“Remind yourself that you are loved, you are cherished, and have value. Nothing that anyone does or thinks or says to you will diminish that value,” says Sipho Mahlangu, a clerical assistant who tells Tukkievaria about his career and his life as a long-serving employee of 33 years.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Alexandra in Gauteng, and relocated to Hammanskraal, Makapanstad a traditional community led by the late chief Makapan. Growing up under a traditional leader taught me the importance of promoting and upholding cultural values, facilitating development and resolving disputes in the community.

How did you start working at UP?

I had a friend who mentioned that UP was hiring and who encouraged me to apply for an asset verification post. In those days, there were no interviews but practical tests/performance exams were used. In the first week I was tested to see if I could record the asset numbers within UP’s campuses and in the second week I was tested at Prinshoof, Faculty of Health Sciences. As they say, the rest is history and I was permanently employed. For this reason, my ability and skill in performing critical and frequently performed job duties were important.

How long have you worked for UP and why have you chosen to stay here?

I’ve been employed at UP for 33 years since 1987. If you stay with one company, you get to know everyone, and you settle into your position. This way, all of the background tasks become automatic, and you can concentrate on cultivating more important skills.

Why is perseverance key in the workplace? Can you share some tips?

For one to reach their goals in the work environment, perseverance is critical and I have the following tips to share on why this is the case:

      1. You need perseverance to reach your goals

      2. Perseverance carries you through failures

      3. Perseverance encourages adaptability

      4. Perseverance is a learnable skill

      5. All successful people are perseverant

What do you enjoy most about your job and why?

As a successful clerical assistant, you need excellent organisational and administrative skills. My job involves a variety of tasks that keep changing throughout the day. I enjoy the work I do because is an outside field where I travel a lot, collecting and distributing mail to various UP clients, among other things. I engage with both internal and external stakeholders, including various high-profile people. What is key is to remind yourself that you are loved, you are cherished, and have value. Nothing that anyone does or thinks or says to you will diminish that value. I enjoy my job because I’m always adding value to our institution.

What is your least favourite part of the job?

I dislike working with dishonest colleagues. As a clerical assistant, you are often seen as someone of lesser importance but are expected to know everything about the institution when there is a challenging situation. Over the years, I have learnt how to deal with dishonesty:

1. Resist the urge to let it slide
2. Weigh the impact
3. Ponder your wisest approach
4. Address the behavior
5. Ask direct questions

What would you like to improve in your department and why?

Our job includes transporting some luggage from one place to the other using a sedan. We can transport the loads more easily with a small bakkie van rather than the smaller sedan.

What do you do in your free time?

Sparing time in your life for a garden is a personal commitment. It's as important as sparing time for a pet. I like to plan my garden, pull out weeds and reset the concrete slabs around our pavement way. 

Quick quiz:

Sport: soccer and athletics

Food: mala-mogodu

Musician: Oleseng Shuping (gospel music) and Lucky Dube (reggae music)