Charismatic businesswoman, Zodwa Mkandla (50), has shown off her huge mansion in Harare for the first time. Zodwa owns a Bentley SUV and a G-Wagon. The mansion was built by Ginimbi and she does not know how much it cost to build.
Speaking to popular Ghanaian YouTuber, Wode Maya, Zodwa said this is her home and she does not value earthly possessions as these will remain on earth when she finally leaves this earth.
The interview was carried out in Zodwa’s massive bedroom suite.
Key points from the interview
- Zodwa was born in Bulawayo before she moved to Harare where her father worked for foreign affairs. He was a diplomat in Angola, Ethiopia and India
- Her father was sent on a diplomatic mission outside Zimbabwe and she moved back to Bulawayo.
- She would visit her father during school holidays.
- Zodwa says Zimbabwe is her country and she loves it. She can not be outside the country for more than 10 days.
- Zodwa was brought up by her grandmother in the village.
- When her grandmother died she moved to Harare to join her father.
- After completing school in 1993, she got her first job as a bus conductor at a company called express motorways.
- In 1995, Zodwa got a job at a travel Agency as a receptionist. She started doing ticketing and consulting before moving.
- She ended up job hopping and realized that she needed to start her own business.
- She started teaching travel and tourism from home, learn how to make cakes and doing events.
- In 1999, she started a travel agency called Rue Travel Agency with one of her students. She was a marketing manager and he was the CEO.
- She was not satisfied and moved again. In 2003, she started Traverze travel.
- Running a business is never easy. But because she is not a quitter, she did not give up.
- The major challenge in her business is the ever changing economic environment. She always finds a way of facing the challenges.
- Rich cousins is a group of girls that work together in Harare. On her birthday they put together $50 000 and bough her a new kitchen.
- Zodwa has two daughters, Precious and Melissa who are 27 and 21 years old. Zodwa is divorced from their father who lives in England. He left when Melissa was 3 months old.
- They were 6 and 12 when she met Genius Ginimbi Kadungure.
- When Ginimbi died, they were in the process of getting back together.
- Zodwa always speaks out against blessers, married men who take care of young women.
- Zodwa has a massive shoe collection in her walk in closet.
- Zodwa says she still wants to get married again.
- A travel agency is a volumes business and you have to have a lot of clients.
- There are 250 clients in Zimbabwe. Traverze deals with corporates, government and parastatals.
- It is possible to be successful in Africa. Its a mindset, its about working together and having each other down.
- If Africans support each other’s businesses they will do well.
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