GIMO MACHANGUANA – An existence dedicated to LAM numbers

 The time machine is a useless device for Gimo Machanguana, who guarantees that if he had the opportunity to relive the past he would make the same decisions, one of them, if not the most important, being a worker at Mozambican Airlines (LAM).

He doesn’t know if it’s fate or chance, but the course of his life changed when he saw a job ad in 1986. He could have ignored the information, as he worked in an institution linked to the import and export of citrus, but he applied for the position and, the following year, joined LAM. Always associated with accounting, he worked in the Social Welfare department, but it was in the Finance department that he established himself.

His steps are no longer the same as they used to be, but his fingers do not shake. They are precise, like his mind, when making calculations. Age can be treacherous, but the numbers do not betray him and they are still friends of this trained accountant, who dedicated more than half of his 59 years of life serving LAM.

During his career, in addition to closing financial reports, balance sheets and other accounting processes, he dedicated himself to providing assistance to interns and new colleagues, who saw him as a model professional and a social person.

With 35 years and 4 months dedicated to the flag company, lately, for health reasons, he is unable to be at the company every working day, but he doesn’t get angry, because the company is part of him. Red is part of his blood cells.

“I do physiotherapy. It’s age getting to me,” he said, in a serene tone, as he explained his current routine.

With more time to relive the past and plan his retirement, he points out that it has always been a joy to leave home for work, as he loves what he does. This passion gave him the strength to face the ups and downs that the company has lived through over the years.

In the last three decades, there have been enormous technological changes that have affected all sectors. Accounting, was also indirectly affected. To grow professionally and ensure the future of his four children, he had to adapt. And he did it without resistance. But also, evolution is unavoidable.

About to leave the calculator and all the other tools that have helped him over the years at LAM, he only takes with him the certainty of mission accomplished. “I will leave sad, because I like the work I do, the friends and co-workers I have made,” he concluded.

Issue 74 Jul/Aug | Download.