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Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Entertainment Editor
She might as well be described as a woman with nerves of steel and shock absorbers of a grader.
And a lot has been written, said and recorded about her.
And she soldiers on as if nothing negative has ever happened, said, or recorded about her. She keeps smiling, and hers is a natural smile. It is indeed, that smile that has become a smokescreen behind which the past is buried every second, minute, hour, day and indeed moon.
She needs no introduction when it comes to the spotlight.
Her story is a lot similar to that of Hollywood socialite, actress and business entrepreneur Paris Hilton, who inherited her father’s opulence.
This is Tinopona Katsande, affectionately known to many as “Tin Tin”.
With a frame parallel to that of Hilton, Katsande rose to fame in “Studio 263” as the maverick Joyce Huni.
Fast forward, after the soap went off the air, the multi-tasking Katsande ventured into a lot of other things.
She had a stint on radio, ventured into business and it would be myopic not to talk about her being a cervical cancer survivor.
But, where is she now and what is she doing?
In an interview, Katsande said after “Studio 263”, life has not been a bed of roses.
“The past couple of years have been mainly consumed by serious health challenges and grief, which slowed me down professionally, but I have grown immensely spiritually and mentally.
“Apart from living with stage four endometriosis, I was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer and my father passed away amid much disharmony within our family.
“These things completely discombobulated me just at a time I was back at the top of my game in my acting and radio broadcasting careers.”
Katsande said dealing with her father’s death was very difficult. At the same time, an estate wrangle with her siblings is raging. She is glad that she has inherited some properties.
“Dealing with my late father’s estate has been and is still an ongoing nightmarish chapter in my life’s journey.
“My father left us a vast empire, but things were scattered. We have internal disagreements that proved to be quite unnecessary in hindsight between my step mom and us, the children, as well as unscrupulous individuals who want to steal our inheritance,” she explained.
Katsande said this has caused her severe head and heartaches.
“It’s been an emotionally painful journey but it has inevitably brought us together as a family. I inherited vast properties and businesses in Mutoko, Murehwa and Harare.”
After the Covid-19 pandemic, she ventured into the egg business and many also asked what happened next.
“The egg business is back to rising profits again with a focus on distribution at the wholesale level.
“My flourishing entrepreneurial journey with my egg business, Mazai KwaTino, and my footwear label, Famba Tino Famba, also took a hammering because they are still both hands-on enterprises and need me physically to steer their growth.
“Business is growing steadily too. I employ 12 women in the shoe production chain. I’m focused. I know I will win. It’s all part of God’s promise and His plan for me.
“But I had to put my physical and mental health first, I had to deliberately take a step back from everything and focus on treatment, healing and restoration of my mind and body.
“Fast forward to 2024, I can safely say I am back on the rise again all around, except now, I am 100 percent more mature in my approach to everything. I’m still on my cancer healing and restoration journey and it’s coming along very well,” she said.
Katsande believes that she will remain cancer-free.
“I learnt a lot through the cancer scare and being a person of action and empowerment of others, I have become a cervical cancer awareness advocate.”
Like a true influencer, she has embarked on a mission to raise awareness against cervical cancer.
“In branding myself ‘Tinopona — the Accidental Advocate’, I use my extensive social media platforms to spearhead cancer awareness campaigns for women in Zimbabwe.
“My main focus is in spreading the gospel of ‘early detection saves lives’ because if the doctors had not discovered the cancer early, I don’t think I would have beaten it.”
Unlike most of her peers who die in silence, Katsande reckons she made her life easier by speaking out.
“In sharing my cancer journey publicly, I speak as a patient, not as a celebrity, politician economist, or anything, but just a Zimbabwean citizen who has gone through this difficult experience.
“I have been able to use my brand to pull together resources and companies in the health sector to facilitate periodic free cervical and prostate cancer screening days across the country.
“I’m currently in the process of putting together a free screening day for women of Mashonaland East Province in September at Murehwa Centre,” she said.
Katsande’s influence has not gone unnoticed despite the challenges she went through.
“Last year, I was appointed the vice chairperson for the Zimbabwe Young Influencers, Mashonaland East Chapter, so I’ve also become a sort of self-appointed brand ambassador for the province.
“I hail from Murehwa and Mutoko areas so I market the produce, people and local tourism through my platforms.
“In November, I will be hosting the inaugural Mashonaland East Achievers Awards.”
She was also in high spirits following her return on television.
“I am back on the silver screen with a starring role in Zimbabwe’s number one soap ‘Kuchina the Genesis’, where I play the role of the feisty Getty.
“I have started my own production house called Impeccable Tin Studios and I’m busy working on several magazine shows in arts, women’s health and family matters topics as well as women in businesses.”
Like any other entrepreneur, Katsande is not spared from financial challenges.
“Financial constraints have always been the biggest setback in Zimbabwean productions but I’m grateful that my father left me a phenomenal start in financial stability through the generational wealth he created, which means I can allocate some funds to invest in arts industry projects and achieve my goals without financial hindrances.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter