Bay News 19 August 2016 Vol 8.4._Mock-Up For Pagingpdf

PROGRAMMES
& PRO JECTS
OFFICIAL IN-HOUSE ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE
NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY
Vol 8.4 August 2016
Wordsmith
Editorial Team
Editor: Kupido Baron
Managing Editor: Marthie Nel
Contributors:
Zee Agherdien
Mthubanzi Mniki
Sivenkosi Mtiya
Siphokazi Nogaya
Lucas Ompi
Princess Tobin-Diouf
Language Editing:
Alta Meurs
In This Edition:
• Change of Leadership
• Focus On: Executive
Secretaries
• Ladies Man Roadblocks
• “Style Diva” Parade
• Women in a Man’s
World
• Telephone Etiquette
• Wordsmith
WEATHER
as per WeatherSA
20 - 25 August 2016
Sat: 13 - 20
Sun: 10 - 25
Tues: 07 - 20
Wed: 10 - 22
Mon: 08 - 17
Thurs: 11 - 23

Change in Leadership: What Does it
Mean for Staff?
Mayor Trollip added: “All outstanding
forensic audit reports will be tabled and
acted upon and we will have no reservation
in conducting further forensic audits
of irregular contracting and appointments,
if and when necessary.”
New Speaker, Jonathan Lawack, pledged
to be fair, to be objective and to treat every
member of Council the same.
Other issues raised by Mayor Trollip in
his address for immediate attention and
consideration were the Integrated Public
Transport System and the Metro Police,
as well as the eradication of the bucket
sanitation system.
By now all staff members will be familiar
with the outcome of the historic
Council meeting on 18 August 2016, in
a packed Feather Market Centre Auditorium:
a multi-party government, constituting
the DA, UDM, Cope and ACDP
took office. Athol Trollip was appointed
unopposed as the new Executive Mayor
of Nelson Mandela Bay, while Cllr Mongameli
Bombani was appointed as Deputy
Executive Mayor. The new Speaker
is well-known former School Principal
Jonathan Lawack, while the Chief Whip
is Werner Senekal of the DA.
New Executive Mayor Athol Trollip
In his inaugural address, Executive Mayor
Athol Trollip committed his tenure
as First Citizen to ensuring a corruption-free
administration, job creation
and service delivery, stating that the establishment
of an effective, efficient and
highly skilled administration would be a
top priority under his leadership.
Unresolved disciplinary cases against
staff would be finalised as a matter of
priority: “Let me state categorically that
those officials who do not hold the prerequisite
qualifications for the job they
Mayor Trollip pledged to ensure that
each and every official would be treated
fairly and with respect, with no political
interference in the professional work
space. “In return, I will expect the highest
standard of professionalism and dedication
from each and every official.
Corruption is the enemy of freedom and
fairness and the thief of opportunity.
There will be no more erosion of municipal
resources due to corruption procurement
practices. There will be no more
wasting of our resources on the glitz
and glamour of irrelevant public events,
flashy cars and wasteful expenditure on
cadre deployment.“
An emotional Mayor Trollip concluded
his address as follows: “I will not let you
down as the Mayor of Nelson Mandela
Bay.”
*
It is expected that the new Mayoral
Committee will be constituted by next
Thursday at a special Council meeting.
The Feather Market Centre Auditorium was packed to capacity
Present also were the national leader
of the opposition, Mmusi Maimane,
the Executive Mayor of the City of Cape
Town, Patricia De Lille, and EFF national
Chairman, Adv. Dali Mpofu, members of
Parliament and provincial legislatures,
Councillors and key local stakeholders,
the administrative leadership of Nelson
Mandela Bay and ordinary residents.
The six new EFF Councillors lent extra vibrancy
to the proceedings in their signature
red overalls.
are in or who were appointed irregularly
will have their appointment carefully
scrutinised and if found to have been
appointed outside the ambit of the law,
will have such appointments terminated.
Any official or public representative
found to be operating outside the rule of
law will be charged and will have to account
for their actions or derelictions in
the relevant courts of law or within the
municipal disciplinary structures.”
New Executive Mayor Trollip (standing) and
Deputy Executive Mayor Bobani
Focus On: Executive Secretaries - Pg 2

Focus on:
Executive Secretaries
Women’s Month theme: Working Together
to enhance Women’s Opportunities
to Economic Empowerment.
This Women’s Month, we wanted to give
praise to the unsung heroines of the Municipality:
Personal Assistants/Executive
Secretaries to our Executive Directors,
who are vigilantly at work to ensure that
all affairs of their Directorates are in systematic
order and that their Executive
Directors shine at all times. In coming
editions, our Secretaries will share their
views on topics related to the empowerment
and development of women in the
workplace.
