Page 53 - Maritime Book 1

A NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CAPTAIN DENNIS MQADI EXECUTIVE MANAGER: SHEQ AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
"I couldn't even swim when I joined the navy. The navy taught me you can float in sa water. It taught me discipline, respect and how to survive tough times."
For Captain Mqadi, joining the navy after he matriculated was a route out of poverty and the start of a lifetime of continuous improvement. He trained as a Junior Of cer in Saldanha from February 1991 and began building his maritime career.
“The navy had just begun its transformation and I was able to move through the ranks and to qualify as a Navigation Of cer by 1996. I was also lucky enough to go overseas on an exchange programme for eight months.”
“In 1997 a number of my colleagues jumped ship to join what was then Portnet and I decided I wanted to learn more about the commercial maritime industry. I trained as a tug master in East London, qualifying in 1998 and was grateful to be among the Class of 99 that undertook the marine pilot training in Rotterdam.”
On his return Captain Mqadi was stationed in the Port of Durban where he obtained his rst licence in October 2000. By this time the ports authority was looking to introduce harbour masters of colour and he was among
the rst to be developed for the role. At this stage he was still working as a marine pilot in the Port of Durban, undergoing a management development programme at the University
of KwaZulu-Natal and performing the role of Acting Harbour Master – shuttling between the harbour, the classroom and the boardroom.
On his promotion to Harbour Master of the Port of East London, he took over the wheel from Captain Lekala, but continued to play a dual role of managing marine operations and piloting. He left East London in 2007 to become Harbour Master of the Port of Richards Bay for three years before taking up the position in the Port of Cape Town for 14 months, and then on to South Africa’s busiest port – the Port of Durban. With each move came the responsibiity for more people, more vessels, more cargo and greater nancial value and risk.
From a management point of view, moving from port to port taught him the importance of being consistent, yet adaptable to changing environments, willing to learn and understand the dynamics of the management and operational teams.
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