Diaspora Matters

Over the past few years the trend has been that of Zimbabweans emigrating to other countries and this has resulted in over 3 million being based on foreign soil. An analysis of Diaspora remittances show an upward trend , in 2009, remittances stood at $294 million and increased to $552 million in 2012, $788 million in 2013 before rising to $935 million in 2015.

Whilst this upward trend will continue in the short to medium term, our expectation is that one day the Diaspora will return and reverse the trend. One day there will be a stampede to come back to Zimbabwe by the Diaspora community. A presentation by the Minister of SMEs in South Africa, Ms Lindiwe Zulu showed that foreign investors are slowly coming back to Zimbabwe to look for opportunities. They may not be investing yet but are getting ready to tap into opportunities that abound in Zimbabwe. A few in the Diaspora are doing the same coming here and there to the country and checking on possible opportunity areas. Like foreign national investors, they are not investing yet but waiting for the right policies and support or trigger events that will result in reverse migration.

How do you get prepared?

Most potential foreign investors coming to Zimbabwe to scour for opportunities use South African Airways flights which is where Ms Zulu observed that not all foreign nationals on these flights are not necessarily tourists. She just confirmed what we already know at ZBIN! So for the Diasporan son or daughter of the soil to tap into opportunities that exist all you need to do is to be prepared. You have to identify your area of interest where you have strengths in and get yourself a business plan. Review the business plan on a constant basis incorporating changes in the policy or operating environment.

Preparation for investment is a process which takes time and you need to be part of supportive forums or platform where business ideas are shared. You need to be part of support forums where you discuss business experiences with others facing similar situations. The forums can be in Diaspora or in Zimbabwe-all you need is to get information of what is working or what is not. Information shared on various platforms plus professional expert advice will equip you with the right information and skills for effective decision making.

The potential foreign investors who are flocking to Zimbabwe are joining business forums in Zimbabwe, some are getting professional advice on available opportunities and how to prepare for them. They are being told of possible triggers for the Zimbabwe Gold Rush and what to do when the triggers come to effect. They are studying case studies of countries that have been in similar situations such as ours and what happened when the right conditions for investment were created. Some are following government initiatives such as Ease of Doing Business and Economic Export Zones. Some are looking at the development of the Diaspora strategy and looking at opportunities that will be presented by the strategy. Of course the biggest issue that potential investors are looking at and monitoring in the political landscape!

Practical Examples of preparation

You may not necessarily need to invest at one go, you may do investment on a piecemeal basis and one of the best strategies is to develop strong relationships or links with organisations back home. One can take the example of an IT company run by Zimbabweans which has approached us looking for mentorship opportunities. We gladly approved their request to join and they will be assisting the ZBIN community with digital marketing e-lessons, drafting manuals to assist the informal sector and providing limited funding assistance. They will be helping Zimbabwe IT professionals on our group by linking them with other experts in South Africa.

The end result is that they will slowly build their name by partnering with a leading forum for the SME sector in Zimbabwe. They will slowly build their brand and get acceptance by hundreds of thousands of followers of ZBIN. Such association will result in them improving current business as they will be exporting to Zimbabwe, the bigger benefit for them is that they would have prepared enough groundwork for expansion to Zimbabwe!

They will not be on the same footing with someone who will be coming with investment funds and trying to build a brand or reputation at one go. You do not build a brand in one day-it takes years. Even at ZBIN, we did not get thousands of followers in a single year, the project started in 2012 with a group of a few friends meeting online and deciding to form Zimbabwe’s biggest online business community. Therefore the best strategy is to partner with organisations or forums that have a strong following. This will assist you in getting ready for investment. Some groups are for free and some you may need to subscribe to. It is your duty to look for social groups or platforms that give you value for money in terms of business or investment information.

Regularly assess such platforms whether they give you value for money, whether they are forward looking and track events on the ground in preparation for an investment rush. The ball is in your court, get ready for opportunities and assess your situation and take corrective action if need be.

*One way to track opportunities and get ready for investment is to track public tenders. Tenders tell you the full story of the investment climate-where are funds going to? Which sectors are growing? Where is the Private, Government or NGO sector spending funds on? The ZBIN provides this information for free once every 2 months or on a weekly basis to subscribed members.

Exporting goods, services and technology to the Chinese market” takes and in-depth look at the requirements and processes relevant for European SMEs looking to export their product into China.

