Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
BEN Gotora is in awe of himself. When he describes his career as a photographer, printer and caretaker he speaks with the satisfaction of someone who has seen wonders in his life.
With the camera, one eye closed and the other looking into the lens, he has performed miracles.
Gotora has developed into one of the most sought-after photographers in Gweru and the country at large.
Gotora with his brothers Morris, Simbarashe, sister Lovely and Maxwell Ngwenya, Patience Makiwa, Vince Nyere and Bongani Nyoni are known as Printzone Multimedia, a registered company in the country.
“Our company is in a way the most sought-after for photographic works at events, churches, weddings, corporate functions, parties and even funerals,” he said yesterday in an interview.
Two weeks ago Printzone Multimedia covered the wedding of comedienne Mai TT (Felistas Murata) and Tinashe Maphosa in the leafy Chisipite suburb’s Royal gate Gardens.
“I think our product, our company, our image is growing each passing day. Imagine being part of the team that covered Mai TT’s wedding. That is one of the iconic moments for us as Printzone Multimedia. The first time we got a gig to cover the Midlands State University (MSU) graduation was also one of our best Kodak moments. Getting to picture President Mnangagwa arriving at MSU and during the procession is always magnificent,” said Gotora.
He said there is always something special about every function they attend that drives his team to come out with the best photographs and videos.
“Photography is an art and a passion for us at Printzone, working as a team to achieve the best results is what drives us as youths under the age of 35. We are making a living from this industry which used to be popular with elderly people. But we are in the mix as we take advantage of the surge in people who need pictures and videos from their functions. Obviously we are forced to dress for the occasion,” he giggles.
Gotora said in this day and age, many photographers have turned their photography into an income source, whether as a full-time job or an additional side job.
He said the Internet has opened a lot of opportunities for photographers to market their work from any environment.
“The conventional way is getting paid for the service you provide, but there are a lot of other ways to make money from photography that get less attention,” he said.
Gotora said the company is contributing to the economy through paying tax as it is registered.
“We don’t operate from the streets, we are registered, we have an address and that makes us different from other photographers who can vanish with clients’ money without delivering,” he said.
“The company was registered in 2015 as Printzone Multimedia and all workers are below the age of 35. I am the team leader.”
How did it all start?
Gotora said he was made a caretaker of a building in Gweru’s Central Business District (CBD).
“After completing my O-level, I started working for a Gweru businessman Dr Mtali. After working for him for three years I was assigned to take care of his building where Printzone is located now. As a caretaker I would see people renting with all kinds of businesses and one day I told myself that I needed to start something for myself and stop being just a caretaker,” he said.
Gotora said he decided to start his own business of providing typing and printing services.
He said the company has over the years diversified moving along with the changing times and technology.
Gotora said Printzone is demand driven and can offer any services which are of course legal.
He said with time they bought drones and large printers so that they remain viable and make a living from their chosen path.
“Major clients were students from tertiary institutions but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more. Yes, I was still caretaker of the building and that was around 2012. I then decided to broaden the services to a multimedia company and the services we provide are as follows, photoshoots, branding, videos, corporate events, funeral coverage, events planning, event venue, t-shirt branding, printing, drones, tents, PA system, Professional DJs, Professional MCs and we provide original rings,” he said.
Gotora said their company has been recognised with different awards for quality work.
“We have been recognised as the best company of excellence in the Midlands at the Megafest awards in 2018, won Young Entrepreneur of the Year Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) 2020 Business Awards, won the Best Multimedia Company in Midlands Province 2021 at the Megafest Business Awards,” he said.
Gotora said from Gweru, the company has grown its tentacles into Harare and will be headed to Bulawayo soon.
“Gweru office being the head office yes, but we decided to open a branch in Harare in 2020 because of demand in services like photography and videography and we have plans to head towards Bulawayo. We have been able to provide quality services where we have been hired like the fact that we have been granted the opportunity of being the official photographers at MSU graduations for the past three years,” he said.
As a parting word, Gotora urged the youths to look for opportunities in their environment to make a difference in their communities.
He said gone are the days when people would go to school hoping for a white collar job or an 8AM to 5PM job.
“Yes, it is not a walk in the park but one has to try out something, to have an idea and go for it. We can’t all be employed by the Government or those big companies. Right now my team and I are all living their lives, looking after our families, paying rentals and growing our company from the services we offer to clients. So to the youths out there, I say go out and make a difference,” said Gotora.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu