Nthabiseng Dube takes the human resource management to a higher level

Nthabiseng Dube, not only beauty, but lots of brains

NTHABISENG DUBE spoke to Thembi Masser about her passion for human relations and of her dream of becoming a diplomat. Although she has found her spot in the world, she is still looking for a mentor. At present she works for Polish Management but it is a forgone conclusion that the 26 year-old would soon be establishing her own practice. In the interview with Masser she was practical, jolly but forthright. And this is how the interview panned out...  

What is your career?

Anything related to human resource which includes Payroll as well as recruitment.

What subjects did/do you study for this type of a career at school and at tertiary institution?

Well, In High school my subjects included Math’s, History, business management and biology. Earlier, at high school, all I ever dreamt of becoming was to be a diplomat. To be a diplomat you require only a certain average in high school in order to study international relations at university.

But, instead, I ended up studying under the collage of management sciences at UNISA. My modules included labour law, labourr relations, financial management, business management, management of training, industrial management. Currently under my B.Com honours some of my modules include research, human resource management, strategic human resource development and so forth.

I did a lot of human resource studies at tertiary level. It was also necessary to do management so that it was possible to be certified around my computer literacy.  I did a 3 week course at SAGE for payroll administration.

Learning is definitely my first love. To this end I plan on studying further after I completing my B. Com honors.

What is your job description?

Please note that some answers are from my personal CV as well as the company CV

Currently I have a lot of caps on my head regarding my job description(s)…where do I start? .OK here goes…

Regarding the success of Polish Management

I am responsible for running the day to day business activities of the company. I do this with an emphasis on sales and business development.  I ensure growth by developing new clients while, on the other hand, I maintain the present customer base. I am a creative, result driven managing director with a proven ability to develop and maintain the company’s mission along strong written and verbal communication skills that assist in forecasting good project management and analytical skills.  

 Duties that I focus on are:

         ·         Identifying, developing and directing the implementation of the business strategy.

·         Cultivating the company’s reputation in the market place with suppliers and customers.

·         Planning and organising activities to achieve targets.

·         Looking closely at the profit and loss in the company.

·         Leading, motivating and developing management team.

·         Developing business plans and preparing comprehensive reports.

·         Improving Margins and maintaining high quality service to clients

·         Building client relationship that result in revenue and profitability growth

·         Assisting with collection, compilation and entering of payroll on the pastel payroll system, Knowledge of pastel partner.

·         Issuing of statement of earnings and deductions.

·         Investigating and correct discrepancies

·         Updating payroll reports

·         Preparing and printing out payroll reports

·         Solving problems where they may arise

·         Addressing employee pay slips concerns

·         Liaising / communicating with all levels in the organization

·         Invoicing clients after processing payroll.

·         Calculating leave and bonuses.

·         Issuing of UI-19, EMP201, UIF, UI-2.7,

·         Recruiting and terminating employee contracts

·         I also do recruitment which is another department in the company, it involves looking for specialized candidates that can fill positions that are advertised and keeping them happy enough to succeed in employment retention within these tough economic times we are currently facing in their newly appointed jobs.

 To be able to do the above I need some of the following skills:

·         Tax Knowledge and understanding

·         Knowledge about benefits( medical aid/ provident fund unions)

·         Accurate and fast capturing skills, strong numerical skills.

·         Knowledge of payroll regulations

·         Adherence to all administrative duties( filing, emailing, faxing ,etc.)                      

What skills, subjects and courses are required in this career?

Possess strong leadership skills in new business development competencies.

You must have a comprehensive understanding of financial management principles.

You will also need entrepreneurial foresight with an acute commercial acumen and excellent management skills

When you are a good motivated team player who is results driven you are a valuable member who does not only add numbers.

Result oriented with a positive outlook and clear focus on high quality and business profit.

Be in tune with policies that are aligned with good practice within the current South African legal acts.

Are there hidden ‘nuances’ here we need to know about regarding the occupation?

Hahaha!  Well, just like any job, if you don’t have the passion for it you will “work” for the rest of your life…You see, I deal with all levels of management and peoples’ salaries so sometimes it requires you to work long hours and you are expected to be on top of your game at all times. Be as it may be, you can’t make a mistake as it reflects badly on the business. Therefore it can affect your relationship with clients.