No matter if you plan to export goods, services or technology, as a first step you will always have to determine which restrictions apply in your industry and product group; this report will give you an idea of the intricacies of these regulations and where to look for further information.

The chapter on goods, the most common type of product imported to China, also covers aspects like necessary licences and different types of quota and standards, while later sections outline fundamentals of sales and purchase contracts, foreign exchange control and different distribution channels and what they imply in terms of time and other resources necessary.

Report Outline

• Goods
  • Process for exporting your goods to China
  • Free imports, Restricted imports and Prohibited imports
  • Standards and China Compulsory Certification (CCC)
  • Labelling and Packaging
  • Entry-exit commodity inspection and customs
  • Relevant taxes and fees for the import of goods
• Services
  • Process for exporting your services to China
  • Service industries encouraged, permitted, restricted and prohibited for investment
• Technology
  • Process of transferring your technology to China
  • Technology approved for import
  • Restricted and prohibited technology
  • Technology transfer contract
  • Relevant taxes and fees for the transfer of technology

The Chartered Management Accountancy profession is one of the strongest business qualifications in the world. In Zimbabwe less than 10 individuals pass the final stage each year and in South Africa its less than 40 every year. With head quarters in the United Kingdom, the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants produces some of the best business leaders and this is why it is in high demand worldwide. The unique blend of management accounting, financial accounting and business-focused subjects produces competent and confident CGMAs who can lead their organisations to sustainable success.

The Story of Nyasha

A few years ago this writer was referred to a young lady called Nyasha who lived in Prospect Harare, an academic genius, at the age of 18, Nyasha was the best A level student in Botswana. At the age of 21 Nyasha had passed the final exams of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). She had not only completed the CIMA final exams but was the third best student in the world! This was not her first world record as she had also won several CIMA national and world record prizes for individual subjects. To date she is one of the brightest young Zimbabweans who have flown the national academic flag high in the field of Management Accounting. Her academic record is something that the nation should be proud of!

Nyasha fails to find a job

The young lady was soon to find out that excelling on the academic field can be a curse especially in the current environment. Most managers with average academic achievements fear young , innovative students with impeccable credentials. Nyasha was to respond to numerous job vacancies applying for various jobs in the Private sector, NGO sector and Government and was never responded to, she was never shortlisted. Even companies looking for trainee graduates did not want her near an interview room.

Why was she failing to get a job?

I had a good discussion with the then CIMA Country Office Manager, Mr Moses Sikwila asking why such rare talent is jobless? The answer from him was that she was putting the ‘world prizes’ on her curriculum vitae and this was scaring potential finance managers interested in employing her. Who would want a world class student in his or her team? She will be a strong threat to the finance team leader and this explained why she was roaming the streets of Harare unemployed. She had to tone down the world academic record –perhaps remove them totally from the curriculum vitae and project herself as an average student?

Nyasha and Mentorship Programme

The fact that Nyasha was failing to get internship or trainee jobs did not make sense at all. In other countries such rare talents should be celebrated and cherished. In other countries such rare talents results in companies fighting for her. Realising that nothing fruitful was going to happen, I designed a mentorship programme that would assist her in getting relevant work experience so that she could land a job.

Removing the World Records on her Curriculum Vitae

I did not agree with removing her excellent academic record from her resume. She needed to wear the badge of  CIMA with honour and not care who does not appreciate nor fear  it. I designed a mentorship programme for her which included part time working experience working on a couple of projects for the Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network forum. I also got her a part time job writing accounting modules for a leading Accounting Training Institute called Asranti based in the United Kingdom.

I also redesigned her curriculum vitae putting the world record academic achievements on top ! The good news is that she later on got a job at a local boys high school in the capital where she worked for a few months. Our target of the mentorship programme was for her to get commercial and business skills and the excellent news is that Nyasha landed an excellent job as a Finance Manager for a construction company based in Botswana. The Twanas saw value in this gem and were quick to grab her, they did not waste time in grabbing this rare talent which had been rejected by Harare.

So what was happening to Nyasha?

What was happening to Nyasha is something most young people can relate to-lack of opportunities in all the sectors of the economy. Even in cases where job opportunities exist-those with the best qualifications are sidelined because someone is afraid and wants to protect his or her job. In the case of CIMA qualified students the situation can be worse because managers who do not possess the qualification generally fear competition that is posed by the leading profession. The best strategy employed by those who fear it is to create barriers for this qualification and make sure that no ACMAs join finance teams!  It is not surprising to find a finance department dominated by a single accounting body. If a Finance Director is CIS qualified then he is likely to fill his department with only CIS qualified accountants. If the Finance Lead is ACCA qualified then she is likely to only allow the recruitment of ACCA qualified personnel.