Name: Teresa Wiegand
Directorate: Public Health
Executive Director: Andile Tolom
Length of service: 22 years
What is one of your foremost highlights
serving the Directorate?
“To me, it’s how one grows in the position.
What I appreciate about all the
Executive Directors that I have served is
that they don’t treat you like a Secretary;
they treat you as part of the team. I’ve
been very blessed. I enjoy my job and
never got to a point where I feel unhappy
in my job.”
What is the significance of Women’s
Month to you?
“Men were traditionally the head of the
household and women were not recognized;
sadly, in many countries, women
are still not recognised. There is hope
through Women’s Month that we are
getting there. You can see it by leaders
such as Hilary Clinton and Helen Zille.
We are getting to the top and being acknowledged,
which makes me feel good
that women are taking their place in society.”
What talents/skills do women bring to
the workplace?
“Women by nature are more nurturing
and empathetic. I think that is very
important in the modern working environment,
because we all tend to be extremely
stressed. Women these days,
especially those in leadership, remember
that balance is important, between
being a mother, wife and a worker. Formerly,
women were too scared to take
positions of power because of their responsibilities
at home.”
A comment for Teresa’s boss, Andile Tolom:
“I will trace back to apartheid times,
where black people were heavily oppressed.
However, there was one common
factor with regards to every race.
All the women were oppressed, irrespective
of race. So I believe they need to
be emancipated. In 1956, women of all
races marched to the Union Buildings to
submit their petition against pass laws.
Now we are seeing that the constitutional
democracy has given everyone
an opportunity to be emancipated. Now
we have women like Maria Ramos, who
is the CEO of ABSA and there are other
women in Africa who are leading. Even
in the Municipality, we are very glad to
see women have exceeded that glass
ceiling.”
Name: Siphokazi Lobishe
Directorate: Safety & Security
Executive Director: Linda Mti
Length of service: 8 years
What is one of your foremost highlights
serving the Directorate?
“My biggest highlight is taking minutes
at high-profile meetings. Recently I went
along to take minutes for a meeting with
the Acting City Manager. Most of us have
never met him in person; we only see him
in the newspapers. It was an awesome
experience for us at the bottom when we
get to meet a high-profile official. I saw
such a humble person when I met him.”
What is the significance of Women’s
Month to you?
“We are recognising the role that was
played by the brave women of 1956. For
them it was about the pass laws, but it’s
broader than that. They paved a way for
us today to be able to stand up on our
own. Today you see there are women in
construction and engineering, traditionally
male dominated areas. It should be a
point of the Government and private sector
to make the environment conducive
to the economic development of women.
Women, young and old, need to identify
those opportunities and grab them.”
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Ladies of Metro Police and SAPS
‘Doing Their Thing’ for Women’s Month
On 12 August 2016, mainly female officers
of the Provincial Traffic Service, the
NMBM Metro Police and Traffic Service
and Immigration celebrated Women’s
Month in their unique style: they conducted
two road block on the N2 and in
the Central Business District, and a foot
patrol at Bay West Mall.
The joint operation, named “Operation
Basadi” (Operation Women), included
the issuing of warrants of arrests, searching
for stolen engines, roadworthiness of
vehicles, and checking licence discs and
driver’s licences.
Your safety is our concern: NMBM Metro Police Officer Pam Buwa interacting with residents
The objective was to ensure that all road
users and vehicles were licensed, and
that residents could move freely within
the CBD and feel safe in shopping malls.
Spot fines were issued for offences. The
operation was carried out in a precise
and controlled manner, with officers being
polite, courteous and professional to
the public, which gained the support and
cooperation of the road users.
Senior Provincial Traffic Officer, Kashifa
Rajaal, said, “The intention of this operation
is to keep the road users of Nelson
Mandela Bay safe and to enforce traffic
laws.”
Municipal “Style Diva” Parade
This week, we bring you our first nominations
for the municipal Style Diva Parade,
to honour our own home-grown
fashionistas during this special month
of women. Our ladies, nominated by
you this week, are: Candice George (Receptionist
Clerk: Architects Office) and
Charme Van Hall (Budget Clerk: Human
Settlements). We asked them about their
sense of fashion and the significance of
Women’s Month to them.
How would you describe your style?
CG: “I always go with what suits me best.
Mine is most probably colourful. I mix colourful
with traditional. For work I dress
formally, but after work I dress smart
casual. And you won’t catch me without
my heels!”
CVH: “I consider myself a modern dresser.
