After a Transnet employee approached her superiors about being called to become a sangoma, the logistics company determined that there was a need for a spiritual leave policy, attendees at the 2024 HR Indaba heard.
It took Kgomotso Modise, GM Compliance at Transnet, five years to realise she was being called to be a sangoma, but when she did, she approached her superiors at the logistics company and they realised there was a need to cater for spiritual callings, which was followed by a carefully thought-out policy.
Kgomotso explained to an audience at the 2024 HR Indaba that her calling was “very subtle for the longest of time. It would be very subtle things like I knew something was going to happen. I would tell my colleagues, but don’t ask me how I knew.”
Some life events that happened to her included having several accidents, but not being hurt, as well as not having a very successful romantic life. “Hence I’m still single today.”
After a prophet confirmed the calling, Kgomotso knew everything had to change.
“It was at that time that I thought to myself, I’m a working mom, I’m a single mom. How am I going to balance that out? But I also had an understanding that, if I didn’t accept the calling, they [the ancestors] would take everything away from me and that included the Transnet job.”
At first, she tried to balance her ukuthwasa (training) with work, heading up to Mpumalanga every weekend, leaving on Friday after work, and returning on Sundays. This, Kgomotso said, was exhausting because, not only is training physically, emotionally, and spiritually intensive, she also needed to concentrate on work.
As a result, Kgomotso had an engagement with her superiors and was granted six months leave to complete her training, three of which were unpaid. This solution then had to become policy.
Rahab Serepong: GM of people management and organisational effectiveness at Transnet, told the audience that Kgomotoso was not the only person at Transnet with a calling, and at least 50 other people (out of a staff complement of more than 50,000) became known to HR, with others who had been called likely having quit previously, because they didn’t know how to broach the issue with their bosses.
Rahab said that “as Africans, we know spiritualism is there, and it’s a gift and a calling… It’s very special, not everyone has it, unfortunately.”
Transnet’s policy, she said, is not limited to sangomas, but covers all spiritual callings, which she said is different to being religious. It also eliminates risk, because Transnet will know why certain people are on extended leave instead of them just being absent.
The logistics company did its research, speaking with staff who had also been called and seeking another similar policy at other companies against which to benchmark, without success.
The policy was inclusively developed and included unions, management and the executive committee when it came to developing it, said Rahab. Transnet’s policies are also reviewed on a regular basis.
Melissa Ntshikila, senior specialist of transformation, diversity, and inclusivity at Transnet, explained that the policy requires people to have been permanently employed for a year, submit a written application, and have a spiritual trainer verify the need for training.
Melissa said, as part of identifying those who genuinely need to be excused from work for training, Transnet will look at recent behavioural trends, such as whether someone is suddenly absent more often, or the quality of their work has decreased.
Ahead of approaching line managers, they need to understand how long the process will take. Should the application be successful, once back at work, the employee needs to provide proof they completed their training as well as undergo an assessment to determine whether they are still fit for the role for which they were hired, because this may have changed depending on their calling.
Colleagues need to work back their three months’ paid leave as well, she said.
“We are now able to treat everybody consistently,” said Melissa.
“It’s not a perfect policy, because you need to give guidance to your organisation. At the end of the day, we are talking about our people,” said Rahab.
