Mariaan Venter believes in sharing your blessings with others. Born and raised in the Free State, she now lives this mantra in London, where she trains others in accounting, wrote a winning letter to raise funds for female students’ sanitary needs, and recently took part in a cycle tour in aid of students in need.

The Stellenbosch University alumna shares her London home with Aunt Glen and pooch Daisy-Mae. On 11 September 2022, Mariaan and five other former SU students – all part of the SU British alumni network – took part in a London to Brighton cycle tour in aid of the #GradMe project, an initiative of the University’s Bridge the Gap Annual Fund, which supports students financially. “At the age of 12, I got a bicycle as a birthday present from my parents. It didn’t even have gears, and it had a pink basket in front. I agreed to take on the bike tour because it’s for such a great cause. But then, all of a sudden, I realised I had to buy myself a bike with no idea where to start!”

She says the cycle was overwhelming, but “I said yes, so I had to push through”. The 55,2 mile (88,3 km) trek started out in foggy conditions, but “went off very well”. Everyone completed it, and it was a lovely day, even though she “limped” to the office the next day, she says.

Mariaan is a senior manager at the accountancy firm Mazars. She also coordinates the Stellenbosch Women Alumnae Network (SWAN) in England. In fact, she recently raised some R200 000 for SWAN’s #EndPeriodPoverty project, having written an inspiring letter of motivation to the Mazars top management that convinced them to support the project.

“I do training for our firm. Learning, developing and empowering people is so incredibly important, and yet many women cannot attend class because they do not have sanitary products. This broke me on the inside because I know how many doors my own training and education had opened for me,” she says.

Mariaan obtained her BAcc degree at SU and then completed her honours by correspondence after her father developed cancer in 2011 and subsequently passed away. She completed other accounting, auditing and finance courses after graduating from SU, but says she remains a Matie at heart.

“SU opened so many doors for me, and I met so many people of all ages. It also made me crawl out of my shell. I saw there was more to do, more exposure, so many opportunities; you could be whoever you wanted to be,” she recalls. “This is why I was involved in so many university activities – from the house committee to assistant residence head, and even convener of the Wimbledon cluster.”

When she was 10, her family moved from Sasolburg to Worcester, and later to Wellington. “This is where I was exposed to SU. I always knew I was going to study there.” She has a younger brother and sister, and after her mother’s second marriage, also two “instant sussies”.

Her two grandmothers played a key part in her studies. “My one grandmother was ultimately my inspiration for becoming an accountant. In her day, she couldn’t study, as it was not the societal norm for women.” Her other grandmother assisted financially. “When my father was so ill in my final years at varsity, she played a significant role. It was very special.”

Mariaan plays hockey, jogs, does amateur photography,and hangs out with friends in central London. And she marvels at the EuroStar high-speed train, “which takes you from London to Paris in two hours!”.

She recently received British citizenship, but says: “South Africa will always be my home. My family is there. That’s where I grew up. There is still a lot of potential in the country.” And in the meantime, she enjoys showing South Africans where to head for their biltong fix in London.

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