3 minute read
ROYAL HUSTLERS
Mauriza Fredericks on the pursuit of success against all odds
Even though hers was a life that many wouldn’t imagine turning into a success, Mauriza Fredericks allowed nothing to limit her vision for the future.
This Khomasdal bred Communications Professional has been ambitious and resourceful since she was a teen - taking it upon herself to change her life for the better. Going against the advice of her parents, Mauriza enrolled herself at Windhoek High School (formerly a white-only school), shortly after the Independence of Namibia in 1990, in an effort to get a better education.
Given her background, her parents could not afford the new school fees, “Their only concern was, ‘how are we going to sustain those fees, we don’t have the money?,” recalls Mauriza. But instead of letting this deter her, Mauriza resolved to pay the fees herself. She worked odd jobs over weekends and public holidays at a local grocery store and stationery shop respectively, raising funds for her education. “The survival spirit in me took over and I could not go against myself to accept things as they were”.
Life was not easy during those years. Mauriza faced the troubles of many underprivileged youngsters growing up in the less affluent neighbourhoods of pre-independence Namibia. “It was a struggling time for me, but by God’s grace, I went upstream against the odds,” says Mauriza about her determined efforts to change the narrative she was born into.
After completing high school, things started to change when she began to work as a freelance radio presenter at Kanaal 7 while studying to become a primary school teacher. She had always been very passionate about the media and her time as a teacher was short-lived, however. With the early influences of the likes of broadcasting veteran Robin Tyson, Mauriza dreamt of one day becoming a newscaster herself. She would dress up in front of her mother’s dressing table to mimic newscasters, pretending to be a famous news host. This dream eventually came true when she left her teaching job to pursue her broadcasting dream full time.
She worked several media jobs which included News reading at One Africa TV and Kosmos radio station while studying journalism and communications studies in her free time.
Like many media practitioners, she eventually transitioned into the world of Corporate Communications. Some of her PR and Communication jobs included positions at the Bank of Namibia and Pupkewitz Holdings, respectively.
Just as she was determined to change her life by going to a better high school in her teens, Mauriza has remained consistent in her pursuit of education and selfdevelopment. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communications Technology from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) as well as postgraduate qualifications from NUST and from Wits University. Courageous, motivated and deeply grounded, Mauriza has a growth mindset that has brought her out of her darkest moments.
A cancer survivor of nine years, she has taken the illness and other challenges along her journey as opportunities to live a more fulfilled life. On what keeps her inspired to live a positive life, she says: “What keeps me inspired is having the attitude of assessing what I’m currently facing and what are the choices I’ve made that brought me here. I call it pressing my reset button.” That means that no matter what she faces in life, she reminds herself that she can always try again if she fails, that she can change directions at any moment and that she can essentially press the reset button whenever necessary.
As for working at Old Mutual Namibia, Mauriza appreciates the fact that she is able to be her authentic self in the multinational organisation. “What helps me at Old Mutual is the fact that on a bi-weekly basis we engage with each other across borders, be it for Communication, Corporate Social Responsibility or Stakeholder Management. We learn from each other and build campaigns together and that for me is forever intellectually stimulating.”
Mauriza hopes that young people learn to tap into their individuality, that they rise up to take Namibia to the next level. To the young girl who is struggling to find her way out of a bad spot, she has this advice: “At one point you need to take that internal scan to ask what you can do to get you to the next level.”
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