Muteka sees herself advancing to a management role

What gives her a sense of job satisfaction and inspiration is her love for accounting
Michelline Nawatises
Michelline Nawatises

Hendrina Muteka is a self-motivated and result-oriented young woman. She grew up in Tsumeb and moved to Windhoek in 2011 to pursue her studies in accounting at the University of Namibia (Unam). She holds an honours degree in accounting and is currently pursuing an advanced diploma in accounting sciences at the University of South Africa.

Muteka is an accountant at the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). Her responsibilities include preparation of management accounts, salaries, overseeing the audit, and payments to suppliers.

“I am passionate about my work and always use obstacle as stepping stones to continue pushing myself through every challenge I face,” she says.

With NCHE being a small organisation, which provides one an opportunity for exposure to a variety of accounting facets, her job offers her more opportunities for growth than challenges and she sees herself advancing to a management role.

Her day at the office consists of a bit of financial accounting, cost accounting, taxation, and management accounting. Muteka says she loves her job as it is not only enjoyable, but it is a perfect training ground for a future management role in accounting. What gives her a sense of job satisfaction and inspiration is her love for accounting, a caring organisational culture, supportive colleagues, and the realisation that she is contributing to improving the quality of higher education in Namibia.

The advice she’d give to aspiring young people is that it’s not always going to be easy, but with the right attitude and mindset, you can make it through.

“As they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Take each day as it comes, as each day is an opportunity to try again,” she says.

One of the best phases of her life was during her time at Unam when she was a student assistant during registration and graduation periods and at the Student Records and International Students’ Office, where she got to interact with people from all around the world. If she had an opportunity to change something about the world, Muteka would make tertiary education affordable and provide a better education for every child.