Two members of MiWay’s Retentions Department – Tumi Selau and Clement Molemela – have provided concrete evidence that beyond the worlds of political sparring and Twitter storms, South Africans are getting on with the business of building a caring and harmonious society.
Towards the end of 2015, Tumi was contacted by a MiWay client, Mr Dreyer, who requested his long-standing policy be cancelled; he had been medically boarded because of terminal throat cancer, and needed to cut down on expenses. Mr Dreyer had lost his wife to breast cancer 12 months earlier.
Touched by Mr Dreyer’s plight, Tumi discussed the matter with his manager, Clement Molemela.
The pair decided that it would be a pity for Mr Dreyer to be without the security of insurance, or worried about money, in his last months. In an inspiring act of generosity, they decided to cover Mr Dreyer’s premiums out of their own pockets.
Clement said, “I was inspired by Mr Dryer as he didn’t feel sorry for himself. He had lost so much but he was still an awesome person to speak to on the phone. Here is a man who lost his wife two years ago to cancer and his life is also hanging by a thread due to the same disease. Despite being medically boarded, he was still positive, still respectful and encouraging, He spoke love in spite of what life was throwing at him. I will remember that man for as long as I live.”
Sadly, Mr Dreyer died in February, but his last days were untroubled by worries about insurance and how to pay his premiums.
“All of us have been bowled over by the compassion and generosity shown by Tumi and Clement – they embody MiWay’s ethos of caring for its customers and, more important still, show us what being part of a society actually means,” says Greta Goosen, Head of Client Services at MiWay.
“Given the perception that South African society is fractured along racial lines, the fact that a Pedi and a Tswana went out of their way to help an Afrikaner is an example to us all – and an indication that the reality on the ground is far more positive than many think. The SA Institute of Race Relations’ recent research bears out that most South Africans are committed to building an inclusive society – and this is how it is done.”
Tumi Selau and Clement Molemela were nominated as MiWay’s first Service Heroes, a monthly award inspired by their actions that honours employees who offer outstanding service to clients.
