Who we are

Singakwenza Ndawonye Engineering Services cc was established to answer a practical need in the civil engineering and built environment sectors: creating meaningful experiential learning, structured workplace exposure and professional development opportunities for students, graduates and early-career practitioners.

The original programme was inspired by the Department of Civil Engineering at the Durban University of Technology, which saw that students needed industry experience across specialist areas to complete their qualifications — while suitable placements remained scarce, and employers expected workplace exposure before considering candidates employable.

SN Eng Services provides the platform where students, graduates, candidates and industry partners meet: structured training, mentoring and engineering-related assignments that support skills transfer, employability and ethical professional practice.

Our purpose

We provide training and engineering services that strengthen technical capability in the built environment. Our work develops competent, ethical, work-ready practitioners through practical exposure, mentoring, professional guidance and structured learning — and encourages every participant to pursue a productive, responsible and enriching career.

Mentors and practitioners in a working session
Working sessions like this one are where mentoring actually happens.

Vision

To be a trusted training and engineering services partner contributing to the development of competent, ethical and professionally prepared practitioners in the built environment.

Mission

To create structured opportunities for experiential learning, professional development, engineering support services, ECSA Candidate Management and CPD-aligned training activities.

Values

  • Collaboration
  • Accountability
  • Professionalism
  • Skills transfer
  • Ethical practice
  • Lifelong learning
  • Service excellence

How the company is structured

As the programme grew, it became necessary to operate on more formal, business-like terms. Singakwenza Ndawonye Engineering Services was registered as a Close Corporation so the initiative could deliver its services in a structured, accountable and sustainable manner.

The company was founded by Lee McKune, with Tom McKune (Training Co-Ordinator) as co-founder. Tom spent many years as head of training at SAICE (the South African Institution of Civil Engineering), and that experience shapes how SN Eng Services structures its programmes to this day. Their time and expertise have carried the programme from a student-placement initiative into a training and engineering services company — guided throughout by one principle:

“Together we can.”

Meet the team

Lee McKune

Founder

Lee founded SN Eng Services. An administrative manager with two decades in engineering recruitment, she keeps the company's operations, administration and client relationships running smoothly.

LinkedIn
Tom McKune

Tom McKune

Co-founder & Training Co-Ordinator

A registered technologist with almost five decades in civil engineering — from roads and geometric design with the NPA Roads Department (now KZN DOT), to thirty years teaching transportation subjects, to many years heading up training at SAICE.

LinkedIn

What colleagues & candidates say

From public LinkedIn recommendations and posts.

“The Maselulekane cohort (of magicians) generously offer up their time and expertise, mentoring candidates through the registration process. With your assistance, I was able to knock this one out within a year.”
Nadine De Mink Professional Engineering Technologist — on reaching ECSA registration
“Week after week, the mentors make time to support over 80 candidates with their ECSA applications — simplifying the complex journey to professional registration in just 12 months. Thank you to our selfless superstars, Tom McKune [and the Maselulekane mentors] — without whom our successes would not have been possible.”
Philip Marsh Pr Eng, Founder/CEO Knowledge Mentoring (Global)
“Tom is a master in civil engineering and the students look to him for inspiration as the head of civil engineering at [DUT] with utmost trust and respect.”
Nelendran Soobiah LinkedIn recommendation

See what we do

Four service areas covering the journey from student to registered professional.

Our services