“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive about what could go right,” says Hezekile Mohlala of the Department of Facilities Management, who details his role at UP and tells us about his personal values.

Hezekile Mohlala of the Department of Facilities Management tells Tukkievaria about what drives him to continue to be of service to UP.

Tell us about your background.

I previously worked for J Turner Electrical Construction, which used to service the university. But during the in-sourcing processes, decided to join UP as a full-time employee. It was a smooth move, because I knew the campus well. Another thing that persuaded me to join UP was the fact that the University offers opportunities to develop our skills; it is also a sustainable, reliable institution. 

What does your role at UP entail?

My role is to perform skilled electrical work, installations, plugs maintenance, repairs of electrical/instrumentation equipment, and to control and modify circuits, and ensure the work is in accordance with relevant electrical standards.

What are you most passionate about, and why?

I am passionate about accountability to ensure that the power supply is working, and to minimise downtime and faults. My task is to perform effective maintenance – identify and repair breakdowns timeously and accurately. This job requires a person who is highly skilled with their hands.

What would you like to improve in your current role?

There is always a room of improvement. Technology is advanced nowadays and I’m positive that we will gradually improve, for instance exploring the advanced technology that will enable us to detect faults within short period of time. Moreover, I am vigilant in the sense that some of the advanced fault detectors are too costly and most of the departments experienced budgetary constraints. The appealing option, is to be patient hence we continuously borrow these words, “Rome was not built in one day”.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

It is a team effort – we regularly perform planned maintenance on the power supply to avoid failures. We operate and adhere to all safety, health, environment and quality legislation regarding safety and power supply maintenance. This is an essential service that keeps me on my toes because I have to perform standby duties and work flexible shifts.

What advice you would like to share with colleagues to ease uncomfortable workplace situations?

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive about what could go right. My motto is simple: assist others where necessary in executing their job, and share or train other colleagues on the job where required. Work as a team when necessary to ensure that the skills and knowledge are transferred to other colleagues, because they might be your back-up in times of difficulty.