Against Marinka Naudé’s office wall sits a black frame with the following quote:
“Service excellence can be attained
if we constantly strive to perfection
and care enough to do our very best in everyday”
Those who know her, also knows she’s constantly either on the move, in a meeting or surrounded by heaps of documents, busy sorting out admin. There’s no doubt she tries to fit as much as possible in an eight to five day. On paper she’s Head: IT Finances and Administration and oversees the correct application of financial policies, co-ordinating, planning, budgeting, management and administration of Personnel, Operational and Capital funds. But her job stretches much wider than the description.
A failed attempt, caused by confusion about the deadline, to enrol for Food Service Management at the Cape Tech, inadvertently, on the recommendation of a student advisor, rather led to a newly launched course, Company Administration. Standard 6 Accounting was quickly dusted off and her career kicked off. In spite of this, one of her favorite activities still remain browsing through recipe books and of course cooking.
Over the years she gained valuable experience working at a chartered accountant in the southern suburbs, an auditing firm in Worcester where calculators took flight during heated moments, and later at an estate agency in the city. In 1998 she accepted a job at IT under the Director of Administrative Information Systems, JJJ du Plessis.
Three years later he resigns and, in spite of being thrown in the deep end, Marinka takes over his financial duties.
“Everything is transaction driven and involves a cost.”
For this reason she is involved in many aspects of IT – from HR systems, staff plans and evaluations to managing the phone system and everything else with a financial slant. This variety of functions and the overview and understanding it gives one of an entire company, is the most fulfilling part of her work.
In 2008 she completes her BTech degree in Business Administration at CPUT part-time and in March of 2013 also an MBA at the SU Business school. Her thesis is based upon the university’s human resources system and titled “An Evaluation of the Oracle HRMS System at the University of Stellenbosch from a User’s Perspective”.
Considering Marinka was raised on a farm, it’s no coincidence she’s good at multi-tasking and works well under pressure. She fondly recalls all the farm activities on their farm outside Worcester – tractor rides during harvest time, early morning trips to the market and how used to floods the farm community in the area was.
“It’s a completely different life – something today’s children don’t know.”
Initially she attended a farm school with only 12 children – from Sub A to Standard 5 – with only one teacher. “We were so few, inevitably we all played together during breaks.” Later during high school she had to get up at 6:15 to catch the first of three buses to get to school in town.
She tries to avoid shopping centres and crowds and would much rather go camping, white water rafting of take to the air with a microlite. Even shark diving’s on her to-do list.
She clearly thrives on adrenalin – probably since childhood, if you listen to her stories about temperamental bullocks. They were brought up in groups of ten and had to be fed a powdered milk solution by hand twice a day.
But as they grew up, they also grew mischievous! Time and again they had to be chased out of the garden after they slipped out of their enclosure. Once Willie, Marinka’s brother, who was in the air force at the time, was particularly hesitant to take part in chasing and rather stood at a distance shouting “shoo, shoo!” Needless to say, it didn’t have much effect. Keeping a distance wasn’t such a bad idea, Marinka would confirm. She herself has been chased through a stream by one.
These days she prefers smaller and more docile animals like her two cats, Asjas and Trensie.
As a child she had to learn North-Sotho at school while they lived in Elsburg, but nowadays she’s also adding Xhosa to her list of languages.
“I just completed my first Xhosa course at the Language Center and will be starting the second one next week.” Otherwise she’s completed three Argus events, many walking events like the Big Walk and enjoy squash.
One things you can be sure of, if you need something done fast and effectively, you can just wander down the passage of IT’s second floor and Marinka will be there to help you. “Service excellence” indeed.
Teen Marinka Naudé se kantoormuur hang `n swartraam foto met die volgende aanhaling:
“Service excellence can be attained
if we constantly strive to perfection
and care enough to do our very best in every day”
Diegene wat haar ken, sal weet dat sy voortdurend aan die rondhardloop is, in `n vergadering of omring deur `n hoop dokumente. Daar is geen twyfel dat sy soveel moontlik probeer uitrig in een dag nie. Op papier is sy die Hoof: IT Finansies en Administrasie en verantwoordelik vir die bestuur, toepassing van finansiële beleid, koördinering, beplanning, begrotings, bestuur en administrasie van personeel-, bedryf- en kapitaalfondse. Maar op die ou end strek dit veel wyer.
