Jemimah P.

Introduction

Times may be hard, but life is what you make of it, no one can deprive you from the fruits of your own hard work or cheat you out of ultimate success but you. Most people give up after failing but little do they know that victory is theirs and that nothing is impossible in life no matter the circumstances they might find themselves in.

Liberation Struggle

While many of the SWAPO - Children of the liberation struggle demonstrate for jobs and educational opportunities, at least one of them has decided to make things happen for her in order to succeed in life. Regina Shikongo aged 30, born in the SWAPO refugee camp in Kwanza Zul in Angola. Regina Shikongo is a child of liberation fighters (Theofelus Nghipondoka, 2008), a mother of one, founder and chief executive officer of the IT company Clocknet Technology in Windhoek’s central business district and is creating jobs and educating others countering the perception of a sense of entitlement for which the “Children” have been criticized.

Childhood Life

Regina Shikongo is a very independent woman who makes life happen for herself instead of waiting for people to act on her behalf, growing up had not been easy for her because both of her parents fled the country and had to survive without her biological parents, spending her early childhood in foster care in a foreign land away from them and says that her personal experience and history encourages her to archive and strive for nothing but the best things in life.

Journey to success

Getting to the top and being successful is not easy, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, life was tough and like many other teenagers, Shikongo fell pregnant just as she was completing her final years at school. Rather than demanding hand-outs from the Namibian government, she decided to care for her young child by venturing into a business of her own. Realising the need for computer literacy in Namibia, she and three others started a company in Wanaheda providing IT classes.

Not so long after the establishment of the business in Wanaheda, during the December holidays, hoodlums broke into the fledgling firm’s premises and stole all the equipment, leaving Regina Shikongo and her business partners basically bankrupt. After this tragic incident, two of her partners gave up due to the disillusionment of seeing their computers stolen after so much hard work. Her remaining partner however was not faithful to her and the business as well, after thorough investigation, Shikongo discovered that her business partner was conducting deals behind her back and lost most of their expensive equipments.

Once again faced with a tough choice, she decided to go at it alone and established the Clocknet Technology Center. She received financial assistance from Bank Windhoek through their support program; she moved to her premises in the Old Breweries Complex and started purchasing office equipment. Since then, the company has been growing steadily, gaining a larger market share and customer base.

Clocknet Technology

Clocknet Technology is currently one of the small firms that is growing successfully, punching above its weight. The Centre has grown ever since then but Shikongo has plans to expand even further. She spearheaded the formation of Young Minds, a support group that meets up every Saturday morning to network, talk about the challenges they encounter daily in business, share experience and in the process learn from one another.

Conclusion

Through it all, she never lost faith in herself and has learned that there is always someone else who is in worse circumstances than you are and therefore one should not seat around, feeling sorry for themselves. Regina Shikongo is a woman who believes in taking responsibility and not looking for easy ways out. You cannot be brave if you have only had wonderful things happen to you (Mary Tyler Moore, 2001) so if you fall, dust off the dirt and continue the journey and this is what I have learned from Regina Shikongo as a young woman.

Reference

http://www.clocknet.com.na

http://www.emergo.com.na/sme-gazette/SME-Gazette-Issue-5-2011.pdf