Recommendation to Recruiters

The biggest asset in an organisation is human capital, this human capital should be well trained and be diverse. Human Resource Managers should be wary of barriers for talent such as Nyasha. In the case of Accounting, all accounting bodies play a crucial function in the success of an organisation. A Chartered Accountant or Certified Chartered Accountant plays a  crucial role in areas such as financial reporting, treasury management, internal controls, compliance and audits. A CIMA qualified accountant will complement the roles of the other accountants by bringing business or commercial skills, researches and expert planning. A good finance department should create value by bringing a mix of all accounting bodies under one roof where feasible. When a finance director creates barriers for other accounting bodies then the biggest loser is the company because competing company with a right mix of skills will definitely perform better than the one where practically everyone thinks the same.

The creation of barriers is contributing to the lack of competitiveness by most local companies and when one day the economy opens up, a lot of local companies are going to face stiff competition from new entrants that would have studied this weakness. If you are not allowing new talents to join your organisation then you risk losing out on new skills being imparted to new graduates. The United Kingdom headquartered  Finance Bodies are well known for carrying out thorough and relevant researches that result in them designing curriculum that is in demand by business leaders worldwide. The strong emphasis on continuous education enables members to be up to date with emerging finance and business skills.

Leading Zimbabweans who have studied CIMA includes the former Sunday Mail editor Edmund Kudakwashe Kudzayi who was believed to be the brains behind  the Baba Jukwa character. The impact of his work is not surprising to some of us because the new syllabus has a strong content on Social Media and Business. Readers are encouraged to read the chapter on IT and Competitive Advantage for Business. Other prominent people to have studied CIMA include the ZIMPLATS CEO, Mr Alex Mhembere and Dairiboard CEO, Mr Anthony Mandiwanza.

Nyasha as a ZBIN Volunteer

Harare may have lost this rare academic gem to Gaberone but we believe that we can still tap into her expertise. Nyasha has agreed to volunteer for ZBIN and will inspire and provide counselling to youths who have gone through similar experiences. Through our volunteer programme, she will provide expert advice  to those studying Accounting or Finance or entrepreneurs on the forum.

We have an important document that helps our members who are rearing poultry. It is the Poultry Diseases Manual, feel free to download or refer to it in future whenever you run into poultry diseases.

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The  promulgation of SI (Statutory Instrument) 59 of 2017 should be welcomed by all entrepreneurs. The new law on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) primarily targets foreign investors so that they can set up businesses in Zimbabwe in designated areas. The designated areas would enjoy special preferences in terms of issues such as taxation, import and exports.

A pessimistic view would result in someone thinking that locals would not benefit at all. This is far from the truth, locals are bound to benefit If you strategically place yourself to tap into various opportunities that are going to arise.

A look at similar SEZ projects shows that in Jamaica industries such as the following were set up:

Logistics and Warehousing-product distribution, third party logistics and container breaking

Non Food Manufacturing and Assembling-packaging and labelling, pharmaceuticals, automotive assembly, electronics and medical devices

Food Processing-shared co-packing facilities, research and development

Repair and Refurbishment-used automobiles, appliance warranty centres

Information and Communication Technology-call centre and back office services

Education-universities and college training centres

We do not have information on the specific industries that will be covered by the SEZs but we believe that the above industries will be covered in great detail. The opportunities that are presented by this initiative involves partnering with foreign investors on various projects. There will also be an opportunity for knowledge transfer which will come from this initiative. The forum hopes that the Diaspora community will be  included too and benefit from favourable policies in these centres. The Diaspora community is already bringing in twice the amount invested by foreign nationals in the country.

So look at this initiative as a window of opportunity to be grabbed, do follow developments in this sector and strategically position your self for emerging opportunities.

It is exactly 12 months before election and already the political temperatures are slowly picking up momentum. Do expect full campaigning to go full throttle in the next 2 to 3 months. It will not be business as usual for the entrepreneur because this period is usually characterised by a lot of new programmes or policies as politicians jostle for power.

