Tilayi takes the wheel

Getting into the driving seat

Interviewing him sitting in the driving seat seems appropriate to the moment. He is ready to turn the key and begin the next part of his journey. There’s a big smile from Tilayi as we start to chat about how he is feeling. It’s true that his 17-year stint at SAMSA has not been without its highs and lows. After taking the helm as the longest serving Acting CEO, Tilayi’s rise to the top was followed by two separate suspensions within the last five years.

It’s not surprising then that he describes his resignation as “long overdue”.

“In 2019 I wrote to the board as a very worried man,” he says, explaining that, although he wanted to resign at this time, the board persuaded him to stay on. “I had a very difficult board meeting at the end of the month highlighting that SAMSA could wake up in December without an ACEO and without a board. I saw this as a reality,” he adds.

Fortunately, it was a reality that was averted as the Authority’s board was extended and Tilayi stayed on. It’s a decision, however, that forced him to face even more personal turmoil as he faced his first suspension in May 2021 as well as a further suspension in November 2024, despite having been cleared of any wrongdoing related to proceedings in 2021.

Delving into these incidents, Tilayi admits that they have taken their toll. “The reality of the South African situation is that sometimes HR processes get abused to solve political issues,” he tells me alluding to factions that have long been rumoured to exist within SAMSA. As for the actual charges brought against him, he says they were much ado about nothing.

This view is supported by his return to the Chief Operating Officer position in October 2023 after more than two years of paid suspension. It took the industry by surprise, therefore, when SAMSA announced that he had again been suspended a little over a year later.

Interestingly it was at this time that I received a phone call one Sunday afternoon alerting me to the fact that Tilayi had managed to “pull the greatest scam on the maritime industry of all time”. According to the caller, the man who had been running the Authority; who had tertiary diplomas as well as a career history at Transnet, did not possess a Matric Certificate.

Asked to verify the information, the caller confirmed that it had been provided by a member of the SAMSA board. Tilayi responded quickly to my WhatsApp query on the subject; “This is beyond the bottom of the barrel,” he responded via text. “

You can take comfort that not only do I have a matric, I had a first class pass in 1988 from St John’s College, Mthatha,” he continued, adding that he had also obtained a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 1994 as well as a Shipping and Port Management Qualification in Rotterdam.

Concerned that he no longer had his Matric Certificate at hand, however, the allegations prompted him to apply for a replacement certificate from the Department of Education.

The “leaking” of this information to the press highlights more than ill-intent, it lays bare the underlying forces that appeared to be at work in SAMSA for whatever reason. Whether the caller was indeed given the information by a member of the board could not be verified but, if true, it supports the notion of a political agenda.

Supporting the maritime industry

For Tilayi this is not just a concern for his personal reputation, but also a concern for the Authority. “We need a strong SAMSA. It’s about the bigger context,” he tells me from the seat of his car, underplaying the importance of any one person within the organisation.

Referring to the ambitions set out in the Comprehensive Maritime Transport Policy (CMTP) that aims to position South Africa as an international maritime centre by 2030, Tilayi is stoic in his position that this should be our reality.

“We have a measure in place that can be defined by the vibrancy of the maritime economy and by the number of jobs it can create. But, more than that it is defined by the professionalism of a solid SAMSA as a modern maritime authority,” he says reinforcing the importance SAMSA’s role.

“These are the pillars of a working South African maritime sector,” he posits. “We cannot have an Authority that is running from one problem to the next.”

Shifting gear a little, we talk about some of the maritime milestones he was involved with during his time at SAMSA. Tilayi reflects on the SAMSA he joined versus the one that he left. “When I joined SAMSA, the Authority was beginning to look at the sector more broadly and to take on a bigger meaning. We have Commander Tsetsi Mohkele to thank for that vision,” he says describing working with Mokhele as an implementer of his ideas.

“That’s exactly what you need on a team. You can’t have one without the other and I have come to realise that this was a winning formula,” he adds while admitting that working with the commander had its own challenges.

“Most of what you see in the maritime sector today happened in the last 17 years,” he says highlighting the period of activity that included the establishment of the cadetship programme, Operation Phakisa, the start of offshore bunkering operations and even the cohort of students sent annually to the World Maritime University.

SAMSA championed all of these initiatives. Although noble causes birthed in strategic planning, Tilayi is the first to admit that they have all been met with challenges. “I can tell you a story about the genesis of each one of these initiatives,” he says.

“Sadly most of these could not be sustained – not because the business case was incorrect, but because that is the reality of our country where small-mindedness sometimes gets in the way of big thinking,” he says, adding that it is the loss of jobs that disappoints him the most as a result of these failures.

Teamwork

Despite the more recent internal politics he has experienced, Tilayi is cognisant of several champions that have supported him in his career. “I really have to thank that gentleman,” he says pointing specifically to Captain Nigel Campbell. “When there was something to be done, he would carry it and run with it,” he adds.

He also points to the former Head of Corporate Affairs, Ayanda Mgadi. “She became like a sister to me. We did many things together.”

Singling out rising star, he points to Pretty Molefe. “It is through investing in these youngsters that they are beginning to shine where they are today. Our sense was to strengthen the organisation by ensuring we did not lose the depth of technical ability,” he adds, notably proud of Molefe’s continued development.

“We had really good creative people. Ian Calvert, may he rest in peace, was another one and many remain in the organisation still like Thandi Mehlo, the principal officer in the Eastern Cape.”

