Published: 25 March 2018

Zimbabwe's ancient city of Masvingo is renowned for being home to the historic Great Zimbabwe Monuments, an acclaimed World Heritage Site from which the country's name is derived.

Masvingo over the years has failed to escape the shadows of being known as a tourist and cultural city because of its close association to the mystic monuments whose construction have been used to explain the sophistry of the ancient civilisation that evolved from there. Today Masvingo is slowly transforming from a mere tourist and cultural city into a modern urban settlement whose growth is hinged on a diverse range of activities centred around tourism, mining, construction, transport and agriculture.

Masvingo is slowly developing into an industrial hub in the southern part of Zimbabwe thanks to its location at the centre of the country's road and rail network. The impending $1 billion dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge highway has sparked a boom in industrial growth fired by potential growth in the construction sector.

The potential boom in the construction sector pinned on the highway dualisation project has given birth to a new breed of indigenous entrepreneurs seeking to exploit opportunities engendered by the dualisation project. Among indigenous players who have quickly jumped to exploit the highway project spin-offs is businessman and war veteran Benjamin Mazarire whose firm, Summerton Quarry has set up a US$1 million quarry processing plant in the country's oldest town.

Mazarire (56) opened the plant about 20km west of Masvingo along the Masvingo-Bulawayo highway. The plant will soon have a daily quarry and quarry dust of 60 tonnes and employ 150 people. Summerton Quarry has already sent shock-waves in the country's oldest town and its immediate environment with customers showing strong interest in the firm's affordable products that will change the face of construction in Masvingo.

Joining the war of liberation at a tender age of 16 is never a stroll in the park for many as the exchange of guns is a dreadful experience, let alone human fatalities. This aptly describes the life of Mazarire, who has not only survived the vagaries of the liberation struggle but emerged to become an educated former guerilla and a top entrepreneur after independence.

Talking to the man who is not also new in the world of politics would sometimes take one aback given his humbleness and respect. This is despite his vast business empire built over years courtesy of his business acumen.

Mazarire, a member of the ruling Zanu-PF who was once in the provincial structures of the party, has built his business empire which includes Summerton Quarry, a gold mine, car spares shops, money lending company that has spread its tentacles across the province, among other business initiatives, from humble beginnings.

After leaving the army in 2004 where he worked for 20 years as a teacher, Mazarire opened a bottle store and general dealer at his rural home — Ngomahuru in Masvingo Central Constituency before venturing into money lending business.

"After retiring I opened a small general dealer and bottle store using my personal savings, in my home area. Thereafter I had to expand my business empire after receiving my pension. I then opened Hilthrow Money lending company and I have 18 branches countrywide, spare parts shops in a number of urban and growth points.

"I also diversified into gold mine and quarry processing company and I have invested more than $1 million into the initiative. My desire has always been creating employment, helping the youth to earn a living," he said.

Born in Ngomahuru, Masvingo Central Mazarire left school to join the liberation struggled at the age of 16. He received military training in Mozambique before he was deployed to Chimoio but had to enrol at a teacher training college back in the country where he trained as a teacher after independence.

He was then attested into the Zimbabwe National Army as a teacher and taught in Masvingo and Bulawayo and rose to become a headmaster. He had risen to the rank of Captain upon retirement in 2004.

A father of five; two boys and three girls, Mazarire is married to Mrs Netsai Mazarire who is a teacher at a local school.

Mazarire, who is an Elder in the Roman Catholic Masvingo Diocese believes there are a lot of business opportunities that can quickly transform the province into an economic hub if exploited.

He said he will continue investing in Masvingo until the province becomes competitive, economically. He called on Government to utilise vast mineral resources that include gold, lithium and diamond, found in the region for the sole benefit of the people.

The businessman challenged other businesspeople who hail from Masvingo to put money where their mouths are — thus investing in their home region. He said the province's sons and daughters should come back home and invest for the benefit of the region rather than taking away investments outside the country.

The soft spoken politician also called on the financial sector to extend lines of credit to businesses that have the potential of creating employment and changing the lives of people in the province.

An admirer of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tough stance on corruption, Mazarire said he loathed corruption and its perpetrators. He said he is a firm believer in hard work, saying his success as a businessman was a product of many years of sweating, adding that sometimes he went for days without eating.

Like a soldier, he believes in the concept of no pain — no gain and this has cascaded to his family members, workers and significant others.

Mazarire said the morale support that he gets from his family, especially his wife, motivates him to work even harder and is grateful to the advice he gets from his business associates.

He said in business there are a lot of risks that if a person is faint-hearted he or she would not stand the challenges but, as a trained soldier, he has developed a, "thick skin" where "training hard will make you fight easier."

This has propelled him to where he is now and is considered one of a few successful entrepreneurs in the province.

Mazarire, who is a holder of a Masters of Business Administration Degree said his dream is to list his company on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

He said the new administration led by President Mnangagwa entered into office at the right time through its "Zimbabwe is open for business" mantra.

Having survived the worst inflationary environment during the 2007-2008 period where a number of companies closed shop in Masvingo and relocated to Harare, Mazarire believes the sky remained the only limit for his growing business empire.

"We had the worst economic experience between 2007 and 2008 where prices of commodities skyrocketed as speculative tendencies took toll. Some micro-finance organisations gave in to money laundering, violating Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe statutes. Some were accepting deposits but I was never tempted and continued lending people, especially civil servants who constitute the bulk our clients up to this day.

"My message to the people of Masvingo is that let us support the Government of the day. Let us open businesses and also market our province to attract foreign direct investment, as Masvingo is open for business."
- zimpapers

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