An entrepreneur should not be caught unaware when planning or reviewing strategies. You need to look closely at opportunities and risks that will be presented by this period. New policies may be coming that affect your specific business sector favourably-grab them. Some policies may negatively affect your business-learn to manage them!

We encourage you to look at the previous elections in 2013, how was the business sector affected? Which new policies or directives came? How did they affect you? One is therefore advised to watch the tv closely and watch out for policy announcements, take an interest in all newspapers. You need balanced views so that you can make your own informed decision. Follow tweets from influential Zimbabweans, what are they saying? Will this affect your business? Do not miss public announcements by key people such as the Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank Governor.

Be careful of losing influential business partners, customers or clients during this period due to your political affiliations or views. Try and keep your political views away from your business because some of your major clients may not agree with your views on politics.

As ZBIN we have always been apolitical from day 1 and this is one of our major advantages. We have a solid community that supports different parties and this is a strength which we cherish. We do not allow political messages because they will divide members and divert attention. Our core mandate is business and we will keep to that.

One alarming gap in the political scene is the absence of evidence based decision making! We hope politicians can learn from the business sector. In critical decision making one needs to back up strategic decisions by using well researched evidence. The use of statistics and researches is limited in the political landscape. Statistics or researches on voting patterns, benchmarking from similar environments which is backed by researches. A few surveys do come here and there but more should be done in this sector. Political strategists can learn from the business sector-we do not make critical decisions based on heresay! So food for thought to politicians as we mark the beginning of a 12 months political marathon.

Volunteer Programme

This initiative from the forum is going on well. A new game changer for the SME sector in Zimbabwe, we will be utilising the expertise that exists in Zimbabwe locally and abroad. We have registered the first batch of volunteers, the next stage is registering business owners in need of assistance. Researches in capacity building shows that capacity building should be demand driven. This implies that you do not go to someone and offer capacity building when they have not indicated they need it.

We have already identified a quarter of the people who need assistance in the volunteer programme. We are open for more, all you need to do is to write an email to vicmunemo@yahoo.com or contact us on +263774081808

Beira Trip Build Up

We are slowly preparing for the historic forum trip to Beira and we hope to do this in the next 2 weeks. This trip should enable the forum to explore opportunities in the that exists in Mozambique, how others are taking advantage of them and identify gaps for our team. If you are interested in the trip then get in touch with the Administrator of the ZBIN Moz Opportunities Group-Clara Mapfumo on +263 779 330 095.

Our forum tracks tenders in Zimbabwe and we cover all sectors. Knowledge of tenders is critical for every serious investor because you need to know what will be happening in terms of investment and growth. Which areas continue to grow? Who is involved in tenders, the trends, who is new in flighting tender adverts etc

Expert investors will need this crucial information for investment purposes because tenders means big bucks. This is the vehicle through which hundreds of millions of dollars from the Government, Parastatals and NGOs spend their monies. An analysis of the NGO sector can show the areas where they are spending money on, an analysis of schools in Zimbabwe shows that over US$5 Billion was spend on bus purchases over the past 3 years! So someone with a company that manufactures or procures buses should be one of the happiest people in Zimbabwe. Universities have been active on the tender market procuring IT equipment and related accessories.

Diaspora Connection

The initiative from ZBIN is that the Diaspora community should follow tenders in Zimbabwe. You should tenders so that you can set up your own companies and benefit from the tenders. A look at most of the tenders shows that they are for procuring goods that are not manufactured in Zimbabwe. In short they are for the importation of goods from other countries such as South Africa, Japan, China, UK and USA. A diaspora with access to loans or credit facilities should partner with locals and participate in the tender business.

Tender Tracker Availability

Our tender tracker is available on a weekly basis and only to subscribed members of the forum. If you are not a subscriber then you will get access to tenders once every 2 months like this latest one which is available for free download.

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Many passengers continue to lose their lives in public transport accidents. The Lion King Bus accident where 43 lives were lost  is a case in mind, we can also add the kombi accident in Seke where more than 9 passengers perished on the spot. In all of the accidents, the number 1 problem is over speeding.

The question that comes to mind is ‘ Will passengers not be aware that a bus is over speeding?’ Interviews with the survivors of the Lion King Bus accident shows that passengers were aware of the over speeding by the bus driver. Some cautioned him but to no avail. He kept on speeding resulting in the horror crash!