“But most importantly, one person that really supported me more than everybody else was my PA, Phumeza Mnconywa,” he continues, clearly moved by her emotional reaction to his resignation. “She was good to me and really, really cried when I was leaving.”

Tilayi, however, has always been quick to point out that SAMSA needs to function properly irrespective of the people involved. “There is much that must be done for this country,” he says explaining that the potential will outlive the personalities involved. 

It’s a philosophy that he has voiced in more than one of our interviews. It is the notion that no one person should be seen as a saviour within the organisation. It is the reality that SAMSA functions best with a team that understands that it is there to serve the maritime industry.

Getting behind his own wheel

Perhaps walking away now from the Authority is his way of observing this truth on a personal level. “Sometimes God does not remove you nicely from things. Sometimes you have to be shaken out of the situation until you land in a new place. I think I have landed in a new place that I like,” he says as the conversation once again revs up.

Having removed himself from SAMSA, Tilayi has not put the maritime sector into his rearview mirror. “I cannot remove myself from the maritime sector because that’s the only thing I know,” he says as he describes what lies on the road ahead.

“There is still so much potential in front of us,” he says confirming his intention to drive initiatives to promote the South African seafarer.

“We have everything we need to get this underway quickly. We remain on the STCW White List, we have a large unemployed population, and we have all kinds of freight that leaves our shores on ships that do not necessarily employ South Africans.”

He sees this lack of opportunities for South African seafarers as an oversight that can be addressed. “I don’t think they do not employ our seafarers because they cannot. It is because South Africa does not have a proper value proposition,” he explains.

“We have good English-speaking people developed by a good education system with good values as a rainbow nation. We have all the ingredients – we just need to mix the thing and bake it. For me it is criminal that we have not really made something of this potential.”

Now free to pursue this as a passion project, Tilayi has joined African Ocean Careers. It’s an entity that he aims to position to address and refine South Africa’s value proposition for promoting its seafarers. Clear that he has no intention to disrupt trainers and employment agents, he is equally clear that there is room for better engagement to achieve employment outcomes.

“I believe we can create a better bond between all the partners that should be working together,” he says. Tilayi says that the development and employment of seafarers requires a funded programme that produces quality South African seafarers that can compete with the popular seafarer nationalities.

“Most entities, both public and private have employment as a strategic outcome. Funding for training that leads to employment should be a shared responsibility of both government and private sector,” he adds, explaining that training should align with what shipping companies want – and not simply meet the minimum standards prescribed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Tilayi is concerned that, although South Africa is ready to fund the training of cadets, this does not always lead to employment. “This is what happened in the past and a new discussion must take place that includes shipowners, freight owners, government and other social partners. We need to agree on an approach that results in the employment outcomes we need,” he says.

“Equally important is the need to engage international employers on absorbing our qualified seafarers,” he adds.

He believes that African Ocean Careers is well-positioned to deliver on this vision. “It is an initiative that has been discussed with various people but never had an implementing champion,” he says emphasising that he is grateful to have found key supporters in the shipping sector that share his vision.

“These supporters have become partners and investors in the initiative,” he confirms, visibly excited to deliver on the opportunity that has long been identified but not realised.

Branding the South African seafarer

“There is work that must happen to create a South African brand. If I send someone on a ship, I will give them a South African badge to wear on their uniform. They must always be a South African and they must carry that brand,” he goes on to explain the importance of establishing an identifiable commodity. “The mission is to create a population of seafarers at the correct level that have been well-trained and are capable of promoting this brand.”

To get African Ocean Careers out of the parking lot, he confirms that it will be run as a Not for Profit Organisation (NPO). It consists of a small team that he hopes will grow.

“As you know, I’m a runner and you will hardly ever find me running alone because the group energy carries you further. So, I never like to work alone for that reason, but I am very particular about the choice of people that I work with,” he says explaining his belief in strategic partnerships and how he will identify people that can “make things happen”.

And just days after our interview, there was already evidence of things happening. Under the banner of his new company, Tilayi officially saw four cadets join the Cape Magnolia in the Port of Saldanha Bay for their first taste of the seafaring lifestyle.

“We will be making more announcements as soon as our partnerships are sorted and I look forward to reaching a stage where we can say, this concept is proven – it works,” he said admitting that there is still a lot of work to do. “We need a lot more shipping lines to make sure this grows. It is not going to be easy sailing, but I am excited. I have the energy to put behind the passion.”

Not discounting his own role in the failure to truly deliver on plans to establish a South African seafaring pool, Tilayi seems resolute in using his current position to address some of these shortcomings.

“I will not count myself out of that failure because I was there. As a nation, we still need to have these tough conversations. We need to speak freely about these things,” he says returning to his metaphor of the bakery.

“As I was saying; we are missing the baker. We have the ingredients, but we need the baker. And so maybe I can become the baker and do a good job of it,” he says as we end the interview.

Speaking from his car in the middle of a parking lot somewhere in Pretoria, Tilayi has been forthcoming about both the successes and challenges facing him during his time at SAMSA. When prodded, he has also admitted to receiving several lucrative offers from the private sector even while on suspension.

“I wish to thank the South African maritime community who believed in me even at the darkest hour I had to endure. I emerge with my reputation still intact and with an overwhelming industry approval. That I must be thankful for,” he says as we sign off.

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