Ultimate Safaris’ youngest HR officer

The 23-year-old Rachel Mawoyo was in April appointed by Ultimate Safaris as its new human resources (HR) officer. “I have only recently entered the tourism industry. My new position grants me a strong sense of autonomy and the ability to drive my own work. I feel very empowered!”Mawoyo is from Otjiwarongo, where she attended primary and high school, matriculating from Edugate Academy at 17. “I had the good fortune to get into North-West University in South Africa for my tertiary education. There, I attained a commerce degree in human resource management, graduating with honours at 21.”Journey of a thousand milesThereafter, she was offered a one-year internship by Hartlief, which falls under the Ohlthaver & List group. A year later, she was employed by Ultimate Safaris. She said her current employers saw her potential and sparked a flame for her to realise her full potential.“I am young and curious and I believe it is one of my biggest strengths; having to ask ‘why’ as many times as I can. Just like Albert Einstein, I believe 'the important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existencet." Obtaining your honours at 21 and entering the working world at an early age may come across as overwhelming to many.But this is quite the opposite for Mawoyo, who prepared herself mentally to take on her career’s "journey of a thousand miles". She further said she is content with her new position. “For now, I would like to focus on the present moment. Subconsciously, humans tend to believe the next moment matters more than the current one, resulting in us missing the important lessons and tips and tricks of the now.”Taking the good with the badAs a HR officer, no two days are the same for Mawoyo. She is responsible for administrative tasks and contributes to ensuring efficient customer service to employees; keeping the company’s best interest at heart. “I am sometimes presented with obstacles that can be tricky and would require me to think, but I enjoy them all the same. They enable me to move out of my comfort zone and find solutions for the problem at hand. "My friend always says ‘why are people limited to think in and outside of the box if the box should not have existed in the first place’.”She added that the belief that HR is all about hiring and firing is a misconception. “There is more to HR than meets the eye. Dave Ulrich’s four key HR roles, which made me venture into it, are a case in point – a good HR officer is a strategic partner, an administrative expert, a change agent and an employee champion. "Being able to master these four roles not only creates a good environment for employees, but is proven to increase business success. I believe and meditate on the African theory of Ubuntu," she said.

Ultimate Safaris’ youngest HR officer

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-24

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Ultimate Safaris’ youngest HR officer

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-24

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