MEET ME, THANDI MAFA, UPF CORE SERVICES

Hi Thandi! Tell me more about you! I’m from Pretoria (Quite Pretoria-cultured), I turn 36 in May. I studied Psychology (Undergrad) and did my Postgrad in Labour Law at UJ. I like taking walks and you’ll often find me listening to psychology podcasts. I am fascinated by the connection between mental and physiological health. I listen to all sorts of music and enjoy Gospel, old Amapiano (the 2020 kind), I will attend an RnB concert here and there too. Bebe Winans was my favourite in the last 5 years. 
 

What is your background for choosing the industry? This industry is new to me, and that was a deliberate choice. I spent a number of years doing HR in the tech start-up world, which gave me a fantastic foundation, but I reached a point where I wanted to apply that experience somewhere different. I’m someone who thrives with clarity and structure, and exploring a new industry felt like the natural next step. 
 

What is role at the office? At the core of my role is elevating the HR function. That means taking a look at what exists, refining and expanding it, crafting a meaningful employee value proposition, and driving compliance across entities. Equally important is making sure we have the right people in the team and building the systems to ensure that we invest in them. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I’d like to be in a place where I have more responsibility and am regarded as a trusted professional in my field. Looking forward to growing my skills towards that goal.