Special vocal vibes from security guard
PE security guard praised for helping plant staff and visitors get day off on good note
ASINGING security guard has become the face of multinational BASF’s mobile emissions catalysts facility in Port Elizabeth. Praises are being showered on Bidvest security guard Owen Silwana, 46, whose enthusiastic and offbeat welcomes have everyone talking.
Silwana said he had been a security guard for 17 years “and I never look down on my circumstances”.
“Every day I come to work and spread positivity,” he said.
“I want everyone to be happy and to enjoy their day. I know that sometimes life is hard but I make sure everyone who walks in here is given a compliment and I assure them that everything will be fine.
“I like to communicate with people and I learn so much about people when I speak to them,” he said.
“But most important of all, is to make sure the site is secured and in a good state.”
Going over and above the call of duty, Silwana has even rescued a pedestrian outside the premises from being mugged. “There was a lady in trouble,” he said, “so of course I needed to help her and bring her to safety.”
BASF Market Area Africa communications and transformation head Linda Brown said although Silwana was a contractor and not a full-time BASF employee, he was the face of the organisation.
“Owen is the first contact point with our company that any external visitor or member of our global community has.
“His energy for life and enthusiastic greetings have become legendary within our community, and no matter what sort of day you have had, he will uplift your spirit.”
Brown said Silwana was a perfect example of how much influence a positive attitude could have with individuals and in an organisation.
Businesswoman Lesley Barnard visited a client at BASF and was so impressed with Silwana that she took to Facebook to compliment him.
Barnard, 55, said she had made a visit to BASF last week with the aim of acquiring business for her Walmer-based recruitment agency, Premier Appointments, but she had not felt good due to the death of two friends.
“When Silwana came out of his security cubicle he threw his arms wide open and in operatic tones sang to me. He said: ‘Good morning beautiful young lady.’ ”
Barnard said her experience was that normally one would wait a long time at security gates for guards to open up and often they were not very friendly – so being greeted in the way that she had been, had made her day.
“I thanked him for the ‘young’ comment and told him my age.
“He said: ‘No madam, you are only 32, your face is a like a fresh new sponge!
“‘You are stylish and smell like roses! Your husband is lucky to have you.’
“He has a job as a security guard but apparently, I am told by the client, this is how he is with everyone.
“Since I put up the post, I have been inundated with comments from people who say they know him, and I think it’s wonderful what he does. “He smiles, sings and compliments everyone. “All I wanted to do [through the Facebook post] is say thank you for what he did for me, because we very seldom say thank you for the good things people do.”
Barnard said the world needed more people like Silwana. “Imagine being greeted in that manner each morning, it would instantly improve one’s mood and the world would just be a better, more friendly place to live in.”
She said she would call Silwana’s employer today to personally thank them and also to suggest they employ more people like Silwana, “because he is awesome”.
‘ I make sure that everyone who walks in here is given a compliment