GROWING UP in the sprawling township of New Brighton, north of Port Elizabeth offered little thoughts of ever holding down the position of chief executive of the vast Spoornet operation to young Zandile Jakavula.
In those days the railways were the exclusive confine of a single national group of people, he says with a chuckle. There were no openings available to any of us.
With diplomas in personnel management from the University of Fort Hare and strategic management from the UCT Business School, he was satisfied that being given an opening in the human resources section of AE&CI in Port Elizabeth was where he would spend his working days.
I progressed through the ranks, was promoted to their Durban office and later to the head of human resources at Modderfontein.
Twenty-six years in the same company is a good record. But South Africa's changing face in the 1990s brought him new opportunities and he leapt at them, joining the Transnet 'family' in 1995 as senior manager in human resources. Then came the Metrorail appointment which was to mark him as a man with the ability to turn a loss factor into a profit margin - in quick time.
Now in the top seat at Spoornet he admits that communication down the ranks there is poor and something which demands his attention.
I am introducing what I call an objective performance management system where hard workers will be rewarded. At the same time those who fail in their duties will know all about it from me.
The 50-year-old who spends his spare time watching sport in all forms, sees the future of his new position tied up in the results of South Africa in recent sporting spheres.
Look at Bafana Bafana going out in the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup. Just like our cricket and rugby teams in the World Cups last year. They all went out in the semi-finals.
I don't want Spoornet to be the runners-up like that in business. We must go all the way and win the final. That is the target I am setting for my team.
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