One award at a time

Natasha Nyongo

HISTORY has proven that the world can only grow on the shoulders of young men and women.

Young people are now also the driving force behind many corporates and are key in the transformation of the nation’s economy.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority public relations manager Mr Tinashe Farawo is one of the youths that are rising in the corporate world.

In the past few years, the 34-year-old Mr Farawo has risen to become one of the most influential individuals under the age of 35.

He is a poster boy for a new generation of young men practicing public pelations.

From the newsroom where he rose through the ranks to become senior writer at the biggest weekly paper in the region — The Sunday Mail — Mr Farawo was appointed ZimParks public relations manager in July 2017. His career has been going from strength to strength.

To add to his burgeoning Curriculum Vitae, Mr Farawo was recently honoured for his impressive work when he was named the first runner-up by the Institute of Public Relations and Communication Zimbabwe in the Young PR Practitioner of the Year category.

The Institute of Public Relations and Communication annual awards celebrate outstanding performances and recognise public relations practitioners who would have stood out during the course of the year.

The Institute of Public Relations and Communication recognises and commends the best accomplishments in reputation management, effective communication, media engagement and relations, among other things.

“I thank God for these developments, I also appreciate the support I continue to get from the company’s leadership.

“Our Director-General, Mr Fulton Mangwanya, has played a pivotal role in all this. To him I will forever be indebted,” Mr Farawo said.

It has been a stellar year for Mr Farawo, who prior to joining Zimparks had distinguished himself in journalism for nearly a decade.

He boasts in-depth knowledge on wildlife, conservation, environment and tourism.

A holder of a MSc International Relations from the University of Zimbabwe, a BSc in Media and Society Studies from the Midlands State University and a National Diploma in Mass Communication from Harare Polytechnic’s School of Journalism, Mr Farawo is helping in building Zimparks’ image.

ZimParks boasts several sites that are dotted around the country, most of which are photographic sites that have the potential to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.

Apart from steering ZimParks’ PR team, Mr Farawo is also a board member in charge of marketing and communication at Dynamos, one of the biggest football institutions in Africa.