I like following the latest fashion
trends. I also like my jeans and T-shirts,
but when I’m in the office, I like to keep it
smart, prim and proper. I love the colour
red.”
What is your best feature?
CG: “Without sounding shallow, I would
most probably say my hair and my smile.”
Candice George
CVH: “I would have to say my smile.”
What is the significance of Women’s
Month to you?
Charme Van Hall
CG: “It shouldn’t be something that is
recognised in one month, it should be an
everyday thing. Women play a big role
in every part of society. I’m the only female
in my office among eight male colleagues.
I feel women are the best supporters,
who stand behind everyone and
push them towards their best.”
CVH: “I feel it is a very important month,
because most recognition goes to the
men in most cases. It’s good that we
have a month like this, where we are recognised
for our hard work and contribution
to society.”

Women in a Man’s World
and democratic country and women are
allowed to work in any industry.
Kayakazi: It’s exciting and empowering.
I don’t feel different, to me it’s a normal
job, because am doing what I love doing.
Most importantly, my male and female
colleagues are very accommodating and
we have a nice working relationship.
What are some of the challenges you
face at work?
Thozama: I think there are some men who
have not fully accepted today’s changes
and the fact that we are all equal, saying
that they will not be pushed around by a
woman.
Celebrating Women’s Month this week,
we feature municipal women employees
who are doing work in a predominantly
male dominated environment. We chatted
with Thozama Cikizwa (far right)
and Kayakazi Nkangeni (left), who work
as Horticulturists at the Hillside Depot
in the Parks Department of the Nelson
Mandela Bay Municipality.
How does it feel to work in a so-called
male dominated industry?
Thozama: It’s a very good feeling, because
in the olden days, women were not
allowed to work in the mines nor drive a
car and so on, but today we are in a free
What are some of the rewards and
what did you learn from your male colleagues?
Kayakazi: They make you feel comfortable
and are easy going, as much as they
sometimes don’t want to open up. I have
learned a lot of things from them that
assist me in my career.
In this day and age, why is female equality
important in the work-place?
Thozama: Women are contributing to
the economy of this country and they
need to be given a chance and be respected
by male colleagues.
Kayakazi: Females fought against oppression
and male domination in the
work-place. We deserve to be where we
are as women.
What message of encouragement or
advice would you give to young women
who want to be in the type of industry
that you are in?
Thozama: To those young females who
aspire to be where we are, I say that
through hard work and dedication, one
can achieve great things in life.
Kayakazi: I would like to say to those
young women that nothing is impossible.
If you love what you are doing, you
will achieve success. However, they need
to empower themselves and acquire the
necessary skills to achieve the goals they
have set for themselves in this particular
industry.
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Telephone Etiquette
Presenting a professional image over the
telephone is very important in any local
government office and is ussually the first
interface between the office and residents.
The following phone tips should always
be followed.
1. Always answer your calls within
3-5 rings. Never ever leave
a ringing phone unattended.
2. If you are a receptionist or secretary to
a senior manager, always transfer your
calls to another support staff member
when stepping away from the desk.
3. When answering calls, speak clearly.
A picture paints a thousand
words, but the caller on the other
end of the phone can only hear you.
4. Use your normal tone of voice when
answering a call.
5. Do not eat or drink while
you are on telephone duty.
6. Do not use slang words or poor
language. Respond clearly with
“yes” or “no” when speaking.
7. Listen to callers and what they have
to say. It is always a good habit to
repeat the information back to the
caller when you are taking a message.
Verify that you have heard and
transcribed the message accurately.
8. Be clear about a way forward to help
if you cannot help immediately: ‘’I will
check with Mr. X and then come back
to confirm the appointment with you
before four o-clock today.” But also
never make a promise about coming
back with info if you suspect or know
that you will not be able to honour this.
9. Be patient and helpful. If callers are
irate or upset, listen to what they
have to say and then refer them
to the appropriate resource. Never
snap back or act rude to a caller.
10. Always ask before you put a caller on
hold. If you are responsible for answering
multiple calls at once, always
ask the caller politely if you may put
him or her on hold. Remember that
the caller could have already waited
several minutes before getting connected
to you, or may have already
been referred fruitlessly to a number
of offices before reaching you,
so may not take lightly to being put
on hold. Never leave callers on hold
for more than a few seconds or they
may become upset and hang up.
11. Always focus on the call. Try not to get
distracted by people around you. If
someone tries to interrupt you while
you are on a call, politely say that you
are on a call and that you will be with
them as soon as you are finished.
Wordsmith
We conclude our series on South African abbreviations. Again, first try to see if you know what the abbreviations
stand for!