Online Reporter
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
TRAILBLAZING women gathered at The Herald’s Ladies Sundowner in Harare at the weekend, and provided attendees with priceless and life-changing strategies for negotiating the business terrain.
From legal advice, tips to manage multi-faceted portfolios in the corporate world and at home, building businesses from small beginnings and creating connections that matter, attendees were equipped with information that no one could find in any school curriculum.
The line up of speakers was made up of heavyweights in the corporate sector namely, Dr Chipo Mtasa, the chairperson of Mutapa Investment Fund and former TelOne managing director; Dr Divine Ndhlukula who is Women’s University in Africa Chancellor and managing director and founder of the first ISO certified Security Company, Securico, and founder of Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association Ms Beauty Jiji.
The line-up also had Ms Sibyl Madzikanda, the human resources director at DNMZ Engineers (South Africa and Zimbabwe) and an expert in organisational strategy, human capital development and corporate governance.
She is also a member of the Zimpapers Board.
Legal expert and founder of R Chibaya Law Chambers, Ms Rachel Chibaya as well as visionary of tourist resort, Graceland Waters Resort, Mrs Grace Musandirire concluded the lineup.
Ms Chibaya commended the event noting that it provided women with access to expert legal services that is typically expensive.
Sharing crucial advice on understanding inheritance laws, she encouraged women to write wills and register their marriages to safeguard their inheritances.
“So, you need important documents kept safe, apply for maintenance, especially where you were getting maintenance, so that the estate will continue to maintain you, and challenge property grabbing,” she stated.
“Whether it’s property grabbing, go to the police, courts; know your rights.
Tackling the topic, “Connections that Matter: Women Supporting Women,” Ms Sibyl Madzikanda stressed that reciprocal support among women is critical for growth.
“Connections are bridges, they carry us from where we are to where we dream to be. They shape our confidence, and one encouraging voice can drown out voices of doubt,” she said.
“They unlock opportunities, sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who believes in you.”
Speaking on creating generational wealth, Mrs Musandirire urged women to prioritise being courteous, a strategy that helped her create influential business networks.
“I got a fishery through networks. I am the biggest supplier in Zimbabwe of big shops like OK and Pick n’ Pay, Spar and hospitals. I supply because of networks,” she stated, advising women to leverage their current professional titles to build strong relationships that secure their family’s future.
Dr Mutasa, while discussing balancing business and home life, praised the event for providing a safe space for women.
She narrated her journey starting as a junior accountant, sharing a story about the humbling experience of being told to “cast” (add numbers) and run errands.
“Such is the background where you really start very low and small, and you have to work your way up,” she concluded.
While attendees were taken through an enlightening basic fitness training by Zorro the Fitness Trainer to maintain body wellness, founder of the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association, Ms Jiji encouraged women to maximise on the resources they have to build their business empires.
“You can start with what you have. I started with five chickens, five goats now they have increased to around 100.
At my home, I say we don’t buy vegetables or meat, we are producing everything at that 6 000 square metres. How many of you have one hectare, 10 hectares plots, and how many are making use of it. We are crying that families have no food security yet there are these simple things that we can do, that can make you live.”
The event was supported by Geo Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd, Elite Travel and Tours, Kreston Zimbabwe, Supreme Signs P/L, West Prop Holdings, Azanza Cottages, Kreston, Kumuzi Herbs and Spice, R Chibaya Law Chambers and Baby & Me.
