​Phillip Tlhako has spent the majority of his adult life in the coalface of service delivery, with the crux of his work at the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), where he’s retiring after 29-years of service.

Tlhako leaves the JRA at the end of the current financial year having worked as a leading figure at the entity’s laboratory and asphalt plants. He retires while serving as an Assistant Manager of the asphalt plant, leading a team of capable and aspirant young people.

He began his career in the City’s laboratory as a Tests Supervisor on 1 May 1993, tasked with running trials on various soil types, bricks and concrete. He worked there until the year 2000 when he took interest in the asphalt plant and decided to volunteer as a Production Controller.

Amongst his duties, Tlhako was responsible for coordinating the production of asphalt and liaising with private customers as well as JRA depots to check on the quantity of asphalt they would require. After volunteering to work there for 3 months, he was appointed full-time, holding the position until 2005.

A year later, he was hired as the Assistant Manager of the same asphalt plant in May 2006, a position he serves in until his retirement in 2021.

When asked what he has learned over the years as both an employee and manager, Tlhako says: “I have learned about the different technical aspects of working in an asphalt plant. But in a nutshell, I have learned about humility. This has helped me build long-term relationships with people I met throughout my career. I am pleased that to this day, I get along just fine with my colleagues,” he explains.

He hopes his legacy will be that of humility and dedication to one’s craft. “I am yet to hear of any complaints about the quality of my work and that humbles me,” he adds.

Tlhako encourages his successor and others in managerial positions to lead by example. “Your position is just that, you are not the position. You are human and so are your subordinates. Respect everyone and they’ll reciprocate. No one in this world knows everything, no matter their seniority.”

He notes that it is only through hard work and passion for his job that he has managed to have a lasting career. “Love what you do and don’t be pressured to take a job because you just want a salary.”

Tlhako’s only regret is that his retirement coincides with the opening of a fairly new asphalt plant, one he would’ve loved to work in before leaving the City. “I would have loved to work on the process of Reclaimed Asphalt Product (RAP), but this will only begin after my departure,” he adds.

The retiree looks forward to spending more time with his family in Limpopo but says even that will be short-lived. “I’ll probably have to investigate and consider other means of making an income after six months of retirement,” he says in jest.

Among his achievements at the JRA, Tlhako was awarded the gong for Best Mentor of Trainees in 2015. The JRA wishes Tlhako the best in his future endeavours.