Murudi encourages job-seekers to not give up

Tondani Murudi did not allow the challenges to stand in her way of finding a job.

She encourages those struggling to find their feet to not give up.

“It is that time of the year when matric learners are writing their final exams. I want them to know that sometimes life is unpredictable. They will not always get that dream job immediately after completing their studies but they must remember how important education is,” she said.

Murudi is a chief accounting clerk at Cleveland SAPS and her life story reveals several challenges.

She moved up the ranks through hard work, determination and facing challenges head-on.

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Murudi matriculated from Mphandeni Secondary School in the early 1990s in Venda and then enrolled for a course in marketing management at Germiston College.

“I loved marketing. I am a people’s person and a career in marketing would have been a perfect fit for me. After completing my qualifications, I struggled to find a job in marketing. In fact, I struggled to find any job. I was job hunting but I was just not landing that dream job.

“I looked around me and realised that my peers had already found their feet. The pressure was high. From 1998 to 2004 I only did part-time jobs.

“In 1998 I got my first job as a waitress at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton. I worked there for two years and it was through that job that I learnt to be independent.

“Even though I wasn’t earning a lot of money I was able to provide for the basic needs for myself and my family. While working at the hotel, I applied for the job at the SAPS and they offered me the position. I never looked back,” she said.

Murudi joined Cleveland SAPS as an admin clerk in 2004.

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“I was responsible for filing correspondence letters from the station commander. I was grateful but I wanted more for myself. I had no background on what I was doing. The job that I was doing required some background in finances which was something I did not have. Finance is not marketing, it is something different. I was hungry for education so I studied further.”

“By the time I went back to school I was already old. My classmates were all young so I had that fear that I might not be able to complete my education as I was already old and being a mother was another challenge. I needed to be there for my children but that did not stand in my way. I enrolled for a diploma in financial management at Tshwane South College and completed it,” she said.

In 2009 Murudi was promoted as a senior accounting clerk, a position she holds until today.

“I work closely with the community and my job is always about Bathu Pele. I make sure people leave my office with a smile,” she said.

Last year Murudi received an award for best performer of the year from Cleveland Community Policing Forum.

She told the EXPRESS that the award has motivated her to work even harder.