At the age of 55, Johannes Mehlape thought it was too late to have the career he wanted. Before joining Canyon Coal, he worked as a driver for another company for many years and so he never had the opportunity to apply his office administration skills

The warmhearted employee was greatly surprised when Canyon Coal recently promoted him to facilities coordinator. The opportunity has filled Johannes with joy and hope and has motivated him to better himself.

“I completed a diploma in administration at the Integrity Business College in 1989. The year-long course taught me typewriting, shorthand, filing and telephone etiquette. But in those days the administration roles were mostly reserved for women. During one interview for an office administration role, a man asked me, ‘Can you serve coffee? Is this not a woman’s job?’ I threw up my hands and lost hope,” Johannes recounts.

The groundwork was laid for Johannes’s development within Canyon Coal soon after he joined the company in 2012. “When I started here, the human resources department asked me to file documents. They were impressed with what I did, but I explained to them that it’s easy – you just follow a numerical or alphabetical order,” Johannes says with a smile.

The challenge came one day when Jan Kies, facilities manager, put a laptop in Johannes’s hands and asked him whether he knew how to use it. “I felt I couldn’t use it; even after my promotion I had doubt. But two or three days down the line, I was managing the fleet car requests on the laptopwith ease. Gavin, one of the financial managers, showed me how to open an attachment. Slowly, slowly, I started enjoying it.”

As facilities coordinator, Johannes now has many responsibilities – he manages the store rooms where staff files, documents and other supplies are kept, oversees our fleet of cars and organises the purchase of office groceries. He enjoys the challenges of his new job.

“Every day, I am back at school, learning,” he says. “There are always stimulating conversations going on around me. What’s more, if a car is involved in an accident, I am the one who obtains quotations [for repairs]. I am focusing on doing the right thing, and my confidence is growing.”

Johannes adds that what is important to him is to always be up to date with his work and not to chase the tail end of a job. “People ask me for things kept in the store room and I need to know immediately what is available.”

“The highlight of my achievement will be if the company is satisfied with me,” he says. “I never thought that one day I would see myself moving up from one level to the next. But it is possible. I read library books on facilities management. I am learning about all aspects of the job and improving myself. God has given me a special job.”