The proposed solution from ZBIN is as follows;

1.All buses should have the contact details of the owner or supervisor of the bus. These details should be displayed where every passenger can see them. The details can also be put on the bus ticket. In cases of over speeding-passengers to immediately contact the number so that the supervisor can contact the driver.

2. Bus companies should invest in awareness campaigns to let passengers know of their rights to notify the supervisor or bus owner if they suspect that a bus is over speeding.

3. The system to be checked for compliance by authorities, log books of complaints received to be checked and action taken  by buses being monitored.

We believe that  when buses know that passengers know their rights, they know where to report when buses are over speeding then can  take corrective action on over speeding problems. The current scenario is that passengers just keep quiet and those who speak up are never listened to by bus drivers. If you continuously complain you risk being ejected from the bus or other passengers may disagree with you and encourage the driver to keep or increase speed!

Passengers should not sit idle whilst being driven to death, they should take action to stop over speeding! In the case of the Lion King Bus crash-passengers noticed over speeding more than 100 kilometres away before the horror crash. Had they phoned the bus supervisor or owner to notify them of the over speeding-chances are high that the 43 lives lost could have been saved.

Below we bring you some of the responses from the Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network members

Ashley York Best way to stop buses speeding is for insurance companies not to supply third party liability cover to ungoverned buses. It will be too expensive for the bus companies to cover this amount of deaths without insurance.

Richmore Mudhodha I do support your idea coz we are losing precious and innocent souls

Missy Ree Ree Nyatananga Your idea is plausible Mdala.Shld the passenger’s request had been taken cognisance of maybe it cld hv been a different case

Tori Elles Mum Before I had a child I used to enjoy the high speed especially travelling to SA. Intercape yaitondisvota coz “yainanaira” coz of the speed track yavaive nayo don’t know about now. Senge madays eGo liner Supreme paive nadriver wandaifarira stereki Lloyd I think is his name haaa aiflya paroad iyeye nzeve dzaivhara senge ndege iri kuenda mudenga. Now that I’m a mother I’d rather vabereki vandirove ndaita noise kuti ndidzike when the driver is driving at a very high speed. Vabereki should learn to rise with one voice not kungogara vakabatira hana mumaoko vachimhanyisirwa kunourayiwa. This is just so sad mhan

Eng Brian Mukoyi Mdhara Rue. Thanks for bringing this subject up. But I have a different view. We seem to worry when a high number of people die in one accident. Measures should be taken across the board. How many cars travel above 120km/hr and we don’t seem concerned ? Whether it’s one life lost or 100 at once we need to deal with the same stick. Fuel tankers were banned from travelling at night, now we propose buses. Why not the smaller vehicles? Tinenge tichiendepi husiku with smaller cars where we do not want buses to go? Buses owners don’t lose anything in travelling on day if all passengers are restricted to day travelling. Speeding can happen during day and cause accidents. Let’s research on accidents in Zimbabwe and analyse the stats before we make such landmark decisions. My prayers are with the families of the deceased.

Eng Brian Mukoyi An afterthought. If a bus is running late the bus has to stop and passengers sleep on the road? Consider a passenger travelling from Harare to Vic Falls by bus. 880km. At 80km/hr the bus will take 11hrs. With stoppages of 15 minutes per rank in all towns along the way, the bus will stop for at least 1hr 30min. That’s a total of 12hr 30min. Just try to imagine the effect of the night ban to the passengers on such a trip

Brian Mathonsi We may blame each other till our Lord returns without mentioning the critical factor of our highways. I travelled at night some time back from SA via a Malayisha’s Quantam. The good fellow would fall asleep for a good 30s at a time and i would gently nudge him awake. We need wider roads. Period! Zimbabweans have this mentality of skirting the real issues that need addressing

Brian Mathonsi We cant still be using Ian Smith’s roads 37 years later and then accuse business people of ritual accidents. I refuse to entertain minimalistic arguments. The people responsible for delivering roads should deliver roads

Foster Leman James All buses should have satellite tracking so that their offices can monitor and instruct drivers to adhere to certain speeds

Exavior Chitova Chivige so sad that we lost so many lives, breadwinners and future leaders as well, but govt is to blame as well, people are ever travelling esp zimboz trying to make ends meet, kunoshava kuma neighbouring countries bcz of economic hardships back home, there are no jobs, no money yet you want to survive, the situation is just bad, every border human traffic ma zimbabweans, why, you rarely see south africans zambians malawians mozambicans coming to zim why but us going to those countries

Sabina Abdulla Above all comments are reasonable, But some passengers tell the bus driver to drive faster if the passengers are in a hurry to reach destination so both parties to be blamed here

Apton Kanyemba i work in the marine industry.we can control a ship that is about 3000 kms away,thats via satellite.and thats out at sea ey?,ofcoz thats technology.the same can be done by bus companies if they want to.a bus can be fitted wth a setillite tracking that control its speed and functions at any given time.someone can do fhat from their control room.but becoz owners dont want to meet that extra costs,i think Gov must make a it a condition befor issuing a new operators licence or renewing it.

