Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THOMAS Gwatida is a 44-year-old entrepreneur who has defied the odds and built a successful retail and wholesale business in Gwanda Town. He started his journey with just three bags of groundnuts, and now he runs Mars Wholesale and Retail Shops, a company that employs 120 people and offers a variety of products and services.
Gwatida was born and raised in Bikita District in Masvingo. After completing his O-Levels, he worked for several retail companies until 2001, when he lost his job due to company closure. Inflation that hit the country at that time also made it hard for him and his colleagues to get their packages.
That was when Gwatida decided to take charge of his destiny and start his own business.
“After losing my job I started a cross-border business. I used to buy dried foods such as groundnuts and round nuts from Beitbridge and I would sell them in South Africa. I started with three bags of groundnuts. I did this business from 2001 to 2004.
“Gradually I also moved into fruits and vegetables. I would take my groundnuts and round nuts to South Africa and then come back with vegetables such as apples and grapes and I would supply some shops in Beitbridge. At the time I lost my job, I refused to give up and instead, I challenged myself to start a business and I have never looked back since then,” he said.
In 2003, Gwatida relocated his business to Gwanda, where he saw high demand for fruit and vegetable products. He became one of the major suppliers of fresh produce to local shops, hotels, and lodges. He also sold some of his products at the Farmers Market in the high-density areas.
“I made it a point that my products were always fresh and this attracted customers.”
However, in 2004, his business faced a setback when the market he was operating from was shut down by the authorities as part of Operation Murambatswina. He lost a lot of products and money and was left stranded. Fortunately, he received help from a business partner of his who was based in Chiredzi, Mr Tom Atkins, who supplied him with 10 tonnes of mangoes that he was producing. Gwatida had to find a way to sell the mangoes as the market was still closed.
He said: “I bought 10 wheelbarrows and I employed people who were moving around selling those mangoes while playing hide and seek with municipality authorities. I sold all those mangoes and I went back and bought 30 tonnes of mangoes and sold them again using the wheelbarrow method. This is how I managed to raise money to rent my first shop in Gwanda.”
In 2005, Gwatida expanded his business by importing potatoes and onions from South Africa, which he sold in Gwanda, Bulawayo, and Beitbridge. He also collaborated with his two brothers and they opened a shop in Gwanda, which was known as Mars Brothers. Gwatida also bought sweet potatoes and avocados in Chipinge and this saw his fruit and vegetable business grow. He moved the shop to Bulawayo in search of better opportunities.
In 2009, he returned to Gwanda and opened a grocery shop after noticing a gap in the market. He also opened two other grocery shops in the rural areas. He registered his company Kylsat Investments, trading as Mars, in 2013 and started operating independently.
He has won various awards and accolades for his business excellence.
“As an entrepreneur, I had ventured into various lines of operations but after registering my company I sat down to identify my strength and realised that it’s in fruits and vegetables. I ventured into a banana ripening business in Bulawayo from 2013 to 2016 and this helped me to raise money to build my business premises in Gwanda. The banana ripening business brought in a lot of capital as I was a major supplier of several shops and vendors from Beitbridge right up to Victoria Falls,” he said.
Gwatida owns multiple retail shops in Gwanda District, both rural and urban. He also operates a wholesale shop. He said he is now planning to venture into manufacturing.
He said his journey through business has not been easy but he has learned that hard work and persistence pay. He said business has a lot of high risks and when they occur it does not mean that one has to give up.
Gwatida urged upcoming and established businesses to make use of the numerous business opportunities and convenient policies that have been created by the Government under the Second Republic. He said diversifying in business is also important. — @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter