Meeting and exceeding expectations is the personal philosophy that has driven Suzan Mashiyane of Montecasino to taking first prize in the 2014 Tsogo Sun Dealer of the Year competition. Out of 18 dealers from Tsogo Sun’s 14 properties, Montecasino took the top two places, with second place going to Monde Nonguzela.
Mashiyane started her career in the casino industry at the first casino to open under the new gaming dispensation 13 years ago. She joined Tsogo Sun at Suncoast in 2005 and moved to Montecasino in 2007. In 2008, she took up the challenge of training in dice, a game she describes as being difficult to master. Montecasino has the only dice table in South Africa.
Preparing for the Dealer of the Year championship required “hard work and passion” – both of which are no strangers to Mashiyane. After being selected during the in-house heats as the two representatives from Montecasino, Mashiyane andNonguzela committed themselves to hours of practicing and preparation to ensure that “either Monde or I came home with the top prize!” As it happened, Mashiyane won first place and R10 000 and Nonguzela came in second, winning R5 000, placing Montecasino at the top of the leaderboard as far as its dealers are concerned.
Montecasino General Manager Glenn Joseph is extremely proud of the two Montecasino finalists. “This is a testament to the absolute focus we have on developing our staff throughout the precinct, as well as to the wholehearted buy-in by our staff of our core values and indeed our aim to ensure that every experience our visitors have at Montecasino is a special one.”
Mashiyane is a true ‘people’s person’ and says that her job gives her ample opportunity to use her people skills – and to constantly strive to “meet and exceed expectations”, while also thoroughly enjoying her colleagues and the work she does.
A resident of Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion, Mashiyane has an 11-year-old son and intends using most of the prize money to enrol in a relationship management course with UNISA and to pay her son’s school fees. “As for the rest – well, a girl’s got to spoil herself!” she adds.
