continuous, Unyielding, Persistent Effort. It is more than a motto; it is a method that has delivered impact across South Africa and recognition across the construction sector.
Among her many accolades are:
- ERWIC Women in Construction Award
- BBQ Businesswoman of the Year
- Top 3 Leader in the SA Construction Sector
- Finalist, Standard Bank Top Women Entrepreneur
- Finalist in the 2025 Oliver Top Empowerment Awards for Top Empowered: Business Leader of the Year
- Best Established Black Business Award 2025 BBQ Awards
But awards are not the destination. For Thoko, they are simply markers along a much greater journey, one where infrastructure becomes a tool for equity, access, and economic transformation.
“You will be told, ‘This is not how things are done.’ And you will need the courage to respond, ‘Then let us change how things are done,” she writes.
READ: Why Routine Maintenance Saves Time and Money – A Road Neglected is a Nation Delayed
More Than Roads
Thoko Tshabalala Shandu is building more than roads. She is building belief. Belief in what happens when women lead. When communities are seen. When infrastructure is used not just to connect cities but to unlock opportunity and dignity.
She continues. “One day, you will look back and realise that the little girl walking those dusty roads was already on her way to paving highways, not just in the literal sense, but in the lives and futures of countless others.”
Explore how VEA Road Maintenance and Civils can deliver impact for your next project, your community, or your mandate.
