From guns to flowers: The story of Coach Roga

MBEKEZELI Kelvin Roga, a man of many talents, embarked on a noteworthy transformation from a dedicated 21-year career with the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to becoming a flourishing florist. His journey, filled with discipline and passion, took an unexpected turn in March 2020, leading him to a thriving plant and flower selling business.

Before leaving the military, Roga’s diverse roles included service in the medical corps and the sports corps, fuelled by his unwavering love for sports. He also made a notable impact as a Physical Education and Sports teacher within the education Corps, initially at Indlovu Iyanyathela Primary and later at Induna High School.

Despite leaving the barracks, Roga carried with him a sense of pride and discipline that defined his time as a soldier.

Little did he know that he would soon find himself not scrounging for food, but rather thriving in the underrated yet lucrative world of plant and flower sales.

Known affectionately as “Coach Roga” among his peers and former athletes, his fascination with flora blossomed during his tenure as an athletics coach. He was captivated by the lush lawns adorning various athletic stadiums, which ignited a profound interest in plants and their growth.

Driven by this passion, Roga pursued an academic understanding of plants, aiming to unlock their potential as a source of income. Today, he operates from the renowned pavement at Bulawayo’s City Hall, aptly named “Bulawayo’s Florists’ Capital.”

Coach Roga’s stall is a vibrant display of nature’s beauty, featuring at least 500 different ornamental, fruit, shade trees, flowers, and herbs, both grafted and non-grafted. His expertise extends to budding and grafting, specialised techniques used to encourage plant growth and create unified plants.

“Basically, I am into plant and flower selling, I have ornamental trees, fruit trees, flowers, herbs and shade trees, grafted and non-grafted. Ornamental are those trees that are just for beautifying homes or offices, they do not have any food value and we plant them for their beauty,” said the soft-spoken Roga during an interview at his stall.

“Like any business that has its ups and downs, ours is like that too but I am not complaining so far. I am able to look after myself and my family from the income I am getting here. The market is always there as long as people continue building and as long as we have functions out there, people always go an extra mile to ensure they spice their events,” he said.

Expressing no regrets about his transition to floristry, Coach Roga extends his gratitude to his athletics community, who continually support his business during their events.

“Besides being in the plants and flower business out of passion, this business has been financially rewarding for me as a pensioner and sustaining my coaching career since our Zimbabwean sport is not as rewarding as we would wish it to be,” said Roga.

Besides his passion for plants and flowers, Coach Roga’s florist venture serves as a lucrative second career, complementing his role as a qualified World Athletics Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) Level 2 coach.

In a broader context, Zimbabwe’s horticultural sector is gaining prominence as a major contributor to the country’s agricultural development. Several indicators are already casting a shining light on this sector.

First, it is enjoying phenomenal growth and raking in millions of foreign currency for the country. Horticulture exports in 2021 grew by 6,8 percent to US$64,6 million from US$59, 5 million recorded in 2020, according to the trade promotion body, Zimtrade.