Amanzimtoti’s postmaster has retired after 16 years in the CBD and 45 years and three months in the SA Postal Service. Lex Muthen, 65, took up the position of postmaster in Toti in 2003 when the CBD was the thriving hub of the town and over the years he has been saddened by the steady decline of the area.
Lex, who lives in Queensburgh, was born in Verulam and did his schooling in the neighbouring Redcliff area. “After matric I went into plumbing, as the building industry was thriving until someone told me about a position in the post office,” he recalled. His application was successful and he started his long road with the postal service on 1 March 1974 as a teller at Verulam.
“In those days we still had the old telephone system. After five years I was single-handedly managing the system, working with technicians and managing the exchange with rendering accounts, dealing with complaints and queries. I excelled in the environment and my work was used as a specification to train others.”
Over and above this, Lex still continued with his duties as a teller and studied for his BA Degree in political science and public administration. He also found time to squeeze in biblical studies for his passion, mission work. He was promoted to superintendent general and then to postmaster when he transferred to Actonville in Benoni in 1986. He was the youngest postmaster in the service’s history. While in Benoni Lex got involved in the local welfare where he became the assistant secretary.
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However, KZN was always where his heart was and he knew he would return. In 1991 he was transferred to Chatsworth as a superintendent general level four. When the position for Stanger postmaster became available, Lex found it amusing that those who applied for it were his juniors in both age and experience, so applied “out of fun” and got the job in 1994.
As he was a rare breed – an Indian postmaster with an excellent command for Afrikaans, the job in Toti was shoe-in and he moved to the CBD in 2003. “I have seen some big changes in Toti over the years. The closing of the businesses and the banks relocating to Galleria badly affected the business hub in the CBD. It reduced the volume of traffic in the post office and affected the residents in the services they required.”
Over the years Lex has firmly established himself in the community, especially as a Commissioner of Oaths and his strong commitment to upholding values. He has enjoyed a good relationship with members of all communities and he is even a saint to the local homeless people who call the CBD home. Over the years he has worked towards helping with the vagrancy problem, often cooking them a much-needed nutritious meal, donating money or handing out Bibles. “I have seen some positive changes in them and many of them still stop in on a regular basis for donations.”
For his retirement, Lex looks forward to spending much-deserved time fulfilling his passion, mission work, and beginning a new one, gardening. He will also spend quality time with his two daughters Diroshni and Kuvasha and his two grandsons.
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