Gadu doing due diligence as he settles in to Nelson Mandela Bay’s Playground

 Armed with international qualifications and a mindset of customer service and safety, Boardwalk’s new maintenance manager, Luncedo Gadu, is ready to keep facilities at the Gqeberha hotel and casino in tip top shape.

The East London-born man took his schooling at Buchule Technical High School in Mdantsane seriously, going on to secure an electrical engineering diploma from Vaal University of Technology and a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical and electronics from Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia, courtesy of a government scholarship. “It was a positive, life-changing opportunity,” Gadu said of his three years in Malaysia.

The 45-year-old has “seen a couple of different sunrises”, having lived around the country. His previous position was as a maintenance manager in the construction and petro-chemical industries in Mossel Bay, and his move to Boardwalk is his first foray into the hospitality industry.  He is finding the change of pace refreshing, he said.

“In construction, you have times which are less quiet, and then times of emergency. Here, as long as we have guests, the pace is always on and consistent. When customers are involved, there is even more pressure to deliver good service,” Gadu said. He and his team of 10, including maintenance supervisors, HVAC specialists and handymen, are responsible for ensuring that lights, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration are all functioning.

“We are also looking at energy saving measures which are a priority across Sun International. What this looks like for Boardwalk are things like motion sensors for the escalators so that they don’t run 24 hours a day, and occupancy sensors for common areas. Our processes must be integrated into health and safety, so I aim to have more toolbox talks and hold regular meetings to ensure seamless handover on projects.”

Gadu’s arrival in Nelson Mandela Bay was brought on by his wife’s new job in the petro-chemical industry. “It’s great to be closer to home, just a few hours’ drive from East London,” he said.

In his spare time, Gadu enjoys reading current affairs, politics, engineering and science. “Anything except novels.”