A new job means more to the people of Nelson Mandela Bay – who are benefitting from an upturn in the job market thanks to Coega Industrial Development Zone investors who have recently come online – its symbolizes the new heights the city can reach.
As FAW (SA) as well as DCD Wind Towers, Agni Steels (SA), start operations in the Coega IDZ, a couple of hundred jobs have opened up to the local market. For Bongani Moni, new FAW warehouse manager, it means growth personally and professionally.
“The sky’s the limit for the company and its staff, including myself,” says Moni, who joined FAW (SA) in May 2014 this year and has a wealth of management experience.
Moni has become a valuable asset to FAW’s operations and continues to make a significant contribution to the organisation.
With six staff members reporting to him, Moni has a responsibility to mentor, train and develop his staff to achieve greater heights and succeed at FAW.
“FAW SA provides its employees with a good experience and there is a lot to learn. I tell them if you do your part, we will be able to deliver and meet these expectations,” Moni says.
Moni’s duties include: managing staff, overseeing the warehouse, the tool store and the chemical store.
He oversees the receiving and distribution of stock to and from the warehouse to supply the production lines and oversees the stock needed in the tool store. He also places orders based on production requirements and ensures there is sufficient paint for the chemical store.
For the Nelson Mandela Bay local resident, who grew up in New Brighton and now lives with his wife and their two daughters in Kwamagxaki, his new roles and responsibilities at FAW (SA) is the pinnacle of his career.
He graduated with a BA Education from the then Vista University (now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Missionvale campus) in 1995.
After graduating he found teaching too intimidating and not stimulating enough for him. He subsequently moved into the automotive sector taking a position at General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Struandale, at the same time completing a National Diploma in Warehouse and Distribution from NMMU.
He left GMSA in 2008 after 12 years, to start together with a business partner, a logistics company based in Johannesburg. The company distributed manganese, coal and maize to various parts of South Africa and other countries in Africa, however the recession forced the fledgling company to close its doors.
In 2010, he moved back to Port Elizabeth and worked at Mercantile Hospital as a service manager. He then joined Bidvest for a year before joining FAW SA. After applying for the position online www.g2o.co.za he then went through three interviews – one with an employment agency and two with FAW – and landed the job as warehouse manager.
FAW SA human resources generalist Kobie Jacobs says: “Bongani has an excellent management style. His relationship with staff is valued and he is seen as a mentor.” He describes himself as a man of God. “I live my life in God’s hands. If I’m not at work or home I am serving God in my church or through working with an NGO.”
Moni is also involved in community development. He is the chairman of the CD Kwatsha HIV Aids Youth Initiative, a project run by the Presbyterian Church. The programme focusses on education and runs a feeding scheme for youth between the ages of 11 and 21.
FAW (SA) has about 50 positions currently open at the Coega plant in Zone 2. These include vacancies for vehicle assemblers, vehicle adjustment technicians, truck cleaners, vehicle assembly fitters, welders, sandblasters, stock controllers, handling workers, equipment maintenance assistants, commercial vehicle stock controllers, technical mechanical engineers, final product vehicle inspectors, maintenance technicians and drivers.
The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has been intimately involved in the recruitment and selection process of employees at the FAW (SA) assembly plant through its specialised unit for recruitment and placements, Coega Human Capital Solutions (HCS) which is assisting FAW to “mobilise their local workforce”.
“The traction FAW (SA) is gaining is commendable and it’s heartening to see sustainable job creation rolling into the community. Coega was established to create jobs and diversify the industrial base of the Eastern Cape, now that we have over 25 operational investors, we are seeing an escalation in job opportunities which bodes well for the community,” says Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and communications. “We wish Bongani well in his new position.”
The R600-million investment, jointly funded by the FAW and China-Africa Fund, has seen approximately 550 jobs created during the construction phase. The truck assembling facility is expected to create close to 300 jobs, with further job creation opportunities estimated at minimum 600 when phase 2 becomes operational.
Alan Straton
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