How Thembeka Went from Sweeping Floors to Solving IT Glitches

Photo Credit: City of Cape Town via Facebook

It all started when her cleaning job led her to accidentally shut down the City of Cape Town’s critical IT servers. Instead of being discouraged, Thembeka Matshanga applied for a learnership in a field she knew nothing about and is today an IT technician who understands the very cables that once confused her.

Cape Town, South Africa (11 August 2025) – Starting out as a cleaner in Cape Town, Thembeka Matshanga’s days were mostly taken up by the responsibility of keeping the City offices clean and in prime condition, armed with her broom and cleaning supplies.

At the beginning, Thembeka admits that she wasn’t even sure which department she worked for until one day she was tasked to clean a room she describes as “full of cables and very dusty”.

“I decided today I’m going to clean this room, only to later find that it was a server room.”

“I went to the room, I took out the cables that were lying around and then I disconnected some of the cables, Thembeka recalls .

But little did she know that her spring cleaning effort had shut down the city’s critical servers and connections.

“People were unable to send emails. After that I was called and they [her employers] told me what was in that room. They told me that ‘this is the heart of the city of Cape Town and that you are working for the IT Department. That room is very important’.”

A few weeks after the cleaning job turned technical disaster, Thembeka was still left with curiosity and then burning question as to what IT was all about.

She asked one of the staff members in the department about the profession and was told to look out for an upcoming learnership opportunity at the time.

It wasn’t long before Thembeka could apply for the said learnership, which opened her eyes to a new world of opportunities and skills development.

Now 20 years later, Thembeka still works in the IT Department, not armed with a duster and broom like before, but today sits at a desk as a technician who knows well the functions of all those cables that once confused and intimidated her – skills she considers her superpower.

Her advice to people is to always be open to learning something new, because, just as it did for her, it may just be what sets them on a path of newfound purpose.

“As human beings, we should be able to learn. Learn as much as you can.”

Even though it took a technical shutdown to discover a new path, Thembeka’s journey is an inspiring example of turning a mistake into a new opportunity.