“A clean person is someone who doesn’t ignore or run away from dirt, but someone who makes an effort to tidy up a dirty environment,” says Karabo Malata, a UP gardener who tells Tukkievaria about the importance of a clean work environment, including the campus gardens. 

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in GaMatlala village in Limpopo Province. I started my early schooling at Lekometsi Primary School and completed at Matlare High School.

Where did you work before joining UP?

I worked at Servest Company as a gardener and joined the University of Pretoria in 2013 where, I learnt a lot about the importance of a clean environment.

What do you enjoy most about your job and why? 

What I’ve learnt is that one needs to make sure that the entire premises, including the gardens, are regularly cleaned and maintained to ensure that students and staff are happy, healthy and productive. The tidy gardens also leave a good first impression on the University’s stakeholders and potential students.

I enjoy leaving a good impression because the students’ parents, among others, feel welcome and gratified because they sent their children to a clean institution of higher learning.

What are the common challenges in your duties and how do you improve or avoid them? 

A clean person is someone who doesn’t ignore or run away from dirt, but someone who makes an effort to tidy up a dirty environment. One would litter papers next to the dustbin or in the lawn expecting the gardener to pick them up. It is a challenge when I find litter next to the dustbin or on the lawn, with the expectation that the gardener will pick it up. I learnt that our understanding of a tidy environment is different. Through my experience, we can improve our tidiness by considering the following:

• First impressions count - a clean and tidy work environment looks appealing and more importantly, is welcoming to any university stakeholders. It instils confidence and creates trust from the very beginning and leaves the UP Community with the impression of efficiency and strong attention to detail. For this reason, dirty pavements or gardens tell your potential stakeholders that you lack the necessary professionalism to take care of your staff.
• Elevate your brand - a tidy work environment implies superior and quality services. A prospective student’s parent will most certainly be judging entire UP’s brand based on how the pavements and gardens look and feel.
• Happier employees - some colleagues spend around 8 hours a day on the premises, so we want to make sure that they are comfortable while doing their jobs. This implies that most employees consider their workplaces as a second home and as such, you need to focus your efforts on keeping it clean and tidy. This drives them to be productive, and more importantly, happy.
• Staff and students are marketing tools - They talk about their work with their friends and families, and promote services of the university. But if they are unhappy or dissatisfied with their work environment, they are less likely to participate in any type of business-related promotion.

What have you learnt from your job?

I’m not a scientist but from my work experience I enjoy gardening continuously because, despite being human-made, they represent a natural environment. Plants and trees grow there, taking in carbon and releasing oxygen. The roots of these plants stabilise the soil and filter water. This attests to the fact that our campus does not experience soil erosion at all.  

Furthermore, I have learnt that it is important to avoid overfeeding of the garden with fertiliser but fertilise the soil when there’s a nutrient deficiency. It is vital to use the correct fertiliser or natural or made compost to achieve a healthier garden.

Quick quiz:

Sport: Soccer

Food: Pap & vleis, vegetarian

Musician: Gospel and piano genres