One thing that stands out is there are no rooms for errors, ever.

Where do you work, your work station?

I mostly work online everywhere usually more in my office at home.

What do they do there?

Research, research, research! Doing my payroll as it’s an online based software, emails, marketing and promoting Polish Management. I do these digitally as that is my communication channel. I do everything literally online.

How where your teachers involved with your aspirations?

Hmm (ponders deeply)…. No. As mentioned before I have always felt like there wasn’t any person that I could pin point… who really saw anything valuable in me to pay attention to it, except my family of course. I have a really great supportive family and I thank God for them. UNISA is mostly self-study so everything that I am is self-taught.

What about your family?  Did they know about your chosen career?

My Family is 100% behind me! Even when I had my first entrepreneurial blunders I was still got support from them. My mom and aunt used to hand out my magazines at their work to help market Successful Women Magazine.

What did you do at school level to contact role-models and other experts regarding your chosen career?

Hmmm…all I ever wanted was a mentor…Still Looking for one though. I listened to a lot of audio after I learned that I can access anything I want on the internet.

What seemed to work best was listening to a lot of motivation audio’s and  YouTube HR related videos. That’s been my strategy ever since.

Are you a member of an organisation in the area of your occupation?

Currently no, because of the different stages in my life…but I will get there.

What are future prospects of this career?

Polish management becoming one of the most outsourced agencies in human resource, payroll and recruitment in the country.

What is the industry like?
Cut throat. No room for mistakes and it is the pressure is always sky high. I love it because you learn every day. It’s definitely not boring.

What are related fields?

Yes, financial management and labour relations to name a few.One thing I love about human resource is that it’s the heartbeat of most organisations as it starts and ends there in terms of hiring and firing. So it relates with a lots of fields as you are required to learn about IT if you are to recruit the best IT talent

 Where did you attend schools and tertiary?

My first primary school was all the way in the Vaal, the Park Ridge Primary School.

Then after moving to Pretoria I finished grades 6 and 7 at the Glenstantia Primary School.

Afterwards I enrolled at The Glen High School till grade 12.

Tertiary it has always been UNISA till today.

What subjects did you do at school? What were your favourite subjects?

Life Sciences is the only one that stands out as at one point I wanted to be doctor and all I thought I had to do is get a high mark in life science. That way I would cut people brains…

How are they aligned to your career?

Well maybe business management, as I did it through out tertiary level and now….but what I learned in theory is different compared to the practical world. Business management served as a tool of direction in my life.

Who were your favourite teachers?

Mrs. Olibakinde she was quiet motivational. She was science teacher but she unfortunately passed on in 2009.

What community organisations are you involved with?

Online communities, mostly business forums but nothing in particular.

What sport do you play?

I was great at hockey in high school, first team and all… but since then I just been working out at the gym when I get time.

How old are you?

I am 26 years of age born in 1990 the second of March.

Do you have any children and are you married? 

Currently no to both questions

  

Nthabiseng with business mogul, Richard Maponya

What services does Polish Management Offer?

Polish management has three separate departments of which we currently focusing on increasing clients under Payroll services which include but not limited to offering small to medium companies that currently done have a functional HR department in the companies

Processing of payroll and issuing of comprehensive pay slips

ü Payment of staff via bank transfers

ü Deduction of all statutory levies, as required by current law. These include UIF, SDL, and PAYE. Where applicable, Pension / Provident Fund, Medical Aid, Security related Industry related levies, Union fees

ü Submission of statutory levies PAYE; SDL; UIF; directly to S.A.R.S, on e-filing

ü Monthly submission of U.I.7 on u-filing

ü Monthly amending & submission of U.I.19 declaration on u-filing

ü Deduction of Third Party deductions, including Medical Aid, Pension / Provident funds, Garnishee orders, Union fees

ü Reconciliation and Submission of Third Party payments, including Medical Aid, Pension / Provident fund, Garnishee orders, Union fees etc to the relevant institutions

ü Submission of EMP501 bi-annual reports

ü Generating I.R.P.5 Certificates

ü Registering and deregistering of staff members at the relevant institutions

ü Detailed monthly reports for submission to auditors and accountants

ü Administrating all leave in the company

Recruitment Services-

As recruitment and selection plays a central role in ensuring the best skills are present in the employment industry by understanding where our services rank in the marketplace has helped us improve our standing among consumers.

