Ngoni Dapira

THE stories of two Manicaland businesswomen, Ms Vongai Matangaidze and Ms Judith Shadaya were epitomized as testament for the need to empower women in business for posterity in the event of the untimely death of a spouse who will be the breadwinner.

Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Honourable Senator Monica Mutsvangwa highly praised the two women during the International Women’s Day (IWD) commemorations hosted by Manicaland Province last Friday at Munyarari Secondary School in Zimunya.

The widows, Ms Matangaidze and Ms Shadaya have managed to expand the business empires they started with their husbands. Min Mutsvangwa urged husbands to teach their wives the ropes of whatever business they venture into, in the event of death so that the family is well taken care of and the business legacy continues.

Min Mutsvangwa toured Matan Holdings offices in Nyakamete industrial area and Shadtar Mine in Penhalonga. The tours of women led business were a precursor for the IWD commemorations where she wanted to see how women led businesses are faring in the province.

Running under the theme, “For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” this year’s national celebrations were hosted by Manicaland Province. Celebrated annually on 8 March, IWD is a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.

“ You are a source of pride to us. When we are talking about women empowerment and equality we are talking about a lot of things. But this issue of empowering women in business is very important. As a Ministry we have to also show government and people in general that the good laws that we would have put in place for our women are being made use of. Yes, women have a choice, some women choose not to use them, but in the case of women like Ms Matangaidze and Ms Shadaya we have seen and heard so much about their triumphs and them not deciding to take back seats as widows after their husband’s passed on,” said Min Mutsvangwa.

Adding, “We celebrate what women are doing everyday, but on International Women’s Day this is the time when we really focus and put a floodlight on the work that women are doing, not only in Zimbabwe but worldwide,” she said.

Ms Vongai Matangaidze (standing) briefing delegates on their operations at Matan Holdings.

Ms Matangaidze who runs Matan Holdings which comprises of a haulage trucking business, Matan Trucking, Wise Owl Hotel, a diamond polishing company, Green Valley Farm and wine distillery company and a property development company, said she is grateful that her husband taught her everything about their business which made it easier for her to manage things after he passed on in 2019. Her husband the late Hlanganiso Matangaidze rose to become a prominent businessman in Manicaland after starting off his career as a banker. He was also a former Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) national president.

“Our companies remain viable as they were seven years ago when my husband was still alive. I am grateful that my husband worked with me to run the businesses, so I am urging other men out there who have businesses to work with their wives or inform them about how the business is run, otherwise their business legacy will die with them instead of remaining viable for posterity. If I didn’t know or had not taken an interest in the business, how he operated it or if Mr Matangaidze had not accepted to work with me, all of these entities would be no more by now,” said Ms Matangaidze

Ms Matangaidze thanked the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO) for a loan that she got and has since paid off. She said the loan helped them with funds to import a new fleet of seven haulage trucks to boost their trucking business.

“I am grateful to SMEDCO for helping us with the funds to import new trucks. I am proud I managed to expand our trucking company fleet. That was our first business and that is the most popular brand, Matan Trucking. So to women out there the facilities to help women in business are there but you need to do your homework  and make use of them,” said Ms Matangaidze who is also educated as a Master of Business Administration graduate from Africa University.

Ms Judith Shadaya (standing) at Shadtar Mine in Penhalonga briefing the distinguished delegates about their mining operations.

Ms Shadaya who runs her company Generational Wealth Creations (GWC) which operates various entities from farming, mining and retail businesses said the journey was not easy after losing her husband Nyavira Kingstone Shadaya and son Kingstone (Junior) in a tragic road accident in 2011.

Her gold mining company Shadtar Mining operating in Penhalonga, Odzi and Nyanga has over the years been praised as a success story of women in mining, which earned her a seat as the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Manicaland chairperson since 2021 up-to-date.

“After losing my husband and son in a car accident, in grief I relocated to our farm that we benefited from the Land Reform programme and ventured into tobacco farming. I was among the first female tobacco farmers to sell tobacco to BAT (British American Tobacco) at large scale. After this I got capital to import cars from Germany and opened a car sale business.  From there I bought shares into a mining company that I was a part of for five years, before I decided to venture into mining alone and looked for my own gold mining claims and started my own mining company Shadtar Mining,” said Ms Shadaya.

She added that women in mining are looked down on but said she wants to change the imbalance by encouraging and empowering other women in the sector. At Shadtar Mine she said they are employing over 160 miners including assisting other widows that are into mining.

“When a woman is empowered she is a builder and a provider,” said Ms Shadaya.

Min Mutsvangwa and Min Mugadza (yellow hats) being briefed on the mining operations at Shadtar Mine in Penhalonga.

Min Mutsvangwa said people should make use of the institutions put in place to prop up indigenous entrepreneurs.

“The success stories of most women in business is shouldering the burdens of other women. We need to learn from those that have walked the talk and not be jealousy of each other. We appreciated the mechanized mining at Shadtar Mining. I have heard you that you have 5 hectares and you are aiming to get more land, even 50 hectares of land to mine. With this kind of organized mining that empowers others, definitely our President Emmerson Mnangagwa will support such entrepreneurs like you and this is my job as your Minister to make sure he learns about such great works being done by our women,” she said.

The Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Honourable Advocate Misheck Mugadza said it was important to empower women. He said in Manicaland women in business are cross cutting all sectors and thanked President Mnangagwa for pressing on women empowerment and equality policies under the new dispensation government.