adminthe passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
The above statement describes the character of Truster Chikoore who founded Platnum Construction that has been building beautiful houses in Harare.
“I have always been a dreamer. In my life I dream big and I believe that dreams do come true and I shall achieve quite a measure of success with courage and determination.
“I am also just a passionate person who loves to encourage people to do the best out of everything,” says Truster Chikoore.
Born Truster Beauty Madhabha in 1974 in the Midlands Province of Mvuma in Chirumanzu, she is the last born child in a family of seven.
Truster grew up in Masvingo and attended Masvingo Barracks Primary School and completed her O-Level studies at Mucheke High School in 1991.
She then moved to Harare for her professional courses and obtained an Executive Secretarial Diploma from the Christian College of Southern Africa in 1995. In 1997, she acquired her LCCI Marketing and Public Relations Diploma from Speciss College.
She later on graduated in Business Administration with the Institute of Marketing Management after obtaining a Group Diploma in Marketing with the same institute in 2003.
However, her turning point in life occurred after having a short stint in the diaspora when the idea of building a family house back home struck her.
Dissatisfied by lack of trustworthy constructors, she came back home and driven by her passion for building, Platnum Construction was born in 2006.
According to Truster, Platnum is aimed at giving assurance to customers both locally and abroad that they can have their home or property professionally developed in their absence.
“One other thing I realised when I was building my own house was that there were other people who were ahead of us and could have finished their projects in time, but due to thieving they lagged behind.
“Due to the fact that the contractor will have decided to convert the clients’ funds to their own use, it gave me the desire to bridge that gap to start my own company,” she said.
To date, through the construction company, Truster has won tenders in Mount Pleasant Heights, Westgate, New Malborough, Rylands and is currently managing a project in Borrowdale Brook.
Her portfolio also includes the construction of Widdicombe School Hall in Hatfield, an indication that the company has also gone commercial.
Platnum thrives in customer satisfaction and as a result, the company has been able to get projects through referrals, which is an effective marketing strategy.
It is without doubt that indeed there are vestiges of marketing in construction as the marketing professional has taken the concept of marketing beyond theory to a practical level.
To her, success is more of a journey than a destination and so there is need to keep afloat, to keep customers satisfied and guaranteed of quality at all times.
Truster is one of Zimbabwe’s powerful business women who represent a rare breed of women who have moved out of their comfort zones to create a name in the male-dominated sphere of construction.
Truster has shown capacity to lead projects and deliver results to impeccable standards. As a result, her works inspire other women to achieve those dizzy heights.
Through dedication to quality and client satisfaction, customers are guaranteed a feeling of trust, experience, skill and integrity from a reliable and stable constructor. Other values include honesty, integrity, loyalty and accountability.
When it comes to her success, Truster is incredibly modest and attributes her success to God whom she believes has taken her this far.
She draws inspiration from the word of God and local icon Professor Hope Sadza who rose from humble beginnings as a Government employee to become a university vice chancellor.
The late Princess Diana also rings a bell in her life as she moved out of her comfort zone of royalty to serve the ordinary people.
“For me the word of God makes me a cut above the rest and the assurance that I am not an ordinary nutshell, and am greatly empowered by the power of God and knowing who I am in Christ,” she said.
Truster believes that women can turn their dreams to reality despite overwhelming obstacles and challenges such as resources.
She urges women to abandon the give-it-to-me mentality and adopt the do-it-yourself approach. She also reckons that education is one of the key tools to empowering women for once you empower a woman, you have empowered the whole nation.
“Education will also enable women to transform their mindsets from I can’t to I can even in the so-called male-dominated professions or careers such as construction or mining,” she said.
In the view of the efforts that the Government is making in empowering women, Truster sees it as a job well done and the onus is now on the women to fully apply themselves by claiming what they have been given.
She believes that transparency still remains an issue as some women are not sure where they can access the loans to start projects.
She is also the former leader of Couples Ministry and Praise and Worship team. Currently, she holds the position of secretary in the Mount Pleasant Ladies Association. These accomplishments are testimony that
she is not only a property builder but also a builder of lives and relationships.
Looking into the future Truster sees herself very well established by having a one stop shop. She wants to be able to offer her clients all the services under one roof.
Truster has a vision for impacting the lives of children from marginalised and less privileged backgrounds.
She is a member of Christ Embassy and enjoys every moment when the word of God is being preached.
She is married to Obert and they have two children.
Online Reporter