However, it will serve clients with needs for select, specialized professionals rather the light industrial workers. Polish Recruiters has 10 divisions, targeting the following areas of expertise:

 General administration

 Sales and Marketing

 IT

 Banking and Finance

 Construction.

 Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical

 Supply Chain

 HR

 Fashion retail

 Engineering

Objectives

 POLISH recruitment will manage the professional, staying in close contact with the client and communicating with the worker regarding any personnel issues that may arise through spending time with potential candidates by doing research on the business growth trends that project the requirement of the specific general set of competencies at leadership levels.

We will first seek to create customer awareness regarding services offered, then develop the customer base and finally work toward building customer loyalty and referrals.

Polish recruitment policy is to ensure recruitment and selection is done fair, efficient, effective, transparent and equitable manner. We aim to promote workplace diversity and attract scarce skills and enhance service excellence in all aspects of the company by generating a sufficient pool of applicants and ensuring availability of necessary skills and requirements to fill up positions.

It’s not what we do but how we do it, patient centred, working together, enhancing values delivering success.

We aim to achieve and maintain satisfaction while we run and grow our business, by value creation in our services and being transparent within our business ventures with our clients and candidates. To provide all resources our employees need to remain as productive as possible.

Here are some of her colleagues

The young feed the nation

When her father died and left her a farm GUGU NTSHINGILA did not sell it and chow the money like the prodigal son, but she left her burgeoning education career to get her hands dirty. Today she and her partner THOBILE LUMKAWANA are doing are thriving business as the only female farmers in the hydroponics farming out in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. The two entrepreneurs spoke to Thembi Masser while they were in Gauteng looking for other business opportunities.

Gugu, 30, shy and reserved, knew from long ago that she had all the stars shining on her petite body. As early as when she was five years old she wanted to be a dentist.  But, bizarrely, she also dreamed that one day she could a white person and have lots of money and fly all over the world. But today she runs this farm where seed is not inserted in the ground but plants grow from bags and clay pots above the ground.

Hydroponics farming is a special farming project which, according to Thobile, is economical and the future industry in the farming sector. To start with it is not seasonal “In fact, it is the best way to farm, considering all the advantages,” Gugu says. Plants are not affected by the weather and this is a boon when they have a year-long supply contract with fresh fruit and vegetables retailers.   The harvesting is faster and is plenty because there is not so much loss.  The project is so cost-effective that very minimal equipment is needed for the day-to-day running of the farm and it saves water. “And there is no toyi-toyi here. Not because the labourers cannot do it, but because we have interns from all over South Africa coming here to get education while they get paid for it and gain valuable experience,” Gugu remarks.

The farm is accredited as a business and a training center with AgriSeta.

The farm is in Pietermaritzburg in the where the two ladies live with their four children at the moment. Gugu is from Umlazi Durban while Thobile is from Soweto. The name of the farm is derived from the Chichewa language, the language Thobile learnt while she was married in Malawi. It is called Wa-mai, which means fortune. Gugu inherited the farm in 2014 after the demise of her father. Her father ran the farm from 2002 and it was a successful enterprise which attracted retailers like Spar and the local Pick-n-Pay. It has also supplied food to the Ishonalanga Game reserve, lodging establishments and restaurants.  It is more than 2000 acres big and has four channels, two shaded and two under renovations as we speak.

‘We show gratitude to the interns we have here,” Gugu enthuses. She says they provide bedding and safety boots and blankest for them. “We are grateful for their presence here and do not bask in the sun and say the Seta pays them. No, we play our part meaningfully. The kitchens are fully kitted and they buy their own food while toiletry is optional. Sometimes, when we can, we provide it,” she laughs.

While Gugu wanted to be as pale as the white man and extract teeth for a living, she relishes the tasks they do at the farm and firmly believes in the future of the farm. “I get my hands dirty.” But surely it is in the office where she is well-acquitted. After matriculating at the Velabahleke High she enrolled for an educational degree at Unisa after a one year stint at Edgars. While studying at Unisa she facilitated at the Intuition College. At Intuition she taught public relations and communications.  

