Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau
GWERU-based award-winning entrepreneur Ms Moreblessing Kunyangwe (30) scooped the Female Founders Initiative Middle East and Africa (FFI MEA) under 50 award at a ceremony held in Dubai recently.
The FFI MEA is a women’s economic empowerment organisation focused on giving female business leaders access to international markets. Ms Kunyangwe, who owns Relievers group of companies with branches in Harare, Shurugwi, Masvingo, Chinhoyi and Gweru was in Dubai for the FFI MEA under 50 awards. She said she was excited to have been one of the nominees from 19 countries who won awards.
“I am the founder and chief executive officer of Relievers group of companies which has a funeral services company, property development company and security services company,” said Ms Kunyangwe.
She indicated that her first business was the property business which she co-founded in 2016 and in 2017 co-founded a medical aid company. In 2021, the energetic businesswoman started the funeral service and security service companies.
“Remember there were people from MEA and it never dawned on me that I was going to be nominated and then win an award. I am still excited that I was part of the under-50 business women and it was an honour for me.”
Ms Kunyangwe said she managed to network and hopes to get more business partnerships.
“So as I said, my first business was selling stands on behalf of people and the business grew. We then started developing land into residential stands. After that, we opened a medical aid company. I didn’t know that a black person could run a medical aid company and after making the necessary applications, I was given a licence to operate it,” she narrated.
Ms Kunyangwe said on the medical aid package and as an incentive to attract more clients, they were offering free funeral cover to members.
“We were saying that there will be free funeral cover once you join the medical aid. So when a member died, we would engage other funeral service companies for services to bury the deceased. We realised an opportunity then and we registered our own funeral company. As for the security company, my father worked for a local security company for 40 years and when he retired we then started this company with him in 2021 and operations started in 2022.”
She said women around the world are proving that success has no age limit.
Sidumisile Mabena