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A vivacious young woman

Born and raised in a small village called Kayira-yira, situated eight kilometres west of Rundu, Zonia worked very hard throughout her school years and moved to Windhoek thereafter in pursuit of her tertiary education.

Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration obtained from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), her graduation ceremony was an emotional yet extremely proud moment for her mother.

Zonia’s disciplined approach to her academics and orientation to serve others, are values her parents lovingly instilled in her upbringing from a tender age.

“My mom was always concerned about how we welcomed and treated visitors; growing up, she coached us on the importance of respecting and honouring others.

“Little did I know that this was to be the foundation for my belief in ‘servant leadership’ - a way of life I unknowingly followed and subscribed to,” she shares.

She is currently pursuing a second Bachelor’s degree, specialising in economics.

Zonia is hell-bent on succeeding in her career.

She recalls starting out in property administration in the public sector, where valuable learning experiences would later prepare her for a promising career at Nedbank in 2014 as a home loans officer.

In 2016, Zonia was promoted to home loans administrator, largely due to her resolve to succeed and work hard. Known among her colleagues to be, “an amazing lady” and “a superstar”, as well as “someone who always goes the extra mile”, “a valuable asset” and a “diamond” she is certainly revered by her peers and management.

Zonia’s colleagues are her number one clients.

“I work at the back office and my unyielding support is needed for my colleagues to deliver the end result at the front office.”

She believes it is important to maintain an atmosphere of courtesy, mutual respect and geniality.

“I try to create and contribute to an environment that is conducive for people to work in. It is really hard to be productive when you resent the place you work for or the people you work with; that is why I always take time to appreciate what others bring to the table and establish cordial working relationships,” she adds.

Zonia credits her personal success to her conviction about customer service.

She takes the time to get to know her co-workers, to listen and communicate, while being friendly and grateful.

She accepts constructive criticism with grace, while working hard, being disciplined and having a God-fearing attitude.

It may sound cliché, but satisfied clients, are key drivers for her personal success. She is self-motivated, both in and out of her work setting.

“When I set out to do something, whether it is an assigned task or a personal endeavour, I always give it my all,” she says.

Zonia’s most gratifying career moments occur every day, when her efforts result in clients obtaining a house they can make a home.

”I’m very privileged; our end result touches so many people’s lives, it’s a blessing when first-time home buyers acquire a property.”

To relax, Zonia enjoys a good novel, dabbles in the kitchen behind the stove and enjoys watching soccer.

She enjoys debating about contemporary issues related to economics and politics, and boasts a very special talent - the ability to sing with her mouth closed.