People of Vox: Spotlight on Lerato Masina
At Vox, we believe our employees are the beating heart of our company, with merit and value built into all our available positions. In this edition of People of Vox, we meet Lerato Masina, who works in the IT Department as a Desktop Support Technician. In addition to being a talented young professional in the IT arena, she also loves to bake sweet treats for her colleagues and bring them into the office (lucky colleagues).
And so, if you’re anywhere near the Vox Head Office IT Department on a Monday morning, there’s a reasonable chance that you might find some delicious and professional-looking cupcakes being passed around. They are Lerato’s edible gifts for her colleagues: a delicious start to the working week!
It tells you a lot about her, including that she is kind and thoughtful, and likes to help people feel happy at work. As a Desktop Support Technician, Lerato’s role is to provide technical support and ensure that all employees at Vox have the equipment and systems they need to work.
She clarifies: “I work closely with people across the company to resolve issues quickly and minimise downtime, and I also ensure that all devices and systems are functioning effectively.
“This includes setting up and configuring laptops and desktops, troubleshooting hardware and software issues, managing equipment allocations and maintaining IT asset records, from serial numbers to the forms that are signed when devices are collected.”
In an environment where women represent just under 40 percent of the ICT workforce in South Africa (according to recent research[1]), Lerato is in the minority as a young woman in the IT arena, but keen to continue learning and growing her skills.
We find out more about how she started out working as a bakery assistant after school, before moving quite quickly into the IT landscape.
From Bakery Counters to IT Support
It’s interesting to hear that, while she was always comfortable with consumer technology, Lerato didn’t study IT at school, and discovered only afterwards that she has a talent for it.
She explains: “When I left high school, I went straight to work because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I got a job as a bakery assistant working at a Pick n Pay, and I then realised that I would like to try and study IT, even though most young women don’t usually think about it as an option, because they think it’s a man’s job! But I’ve always been interested in technology and problem solving, so I thought well, let me just try and see how it is and if I could enjoy it.
“So I saved the money that I earned over time, and was then able to study at MSC Business College, where I completed a certificate in IT. After this, I was able to get an internship position at an internet service provider (ISP) in Gauteng, where I worked for about a year and a half.”
However, Lerato realised that she wanted to get deeper into IT studies to further her career even more, and so she took the brave and calculated step of going back to her former employer – and her former job as a bakery assistant – for another year, so she could earn some more money for further studies. She then earned a second qualification, which eventually allowed her to start working at Vox as an intern almost four years ago.
“I started working at Vox on 01 September 2022 and was so excited to become part of a company that is known for its innovation and customer service,” she smiles.
Today, almost four years later, Lerato says that the best part of her day is answering calls, helping colleagues and solving the everyday problems that then allow Vox employees all over the country to do their work efficiently.
Projects, Problem‑solving and the Tech that Keeps Vox Ticking Over
Lerato derives great satisfaction from helping someone to get back to work quickly, and her calm manner serves her well in this customer‑service environment with its frontline mindset.
At the same time, not every week focuses only on the quick fixes of an ongoing series of new job tickets, because Lerato and her colleagues also handle projects that require more coordination and persistence. It’s work that requires patience, remote troubleshooting skills and liaising with Vox users methodically and patiently.
She explains: “For example, Vox is currently changing an element of our cybersecurity software and so we need to replace the current applications on people’s machines with another type. This involves deleting the existing software and installing a new one, which requires getting a list of computer names, creating a schedule of calls to different Vox employees, and sometimes dealing with dozens of devices each week.”
The team is ably led by her department head Sipho and her line manager Leonard, and they both support, guide and encourage her in different ways. “They are both friendly, kind and supportive,” says Lerato, “and I’m grateful that they have both helped me grow both in confidence and capability.”
From a logistics perspective, Lerato and her colleagues operate in a hybrid working arrangement in a three-week cycle, which involves two weeks working from home and a third week in the office (which is when the cupcakes arrive!).
When it’s Lerato’s office week, the day starts early because she needs to commute from her home in Daveyton to Vox Head Office in Midrand. It’s a rhythm many people who work in South Africa’s urban areas will recognise: early travelling and a pride in being punctual: “I wake up at 4am and leave my house at 5am. I’m usually in the office between 6 and 6:30am and start working at 7am,” she explains.
She speaks warmly about the culture and the leadership that supports her, saying: “I appreciate Vox’s strong focus on customer service and innovation, as well as its people, who are helpful and collaborative. The company also fosters a culture where employees are encouraged to grow.”
This matters to Lerato, because she hopes that in the future, she’ll be able to study once again towards further certification levels. And considering her journey to date, we’ve got no doubt that she will make this happen when the time is right.
Challenges, Growth and Gratitude
Lerato’s early life was not without hardship, because she sadly lost her mother while still in her matric year. While the memories are obviously painful, Lerato says she is grateful for her grandparents and other extended family members who have been supportive ever since. This, together with her own determination to work, save and learn, has carried her into a technical career that she initially never thought she would be able to take up.
It’s another testimony to her strong character and refusal to let life get her down. “I come from a Swati family with roots in Mpumalanga, but I grew up in Daveyton,” she explains, “and this is where I learned the values of hard work, respect and community. My upbringing has played an important role in shaping the person I am today, both personally and professionally.”
Outside work, family is central to Lerato, and she enjoys spending time with her daughter, who is turning three years old in December, as well as her other family members, including her grandparents and aunts and uncles.
Between listening to music, tinkering with tech gadgets for her friends and spending time with family, she has a busy but grounded home life. Travel is on the bucket list too: “I’ve visited KwaZulu‑Natal and Limpopo, and would love to explore the Free State to learn more about its languages and culture.”
She also enjoys her regular baking sessions at home, and her fortunate family members get to enjoy those cupcakes with various flavour and icing combinations: “I like to bake vanilla and choc-mint especially,” she smiles, “but other baking options are also on the horizon!”
Toggling between the baking and the tech, we find other threads in Lerato’s story, in the twin forms of both gratitude as well as ambition. She’s thankful for the opportunities Vox has given her, and keen to continue her studies in due course.
She also has a simple professional philosophy: do the work, be reliable and treat people with respect. Like the rest of her IT Support colleagues, Lerato’s quick responses and calm manner help the rest of us to – gratefully! – get on with our work.
Lerato combines technical know‑how with an approachable, service‑minded attitude; a resilience born of life experience and her own strong character; and an ongoing determination to continue getting ahead in life. All told, we’d say that the bakery department’s loss is definitely Vox’s gain!
[1] https://www.iitpsa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-IITPSA-ICT-Skills-Survey-and-Research-Report.pdf
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