99FM Royal Hustlers

Nothing worth doing comes easily

Ursula Witbooi holds the future-focused position of manager of Namdeb’s Building Forever project. This unusual role combines two passions Ursula has nurtured since her “carefree” childhood on the dunes and the beaches of Walvis Bay. In the rock pools and the desert, she found a love for nature that spurred her towards her Master of Science degree. In her own words, “It’s no surprise that I ended up pursuing a career in natural science.”

Secondly, the values of her family taught her to love people and to give of herself in service to others. She says, “The most fundamental thing that shaped me as a person was the Christian values that my mom and dad instilled in me.” This community-centred perspective has become a crucial part of Ursula’s work at Namdeb and her personal life as a wife and mother of two sons.

Having a clear purpose makes it easier to get through the tough days. Ursula is lucky to share her personal purpose with Namdeb’s corporate purpose. Namdeb’s purpose, she tells 99FM’s listeners, is “Mining for good.” She adds, “When we do mining for good, we build forever.”

Building Forever is about having a positive impact on the people and the planet while conducting Namdeb’s mining efforts. “What this role does,” Ursula explains, “is it takes the fabric of Namdeb, its DNA, which comprises those sustainability initiatives, and it casts forward a view on how we can utilise these blocks and build something that can remain forever.”

Her role comes with immense pressure as it has a strategic impact on the whole country. “It’s really worth doing,” she says. “And nothing worth doing comes easily.” However, Ursula encourages young Namibians to do it anyway. “Seize any opportunity you get,” she says. “Have grit. My mom taught me to have grit and never give up.”

Ursula also has a word for older, more established Namibians. The population of the country is mostly young people. Ursula urges older people to steward their skills carefully and transfer those precious skills to young people who can take Namibia forward in the next generation. “We must identify young people that we can hook and become coaches and mentors to them,” she says. “I recognise that we cannot do everything in life, but each one of us can do something to make a great Namibia.”

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