Upon completion of her teaching degree she then worked at KPC3 Professional accountants entrusted with the post of company registrations and funding.

“I suppose all of this start at high school where I did all these subjects. Her favourite subject was English, but biology, maths, accounting physical science and geography all play their part in her present occupation, which she hopes makes teachers at her primary school in Umlazi proud of her. “I am sure my favourite teacher at high school, Bongeka Mabaso raises my flag whenever the occasion calls for it.”

It is against all odds that she is where she is right now considering the tribulations black kids go through in their education. For instance there was no career guidance at Velabahleke.

Now, at the farm, it is all hands on deck.

Her partner, Thobile is more boisterous in presence. She is a Sowetan who has travelled Africa during her marriage to a Malawian politician. Thobile is an energetic 32 year-old who wished that one day she would don the uniform of flight attendants and fly all over the world. “I just liked the lithe bodies in these uniforms and would look endlessly at their pictures,” she whistles. At the same time she entertained her mother with the stories of wanting to study for law. “I wanted to study it in Nigeria.” Being a social worker was also in the mix. ‘The influence to be a social worker was from my auntie.”

In the beginning she did not finish her grade 12 studies “because I was going through some stuff.” But relief came in 2014 when she went to lifeline to work as a counselor. Earlier, in 2005, she got married.  The two established an NPO in Malawi, Hands of Hope, which ran for hour years. “We supported girls in our endevours to equip them with the necessary tools to conquer life while we led women in business.” They also supported children in school at the time. “I gave motivational talks and inspired many to look at the stars above. 

“In 2013 I separated from him and completed my matric then. Thereafter, in 23014, I went to LiifeLine.”   But LifeLine was not the solution. “I had to work to feed my three children and myself. So I went job hunting, which revealed a miracle although I did not know it at the time.’ Thobile found a job as a painter at MacJaz construction enterprise. She was the only female at the time at the site. She developed a passion for the job and not satisfied with her wages; she started her own construction company after only a few months at MacJaz. She employed two men and the three of them accepted any job offered to them. “But I am not ashamed to say I made money. We still do a trick or two when it is so possible,’” she sighs.

But life was not all that easy for the Sowetan. After her primary school at Entwandwini primary she went to PJ Simelane High where her subjects where tourism, geography, biology, history, Zulu and English. Maybe it is not only fate which brought them together in Daveyton, but the choice of their subjects might have played a major role in weaving their paths together. Geography and history were her favourite subjects while Bridget Marboom was her favourite teacher.

‘Today I am a director here at Wa-mwai and I do everything on the farm just like in my previous company. I am grateful to Gugu for her undying love to hold my hand to lead me through the intricacies of farming. And life.”

The two met in Daveyton earlier this year and since then have been inseparable in their quest to lay tracks for other female black farmers to feed the nation. Gugu is full of hope: “We want to expand and make forays into Africa as well.”

Productivity SA Awards for top performers 2016

From left to right: Dr Danisa Baloyi  - President of the Black Business Council; Mr Mothunye Mothiba – Productivity SA CEO; The Emerging Sector Winners- Eat Smart Organics; The Cooperatives Sector winners - Inqolobane Yobumbano Secondary Co-operative; Center Back: The Deputy Minister of Labour – Inkosi Phathekile Holomisa; Mr Mthunzi Mdwaba – Chairman of the Productivity SA board; The Public Sector Winners - SAFCOL Timbadola Sawmill  and The Corporate Sector Winner - Eberspächer South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Top companies who managed to improve their productivity throughout the year have been honoured at the National Productivity Awards held at Gallagher Estates, Midrand this past weekend.

The Productivity SA Awards are a means to recognise creativity, innovation and productivity within South African enterprises. Productivity SA is established in terms of section 31(1) of the Employment Services Act, No. 4 of 2014 as a juristic person with a mandate to promote employment growth and productivity, thus contributing to South Africa’s socio-economic development and economic efficiency.

The Chairman of the Productivity SA board, Mr Mthunzi Mdwaba in his welcome speech said “Behind productivity growth is the worker, strong work culture, and the worker working smarter. This establishes a need for South Africa to make important adjustments and improvements in the labour market which is characterised by structural mismatches resulting from historical patterns of production in the economy on one hand, and education and skills development on the other.”

Productivity and competitiveness are concepts that are important in order to harness the energy that build economies. The need exists to address these challenges via raising national productivity and competitiveness, which is a key challenge in itself. 

The Keynote Speaker at the function President of the Black Business Council, Dr Danisa Baloyi, urged everyone from business, labour and government to work together with Productivity SA in ensuring that it becomes the apex of productivity and is accessible to all who need the interventions. 

The winners were awarded in the following categories:

• Emerging:  Eat Smart Organics – (Western Cape)
• Corporate: Eberspächer South Africa (Pty) Ltd – (Eastern Cape)
• Public sectors: SAFCOL Timbadola Sawmill (Limpopo) and 
• Cooperative sector: Inqolobane Yobumbano Secondary Co-operative – (KwaZulu- Natal)

The Deputy Minister of Labour Inkosi Phathekile Holomisa says the mandate of the DoL is to regulate the labour market through policies and programmes developed in consultation with social partners, which are aimed at:

•      improved economic efficiency and productivity;

•       employment creation; sound labour relations;

•      eliminating inequality and discrimination in the workplace; alleviating poverty in employment;

•      Enhancing occupational health and safety awareness and compliance in the workplace; as well as nurturing the culture of acceptance that worker rights are human rights. 

Productivitysa Awards: Top performing companies in Gauteng receive awards

Sihle Sithela holds the award for her company aloft

The Regional Productivity Awards winners have been announced at a function held at the Bon Hotel Conference Centre in Midrand yesterday. The entity responsible for promoting productivity within South Africa, Productivity SA, awarded the best performers at the ceremony which will culminate in the regional award winners participating in the National Productivity Awards in October.

The regional awards provide a platform to inspire a competitive and productive South Africa.  Productivity improvement is considered the most effective way of ensuring ongoing competitiveness, economic growth and, consequently, more wealth for all. The CEO of Productivity SA, Mothunye Mothiba, says “We all need to pledge our support to the Productivity Movement in SA and business and government should work together to enable economic growth”.

 South Africa currently faces major challenges, for example how to create employment opportunities, stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. If South Africa is to reduce unemployment and poverty, and increase its economic growth, its emphasis should be on developing productive capacity in all sectors of the economy.

The Productivity SA Awards seek to galavanise companies into adopting productivity as a fundamental tool to be more competitive. Productivity SA was created in 1969 as the then National Productivity Institute (NPI) and it focused on;

•      Providing assistance to individual companies in their productivity improvement programs.

 

•      Conducting research in the field of productivity and related matters.

 

•      Promoting training and education through specific programs

 

Productivity SA has developed various tools and models that includes measurement tools that determine to what extent an organisation’s financial performance is influenced by price recovery and productivity.   The National Productivity Awards were launched in 1979 and since then the awards have grown to become one of the most prestigious awards for business in South Africa.  The winners are:

 

·         Emerging Sector : Legaci Superior Dry Cleaning and Laundry Services

·         Co – operatives Sector : Prejonet Agricultural Primary  Co-Operative

·         Public Sector : City of Tshwane (Rosslyn Electricity Depot)
·         Corporate Sector : Rothe Plantscapers

The government entity tasked with employment growth and productivity improvement, Productivity SA, has suspended its chief financial officer (CFO). The suspension follows alleged irregularities pertaining to the management of funds provided by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for employment growth.

 

Since 2010, the UIF has provided Productivity SA with funding to the tune of R188 171 000.00. In terms of the agreement between the UIF and Productivity SA, the monies are availed on the proviso that the funds will be utilized to support companies in economic distress (financial and operational).

 

The support offered to companies by Productivity SA is multi-pronged and includes implementation of productivity improvement programmes within the companies. The ultimate aim of the support is to turn around the companies, thereby ensuring sustainability within South African enterprises.

 

However, it has emerged that a figure of about R36 million-pending investigation- has since 2011 been allegedly utilised for activities that are not related to job saving as per the contract between UIF and Productivity SA. This has allegedly resulted in the failure to meet targets and to date 372 companies were assisted as opposed to the target of 550.

