Focus on the crew

FOCUS ON THE CREW OF THE SAS MENDI part 2

By Petty Officer Dennis Ndaba

Chaplain Diniso	Chaplain (Cpln) Mcedisi Diniso normally works at SAS Saldanha, but has been detached to the SAS Mendi for the duration of the maiden voyage to South Africa. His role is to offer spiritual guidance, support and counselling to the ship's company. He arrived on 16 August in Germany and felt that some members were in need of spiritual guidance. 'Padre' Diniso draws his strength from being close to God, reading the Bible, praying and keeping a personal relationship with God. He stressed that in dealing with people's problems, he need God's empowerment to function effectively. He said he was humbled and overwhelmed to be part of the commemoration and wreath laying ceremony of the SS Mendi. It was a memorable event for him to be at the location where those men tragically lost their lives. He mentioned that he was impressed with the attendance of the church service on board, as it is voluntary and the crewmembers have to fit it into their busy schedules. He added that it was also encouraging to have a person of the calibre of Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, Director Fleet Human Resources, in their midst and sharing the word of God with them. Cpln Diniso said the ship's company must continue with their hard work he was privileged to witness. He added: "They must know that we are proud of them and we will continue praying for them."
Chief Petty Officer Twala	Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Ginger Twala is a chief storekeeper. His job involves receiving and issuing store items. He arrived in Germany in April. He cited staff shortages as one of their challenges, which meant that they had to double their efforts. He said they overcame the language barrier in Germany by resorting to what they called the "Germany finger", as they had to pick or point out what they needed. CPO Twala was adequately prepared for his post, as he has served at Naval Base Durban and also on board SAS Outeniqua, a combat support ship. He said he has learnt much since joining the SAS Mendi. "The ship is different in that one cannot see the outside, as there are no scuttles." He is busy studying Logistics Management and Total Quality Management, helping to keep the Navy on par with best practices. He said though he is sometimes homesick, he will remain motivated in his role in delivering the SAS Mendi safely to the South Africa. He emphasized that being at sea is an adventure and urged the people to work hard to build our country to be proudly South African.
Chief Petty Officer Molefe	CPO Matee Molefe is a radar operator. He has completed the Radar Operators Course Part 1 (6 months), which consisted of basic operation of the radar systems, Part 2 (4 months), which includes the supervision of an operations room, and Part 3 (2 months), dealing with managing an operations room. He said that to improve his knowledge, he received multi-role radar training in France, combined management system training at African Defence Systems in Pretoria and identification of friend or foe (IFF) training at Tellumat in Cape Town. He says that they have to safely sail the ship home with a limited (delivery) crew, which involves a lot of hard work. He added that he misses his family and sunny South Africa. He urges the younger generation to join the Navy and experience modern technology at sea.
Petty Officer Melton	Petty Officer (PO) John Melton is a chef. He joined the SA Navy in 1984 as an auxiliary worker. After matriculating, he joined the permanent force to be a diver, but changed his career path to become a chef. He is an early riser, as he has to prepare good food on time to keep the crew happy - sometimes a daunting task! This is his second visit in Germany. He represented the South Africa in karate at the European Defence Military Games in 1989 in Germany. He has a 2nd Dan black belt and a collection of different medals. He said that he is enjoys working in the galley (kitchen on board a ship), as it is fitted with new state of the art equipment. He added that the catering team work together very well. PO Melton is married and is blessed with three kids.
Seaman Dladla	Able Seaman (AB) Jordan Dladla is an engine room attended. He confessed that Germany is a lekker place. He found the people very friendly, although he experienced some challenges as far as the language was concerned. However, he managed to acquaint himself with useful phrases. He said he did not enjoy working ashore; he approached his divisional officer about a sea-going post and was chosen as a crewmember for the SAS Mendi. He added: "At the moment, everything is fine at work as we are working together as a team." If someone has a problem, they "talk about it until it is sorted out." AB Dladla attended Mamelodi College, where he obtained his N4 Technical Diploma (Mechanical). He is adamant that he wants to further his studies and excel in this field.