Tori Elles Mum Realistically we all know that roads are far from being fixed so in the meantime should people continue to perish because roads aren’t being delivered? The blame is on the bus companies. Surely they can’t have their buses driving on our bad roads as though they are driving on SA roads which are good. They know the state of the roads and therefore should take measures to curb such incidents that may cause accidents e.g. installing tracking devices and putting supervisors contact details on the tickets so passengers can report if the driver isn’t taking heed of passengers plea to reduce speed. While we continue blaming the govt people are dying. There’s always a way of working around an unfavourable situation.

Alficha Marques We can use the tollgate clocking times to fine public transporters who are over speeding on roads with tollgates or something like that.

Blessing Bee Bling kare taiti tichienda kumusha tikasvika paroadblock bhazi romiswa hanzi hazvisi kufambirana ne timetable saka mirai kusvika nguva dzakwana or kudzokera kumashure taitoburuka mubhazi todya mbova tofambafamba musango kusvika tanzi nguva yakwana chiendai zvino zvikomana zvemabonda izvi zvinotoona business pauri hazvitobvunzi zvinongogamuchira mari nyangwe bhazi risiri mucondition as long atora mugove wake haana chinomutyisa

Blessing Bee Bling we demand renovations on the roads and cameras and speed trap devices like in S.A. zinara collects lumpsums from motorists on those suicidal roads where is the money going to?

Kevin Sena The Law Of Road Safety: When the driver and his vehicle lose it, the road must do something

Rachel Chitongo Dai kuri kuno mapassenger vakamukiya kukaroi

Mdala Wa Rue Abt 2 months ago i went to Mtoko Centre…ndichangobva pa toll gate kubuda muHre i saw an merc kombi yairova above 140 (i was travelling at 120)..the way he overtook me ndakangoti Mwari dai machengeta kombi iyi. Luckily it stopped at a roadblock and i overtook it. I thought all was ok only to find the kombi yakawa on my way back…it had burst a tyre a few kilos after Murewa….so kune vanowona a speeding public transport vehicle…vekunze uye vanenge varimo mukombi imomo…Do they have power or wongofa wakatarisa?

Christopher Chingono Every bus should have a police hotline which passengers can phone. This should be a toll free number to be used by passengers. Police at the next station can then be notified. Surely we cant let this driver carelessness go unpunished. The bus owners need to take reponsibility for their drivers actions as well. Bus companies need to start being taken to task for the behaviour of their drivers.

Rachel Chitongo vanhu don’t complain because vanenge vaneta ne the hundreds of stops in between

Justice Mungwini problem speeding does not start with bus driver,nor ends with him…long distance routes are more lucrative and a driver has to ‘perform’ to continue being given that route.calling supervisor driver z speeding will simply give the supervisor something to smile at…to involve the police at this season of tym will only give them an extra loophole yekuguma nayo ma driver mari…

Mai Mrehwa at one point we where in a speeding combi.we complained and the stupid driver started driving at 40km/h…needless to say …am still alive besides arriving hours late.

We would like to thank the business community for the overwhelming responses to our call for business volunteers. This is great for the small to medium scale business enterprises in Zimbabwe. The forum would like to take advantage of the huge human capital potential that exists in Zimbabwe. We would like to harness this and help to capacity build a lot of entrepreneurs through the volunteer programme which we have dubbed ‘ ZBIN  Entrepreneurship Unlimited’. We are pushing the boundaries in terms of entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe and through mentorship, partnerships and networking, we believe that only the sky is the limit!

How will it work?

We have received tens of responses from the community, some are lawyers, accountants, engineers, television producers, agronomists, entrepreneurs, bankers etc. Some of the responses came from Zimbabwe and abroad with countries such as Australia, UK, South Africa, USA, Germany, Turkey, Swaziland and Botswana.

