# Wonder Phakathi

Wonder Phakathi is a remote worker on Himalayas, Specialist OT (G2) at Rio Tinto – Richards Bay Minerals, based in South Africa.

Source: https://himalayas.app/@wonderphakathi

```text
Specialist OT at Rio Tinto – Richards Bay Minerals, managing plant data infrastructure and historian reporting.
```

| Detail | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Availability | Open to opportunities |
| Location | South Africa |
| Authorized to work in | South Africa |
| Salary expectations | 1521k+ ZAR |
| Job categories | Operational Technology Specialist, Industrial Automation Specialist, Control Systems Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer |
| Skills | Operational Technology, Industrial Automation, SCADA, PLC Programming, MES, IT OT Integration, Control Systems Commissioning, Data Historians, Alarm Management, OT Cybersecurity, Industrial Networking, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, Profibus, FAT |

## About

```text
At Rio Tinto – Richards Bay Minerals, I manage real-time data infrastructure, historian data acquisition, visualisation and reporting across IT and OT. I also maintain process automation and alarm management solutions for plant-critical systems.

At PCS Global, I developed and commissioned PLC/SCADA systems for mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, and water and wastewater clients. I integrated Wonderware/AVEVA, Siemens and Schneider platforms, and built reporting dashboards for plant teams.

My work spans the control-systems lifecycle, from panel wiring and instrument calibration to commissioning and enterprise IT/OT integration. I bring a software-engineering foundation and project-management training to industrial automation work.
```

## Experience

### Specialist OT (G2) (current)

[Rio Tinto – Richards Bay Minerals](https://himalayas.app/companies/rio-tinto). Sep 2022 - Present

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Manage real-time data infrastructure, historian data acquisition, visualisation and reporting across IT and OT domains. Maintain process automation and alarm management solutions, oversee licensing, system upgrades and cybersecurity risk assessments, and lead digital-transformation initiatives.
```

Skills: SCADA, MES, Data-Historians, IT-OT-Integration, Alarm-Management, Cybersecurity, Change-Management, IIoT, Predictive-Analytics, AVEVA-System-Platform, Microsoft-SQL-Server

### Senior Systems Engineer

Sumitomo Rubber Industries. Jan 2022 - Aug 2022

```text
Kept plant computer systems running to support production efficiency and quality, providing technical expertise and project coordination. Developed and supported MOM systems, maintained MOM infrastructure, implemented disaster-recovery strategy, and mentored staff.
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Skills: MES, MOM, Database-Administration, Systems-Integrations, Data-Acquisition, Reporting, Disaster-Recovery, Project-Management, Training

### Control Systems Engineer

PCS Global. Jul 2018 - Dec 2021

```text
Developed and commissioned PLC/SCADA control systems for clients in mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, and water and wastewater treatment. Authored control philosophies, functional design specifications, and integrated cross-vendor automation platforms.
```

Skills: PLC, SCADA, Commissioning, Control-Philosophies, FDS, FAT, SATs, Wonderware, Aveva, Siemens, Schneider, Reporting, Analytics

### Automation Engineer

Systems Anywhere. May 2015 - May 2018

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Provided PLC/SCADA troubleshooting, maintenance and optimisation for food and beverage and manufacturing clients. Developed custom SCADA interfaces and alarm-management strategies, and carried out onsite preventive maintenance.
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Skills: PLC, SCADA, Troubleshooting, Maintenance, Optimization, Alarm-Management, Preventive-Maintenance

### Junior Systems Engineer

Business Connexion. Feb 2013 - Apr 2015

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Built and wired electrical panels, installed and calibrated field instruments, and performed loop checks and IO verification. Mounted, wired and configured VSDs to motors and MCCs, building a foundation in PLC and SCADA solutions.
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Skills: Panel-Building, Wiring, instrument-calibration, Loop-Check, IOC-Validation, VSD, PLC, SCADA

## Education

### Rhodes Business School

Certificate in Project Management, Project Management

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Completed a Certificate in Project Management in 2025.
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### Tshwane University of Technology

National Diploma, Computer Systems Engineering

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Earned a National Diploma in Computer Systems Engineering in 2015.
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## Tech stack

- Microsoft SQL Server
- C++
- C
- Visual Basic

To contact Wonder, message them from this profile with a Himalayas employer account: [Hire on Himalayas](https://himalayas.app/hire).

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