Tebogo Maenetja’s path to becoming MTN SA’s CHRO is a testament to her determination and passion for empowering others.
Growing up in a village in Limpopo, Tebogo Maenetja initially aspired to be a social worker, driven by a desire to make a difference in her community.
“I witnessed lots of strife and struggle,” she says, “and decided that I should be a social worker who could work in the community and help people who were caught in the poverty net.”
Her interest in HR grew while she was at the University of the Witwatersrand, while studying towards an MA in industrial social work, which included industrial psychology, when she decided she would follow HR as a career path. “It did take me out of the social work space,” she says, “but I thought I would still be in a position to work with people, albeit in a different environment.”
In her role as CHRO at MTN, Tebogo has played a pivotal role in driving change and fostering a positive work environment for employees. “Working at MTN is a privilege,” she says. “Not only is the company committed to fostering a work environment where employee development and wellness are priorities, the company’s leadership philosophy of collective accountability and leading by example is perfectly paired to my own.
“I strongly believe that success cannot be achieved in isolation but only through the collective efforts of the entire team.”
Under Tebogo’s leadership, MTN South Africa has implemented various initiatives to support employee growth, wellbeing, and inclusion. For example, the company’s annual career and wellbeing week is one of the flagship programmes that prioritises employee career growth and wellness.
“I firmly believe that when employees feel that they are not only here to do a job, but are in a place where they can grow and flourish in their careers, they are more likely to volunteer their discretionary efforts to support the company to achieve its objective. Therefore, initiatives such as our employee bursary programme and our employee dependants bursary programme are key vehicles through which we enable our people to realise their personal growth ambitions,” concludes Tebogo.
