23 June 2016

June 23, 2016 ADVERTISING / NEWSDESK: (046) 624 4356 Find us on Facebook
Talk of the Town 7
Question: Tell us about your job.
Answer: Facilities manager at
Stenden South Africa. I am
therefore responsible for the
infrastructure of Stenden SA and
making sure that the environment
is conducive for all role players.
Q: What made you get into that
line of work?
A: I am an opportunist by nature
and I enjoy challenges. After
working for six years as the
practical instructor and campus
manager for Stenden South
Africa’s Wildlife Campus, I
realised that the job was not as
challenging as it was when I
started. In 2014, when the
opportunity of working in the
main campus was presented to
me, I decided to take it. The
campus in Alicedale could only
cater for a maximum of 24
students. You can imagine how
challenging it was when I started
here.
Q: Describe the most
memorable experience that you
have had in your line of work.
A: One weekend I decided to go
home to Alicedale after a long
time of spending my weekends in
Port Alfred. I received a call on
Friday night from security at
Stenden South Africa and they
informed me that there was a
storm in Port Alfred and the roof
in the student accommodation
had been blown off. After
assessing the damage from the
pictures I requested from the
security and students, I jumped
out of bed and called my team to
meet first thing in the morning.
We managed to put the roof back
on the same day.
Port Alfred
BUSINESSFORUM
Business workshop
inspires entrepreneurs
JON HOUZET
ASPIRING small business
entrepreneurs in the
Kenton-on-Sea area
received tips and tools on
how to start and grow their
businesses from
Ziglar-certified coach Shona
Bell recently.
About a dozen small
businesspeople took
advantage of the free
workshop offered by Bell,
who has experience in
starting her own small
businesses and recently
took up business coaching
and development training.
“For every corporate
workshop I do, I want to do
one of these community
workshops,” she told TotT.
“I have a passion for
helping develop businesses
in this area.”
Among the participants
were fashion designers, DJs
and people in the tourism
industr y.
Participants first
brainstormed on challenges
that face people who want
to start their own
businesses, including
cashflow, the need for
equipment, time
management and fear of
the unknown.
Bell urged the
entrepreneurs to focus on
MOTIVATION: Business
coach Shona Bell held a
workshop recently
Pictures: JON HOUZET
what people want.
“Consider the Apple
iPhone,” she said. “Twent y
years ago cellphones were
bricks. Nokia were making
them smaller, now
smartphones are bricks
again, but they’re beautiful.
“Steve Jobs sold your
desire for beauty. People
will spend money on
something beautiful.
“You have to find where
your passion and the
money meet,” she said.
Sinethemba Mapapu, who
makes his own music, felt
that focusing on what
people want only applied to
certain businesses.
“But if you just pleased
yourself, you’d make no
m o n e y, ” Bell replied.
Mapapu was concerned it
would mean settling for
FA C E 2 FA C E
Q: What do you do to unwind
when you are not working?
A: I used to travel home to
Alicedale and play rugby for my
local team every weekend. I
realised how unsustainable that
was and now I play golf every
...with Bongani Bavumba
minute I get, which is only about
twice a month.
Q: What is your motto in life?
A: To quote Michelangelo
Buonarroti, ”The greater danger
for most of us isn’t that our aim is
too high and we miss it, but that it
is too low and we reach it”. You
never know who you might end up
inspiring!
Q: What makes you happy?
A: Setting goals and achieving
them is what makes me happy,
but helping others makes me
h a p p i e r.
Q: What makes you angry?
A: I don’t often get angry. But
people who do not listen work on
my nerves.
Q: What do you think about the
youth of South Africa? Do you
have any advice for them?
A: I think we have a great
potential to steer South Africa
towards the right direction. My
advice to the youth is that we
must never underestimate the
power of education and for us to
be better leaders we need to learn
from the mistakes of the current
leaders and that of the past and
use their experience to take South
Africa to greater heights.
Q: What do you like most about
Port Alfred?
A: I like the laid-back nature of
Port Alfred and the friendliness of
the residents.
FUN IN LEARNING: Makhi
Mtshotane in one of the
ice-breaker games
Q: If you could change one thing
mediocrity by producing
music for the masses.
“Is Adele mediocre?” Bell
asked. “Who is your biggest
selling artist today?”
Another important aspect
of business was
communication, Bell said.
She encouraged all
participants to have an
e-mail address and learn to
write letters.
“Online today there are
incredible apps and
templates. The biggest
growth in online marketing
today is e-mailed
newsletters. I would have
thought it was Facebook,
but it’s not,” Bell said. “But
social media is also great –
keep that Facebook page
going.”
Another challenge
mentioned was
Catch up with what’s happening on the PA business front
disappointment.
