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Ngonidzashe Herpson Paradzai is the platinum winner of the Businessman of the Year for the Southern Region Megafest 2019 awards. He started his career late in the 1980s and worked for various big engineering companies like OSC Process Engineering (UK) and various local engineering firms before he registered his own company in 1999. In the early years Paradzai started by doing Projects Management Consultancy for engineering firms in Zimbabwe under the umbrella of Hems Africa and has been instrumental in growing it to become a force to reckon with as we see it today.
Closely linked to this, the Hems Africa Engineering success story is Mr Jotamu Mutanda who also won the gold Strategic Leader of the Year Southern Region Mega Fest 2019 Awards. Mutanda is a seasoned engineering administrator with over 25 years experience in the engineering industry. In his career progression, Jotamu also worked for large Bulawayo engineering companies where he operated in various capacities. He finally joined Hems Africa Engineering in 2009 and currently holds the position of a General Manager.
The current Hems Africa Group started from humble beginnings doing steel fabrication and machining jobs at Rolton Bulawayo. This included provision of engineering services to industry and mines including small scale miners. Sedco/Alexandra Forbes noticed NH Paradzai’s business acumenship and awarded him the first runner up of the Most Promising Business Person in 2004. As the business grew in heavy structural and mechanical engineering we were forced to relocate to larger premises which we have been occupying since 2005. Fast forward 12 years later, Hems Africa Engineering was awarded a Silver Medal in the manufacturing category at Mine Entra 2017 a trend line worth noting.
Hems Africa, in pursuit of its growth strategy is fully functional in three strategic business units namely;
1. Structural and mechanical engineering
2. Industrial and mining supplies
3. Equipment and mobile cranes hire as well as skilled labour hire
The Bulawayo workshop and offices situated at No 21 Khami Road are now complimented by the new workshop and offices Workington area, Harare, situated at No 35 Paisely Road and Corner Stirling Road.The Hems Africa success story would be incomplete without mentioning some of the major projects successfully executed;
1. Refurbishment of the new Chibuku Super – flow plant at Delta Fairbridge Bulawayo (structural steel work)
2. 10 000 seater Harvest House International Auditorium steel structure.
Supply of new and refurbishment of old floatation cells over 18 for a large Platinum Mining House.
The visionary, passionate, aggressive engineering practitioner N H Paradzai has not stopped dreaming yet, his sight is set to conquer the sub region (Sadc) before he conquers Africa.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu