“In my office, I have a hard hat, safety shoes and a reflective jacket – I change from ‘boardroom Panda’ to ‘construction Panda’, just like that,” says UP’s mechanical engineering manager Panda Qamata, who swears by action-oriented management.

The University of Pretoria (UP) has 129 lifts. This is not the type of information that is widely known, but it is part of the nitty-gritty of Panda Qamata’s job.

Overseeing the maintenance of lifts, air conditioning units, fire protection equipment, gas, filters that provide clean air, the centralised fume extraction systems for labs, and hot water generation to residences are all part of being the mechanical engineering manager at UP.

The large number of lifts across all UP’s campuses is testimony to the vastness of the University, which is the second-largest institution in Tshwane, after the government.

Qamata manages the service contracts with three large lift companies which, thanks to UP’s large portfolio, all have technicians stationed on site, “running around in bakkies”, he says. This is a huge relief for those on campus, because if there is a problem, like a lift getting stuck during loadshedding, help is never far away.

Qamata has worked in facilities management in many environments and cities, including Artscape Theatre and at Bidvest facilities in Cape Town. He has also held the position of national facilities manager at First National Bank in Johannesburg and at the Department of Health in the Free State. But, he says, working at UP has been the best by far, largely thanks to excellent leadership. 

In previous jobs he held, he was responsible for other disciplines that are not his primary specialisation, such as electrical and civil engineering as well as bulk infrastructure. But at UP, he is able to focus on his field of study – mechanical engineering. This helps to streamline what is actually a complex job.

“The beauty of it is that at UP, I’ve found a well-established facilities management environment, which we continue to panel-beat and improve,” Qamata says. This is different to other environments where he had to develop these systems, policies and processes.

“We have all the systems in place,” he says, adding that they could almost operate on autopilot, thanks to top-notch infrastructure and policies backed by experienced facility management leaders.

Of course, there are always crises, such as when the cellphone network collapses due to frequent and extended loadshedding. “The lift companies say that when they designed the lifts, they had no idea about loadshedding,” Qamata says.

One of the things he likes about his job is that he has to solve problems. One minute he has a diary of planned meetings; the next minute, loadshedding changes from stage four to stage six.

“Then I’m in crisis mode,” Qamata says. “But on a good day, things go as planned; I do technical reviews for new projects, ensure mechanical designs are approved, do site inspections and handovers, manage internal staff and budgets, approve requisitions, report on departmental performance, manage performance of contractors based on service level agreements, and attend tender specifications and evaluations. At my level, my job is 20% operational and 80% strategic.”

At an operational level, he manages by “wandering about”, he says. “In facilities management, you need to visit clients, see faults and discuss solutions on site.” When he hears about a fault springing up in one of the buildings, he doesn’t sit back, pick up the phone or write an email. “I take my technicians and engineer to the site to assess the problem. I don’t like management by emails because I am action-oriented. That’s why, in my office, I have a hard hat, safety shoes and a reflective jacket. I change from ‘boardroom Panda’ to ‘construction Panda’ just like that,” he says, clicking his fingers.

Qamata is a multi-sport enthusiast and enjoys swimming in UP’s 50-metre pool after work, a feature of the University that was a huge attraction for him.

“I started out as a runner 13 years ago, then added cycling five years later,” he says. “I grew up on the Wild Coast of Port St Johns in the (former) Transkei, and we were told never to swim due to many drowning incidents. Only now, in my 40s, have I had to confront my phobia and superstitions about swimming, especially in sea water. Now, I love swimming.”

Swimming is also part of his training. He takes part in Ironman triathlons, the swimming-cycling-running events in which his wife, Abo, a medical doctor, also competes. They both took part in the 2016 Paris Marathon for their 10th wedding anniversary and later that year, did the Comrades marathon together. Qamata has run seven Comrades.

Being a great believer in reconciliation and forgiveness and as part of good citizenry, he is involved in prison ministry, where he facilitates the process of victims of crime forgiving their offenders. He also visits and assists former prisoners who have been released on parole. “It has helped me as well; it’s what keeps me going,” Qamata says.

When he first started working at the University, he lived in Johannesburg and commuted. Now, he says, he is “falling in love with being in Pretoria”, although he would prefer it if there was a sea. Part of his love affair with the city has to do with his fondness for UP, in particular its “level of excellence” and the team he is working under.

Qamata also appreciates the city’s good schools and outdoor recreational areas, and on Sundays, he and his wife frequent the many parks around the city where they enjoy picnics with their daughter, Ave (13), and son, Otha (11).

Qamata has one proviso for colleagues, though: don’t be shocked if you see him and he doesn’t greet you. It’s very likely that you are in fact seeing his identical twin brother, Gcina, who is also an engineer (though an electrical one), who also enjoys cycling and who lives in Gauteng too. There are endless tales of how the two have unwittingly confused people.