Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Dad plants seeds of horticulturalist’s career
A VERULAM printer’s years of pottering in his back yard served to launch both a family business and his son’s academic career.
For Dhiren Govender, now the head of the Durban University of Technology’s horticulture department, the love of plants first sprouted at home with the aid of his father, Dan.
Govender said that, from the age of five, he had joined his dad in his searches for vibrant new plants to add to their back-yard collection.
“It’s always been in my blood. Some of my fondest memories were days I spent with my dad learning about different plants.”
The Verulam lecturer’s constant companion is a grafting knife his father bought for him 23 years ago — to mark Govender’s first year in the horticulture field.
“I don’t go anywhere without it. You never know when you might find something interesting that you might want to learn more about,” he said.
The academic has a diploma and BTech degree in horticulture and a BTech in business administration, and this week received an MTech in human resource management — cum laude.
Govender has managed to combine his latest field of interest with his first love, horticulture, by studying job satisfaction and employee performance at a successful South African nursery.
“The horticulture industry is very labourintensive and I didn’t want to lose the essence of the field I love,” he said.
Dan, who died a few years ago, left another legacy for his son: a landscaping and nursery business in Verulam, which he opened after his retirement.
“We run that as a family. He was quite the gardening enthusiast and he inspired the whole family.”
Govender spent three years researching and putting together his dissertation at the Stodels Garden Centres in the Western Cape.
The father of two said he wanted to ascertain if there was any link between the continued success of the brand and the levels of satisfaction among Stodels’ employees.
“Times are hard and many nurseries are struggling or closing down. In these tough economic times, splurging on plants is secondary to the essentials,” said Govender. Despite this, the Cape company was busy expanding.
Although Govender was unable to definitively state that job satisfaction was solely responsible for the business’s success, he found that the relationship between staff members played a role.
“Everyone is always kept in the loop. Those who excel are recognised for it and there is a great deal of support from managers and supervisors. There is a great possibility for growth within the company, which can serve as a motivator.”
Govender said his main aim now was to get more students excited about the possibility of horticulture as a career.
“It is still a field not many people are used to or understand. It permeates all parts of life, from food to sport.”