Visagie shares his journey

Wade Visagie, a graduate trainee in the finance department of Namibia Breweries Limited, shares his awesome journey.
Gabby Tjiroze
Elizabeth Joseph



Growing up in Walvis Bay, the dusty streets of Narraville was home for the greater part of Wade Visagie's childhood.

He was always a happy child and loved being surrounded by friends and family. He had a clear idea for his future and stopped at nothing to make his dreams a reality.

“My parents, both being educators, understood the importance of a proper education for my future. They enrolled me in a private school at an early age and always sought out the best possible schools for me going forward.

“While my parents always pushed me to excel at my schoolwork, and were my greatest motivators to work hard, I was naturally enticed by the challenge to be better than the top performers in my class, which was a strong motivator by itself. I regarded myself as 'the life of the party' back then,” Visagie says.

Although he was always accounting guru in high school, he never thought he would end up in the financial sector.

“With time I have grown to adapt to and appreciate all my talents and abilities, including my gift of understanding and being great in accounting.”

Visagie says that having a full on experience of student life at a tertiary institution is the only way forward. This is where one finds oneself and gains a clear understanding on what you want to pursue.

“I was fortunate enough to have that period in my life where I could know myself. It was during this time that I learned about the O&L Talent Attraction Programme (TAP), which I came across on a student portal, with a message in my inbox informing me that the TAP programme is looking for Namibian graduates that specialise in management accounting.

“I applied, thinking I had nothing to lose and shortly after I started communicating with the company, I have been reached out to by other companies and firms with job offers. However, my experience with O&L is so pleasant that I wouldn't even consider moving to another company at this point. I am happy about my choice to accept the opportunity to be here,” Visagie says.

With the current economic downturn, he says it scares him to think that he could've been one of the many young qualified, unemployed people in Namibia. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity offered to him.

The TAP focuses on attracting and retaining dynamic Namibian graduates at local and international universities and technikons, who display the passion and potential to be developed into the future Leaders of the O&L Group of companies.

The programme focuses on recruiting high-flyers who can be fast-tracked to develop into positions that are essential for the long-term sustainability and strategy of the company.



The objectives of the TAP are as follows:

• To ensure valuable on-the-job, internal and external development and work experience to enable the TAP employees to become competent and self-driven in their careers;

• To ensure the TAP employees experience a sense of belonging to the O&L Group of companies;

• To ensure job security and employee retention; and

• To ensure that TAP employees are exposed to value-adding projects within the operating companies.