Online Reporter
The Herald, 21 April 1988
THE managing director of Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe Ltd, Mr John Bennett, yesterday announced that he would leave Zimbabwe on transfer within the group in October and that his successor would be the bank’s first Zimbabwean incumbent.
He will be Mr H. E. “Swanie” Swanepoel, currently general manager, and his appointment will be for three years. In addition, current assistant general manager Mr Isaac Takawira will become a director and deputy managing director.
Mr Bennett said he would be sorry to leave Zimbabwe after five “exciting years of change. However, it will give me great pleasure to hand over control at Barclays to the two Zimbabweans, who now have the task of taking the bank into the 1990s, when hopefully foreign exchange shortages and drought will be less prevalent and the region will achieve greater political stability.”
The composition of the new top team at Barclays, due to take over on October 19, indicates the success Mr Bennett, a British expatriate, has had in redressing racial imbalances in the group since he took over.
From having 100 percent white staff at management levels in 1980 and 1981, the bank has rapidly equalised the ratios and today only 48 percent of management staff are white.
All this has involved a great deal of training, something both Mr Swanepoel and Mr Takawira intend to continue while maintaining links with the international Barclays network.
Born in Mutare, Mr Swanepoel joined Barclays Bank in 1949 and spent nine years working in Zambia with a short spell in London. In 1976, he was appointed chief manager at the Barclays First Street Branch and in 1984 assistant general manager of the bank. He was appointed to his present position in 1985.
Mr Takawira hails from Masvingo and is very much a self-made man. He had to leave school at the age of 14 because his parents could no longer afford to pay his fees, but he continued studying privately through correspondence colleges.
After independence, he was appointed Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, moving to Barclays in 1983 as general manager’s assistant. He was promoted to his present post in 1985.
Lessons for today:
The appointment of Barclays’ first Zimbabwean managing director marked more than a personnel change, it symbolised economic and institutional ownership passing into local hands. True independence is not only political, it is also economic and professional. When local people are trusted to lead major institutions, it strengthens national confidence and capacity.
The article shows that this transition did not happen overnight. From 1980 to 1988, Barclays deliberately trained, promoted, and prepared Zimbabweans for top leadership.
Mr Takawira’s story is especially instructive. Forced to leave school at 14, he educated himself through correspondence and determination, eventually rising to deputy managing director. Formal barriers do not define a person’s potential. Lifelong learning, resilience, and discipline can overcome early disadvantage, a powerful message for young people.
Peter Tanyanyiwa