adminThis was the case with Judith Dembetembe Chiyangwa, who got her inspiration while sitting under an avocado tree with her family.
In fact, the last time she sat under an avocado tree, at her parents’ house in Domboshava, the discussion gave birth to the name, PaGokoro Restaurant, one of Harare’s most sought after upmarket ethnic venues. When Judith Dembetembe Chiyangwa (she is 35 and proud!) walks into a room, the most striking thing about here is her confidence.
It takes over the room. Her presence is notable. Her smile runs the confidence a close second.
It is warm and it lights up the room. And she has had it since she was a kid, as various pictures will testify. Both the confidence and the smile.
“We call it PaGokoro, which basically means ‘a meeting place’. It has two entities within itself. PaGokoro African Cuisine, which is the restaurant and bar, and then we have the PaGokoro Gym which is the gym and massage parlour,” she says.
“We started operating on March 8 this year at Number 48 Ridgeway South, Highlands.”
The story of PaGokoro is both interesting and illustrative of the kind of person Judith is. It also encompasses the above-mentioned avocado tree.
“I believe so much in sisterhood thus in the past years, my ‘sisters’ and I would make sure we meet at least once a month just to update each other on what was happening in our lives while eating and drinking,” she says.
“We always used to do this in some café at a particular corner. If other people got there before us we would feel as if our space had been invaded.
“I have also had many meetings with colleagues and friends in cafés or other spaces.”
This made her realise there was an opportunity for “a space” for sisters to meet and talk freely.
“So about four years ago I started toying around with this idea although someone told me that I started talking about opening a restaurant in 2004. (I don’t actually remember much, it could have been a fantasy that was always in my mind).
“In 2007 I started penning it down, I had no idea where I would get the finances but I was sure I would, I always told myself – ‘one fine day’.
“So one day my friend and I got paid after some consultancy job we had done and I said to her let us cross the border I need to start stocking for the restaurant.
“I was not sure if that was stocking because I was only able to buy cutlery, a cappuccino coffee machine and plates.
“As the months went by I would find myself buying a few items as I went along like pots, stoves, refrigerators. I also had the restaurant tables and chairs made and they spent many seasons at my house seeing rainy seasons coming and going,” she said with a smile.
“I had no idea when I would have everything I needed so I kept soldiering on. I am sure many people around me gave up.
“When I was almost done with the assets, I told my friend I was giving up, I was not sure if that’s what I wanted to do anymore.
“It is at this point that I realised that the darkest hour comes before dawn. I was almost done with the preliminaries but there I was contemplating.
“So the search began around June 2010 for the ideal place to have the restaurant. If I have to say I saw more than 100 premises in that year and I never got convinced. At the end of January 2011, I then saw this house in Highlands that had been used as an office before. It did not look that great at the time and I knew that was the place,” she reminisces.
Enter, the avocado tree. “I was with my family in Domboshava where my parents live. We were under an avocado tree. I had asked everyone to come and help me find a Shona name that would resonate with what I wanted. So my brother Innocent, my sisters Jean and Kudzi, my mom and dad, my kids Tino and Tashy and my sister-in-law Miriam started debating on Shona names.
“It was the greatest Shona lesson that I have ever had. I heard words that I had never heard before and each person was defending their proposal. Then my dad suggested PaGokoro.
“It sounded weird at first but he gave his justification that no one could dispute. For a week we kept saying the word so that it would make sense and yes, it did make a lot of sense, thus the name PaGokoro,” she recalls. To this day we have a restaurant that serves an African cuisine and it takes up to 50 people at a given time.
“In the restaurant we have a cushion room that offers a relaxing option as you enjoy a meal or drink with friends or loved ones. We also have an exclusive bar that offers the most relaxing and socialising atmosphere.
“You can play pool on our billiard table or play darts while you enjoy the company of friends.
“We have also introduced a gym and massage parlour which completes all the social needs any human being desires.
“We host functions like group dinners (up to 100); weddings (up to 200) and birthday parties in-house or outside at any chosen/preferred venue by the guest,” she says.
Another good trait that Judith has is that she is a team player.
“Well, I am not the boss for sure. I am the team captain. My role is basically to lead the team and facilitate the creating of the most conducive of environments to our clients.
“I have a team of young vibrant people who I have no doubt can translate our values and goals.”
Judith’s dream continues, she wants to spread her wings and have as many “meeting places” or “PaGokoros” around Harare and other surrounding towns and in some selected countries.
“I hope to achieve this by allowing myself to grow with the business and to follow the plans as professionally as I have started. I learn through a lot of people and I am mentored by great people who believe in nothing but achievement thus progress and moving forward has been rubberstamped in my mind.
“I am also exposing myself to a lot of business connections that will translate my vision to reality,” she says. Judith says her family life keeps her anchored in reality and helps her focus.
“I have two families now. I am married to Allen Chiyangwa and we have two lovely kids Tinotenda (11) and Tashinga (7). I am from a family of four in this order: Innocent, myself, Jean and Kudzi.
“I think what keeps me going is the fact that I love life. I believe in myself and I have people who love and will always support me in whatever sense. The fact that I know I have other young people
looking up to me gives me the motivation to move on. I don’t want to be the one dropping the baton in the growth process.”
Judith grew up in Waterfalls, going to Frank Johnson Primary School and later to St Francis of Assisi. She then went to Chinhoyi Technical Teachers’ College (now Chinhoyi University) where she
studied textiles technology. Judith is a feminist and says: “I believe in women in any area that I find them working. I think women create the backbone of society thus I have much respect for them.
“I also know I have girls who look up to me and I want them to know that they CAN!”
Online Reporter