You’d be forgiven to think that Phillip Montshiwa is just another official of the Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM). He is actually the spokesperson and mouthpiece of the municipality.

Montshiwa, 54, who was born and bred in Mohlakeng said what he loves about his job is that it suits his personality; being the talkative person he is.

“I started working for the municipality in 2012 as the head of Communications and Marketing. Even after the merger, I remained in the post,” Montshiwa said.

He completed various qualifications such as a BA (majoring in English and Sociology) from the University of Limpopo, and a Public Relations Diploma from PRISA. “I’m currently studying Communication Science at Unisa,” he added.

Between 1985 and 1991, Montshiwa was in Angola, Tanzania and Nigeria as part of the ANC’s resistance movement against apartheid.

I spent most of my three-years military training in Tanzania. I went to Nigeria, and returned home in 1991,” he said.

He said Kenny Mampondo, current Chief of the Rand West City Traffic Department orientated him about issues of the movement and struggle. “That’s how I became involved in the movement,” he said.

Montshiwa said growing up, especially during apartheid, was difficult for a black man like him in the township.

There was no way you could disassociate from the struggle; at some point police would beat you up for no apparent reason.”

He said despite the tumultuous era he could still draw strength and inspiration from it.

“I have learned a lot of discipline, and I do not give up easily. I have also learned that in order to be effective in life, one has to keep learning all the time. For the mere fact that we were subjected to that situation, quite a few important things were instilled in our generations, such as Ubuntu; being kind to others,” Montshiwa said.

As a spokesperson for the municipality, he said he plays a vital role to make sure that the public has a clear picture of the municipality.

“We work on communication within various departments of the municipality, produce quarterly internal newsletters, run various campaigns, and do exhibitions about the services the municipality offers,” Montshiwa added.