Muziwandile Khethwa Hlabe
Kwa Mashu
Summary
Skilled in Negotiation, Strategic Planning, Sales Management and Project Management. Strong operations professional. Experienced Landscaper with a demonstrated history of working in many roles and in different industries. These include the Green, telecommunications and financial industries.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Operations Supervisor
Burgess Landscapes
08.2021 - 09.2023
- Skilled in Negotiation, Strategic Planning, Sales Management and Project Management. Strong operations professional.
- My day to day function include but not limited to pest control, general plant health, maintenance, landscape aesthetic improvement, fertilization, staff schedules, daily site visits and many other Horticultural and Landscape related operations.
- Ensuring day to day operations are executed with excellence and all required resources are at disposal for all relevant parties.
- My portfolio includes leading South African 5 star Hotels, such as The Oyster Box, Beverly Hills, Cabbana Beach, Umhlanga Sands, all these located in Umhlanga, Durban.
- Other hotels I manage include The Edward Hotel, Garden Court South Beach, The Avondale Hotel and Road Lodge Hotel (City Lodge).
- My scope of work is not only commercial, I oversee to the full-time garden and Landscape maintenance of the Rock, Quays, Scheller's and Owners apartments in Oysters Residential Estate in Umhlanga, Durban.
- Currently expanding my expertise and skills to ensure I am suited for various dynamic roles within the Horticultural and Landscaping Industry as well as other related Fields and markets.
- Experienced Landscaper with a demonstrated history of working in many roles and in different industries. These include the Green, telecommunications and financial industries.
- Resolved issues through active listening and open-ended questioning, escalating major problems to manager.
- Hired, managed, developed and trained staff, established and monitored goals, conducted performance reviews and administered salaries for staff.
- Implemented project management techniques to overcome obstacles and increase team productivity.
- Interceded between employees during arguments and diffused tense situations.
- Coordinated individual duties after careful evaluation of each employee's skill level and knowledge.
Senior Associate
WNS Global
05.2017 - 07.2021
- This role was involved in customer interaction services, providing multi-channel support specifically to TELKOM customers on a wide range of product and service offerings.
- From new sales, downgrades, migrations and handling general inquiries.
- Core responsibilities also involved driving customer satisfaction and first contact inquiry resolution.
- The position was Sales target driven, requiring the ability to use product knowledge, data, and technologies combined with effective communication, analytic and problem solving skills as well as a great understanding of people dynamics.
- Other applied competencies and attributed included but not limited to objection handling skills, reading buying signals and use of product knowledge to create awareness for service need, expansion in order to generate new revenue and customer base.
Work Exposure - Voluntary
Parks & Recreation Department
01.2016 - 08.2016
- The purpose of the programme was to gain formalized exposure on industry practices for my academic development.
- I have had the opportunity to explore the various horticultural facilities available within the municipality.
- I was placed at different nursery sites, to observe plant propagation techniques (Sexual/Asexual) they apply for various selections of plants in each setting.
- I have covered tropical & indoor plants, trees, shrubs, palms, succulents, groundcovers, annuals and perennials.
- Dealt with plant production and display (interiorscaping), plant growing mediums and potting practices, planting, watering and maintenance practices, Sports fields maintenance, chemical spraying - insecticides, herbicides and safety practices, basics to horticultural mechanization and financial accountability and resources management.
- Productivity scheduling and reporting. Tissue culture: micro propagation processes, tissue culture growth medium preparation, laboratory hygiene and maintenance, growth room maintenance and preparation of production reports.
Customer Interaction - Nursery
Builders Express - Umhlanga
01.2015 - 07.2015
- Core responsibilities included providing specialized product knowledge to customers.
- To market the Company through offering an effective and consistent service that transforms into sales.
- Assisting the Head of Department in maintaining the set standards in the Nursery.
- Improving on product knowledge through sharing information among colleagues to better improve customer interactions.
- Customer liaison and retention.
Subject Matter Expert & Quality Assurance Officer
Blake Group
05.2006 - 02.2013
- Core responsibilities included providing specialized product knowledge to customers.
- Assisting the Head of Department in maintaining the set standards in the Nursery.
- Improving on product knowledge through sharing information among colleagues to better improve customer interactions.
- Customer liaison and retention.
Installation Supervisor & Plant Grower
Ladybird Landscapes
02.2004 - 07.2005
- Initially, I embarked on my duties as an Installation Supervisor, focusing on quality and project management, ensuring effectiveness of team, performance, and time and site management.
- Management of teams on aspects pertaining to task execution, responsible for scheduling the daily productivity program.
- Provide solutions to problems encountered during installations.
- Update clients on the progress of the project. In the nursery, my duties were to manage plant propagation, receive, dispatch and document sales and plant material.
- Identify and rectify health problems in plant material. Responsible for the creative development of the Nursery display and overall improvement of the premises.
- As part of personal development: initiated the external sales division by attracting other businesses to purchase our internally propagated plant stock.
Production Supervisor & Nursery Technical Advisor
Hornby Lifestyle & Nursery
03.2003 - 02.2003
- Key performance areas: propagating plants, quality assessment and management of plants.
- Managing a high yield success on plant production, identify and eradicate health problems in plants.
- Provide in-house advice on garden and plant trends.
- Delivering customer delight and satisfaction through quality sales and customer interactions.
- Maintaining a Professional environment and creative nursery displays (seasonal & themes).
Education
National Diploma - Horticulture
University of South Africa
Organic Facilitation -
Rainman Landcare Foundation - SETA
Business Administration -
SETA
Skills
- Communication
- Project management
- Customer service
- Sales negotiation
- Strategic planning
- Employee engagement
- Workflow optimization
- Operations management
- Incident reporting
- Budgeting and cost control strategies
- Delegation
- Customer relationship development
- Operational planning
- Customer relationship management
- Task delegation
- Risk management
- Employee development
- Management
- Project planning
- Quality assurance
- Productivity management
- Customer relations
- Policy and procedure modification
- Employee supervision
- Report preparation
- Team leadership
- Program development
- Written communication
- Record keeping
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Professional demeanor
- Time management abilities
- Schedule management
- Multitasking Abilities
- Scheduling
Projects
Nursery Development, Wholesale Nursery set up as a separate entity within the business, launching an external Sales Channel for local Nurseries and landscapers., 3 Months, 8, Nursery Production & Sales management
Timeline
Operations Supervisor
Burgess Landscapes
08.2021 - 09.2023
Senior Associate
WNS Global
05.2017 - 07.2021
Work Exposure - Voluntary
Parks & Recreation Department
01.2016 - 08.2016
Customer Interaction - Nursery
Builders Express - Umhlanga
01.2015 - 07.2015
Subject Matter Expert & Quality Assurance Officer
Blake Group
05.2006 - 02.2013
Installation Supervisor & Plant Grower
Ladybird Landscapes
02.2004 - 07.2005
Production Supervisor & Nursery Technical Advisor
Hornby Lifestyle & Nursery
03.2003 - 02.2003
National Diploma - Horticulture
University of South Africa
Organic Facilitation -
Rainman Landcare Foundation - SETA
Business Administration -
SETA