THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE
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September 2009 |
In 2006, living in a shack in abject poverty desperately trying to find any kind work to feed his family, Aubrey Molaba’s life epitomised that of millions of South Africans living on the fringes of society. The New South Africa, with its promises of opportunities and a better life for all was, for all intents and purposes, a hollow dream. But not for Molaba, while so many people in Molaba’s position fall by the wayside and endure a lifetime of struggle and heartache , his dreams and ambitions for a better life were not so hollow and there is a happy ending to his story. One of 59 graduates of Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s professional commercial vehicle driver learnership programme, Molaba now holds a responsible job, drives his own car, sends his daughter to a private school and is currently building a new home for his family. In sharing his history with the assembled graduates and guests, Molaba explains how, after completing matric, he enrolled at Unisa to follow his dream of forging a career in travel and tourism. In three short months financial constraints forced him to drop out. Desperate to get out of the poverty trap in which he was becoming ensnared, Molaba went to the Department of Labour for assistance. As chance would have it, he was invited to attend a presentation outlining the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle driver learnership programme. After completing various assessments he was selected as one of 100 candidates invited to participate in the programme. “We were paid a stipend of
R1 500 a month while we were learning,” Molaba says. “Thanks to MBSA we
now had a chance to learn and survive at the same time.”
Over and above the monthly allowance, the fellow learners were also provided
with accommodation and meals for the duration of the course. Molaba describes the training programme as “intensive.” He
says the trainers from Dynamic Skills Solutions who facilitated and managed
the programme together with the Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s dealer training
department were incredibly patient and encouraged the students from start to
finish. After eight weeks the learners were transferred to the
workplace and the real world of trucking, where host employers, collaborating
with MBSA, provided the workplace element of the programme. “As learners we faced many challenges,” Molaba explains, “some
of the hosts did not trust us and we were used as carrier boys with little
opportunity to drive. This saw many of our co-learners dropping out.” Molaba said another major hurdle was the excessively long wait
to take the actual driving test at the licensing department. Molaba says he was placed at Benoni Sands where, under the
stewardship of Fred Spencer and his staff, he grew into a competent driver.
Benoni Sands were so impressed with Molaba’s skill, they
offered him full time employment after he successfully completed the MBSA
programme and encouraged him to continue his studies. Molaba’s academic achievements since he joined the programme
show ongoing progression from qualifying as a professional driver to
attaining advanced driving certificates in crane and concrete trucks,
passenger buses and light vehicles. He has also qualified as a training
facilitator, assessor and moderator and also has a certificate in travel and
tourism, which is a step forward to fulfilling his boyhood ambitions. Molaba was later offered a better position at WBHO
Construction and today he is in charge of the company’s road going plant,
recruits and selects drivers and is involved in the strategic decision making
process. “Finally,” concludes Molaba, “I would like to say that we are
all committed to be responsible professional drivers who will play a role in
decreasing road accidents, driving economically and defensively and decreasing
the spread of HIV in the trucking industry.” |
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