Online Reporter
Michael Tome
Business Reporter
Business leader Vimbayi Nyakudya grew up in Masembura Village, Bindura, far from Harare’s commercial hub, where life was centred on survival and securing basic necessities.
After his formative years, from Grade 1 to 4 in Masembura Village, the young man relocated to the reclusive Chitsungo Village in Pfungwe, where he attended Chitsungo Primary for Grade 5. Life wasn’t stable, as he again had to move to attend Mashambanhaka Primary School in Uzumba for Grade 6 and finally Grade 7 at Molife Primary School in Domboshava. Luckily, the young man was intellectually gifted, so he cruised smoothly through his primary school education.
Such is the story of the now CAFCA chief executive officer, Mr Vimbayi Nyakudya, who has been a CEO of listed companies twice.
It was only after his older brother graduated as an Engineer that the tables turned. Immediately, he was adopted by the now-employed brother to stay together in Harare. The brother’s success story, which included owning a car in the 1990s, sparked determination, perseverance and strength of character in the young man.
His brother was all he knew as a measure of success. So, when the young Mr Nyakudya enrolled for his Form One at Highfield High School, all his thoughts were focused on pursuing STEM subjects, hoping to follow his brother into Engineering.
“My brother was starting to grow in his career and oh my God, I was thinking, is this how good life could be if I do well like my brother. I had come from a rural set-up to Harare, so I was starting to see new things. You would see people driving around and living successfully; that developed my discipline and the hunger to do well,” said Mr Nyakudya.
Steadfastly, Mr Nyakudya took his studies seriously as he wanted to be exceptional and also didn’t want to go back to the old rural life he had experienced.
Fast forward to Form Two at Highfield High School, the same inspiring brother advised Mr Nyakudya not to follow the long engineering route but rather take accounting subjects as a quicker way to get into general management. The brother’s advice was initially unexpected until one career guidance session with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Zimbabwe (ICAZ) at Highfield High School, where Mr Nyakudya was convinced that taking up articles — the Chartered Accountant way — was the lucrative path.
The focus changed; inspiration came strongly from the neatly dressed CAs who had come for career guidance at Highfield High School, compounded by his brother’s advice on how to get into general management ASAP.
“I was always fascinated by doing the STEM subjects but my older brother, who was sort of a pioneer in our family, then said, no, no, don’t go for STEM. ‘I know you’re very good at these subjects, but do commercials, they offer the shortest route to general management.’ So, at that point, I was really inspired; I started to explore the shortest route to general management,” said Mr Nyakudya.
After finishing his A-Levels, Mr Nyakudya’s mind was now bent on becoming a Chartered Accountant, and he barely thought of going to university.
In 2004, the first shot at becoming a Chartered Accountant presented itself when Ernst & Young conducted an interview for doing articles. The naive and clueless Mr Nyakudya attended the interview and was far from impressive. “It destroyed my vigour big time. I lost all my confidence.”
Shattered, with a dream that was seemingly evading him, Mr Nyakudya found a way to ask his interviewers (from Ernst & Young) where he had gone wrong. Graciously, they explained and corrected him, and from there he realised his mistakes in the Ernst & Young interview. Determined to pursue the career which was now etched on his heart, Mr Nyakudya kept looking for knowledge.
“I got in touch with almost every other accounting firm at that particular stage so that I could gain knowledge.”
Luckily, in a short space of time, he was invited for the KPMG interview. This time, with the correct approach, Mr Nyakudya was co-opted into KPMG for articles in 2004, and that was the beginning of his professional journey.
His first hands-on experience came in 2007 when he joined Mbada Diamonds and was thrown into the deep end as an audit manager. With the stern guidance of Thomas Chataika and Robert Mhlanga at Mbada Diamonds, Mr Nyakudya managed to grow professionally.
“Our relationship is what grew and resulted in my further career growth. Thomas and Robert were no-nonsense men. They were cutthroat in the way they looked at things; they never left any stone unturned. You couldn’t afford their anger and their wrath. If you weren’t fit, you would get out of Mr Chataika’s office with an egg on your face, so he shaped the way I think and conduct business.”
After a stint at Mbada Diamonds, Mr Nyakudya moved for greener pastures to South Africa to join Sinvac Plastics, where he worked for two years. In South Africa, Mr Nyakudya was exposed to general facets of management, including Human Resources and how to oversee some technical operations, which shaped his worldview on management.
It was sometime in 2015 that Mr Nyakudya was alerted of a chief finance officer position that had arisen at Zimplow by Mr Thomas Chataika. “I said, ‘Why not? I’m actually in the market for an opportunity.’”
Mr Nyakudya came back to Zimbabwe and joined Zimplow as a chief finance officer in December 2015; finally, the dream of getting into general management was starting to materialise. “So, I got into that pathway. I was now in general management. I was about 31 years old when I joined Zimplow, and I really wanted to do well; I wanted to show everyone that I was capable.”
Zimplow is a Zimbabwean company that manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment, metal fasteners, mining equipment, and provides services for the construction and logistics sectors. It operates through business units like Mealie Brand, Farmec, CT Bolts, and Barzem. The company is also the local distribution agent for international brands such as Massey Ferguson.
At Zimplow, Mr Nyakudya worked with so much determination as he wanted to prove himself and be recognised in management circles. “I was very influential in the group’s turnaround and capital raising, because the group was laden with a lot of challenges and problems.”
After a successful stint at Zimplow as a CFO from December 2015 and as a CEO from January 2019 to 2024, Mr Nyakudya then moved to CAFCA from June 3, 2024.
Being at the helm of CAFCA is a fairly new, challenging position, and Mr Nyakudya says he plans to improve the company’s performance going forward. “CAFCA is a whole other new game; you know people say manufacturing in Zimbabwe or in Africa is tough. I want to change that perception through CAFCA. I want to establish CAFCA as the most competitive cable producer, not only in Zimbabwe but in the region,” said Mr Nyakudya.
CAFCA is a cable manufacturer and supplier of cable and allied products for the transmission and distribution of electrical energy and telecommunications. Its primary market is Southern and Central Africa, with an export footprint that extends to parts of Europe, including Russia.
Mr Nyakudya said he draws his inspiration from business luminaries like Shingi Mutasa and Strive Masiyiwa, and his ambition was to show his entrepreneurial skills at a larger scale, like all those people who have done well in business. He encouraged the youth and rising managers to invest in continuous improvement, given the ever-evolving trends in whatever sector of the economy.
Looking at his upbringing, Mr Nyakudya indicated that it was always good to be driven by ambition. “At any stage of life, anyone, no matter how young you may be, you have to have an ambition. And that ambition will guide you.”
Asked about work-life balance, Mr Nyakudya said although his job was demanding, he always finds time for the important aspects of his life, which include his family.
“Having a family is a good and a bad thing. It gives you responsibility and you can’t sleep, but that responsibility, again, can be a motivating factor.”
He cited spirituality as the other cornerstone of his life, instilled by his parents’ strong Christian background.
