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She is a perfectionist, a mother, a mentor for local youth and the Patensie office of the Gamtoos Irrigation Board’s own fashion diva. She loves handbags and online shopping.
Nomazizi Thube has been working here for the last three years and is now in the administration department. "I am a jack of all trades. I do anything from HR to finance and admin,” she says.
She had a dream that before she turns thirty years old, she has to have a good job, a degree and her own new car. She is now 29 and prides herself in the fact that she finished her BA degree in Health Science and Social Services through Unisa, and already owns her second brand new car.
She is also busy with a diploma in HR through Damelin and plans to do a post diploma in HR as well. "One should never stop learning and try to better yourself,” she says with her high heels and perfect hair and make-up.
Nomazizi was born and went to school in Patensie and after matric she studied management at Port Elizabeth College. She did a few different jobs before she joined the Work for Water Team in 2012. First as social development worker, then administration official.
"I enjoy the office in Patensie. Every co-worker has his or her own personality, skill and expertise. I learn from them every day,” she says.
Nomazizi adopted her brother’s son, Laurenzo Kwaza, as a baby and enjoys motherhood very much. He is now in gr.2 in Laerskool Gamtoosvallei in Patensie. She is very close to her family and is happy to stay with her parents, Lillian and William, and near her sister, Viviane and brother Simphiwe who works in the Patensie area.
She has a great passion to help young people achieve more in life. She has six young students from the Cyril Ramaphosa Village in Patensie whom she mentors and helped them to apply for courses at Midlands College and Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha amongst others.
"I am always on the lookout for bursaries and courses. I help them to do research for their assignments and I am very strict with deadlines. I am very serious about discipline and to do things right. It is the only way to succeed,” she says.
Nomazizi feels there is a big lack of role models and career guidance for the local youth. "If the children finish school, for those who make it that far, there is no support and guidance for the way forward. It makes me so sad to see that they are satisfied with so little in life. It is especially the girls that have a very low self-esteem.”
"A lot of kids leave school the moment they receive their first money for odd jobs or temporary work on farms. It is such a short sighted outlook on life,” she says.
She believes education is the most important gift to give someone. "It is the only way to achieve real change and upliftment,” she says. "It takes away poverty.”
"Watch me,” she says. "Before I am forty, I am going to walk on that stage with my high heels and red robe and receive my doctorate!”
Sy is ‘n perfeksionis, ‘n ma, ‘n mentor vir plaaslike jongmense, en die Gamtoos Besproeiingsraad se kantoor op Patensie se eie mode diva wat mal is oor handsakke en aanlyn inkopies.
Nomazizi Thube werk al drie jaar hier en werk nou in die administratiewe kantoor. "Ek doen iets van alles, van HR tot finansies en admin,” sê sy. Haar droom was om voor haar dertigste verjaarsdag ‘n graad, ‘n goeie betrekking en eie splinternuwe motor te besit. Sy kan nou op 29 jaar reeds spog met al diè doelstellings. Met haar BA graad in Gesondheidswetenskappe en maatskaplike dienste deur Unisa agter die blad, en reeds haar tweede splinternuwe motor op haar naam, is sy sterk oppad na groot hoogtes.
Sy is ook nou besig met ‘n diploma in Menslike hulpbronbestuur deur Damlin en beplan ‘n post diploma. "’n Mens moet nooit ophou leer en om jouself te verbeter nie,” sê die bondeltjie energie met haar hoë hakke en perfekte hare en grimering.
Nomazizi is gebore en getoë in Patensie en na matriek het sy sakebestuur by Port Elizabeth College studeer en verskillende werke gedoen voor sy in 2012 by die Werk vir Water span aangesluit het. Eers as maatskaplike ontwikkelingsbeampte, toe administrasiebeampte en nou ‘n amptenaar in die administratiewe kantoor.
"Ek geniet die personeel in die Patensie kantoor. Elkeen met sy eie persoonlikheid en vaardigheid en kundigheid. Ek leer elke dag by elkeen,” sê sy.
Nomazizi het haar broer se seuntjie, Laurenzo Kwaza, as baba aangeneem en is mal daaroor om ma te wees. Hy is nou in gr.2 in Laerskool Gamtoosvallei op Patensie. Sy is baie na aan haar familie en is gelukkig om by haar ouers, Lillian en William te woon, en naby haar suster Viviane en broer Simphiwe te wees wat op Patensie en omgewing werk.
Sy het ‘n groot passie om jongmense te mentor en te help om hul akademie te bevorder. Sy het op die oomblik ses jong plaaslike studente uit die Cyril Ramaphosa woonbuurt in Patensie onder die vlerk geneem en gehelp om aansoek te doen vir kursusse by onder andere Midlands College en Walter Sisulu Universiteit in Mthatha. "Ek kyk heeltyd uit vir beurse en watter kursusse waar aangebied word. Ek help die studente met navorsing vir hul take en is baie streng met hulle oor sperdatums. Ek is baie ernstig oor dissipline en om dinge reg te doen. Dit is die enigste manier om sukses te behaal,” sê sy.
Volgens haar is daar ‘n groot tekort aan rolmodelle en beroepsvoorligting vir die plaaslike jeug. "As die kinders klaar maak met skool, vir die wat tot daar vorder, is daar geen ondersteuning en leiding vorentoe nie. Dit maak my so hartseer om te sien dat hulle dan tevrede is met min in die lewe en om nie gemotiveerd te wees om iets meer te wees nie. Dit is veral die meisies wat ‘n baie lae selfbeeld het.”
"Baie van die jongmense los skool as hulle eers betaling ontvang het vir los werkies en tydelike werk op plase. Dit is so ‘n kortstondige vooruitsig, sê sy.
Sy glo onderwys en opvoeding is die heel belangrikste geskenk wat jy vir iemand kan gee. "Dit is die enigste manier om ware verandering en opheffing te weeg te bring,” sê sy. "Dit neem armoede weg.”
"Hou my dop,” sê Nomazizi. "Voor ek veertig is, gaan ek met my hoë hakskoene op die verhoog loop met daai rooi jas en my doktorsgraad in die hand!”