After almost 25 years IT very reluctantly has to say goodbye to Basil Pietersen.

Basil is the one person who will never walk past your office in the morning without saying good morning. And if he forgets (which rarely happens), he’ll make sure he does so later.

Over the years I’ve known him as someone who will always make time to talk, crack a joke and go out of his way to do something for someone else. And its exactly this need to keep people happy which led to the fork in his road.

In future his focus will be ministry – something he had to keep on the back burner since he was ordained as pastor in 2013. Now that his time will be a bit more flexible, a holiday might be a possibility for the first time in a while. And his wife Magdalene (Maggie), three sons, Bradley, Shane and Elvizo will be especially happy to see more of their husband, father and grandfather.

“Ministry is my passion. It’s who I am.”

He wants to improve the lives of others and is closely involved with upliftment in the community. Whether it’s through input on the municipal housing committee or social work, counselling and community interaction in Idas Valley. He also serves on the Idas Valley ministers’ forum and one of his main aims is to enable local ministers to work together and build relationships within the community.

But he won’t limit himself only to his own community – “I go where I’m needed”. Work in Transkei and even in the Netherlands lies in the future.

His colleagues agree. “[Basil] is a good counsellor who guides you in life. I see him as Information Technology’s pastor”, says one of his longstanding colleagues, Anthony Bailey. He’s always willing to help anyone, any time of day.

“IT led me to where I am now. I’ll never diminish what it meant to me.”

The challenges that user support can sometimes bring was never a frustration. He saw it as part of the growth process. Apart from acquiring work and technical experience, it made him develop as a person. And this brought him to where he is now – ready for the next phase of his life.

Data transfers were his specialty as it’s a time consuming process and he’s “as patient as Job”.

Do you still remember Windows 3.1 and XT DOS CW16? That was the software Basil used when he started working at SED (Central Electronic Services) in March 1991 as a supervisor in the cabling team. This was before the IT department as we know it even existed. Albrecht Bester, currently head of network infrastructure, was also his manager at the time. The team was responsible for starting the phasing out process of coaxial and Ethernet cables. A large task which would lay the groundwork for the network in its current state.

By completing his A+ qualification, a new path opened up for him and he started to train as a technician. During this time he was frequently thrown in the deep end and he had to swim to survive.

Being on stand-by afterhours was challenging at times. You are on your own and when there’s a crisis you need to make the right decision and this brings huge responsibility.

“Basil is a people person. And you can never take that away from him.”

By being on campus on a daily basis and interacting with users, taught him a lot about people. In time he could quickly determine how to approach someone, when to listen and when to rather keep quiet. But in the end, his main aim was to protect ITs name and portray a positive image.

Of course being born and bred in Stellenbosch and knowing many people also helps. This is where he belongs and where he’s at his happiest.

Going away was a difficult decision and made for many a sleepless night. But he knows he’s making the right decision and that a new phase is about to start. For the first time in a long while he feels both content and excited about what lies ahead.

“ITs people meant a lot to me and they’ve been there through the good and bad times. But above all, I have to thank by Saviour. Without him none of this would’ve been possible.”

Na amper 25 jaar moet IT baie teësinnig einde Junie totsiens sê aan Basil Pietersen. 

Basil is die een persoon wat elke oggend verby jou kantoor stap en sal groet – en as hy vergeet (feitlik nooit), `n punt daarvan maak om dit later te doen.  

Deur die jare het ek hom leer ken as iemand wat altyd tyd sal hê om te gesels, `n grappie te maak en uit sy pad uit sal gaan om iets vir iemand anders te doen. En dis ook hierdie gewoonte om sy medemens gelukkig te hou wat die vurk in sy pad meegebring het.

Voortaan sal hy fokus op geestelike bediening – iets wat hy sedert sy inwyding as pastoor in 2013 deeltyds moes inpas saam met sy werk. Noudat sy tyd `n bietjie meer buigbaar gaan wees, sal `n vakansie vir die eerste keer in `n lang tyd moontlik wees. En sy vrou Magdalene (Maggie), drie seuns, Bradley, Shane en Elvizo en vier kleinkinders sal verseker bly wees om meer van hulle man, pa en oupa te sien.

“Die bediening is my passie. Dit is ek.”

Hy wil die lewe probeer beter maak vir ander en is reeds nou betrokke by die opheffing van die gemeenskap. Of dit nou is deur middel van insette op die munisipale behuisingskomitee of maatskaplike werk, raadgewing en gemeenskapsinteraksie in Idasvallei. Hy dien ook op die Idasvallei-leraarsforum en sien een van sy hoofdoelwitte om plaaslike predikante saam te laat werk en verhoudings binne die gemeenskap te bou.

Maar moenie dink hy beperk hom tot sy nabye omgewing nie – “Ek gaan waar dit nodig is”. Hy maak reeds planne vir sendingwerk in Transkei en Nederland is selfs `n opsie.

Sy kollegas is dit eens. “[Basil] is `n goeie berader wat jou rigting gee in die lewe. Ek sien hom as die pastoor van Informasietegnologie”, sê een van sy jarelange kollegas, Anthony Bailey. Hy is altyd gewillig om enigiemand te help, enige tyd van die dag.

“IT het my gebring waar ek nou is. Ek sal dié deel van my lewe nooit uitskryf nie.”

Die uitdagings wat gebruikersondersteuning soms bied was nie vir hom `n frustrasie nie. Hy het dit gesien as deel van die groeiproses. Buiten vir die werksondervinding en tegniese ervaring wat hy opgedoen het, het dit hom  as `n mens laat groei. Iets wat hom gebring het waar hy nou is – gereed vir die volgende fase van sy lewe.

Data-oordrag was sy spesialisarea, omdat dit ure neem en hy “die geduld van Job” het.

Onthou jy nog Windows 3.1 en XT DOS CW16? Dis die sagteware waarmee Basil gewerk het toe hy in Maart 1991 as oorsiener in die bekabelingspan begin het by SED (Sentrale Elektroniese Dienste). Dit was voordat daar `n IT-afdeling bestaan het soos ons dit tans ken. Albrecht Bester, tans hoof van netwerkinfrastruktuur, was ook sy hoof en dié span was destyds verantwoordelik vir die eerste uitfassering van koaksiale en ethernet kabels, ‘n groot werk wat die grondslag sou lê vir die huidige netwerkinfrastruktuur.

Die voltooing van A+ kwalifikasie het hom van rigting laat verander en hy het hom begin bekwaam as tegnikus. In dié omgewing word jy in die diep kant ingegooi en moet jy leer swem en oorleef.

Om na-ure bystand te doen was soms uitdagend. Jy is op jou eie aangewese en in `n tyd van krisis moet jy die regte besluit neem as niemand beskikbaar is nie en dit bring geweldige verantwoordelikheid.

“Basil is `n mens-mens. Dit kan nie van hom weggeneem kan word nie.”

Deur op `n daaglikse basis op kampus te wees en gebruikers te help met probleme, het hom geweldig baie van mense geleer. Later kon hy bepaal hoe om iemand te benader en deur die jare het hy geleer wanneer om iets te sê, wanneer om te luister en wanneer om liewer stil te bly. Die belangrikste doel was om IT se naam te dra, beskerm en sy beste sy te wys. 

Stellenbosch is waar hy grootgeword het en dis waar hy hoort en gelukkig is.

Om weg te gaan by IT was `n moeilike besluit en het gesorg vir baie slapelose nagte. Maar hy weet hy neem die regte besluit en dat die nuwe fase van sy lewe nou gaan begin. Vir die eerste keer in `n lang tyd is hy ook nou rustig en opgewonde oor wat voorlê.

“IT se mense het vir my baie beteken en was daar deur al die hoogte- en laagtepunte. En dan moet ek dankie sê vir my Skepper, want sonder hom sou niks hiervan moontlik gewees het nie.” 

 

 

This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2015 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Our people. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.