Mpumi from the municipality in Standerton is on the go

Nompumelelo Zimi, known as Mpumi, is the committee officer at the Lekwa Municipality, providing administrative support to council and its committees.

English is the second language for this Zulu-speaking woman with her strong views on the role of women in society.

Mpumi was a secretary at Lekwa in 2004, joined a food and beverages company in town for some time and returned to the municipality in 2006, doing word processing and handling the switchboard.

She has been recording for council and its committees since 2013.

“I thoroughly enjoy it,” she said.

She studied at the former Technicon in Tshwane (Pretoria) and completed a public management and administration diploma between 2000 and 2003, graduating in 2004.

She decided to further her studies and did a business management degree in 2023.

“It was fun and stress-free staying in a residence,” she said.

Both her parents were teachers, and her dream career was in the medical field, namely as a gynaecologist.

However, the importance of certain percentages in mathematics and science, compulsory for these studies, was a stumbling block.

Mpumi was a learner at Thuto-Thebe Secondary School in 1993 before she went to boarding school at Vryheid Comprehensive Secondary School in KZN.

She spent her last two years as a schoolgirl at Zikhetheleni Secondary School. Her friendship with Sipho Mkwanazi was instrumental in her attending social gatherings, and at that time, the Two for Joy club, of which Mkwanazi is the chairperson, had no women.

Later, the club opened recruitment to women, and that is when Mpumi and another five women joined.

Among the six women were in the club then, the men numbered about 50. She became a member because she saw their passion to help the needy and uplift Lekwa.

Mpumi is a congregant at the Methodist Church Wesley. Her answer was twofold when asked where she sees herself in 10 years.

“Career-wise, I’d like to be in a managerial position, but I have a passion for business. I haven’t explored that avenue yet.”

She would like to be fully sustained, but the pitfalls of a 9 to 5 job do not always embrace that. This perfectionist gets frustrated when things go awry.

Mpumi loves cooking and worded it by saying, “There is magic in the kitchen among the pots and pans”.
She would probably be listening to soul music or gospel.

“At my core is a South African woman overcoming the limitations of the past,” she concluded.