GEORGE NEWS - The new director of George Electrotechnical Services, Bongani Mandla, commenced his employment on Thursday 1 July.

"Mandla comes to George with more than 10 years' experience in the operations and maintenance and management space," said municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose.

Prior to joining George Municipality, Mandla was in the employ of Transnet Port Terminals as the senior engineering manager responsible for plant maintenance. He has also worked for Eskom Distribution in the Western Cape in various roles, including acting senior manager for operations and maintenance, and zone manager for the 29 customer network centres (CNCs) in the province. He served on various committees, including the Eskom Western Cape Distribution Provincial Executive Committee (WC-PEXCO).

Having spent more than seven years as the field service engineer and field service area manager for Eskom Distribution, Mandla is not a stranger to the George area.

Mandla holds a Bachelor in Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) from the University of Stellenbosch. He is a registered professional engineer (ECSA), a member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (MSAIEE) and passed the Government Ticket (GCC). He was selected for and completed the Middle Management Talent Programme at Henley Business School in collaboration with Eskom, as well as the Technology Leadership Programme with the Eskom Leadership Academy. He is currently studying towards a Master of Business Administration.

Mandla looks forward to working with the electrotechnical team, and with his passion for the development of people, he hopes that together the team can streamline their processes and reignite their passion to service customers. "My immediate focus will be on fixing the basics and ensuring we capacitate the directorate to deliver on our core output," said Mandla. "With a solid foundation in place, we will be able to deliver sustainable results as well as form strategic partnerships for growth. My vision is underpinned by the drive to build a better tomorrow, today!"

Mandla is married to Amanda and is blessed with three children, Anda, Bonga and Sinobomi.

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