derick.khumalo
Mbulelo Mpofu
MINISTER of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo, Honourable Judith Ncube, has urged young women to take their place in the city’s entrepreneurial space, saying increased participation by young people in business is critical to Zimbabwe’s economic transformation.
Ncube made the remarks on Friday during a visit to a newly established local hospitality venture preparing to open its doors to the public in October.
The visit provided an opportunity for the Minister to appreciate an investment involving Zimbabweans with diaspora experience while encouraging young people to embrace technology, innovation and entrepreneurship as tools for creating employment and contributing to national development.
Ncube said young people should not limit themselves to seeking employment, but should also explore opportunities to become employers and contribute to the growth of their communities.
“We want to congratulate our young people for taking the initiative and becoming authors of their own destinies. Government wants to see young people prosper, and technology is an important part of that journey,” she said.
She urged young entrepreneurs to make use of technological advancements to improve their businesses and remain competitive.
“Young people must not only look for jobs; they must also create jobs. We encourage them to use technology, innovation and the opportunities around them to build businesses that can grow and benefit other people,” Ncube said.
The Minister’s message was particularly directed at young women, whom she encouraged to be more confident in pursuing opportunities across different sectors of the economy.
“We want to encourage our young women to take their place in the entrepreneurial space. They must believe in themselves, identify opportunities and be prepared to take risks. They can become business owners, employers and contributors to the development of Bulawayo,” she said.
Ncube said the participation of entrepreneurs in economic activity was important to the attainment of the country’s Vision 2030 aspirations of becoming an upper-middle-income economy that is prosperous, inclusive and sustainable.
She said Government alone could not create all the employment opportunities required to drive economic growth, making private-sector investment and entrepreneurship essential.
“Government has a role to play, but the private sector and entrepreneurs are also very important in creating employment. When people establish businesses like this one, they are contributing to the wider development of the country,” she said.
The Minister also welcomed the contribution of Zimbabweans in the diaspora who are bringing experience, skills and resources accumulated abroad into local investment.
“This is what we want to see. We want to see Zimbabweans investing in Zimbabwe and creating opportunities for others. The diaspora has an important role to play in our development, and what we are witnessing here is a good example of how exposure and experience can be brought back home and turned into employment creation,” Ncube said.
One of the lodge’s board members, Queen Chimbo, said the project was inspired partly by her exposure to modern hospitality facilities abroad.
She said the intention was to bring some of that experience back to Bulawayo while developing a facility that reflected local aspirations.
“This lodge was born out of the need to reinvent the catering and hospitality industry in Bulawayo. Having been exposed to state-of-the-art facilities Down Under, we felt there was an opportunity to bring that experience back home and create something elegant, modern and uniquely ours,” Chimbo said.
She added: “We wanted to bring elegance back home, but not simply copy what we saw elsewhere. We wanted to take that exposure and interpret it in a way that speaks to Bulawayo, our people and our own aspirations.”
The lodge is being developed on an 8 500-square-metre property, with six apartments currently in place and another six under development.
While hospitality is at the centre of the project, the development includes several recreational facilities, among them a mini-golf course, basketball and tennis courts, a life-sized chess board and a swimming pool area.
The development also incorporates technology and sustainability measures, including a water purification facility and solar power for the individual houses.
The water purification system is intended to reduce reliance on bottled water, while the use of solar energy provides an alternative power source.
Other technology-oriented features include electric toilets and charging tables.
Ncube welcomed the incorporation of such measures, reiterating the need for young entrepreneurs to view technological advancement as an opportunity to improve their enterprises.
“Technology is advancing every day and our young people must move with the times. We cannot afford to be left behind. We want our young people to use technology to improve their businesses, create employment and compete with the rest of the world,” she said.
The emerging hospitality facility reflects a contemporary design approach, with its interiors characterised by white finishes, black accents, marble-effect surfaces and warm wood tones.
The lodge’s common areas include a kitchen fitted with modern cabinetry and countertops, while the lounge incorporates patterned decorative panels and wooden furniture.
The facilities are being developed as the investors prepare for the lodge’s official opening in October.
For Ncube, however, the significance of the investment goes beyond the physical infrastructure.
“This is about more than just building a lodge. It is about people taking initiative, creating employment and contributing to the development of our city and country. This is the spirit we need if we are to achieve Vision 2030,” she said.
The Minister’s visit also highlighted the importance of women supporting one another within the business community.
Among those present were award-winning musician and Bulawayo Ward 20 councillor Sandra Ndebele-Sibindi and businesswoman and philanthropist Zodwa Mkandla, who attended in support of the initiative.
Their presence provided another example of established women lending visibility and support to emerging entrepreneurial ventures.
As Bulawayo continues to grapple with the need for employment opportunities, particularly for its young population, Ncube’s call places entrepreneurship at the centre of the conversation.
The La Fayette Lodge may be one investment among many emerging in the city, but its development illustrates how diaspora exposure, local investment, technology and private enterprise can intersect with broader national development objectives.
For young women, Ncube’s message was ultimately a call to move from the margins into spaces where they can make economic decisions, build enterprises and create opportunities for others.
Zimbabwe is pursuing Vision 2030, and the Minister said such initiatives would remain important in ensuring that economic development is not solely a Government responsibility, but a collective effort involving entrepreneurs, communities, the diaspora and young people determined to shape their own futures.
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