A woman’s passion to build

Walter Muchinguri

“A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Chiedza Jane Tsinakwadi from Mutare has embarked on a journey she hopes will not only strengthen her mettle as a woman but also firmly establish her as one of the foremost women in the construction industry, which has for long been a male domain.

She hopes her success will inspire other women to join the industry and revolutionise it.

The first-born in a family of three, Chiedza is the proprietor, managing director and projects manager of Precision Construction, a company that specialises in landscaping, structural buildings, driveway construction, block pavements, carpentry, painting, tiling and construction of perimeter walls.

For Chiedza, a holder of a degree in Media and Society Studies from the Midlands State University, the decision to venture into construction came naturally.

“As a woman, I always feel the need to challenge myself, and what better way of doing that than aiming to succeed in a male-dominated environment,” she said.

Chiedza has had stints in the corporate world during and after completing her studies in 2018.

She, however, cut her teeth in the construction industry in 2019 when she formed a partnership with a colleague.

“When we started I was clearly out of my depth because my partner threw me at the deep end. I was basically doing everything by myself — procurement, administration, marketing, supervision and handling the financial side of the business,” she said.

“I only survived because I was working with very nice people who were willing to teach me about the business, and were always holding my hand as I went through the processes until I was able to stand on my own.

“I was initially angry and frustrated because my partner was not supportive but in hindsight, I gained valuable experience which came in handy when I decided to go it alone.”

Apart from the experience, Chiedza also managed to save some money that she used to buy equipment and to build a large database of clients and suppliers, which helped her start her business on a firm footing.

“I decided to call my company Precision Construction because as women, we always want to be on point or to be accurate,” she said.

“At Precision, I am the only woman and I work with 15 men, most of whom I had previously worked with at my previous company. I also have two managers who supervise all the work done.

“It is fun working in an all-male environment. The men I work with are very pleasant, they trust, obey and respect me despite the fact that they are all older than me.

“They are also very patient with me and are always willing to teach and render assistance when I need it, and, in turn, I also teach them what I know, especially on the marketing and client handling side.”

Her business has since spread its tentacles to different parts of the country such as Harare, Mutare, Chegutu, Bulawayo and Mazowe.

Her typical day starts very early in the morning.

“I normally wake up around 6am and I do my prayers before going for a walk. I then prepare and send out any quotes. After that, I start looking for materials and engaging potential clients. Previously, I would spend some time in areas like Mt Hampden distributing our fliers, but now we are fairly known in the market and our client base is growing steadily.”

Although she is well on her way, the journey has not always been smooth sailing, as she has had to deal with several challenges.

“We do not always make money from all the jobs that we have done, sometimes we record some losses and in such instances we sit down as a team and analyse where we got it wrong and then map the way forward,” she said.

One of the challenges she faces is the attention from men who propose love to her, but she has found a way to tell them off in a polite but firm manner.

“On a personal level, I have had to deal with suppliers and customers who want to flirt with me, while others propose love. Because these are people that I deal with often, I am always firm but courteous in rejecting them, and some actually respect me for that.

“I also have some clients, who, after we have done a job for them and I approach them for payment, they ask me where my husband is because they want to pay the money to him and not me.

“I have had to kindly remind them that I am my own boss and can negotiate issues relating to my business on my own.”

Looking ahead, she hopes to motivate more women to join the construction industry through her success.

“As women we can only break the glass ceiling and rise if we inspire, motivate and support each other. It is only by coming together that we can realise our full potential and show the world what we are capable of doing,” she said.