Women in business honoured

Remember Deketeke, Herald Correspondent

Businesswomen were on Friday honoured during the COMESA Federation of Women in Business awards held in Harare in recognition of their contributions and performance in the sector.

Over the past years, the federation has pledged to continue celebrating those that are doing much in their fields and contributing to the economic growth in Zimbabwe and the region.

The awards celebrate the performance of individuals and companies that have done well, contributing to and shaping the Zimbabwean economy — the visionaries behind outstanding businesses and organisations.

High-flying author and The Herald columnist Mrs Rutendo Gwatidzo, who received top author award, narrated how she got where she is now. She said the award came as a challenge to her, pushing her to do more.

“This award comes as a challenge to me, to keep doing more on impacting life,” she said.

“When I started, I did not think my book would impact the community much, but it was approved by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as a humanity’s book. And that has kept motivating me, now I am a columnist for The Herald and I continue to impact more lives.”

Mrs Violet Mhute, who scooped the best manufacturing award, owed her victory to her family. As founder of Faringdon Investment, which deals in leather, she said such awards came to augment the President’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.

“I really want to say besides our Government pushing policies that promote ladies to start their own businesses, women also contribute in the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030,” she said.

“Such platforms elevate women into spaces where they can collaborate and empower each other in eradicating poverty within societies.”

Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the awards night, vice chairperson of federation’s Zimbabwean chapter Mrs Munyaradzi Dzimunwe-Naite said: “This federation has a total of 21 countries aimed at empowering women from grassroots levels so that they can achieve the maximum best potential of their talents or businesses.”