Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, June 14
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Cue
        • Cue Archives
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»OUR TOWN»Humans of Makhanda»Another day at work is another day made better
    Humans of Makhanda

    Another day at work is another day made better

    Rod AmnerBy Rod AmnerAugust 9, 2022Updated:August 9, 2022No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Nomaphelo Kate, a member of the kitchen staff at Allan Web Hall, poses for the camera during a work break. Photo: Alyssa Harrison

    By ALYSSA HARRISON

    “Unjani?”

    “Nam ndiphilile nkosi, unjani?”

    Nomaphelo Kate greets every student cheerfully as she dishes their food, from pizza to stew to pepper steak pie. She always makes sure to greet every student with just as much enthusiasm as the last. The clatter of pots and pans can be heard in the background, the kitchen abuzz with activity.

    Kate is part of the kitchen team at the Allan Web Dining Hall. From twenty past six every morning, she helps to prepare food and gets ready to serve it for the first flurry of students at seven o’clock. She clocks off at twenty past seven in the evening. She often works throughout the weekend.

    There is only one tap between all the kitchen staff, making it challenging to finish cleaning dishes in time. Loadshedding also makes things tight for time. One morning, the electricity went off at nine and stayed off for two hours. This left a half-hour window to finish preparing for lunch at twelve. Sometimes, staff have to be transported to bigger kitchens to finish preparing the food there.

    Despite these challenges, Kate speaks enthusiastically about her work. Her face lights up with pride as she talks about the other kitchen staff. “We work as a team,” she says. “We enjoy our work very much.”  

    But there is always something nagging at the back of her mind.

    With employment being very scarce in South Africa, Kate has been hustling for jobs since she obtained her Matric certificate. She did six months of computer lessons after Matric before completing some courses in business management. She then became a casual worker, doing jobs such as a cashier at Shoprite. She has been on the permanent staff for the past four years now, but she wishes to continue studying because she dreams of getting a better job in business management or becoming an entrepreneur. She dreams of buying a big home for herself and her family and of driving her own car.

    But for now, Kate is content.

    “This job, I love it because it helps, even if I have some stress at home. But when I meet you guys [students], you make my day.”

    Previous ArticleA lens on life
    Next Article ‘Jikelela’ refuses to let you go back into the world thinking everything is fine
    Rod Amner
    • Website

    Comments are closed.

    Code of Ethics and Conduct
    GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
    RMR
    Listen to RMR


    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.