 

In discovering the alleged irregularities, the Productivity SA CEO, Mothunye Mothiba, with the full support of the Board suspended Productivity SA‘s CFO pending further investigation. The suspension of the CFO follows the earlier dismissal of a senior Productivity SA employee who, following an investigation initiated by the Board was found guilty of fraud.

 

The Chairman of the Productivity SA Board, Mthunzi Mdwaba, says “the Board has commissioned an investigation to ascertain the extent of the alleged irregularities and to ensure accountability. Mothiba says “the entity is committed to serving the nation in mitigating issues of unemployment and saving jobs whilst investigations are underway”.

 

Productivity SA is an entity of the Labour Department and it is established in terms of Section 31 of the Employment Services Act, No. 4 of 2014 as a juristic person, with the mandate to promote employment growth and productivity.  Productivity SA is funded by the National Treasury for working capital,  the Unemployment Insurance Fund(UIF) for programmes aimed at saving jobs and the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) for productivity improvement within South African enterprises

 

Productivity SA held its annual general meeting (AGM) at the end of September 2016 to inform key stakeholders such as government, business, labour and media about the performance of the organisation.

Rivoni High grade 8 learners empowered in career fields

The Atleha gr8 Workshops held the second session of their workshops at the Rivoni High recently. The session was vibrant and more interactive than the first because learners were now more exposed to their responsibilities, that is to research career fields more diligently before they reach grade 10.
Now there were more learners who had ideas about the careers they want to follow.
Take Nonhlanhla Ngwenya, for instance. She was now able to exclaim that she wishes to be a climatologist. She knows she go and research which subjects she must do in order to get there.
The Atleha gr8 Worshops are organized by Atleha gr8 Project.

Here are some of the pictures captured at the event. 

Mandla Ndlakamandla, Kgomotso Mahlangu, Ntethelelo Khumalo and Ncobile Mahlangu with their class teacher, Tebogo Mofomme and Kabeli  Abia Lichaba from Atleha gr8 Workshops in the background. 

   

Thelma's Desires. A brand new fashion piece

This is a new fashion column. It is a journey which will be beautiful, vibrant with scenic views and dramatic trends in the fashion and ramp world. It is trendy and up to date with fashion news, reviews, criticism, modelling news, and will have a look into boutiques happenings.

You are  free to join the journey and deliver commentary as we cruise along. It is named Desires. Here goes...

 

When I started fashioning the white dress in the picture below there was a lot of negative vibe around it. The assignment was meant for my final year range and I decided on this bridal dress.

The white wedding gown that stole the show and catapulted the designer into a fashion activist  

When I started fashioning the white dress in the picture along side there was a lot of negative vibe around it. The assignment was meant for my final year range and I decided on this bridal dress.

Fashion has always been a part of me. So it was not a surpise when asked on my first day at the Fashion College what it meant to me and I said it was not passion that led me there as fashion is over-rated, like love is.

From my childhood days I always was fascinated by fabric and I always picked up on fabric rags left all over the place by my mum and chopped them into anything that resembled a dress, a jacket or any of those things. I always saw a trapped jacket or dress in these throw-away curtains and skirts and that always got me into a lot of trouble. Now, fast forward to tertiary level where I became obsessed with a medical degree. When it took too long to secure a place at the medical school I entered into a deal with God and I landed at the fashion college instead. That was in Pretoria North. So, I didn't want to be there in the first place and again, I didn't believe in myself or my creations. These sentiments then overflowed to the people around me. And a design brief which went wrong for a show almost made me quit college. We were briefed to design a garment that represented our fashion journey. No one knew which design was mine and on the day of the show it got disqualified by my lecturers and ridiculed by colleagues.

Now, it was in my final year and the design was fairly complex; even the execution. Eventually, the presentation day came and my lecturer asked us to display our dresses on mannequins with no identifying tags. So our designs did not identify who made which garment, so that the judging was going to fair and free. Even though no one would admit it, I just saw they were impressed with my design although they did not know who made it: my dress was simply an attention-stealing-showstopper. I look at it today in awe of God's grace and plans.

So that's my story in a nutshell, hoping you'll join me on this wonderful journey to new beginnings I call this column Desires: where we'll teach, share, learn and grow within the science of fashion and business: from simple life tips and  to trend-forecasts in the industry.

Till next time...

Stay fashionable