`n Gefaalde poging weens verwarring oor die sperdatum, om by die Kaapse Technikon in te skryf vir Voedseldiensbestuur, het, op aanbeveling van `n studente-adviseur, gelei tot`n splinternuwe kursus, Maatskappyadministrasie. Standerd 6 Rekeningkunde moes vinnig afgestof word en haar loopbaan het onwillekeurig begin. Een van haar gunsteling tydverdrywe is steeds om deur resepteboeke te blaai en natuurlik ook kosmaak – al het syfers destyds die oorhand gekry.
Oor die jare het sy waardevolle ondervinding by `n geoktrooieerde rekenmeester in die suidelike voorstede, `n ouditeursfirma in Worcester waar sakrekenaars soms vlerke gekry het in hete oomblikke en later by `n eiendomsagentskap in die stad, opgedoen. Na hierdie omswerwinge, het sy in 1998 `n pos onder die toe Direkteur Administratiewe Inligtingstelsels, JJJ du Plessis, aanvaar.
Na drie jaar bedank hy en Marinka, ten spyte van noodgedwonge swem in die diepkant, neem die leisels oor van die finansiële deel van sy portefeulje.
“Alles is transaksiegedrewe en `n koste by betrokke.”
Om hierdie rede word sy betrek by feitlik alles wat binne IT aangaan – van die HR-stelsel, personeelplanne en evaluerings tot die bestuur van die telefoonstelsels en alles wat `n finansiele strekking het. Hierdie verskeidenheid van funksies is vir haar die mees vervullende deel van haar werk, omdat dit `n geheelbeeld van die afdeling bied en sy werking daarvan perfek verstaan.
Deeltyds voltooi sy in 2008 haar BTech graad in Besigheidsadministrasie by CPUT en in Maart 2013 ook `n MBA by die US Bestuurskool. Sy baseer haar tesis op die universiteit se menslike hulpbronne-stelsel, met die titel “An Evaluation of the Oracle HRMS System at the University of Stellenbosch from a User’s Perspective”.
Siende dat Marinka grootgeword het op die plaas, is dit nie verbasend dat sy soveel gelyktydig en soms onder druk, kan hanteer nie. Sy onthou al die verskeie bedrywighede op die plaas duskant Worcester – trekkerry tydens parstye, vroegoggend uitstappies mark toe om kortgewasse soos blaarslaai te gaan verkoop en hoe algemeen vloede in die omgewing was vir plaasgemeenskappe.
“Dis `n ander lewe – iets wat vandag se kinders nie ken nie.”
Aanvanklik was sy in `n plaasskool met net 12 kinders – van Sub A tot Standerd 5, met net een onderwyseres. “Ons het almal pouses saamgespeel, want ons was so min.” Later op hoërskool moes sy 6:15 soggens opstaan en na drie verskillende busritte het jy eers by die skool op die dorp uitgekom.
Winkelsentrums en skares is nie haar gunsteling tydverdryf nie. Sy sal veel eerder erens gaan kamp, “white water rafting” doen of met `n mikrovliegtuig die lug in. Selfs duik saam met die haaie is op haar agenda.
Duidelik hou sy van adrenalien – en ook van kleins af as jy na die stories oor temperamentele bulkalfies luister. Op die plaas is hulle stuk-stuk in sessies van tien grootgemaak en moes twee maal `n dag handgevoer word met poeiermelk.
Maar hoe groter, hoe stouter! Keer op keer moes hulle in die middel van die nag uit die tuin gejaag word nadat daar uit die kamp gebreek is. Marinka se broer, Willie, wat destyds in die lugmag was, was `n bietjie meer versigtig vir een oproerige bulkalfie en het eerder maar op `n afstand gestaan en “shoo, shoo!” sonder veel effek. Dalk maar beter so, want Marinka self is al dwarsdeur `n riviertjie gejaag.
Deesdae het sy die bulkalfies verruil vir twee meer rustige en beheerbare katte, Asjas en Trensie.
As kind moes sy op skool Noord-Sotho leer toe hulle in Elsburg vir `n tyd gebly het, maar deesdae is sy voeg sy ook Xhosa by haar lys van tale.
“Ek het so pas my eerste Xhosa kursus klaargemaak by die Taalsentrum) en begin volgende week met die 2de kursus.” Sy het ook al drie Argus wedrenne voltooi, vele massa-stappe soos die Big Walk en hou van muurbal speel.
Een ding is seker, as jy iets vinnig en effektief gedoen wil hê, kan jy maar net tot onder in die gang van IT se tweede vloer drentel, en jy sal gou regkom. “Service excellence” inderdaad.
