A football fan with a sense of order

“Harmony means a great deal to me,” says a man who mixes with people of all ethnicities, cultures and ages. For him, getting along with other people matters; that could mean exchanging a few words about life with an older truck driver.

“I am the link between production and transport,” says the 36-year-old, who works as part of a team comprising himself, his manager and an assistant. Together, the team makes sure orders of the right size reach the right clients at the right time. With 10-15 pallets having to leave every day, he spends a lot of his time operating a forklift.

“There’s always something to be done, I don’t take things too easily.” Alongside paperwork, Teboho is responsible for keeping the warehouse in order – for example, sorting products according to size and color. “Keeping the warehouse tidy makes our work easier,” he says. “I love to organize.” Indeed, anyone doing his job needs an eye for detail: goods will not reach their destination unless shipping papers are correctly completed, and customers will complain if product sizes are not correct. Teboho also has to be careful not to pick up injuries in his everyday working routine: “Even getting a splinter in your hand can be irritating, so caution is the name of the game.” His shift begins at 7.45am, which means getting up at 5.00am every morning. His journey to work through chaotic city traffic takes an hour and a half, and he has to change minibuses.

Teboho joined Röhm on July 1st 2020, at the height of the pandemic in South Africa. “I was very lucky to find a job at a time when a lot of other companies were letting employees go,” he admits. Previously, he had given up a permanent job in the banking sector with the idea of going self-employed – a plan he was unable to realize.

Teboho was born and raised in Johannesburg, but his favorite teams are scattered around the world: alongside South African clubs, he supports Manchester City, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund. As a child, he played football himself – just as his two sons do now (next year, his six-year-old twins will start elementary school). Teboho unwinds by listening to music, and especially Amapiano, a South African hybrid of house, jazz and lounge. Amapiano is also the soundtrack to his weekend house cleaning. As the man said, “I love to organize!”