You might not find him actually working in the Macadamia field or in the offices, sitting on comfortable chairs in front of a computer; yet his work is as vital to the progress of both the Macadamia orchard and African Christian College. Meet Fremino Kwaphe Mondlane, affectionately known as known as FK, the mechanic working under the Tree of Life project. His days are mostly spent under vehicles, working on machines or fixing things. Let us get inside FK’s world and discover how his work fits with the orchard’s and ACC’s work.
His work encompasses maintenance of the working equipment and machinery to make sure it is safe and ready to be used. “The tractors that are used to do some work in the fields needs to be frequently checked,” he said, “and that is my job so that the field workers can work efficiently.” The best way he describes his work is, “I make work easier for the Macadamia orchard workers.” It is clear how essential his part of work is because without well-functioning machines, much of the orchard work stops.
Not only is FK important for the orchard work, but also the entire African Christian College’s community. ACC’s work and progress is affected by the progress of the Macadamia orchard. Much of the college’s revenue comes from the orchard and that has been so much of a blessing. The more efficient the orchard work is, the more the college benefits leading to growth and success. FK understands that everyone has a role to play in the vision of ACC, and in his own capacity, he is also contributing to the fulfilment of the vision.
Not only does FK fix the orchard machines, he also fixes the college vehicles that are used by both the members of staff and students. If the vehicles are broken, work suffers on all fronts thus he carries the responsibility of avoiding or fixing that. Therefore, he makes sure that he does his work to the best of his abilities. It is not surprising that FK calls himself the ‘driving gear’ behind the mechanical side of ACC. May he be blessed in all ways possible.