The other day I drove to the BP garage on Geba Street in Kagiso to pour petrol. There was a long queue of cars waiting to fill up. However, the service there is excellent, so I didn’t spend a lot of time in the queue. Hence I prefer that garage.
After filling up, I went to the shop to buy some items. On my way out, I met the manager of the filling station, Andrew Molefe. He greeted me with a smile and introduced himself. Then he asked me when was I going to bring him a copy of my new book. Before I even answered, he ordered three copies. He brought a smile to my face.
Interestingly, the filling station manager is a good conversationalist and our conversation didn’t end with the book.
We also talked about life in general and other stuff. He briefly told me about his career as well. That caught my attention.
Molefe started working as a petrol attendant at the BP garage in Chamdor. He has worked at different BP stations, including in Krugersdorp. He used to work 12-hour shifts, just like other petrol attendants.
This BP filling station manager negotiated his way up by working hard. He was always at work and on time. He also did his work diligently and wholeheartedly. Fortunately, management noticed his hard work and rewarded him for that.
Before he became a manager, the garage on Geba Street used to change management like socks. It was not doing well at all. The service was also poor. But since he has taken over, things have improved and business is thriving.
Molefe has good people skills and enjoys a good relationship with his subordinates. That, according to him, has improved the morale of the staff. He is also pragmatic and employs an open-door policy, which seems to be working.
It has always been his dream to be in management. So, he is living his dream and is proud of his success. The management position has afforded him the opportunity to meet the top dogs of BP. It has also allowed him to travel extensively around the globe – thanks to his hard work.
