Going beyond the call of duty
NOSIPHO Mkhupheka, 52, does not have a Facebook account. However, the civic supervisor at the Scottburgh Home Affairs office has become a Facebook sensation after going beyond the call of duty to assist people.
The mother of three shot to national fame when a client, Marius Botha, thanked her on Facebook for her service.
“Today at 4pm, all her colleagues left their workstations and went home. Mrs Mkhupheka stayed and helped the last 40 customers all on her own and with a smile on her face!!! You are my hero. South Africa needs more people like you,” wrote Botha.
The post was shared more than 11 000 times and earned Mkhupheka a surprise visit from Home Affairs Minister Siyabonga Cwele.
“It was an incredible moment meeting the minister. I just cried because I could not hold back the tears,” she recalled.
Mkhupheka said the computer system had been slow that day and by knock-off time, she realised there were people who had not been assisted.
“People started panicking when the staff left, screaming ‘The staff are leaving’, and I told them to calm down because I will assist them. I sat down and did my work, and by 5.30pm I was done,” she said.
Mkhupheka said of her co-workers leaving at 4pm: “It is written in black and white that by 3.30pm we close and assist only those who are still inside (the office), and by 4pm everyone leaves.
“Home Affairs does not pay for overtime so me asking them to stay beyond 4pm would be exploitation.”
Mkhupheka has worked in government for more than 30 years. She started out as a clerk/typist at the Justice Department in 1982 and later went on to hold posts, including interpreter.
Eventually, she was recruited to supervise the Scottburgh Home Affairs office and has been there for 12 years.
Office manager Rana de Bruin said she welcomed the attention Mkhupheka was receiving because it dispelled some negative stereotypes of Home Affairs workers.
“There are many offices doing what Nosipho is doing,” she said.
“Our own staff are very demoralised because people are very quick to find fault and quick to say ‘aargh, Home Affairs’.”
De Bruin, another public veteran, blamed inadequate computer systems as the main driver of public anger towards the department.
Mkhupheka said she is oblivious to her online fame, since she does not have social media on her phone, but vowed to continue doing her work as best as she can.