Star performers at the Bidvest Top Turf Awards 2019

At Bidvest Top Turf, we celebrate the lifeblood of our company, the staff that makes up the various divisions within our structures. This year has been a fantastic celebration as we recognised the star performers at the annual Bidvest Top Turf Awards held at the Holiday Inn in Sandton.

RUNNER-UP:   Eva Makgathi – North West Region

Eva has been with the team for only 10 months, but within this short space of time, she has demonstrated an exceptional talent, and learning plant maintenance skills in record time. She shows her love and commitment to her job, by frequently coming up with new ideas on how to improve the indoor areas.

WINNER: Alone Dumani– Projects Division

Alone is the ultimate performer when it comes the accurate and skilled installation of hardwork elements. He consistently shows high quality results in his work. He also contributed to the excellent hardworks of the highest standard that received a SALI Gold Award at a Private residence in Bryanston.

RUNNER-UP:   Sam Ngozo – Gauteng Region

Sam attends dutifully to all of the irrigation maintenance needs of our Gauteng region, from auditing sites, finalising quotes and executing the actual work. His experience in this industry is beyond measure. His attitude and work ethic is amazing and he takes great pride in his work. A top example for any Bidvest Top Turf employee.

WINNER:   Matebesi Nhlapho – Irrigation Division

Over the past year, Matebesi has installed the irrigation system of various high profile sites, from infrastructure to programming the accompanying technology. He has been involved in installing the Irrigation system and pump station at Hertford Office Park, which received a Double Gold for being Water Wise at the recent SALI Awards of Excellence.

RUNNER-UP:   Benji Matlou – Gauteng Region

In the latter part of the winter in 2018, our client in Muldersdrift noticed a fire on a neighbouring property on a Saturday morning. Benji (and his team), without hesitation helped to fight this fire that took place in over that weekend. Our client wrote a glowing report to thank him and his team from saving the property outside of working hours, and helped avoid what could have been devastating damage to their buildings.

WINNER:   Patrick Ncube – Projects Division

Patrick offers amazing attention to detail whilst installing gardens. He shows innovation, and he engages fully with both our clients and landscape designers. And then we have to mention that this recipient was at the forefront of a project that didn’t only win a Double Gold Award at the recent annual SALI Awards, but also went on to win the SALI Shield of Excellence for the best landscape entry for the Hertford Office Park Dam Area where he demonstrated what it takes to be the best in the country.

1st Duel WINNER:   Peter Muswere – Gauteng Region

Peter has a great work ethic, managing his sites well, and always displays a positive attitude. He goes the extra mile when called upon and it is always refreshing to have people like him in your team. Taking pride in his work, putting in the hours to ensure results are achieved and even assisting his fellow managers when in need. Our clients describe him as always being positive with a good turnaround time on requests and efficient execution of work.

2nd Duel WINNER:   Jonny Molebatsi – North West Region

Jonny has been a part of the company since 2008, and constantly performed with good work until he was promoted in July 2018 to the position of Golf Course Manager at the Gary Player Country Club. During the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge you will see Jonny working at the speed of light to ensure that this international event is managed with faultless precision and to the highest international standards.

WINNER:   Jonathan Ferguson – Projects Division

Although Jonathan is mostly out on site checking that his teams are installing according to plan and within the budget, he still ensures that the company is represented at tender briefings and that the tenders are priced to win. Jonathan continues to play a crucial role in mentoring his staff, to achieve the standards the he constantly delivers on.  

WINNER:   Marie du Preez - Gauteng Region

Marie has been a pillar of support in the sales team and was pivotal in securing very strategic business deals for the company. She is always prepared to go the extra mile, no matter what it takes. No sacrifice is ever too big and she has worked on numerous occasions over weekends and till very late at night to meet submission deadlines.

RUNNER-UP:   Lesley Ford – KwaZulu-Natal Region

Lesley is an incredible part of the KZN team. She is involved in various aspects of the office admin, collecting outstanding invoices, getting payroll documents, and raising purchase orders etc. Lesley operates like a one woman accounting department and is a pillar of support and strength for our KwaZulu-Natal region and our Head Office in Gauteng.

WINNER:   Nabeel Kaloo – Head Office

The financial supporter of the year was awarded to Nabeel, a man that offers valuable support to our Chief Financial Officer. The quality of his work is exceptional and always done in a dignified and exemplary manner. There is nothing more satisfying for us to see an individual realise his potential and this year has been a year of tremendous growth for him.

RUNNER-UP:   Neo Langa – Head Office

Neo joined our Head Office team in July 2018 and took on the responsibility of managing our reception, the centre point of the company. Neo has made a concerted effort to learn as much as possible in order to assist with tender submissions, making travel arrangements, helping with events and catering and always undertakes these things with pleasure and a smile. She has grown in herself over the past year and we know she will continue to grow in her career at Bidvest Top Turf.

WINNER:   Shareen Smith - Head Office

There are on average about 1400 staff on the company’s payroll. The task of getting everyone paid on time and accurately has been no small work. Shareen has worked tirelessly to come to grips with the new payroll system that we have implemented and has ensured that we made a smooth and pleasant transition onto our current system. She has been a credit to our business in this past year and our management team thanks her for learning, growing and encouraging everyone in HR.

WINNER:   Gauteng Region

In the past year, our Gauteng Region has grown revenue by 23%. Andries and his team is known for delivering on the requirements of their large portfolio of clients. Gauteng has the largest quantity of sites in the company and this requires focused managerial skills in order to ensure good service even for the smallest customer. Andries is a credit to the company and can be relied on to produce the goods when times get tough.

WINNER:   Dirk Kruger – National Sales Manager

The sales function of any company is one of the key components to making it successful. Our great results in the previous financial year can be attributed to a team effort but Dirk requires special mention. He has built a sales team that has added tremendous value to Bidvest Top Turf.   Dirk is often working into the late hours but never complains. The sales target this past year seemed like a challenge but in true “Dirk style”, he grabbed it with both hands and ensured we exceeded our target. He is a man of stature in the Bidvest arena and everyone who works with Dirk will notice his enthusiasm.

RECIPIENTS:   Jonathan Ferguson, Simon Radebe, Matabesi Nhlapho & Patrick Ncube

We celebrate the award of the SALI Awards 2019 Shield of Landscaping Excellence to a project that was not only brilliantly executed but did so by masterfully interpreting a design that called for a complex inter planting pallet of primarily indigenous species. The National Judge said: “The installations team must be commended for interpreting the intent of the design and making practical, on site improvements to facilitate an even better completed construction. A difficult site, sandwiched between office buildings and a three story underground parking facility made access and soil preparation difficult. The quality of the overall construction is of an extremely high standard.”

The garden is enjoyed by the people working in the office park and even the grassed areas handle the high volume of foot traffic well. The use of captured rainwater for irrigation on this site is done on a huge scale.

It is for these reasons that Bidvest Top Turf was awarded the SALI Shield of Excellence for the best landscape entry in the whole of South Africa for 2019. The team that worked on this project has really made everyone very proud of this achievement, and special recognition was made of the core members of this team.