“Sometimes people
disappoint you and you
don’t want to try again,”
Khanya Matolengwe said.
“Disappointment is not
fa i l u r e , ” Bell replied. “It’s
only failure when you stop
trying. Just realise you will
disappoint people along the
way. ”
Success factors include
passion, self-motivation,
optimism, integrity,
maintaining focus,
attending to customer
complaints, hard work,
“enjoying the journey”,
trusting your gut, being
flexible but persistent, and
relying on your team.
Bell had participants take
part in a few ice-breaking
games to illustrate the
message.
Using workbooks, she
helped the entrepreneurs
develop their own goals
programme. “A goal is a
dream with a deadline,” she
said.
Bell said SA Breweries
would soon hold an
entrepreneurship course in
Kenton and she had been
asked to identify people
who would benefit from
such a course.
about Port Alfred…
A: Crime for me is the most
frustrating thing about Port Alfred
(this is not unique to Port Alfred,
but where I am from we have a
very low level of crime). The most
disturbing thing is that people
seem to have accepted crime as a
part of their daily lives and do not
do much to fight it. In other
places, you hear that people call
community meetings and address
crime. In Port Alfred no one
attends such meetings when they
are called, or only a few at tend.
Q: What is your favourite music
of all time?
A: I enjoy old Mbaqange or
Maskhandi music. My dad is one
person that made me love the
music. He had tons of cassettes
with all his favourite artists. The
likes of Mfaz’ Omnyama, Phuz’
eKhemis and Vusi Ximba.
Q: Three wishes for South
A f r i c a?
A: I wish we can all honour the
wish of Mandela, the wish of
having all kinds of people in
South Africa living together in
harmony. I wish that people can
find other ways of voicing out
their frustrations besides
destroying the things they will
need tomorrow to better their
lives and it would be nice if we
could have leaders that are
accountable for their actions and
do not sell the truth.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: My dad is my role model.
Q: Who would you take on
Amazing Race given the
oppor tunity?
A: It would have to be the actor
Kevin Hart.
I N S P I R AT I O N A L
INSIGHTS
... with Pastor Theo Snyman
Where does my
help come from?
I HAVE been constantly reminded that “old age
is not for sissies”.
Tragedies of life affect people of all ages and
not only the elderly. There are people of all ages
battling with health issues, emotional issues,
financial issues… and so the list goes on.
Many of the younger generation seem to have
to contend with more than they can handle.
Unfortunately, some seek help in things that are
so detrimental to them, and so drug and
alcohol abuse is rampant.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my
help come from? My help comes from the
LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm
121:1, 2). The Psalmist had an immediate
a n s w e r. What an important question to ask
ourselves: “Where does my help come from?”
Timothy was privileged to have had a godly
mother and grandmother whose lives were an
example to him. So much so that Paul wrote:
“But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and have become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you
learned it, and how from infancy you have
known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14, 15).
Parents and grandparents, our children need
role models when it comes to matters of faith.
We need to teach them that the “Maker of
heaven and earth” can help them through any
c i r c u m st a n c e . He is not only able, but willing!
“If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he
makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he
will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his
hand” (Psalms 37:23, 24). Have faith in God.
Celebrity gardener to
address PA Garden Club
ROB KNOWLES
MOST horticulturists around the
country will be aware of TV
personality and gardener
extraordinaire Keith Kirsten, and
the Port Alfred Garden Club is
proud to have secured Kirsten who
will address the club members at
Memorial Hall on July 5.
“We are very honoured to have
someone of Keith’s reputation
address us,” said PA Garden Club
president, Liezl Kleynhans. “I think
anyone attending will get a lot of
very useful information and will
walk away with some new ideas for
improving their gardening skills.”
The theme of the talk is
sustainable gardening, and Kirsten
will also be discussing new plants
to look forward to this coming year.
Tickets will cost just R100 each,
and the presentation will begin at
9.30am.
“This is a very exciting
presentation, and we are looking
JOINT
MANDATE
PRICE REDUCED
KEITH KIRSTEN
forward to learning more about
looking after our gardens and
plants,” said Kleynhans.
Tickets may be purchased from
Top Carpets at Rosehill Mall and
Red Leaf Nursery.
31 v d Riet Str
Port Alfred
046-624 2901
Pig & Whistle Bldg
Bathurst
046-625 0308
info@ipcportalfred.co.za
www.ipcproperties.co.za
PORT ALFRED R675 000
Commercial property.
Prime corner site within
walking distance of the
CBD, 4 offices plus
kitchen & 2 restrooms.
Excellent investment
Gill Turner
082 450 7720
DEDICATED & DEPENDABLE