Beloved Maropeng employee and friend Cecelia Britz will be missed
It is with great sadness that Maropeng received news today that beloved friend and long-time employee Cecelia Britz passed away this week.
Even before Maropeng opened its doors in 2005, Cecelia was working on making the visitor centre the best it could be. Managing Director Tony Rubin says the news came as a shock. “She was everyone’s mother,” he says. “She was a salt of the Earth type of person. She was just lovely.”
Cecelia spent some time working in the ticket office before moving to the main building and working as a marketing assistant. She was also in direct touch with the public when it came to queries and assistance.
Maropeng curator Lindsay Marshall says Cecelia had a long history with the Cradle of Humankind. “Cecelia worked at the Sterkfontein Caves before Maropeng was open,” she says. “She was a warm, sweet person, who took great pride in learning new things.”
Having been at Maropeng since the beginning, Cecelia made an impression on many people. “I have lost a workmate and a friend,” says Dorcas Tshabalala, who is in charge of reserving school visits. “I knew her for five years. She would help with anything, and we used to joke that we were the two old fossils at Maropeng.”
Marketing Assistant Ntlotleng Kobue says Cecelia got on well with everyone she worked with. “She was such a sweet person, with a beautiful heart,” she says. “She gave guidance, and would always make me feel better when I spoke to her.”