We will provide volunteers with platforms to present on their areas of technical expertise to the forum. We will use platforms such as our popular Facebook Page where one can do a Facebook Live Programme on selected business topics as requested by the community. Videos produced to be uploaded on this site and Youtube so that more Zimbabweans outside the ZBIN forum can have access to the materials presented.

Other platforms will include training through webinars or at our conference room. Some will be writing business articles for sharing with the community or targeting their assistance to selected business enterprises. We believe that through this programme, the forum will be richer as it harnesses the human capital that exists amongst Zimbabweans dotted across the globe!

Below we feature one of the responses that we got from a loyal member of ZBIN

Hi I saw your message asking for volunteers. I am a broadcast and digital journalist. I am based in Turkey where I work for an international news channel as a producer. I am keen on training some people on Digital social marketing. This on how harness social media in growing their brands. I will focus on developing social media strategy, which platforms to focus on, and mobile journalism on how to shoot, produce and publish videos of their products.

This will be a great opportunity for the ZBIN entrepreneurs to take advantage of the skills and knowledge of this brother who is based in the diaspora and has got access to the latest technology and skills in the area of digital marketing. We hope to see more volunteers coming to the forum and help a lot of Zimbabwean entrepreneurs in need of various services but not knowing where to get it or even afford to pay for it.

Next week we will finalise a legal capacity building framework for the SME sector. We are fortunate to have a lawyer who has volunteered to help the SME sector with all legal issues. We have asked the community to state what it is they would like her to cover and some of  the responses we got are as follows:

 Member 1: We would like her to cover partnership agreements investment Agreements drafts business contracts IP issues Arbitration

Member 2: She should try and cover ;

1) business agreements
2) transaction lagalities
3) trade legal requirement
4) export lagalities
5) representation of sme Players in litigation – funded through subscriptions
6) legal operation requiremnts package for sme in Zimbabwe

Member 3: Dealing with bad debtors. Law of contracts btwn parties/ individuals zvatofanira kutarisa wen entering into contracts. Advice of forms of partnerships/companies with less risk. Company/ trustee/ cooperative formation

Member 4: I think assistance with partnership agreements would really help as well as information on tax laws and how they affect our businesses. Perhaps she could also provide advice on company types that are legal in Zim and how best to select an option suitable to you business. I always wonder about trusts and foundations in reference to commercial applicability.

ZBIN is going to do a Live Facebook Feature on our Facebook Page tomorrow at 3:00pm where we will explain how the Volunteer Programme will work. Do not miss the feature on our page Zim Business Ideas and Network.

For those interested in joining our programme, do send an email to vicmunemo@yahoo.com or use this phone number +263774081808

The Real Estate sector seems to be slowing down , house construction is still going on but the rate of growth has slowed down drastically. This is not surprising as it is a reflection of what is prevailing in the economy. I recently visited Chishawasha and Grange in Harare and witnessed a lot of big and beautiful homes- there was a worrying trend though-homes or mansions that are incomplete !. A lot of people are struggling to complete some mansions that they had started building, we hope that they will complete them when the fortunes of the country improves.

The topic of the day targets first time builders-the problems they encounter and proposed solutions.

Most people make blunders when they build their first homes, most will be excited to have finally secured a residential stand. Running around to have your house plan approved and securing funds to start building. It is a wonderful feeling and building your first home is something that you will remember for the rest of your life!

The advice given below is for first timers who will be engaging individual builders to construct their homes. If you have enough money then you can enter into an agreement with a contractor who will build your house and deliver a complete product. This option is however expensive and this is why most prefer to engage individual builders.

So what are the top 3 problems that you are likely to encounter?

Unscrupulous builders: Here is someone you are going to like or dislike for the rest of your life. Get it wrong and the project is going to be a disaster!  Make sure that you get a reputable builder or contractor to do work for you. First shortlist a couple of builders like 3 or 4 and then do reference checks. Do not do one reference check but more checks of projects that they would have worked on. Choose the one with the best references to do work for you.

Use of Helpers: The builder is likely to recruit helpers or ‘Dhaka boys’. If you do not check what is happening, the helpers can end up building as well. These inexperienced helpers may even be left doing the job whilst the main builder seeks other work. He will only turn up at specific times so as to conceal evidence of absence from work. This practice is rife in Harare and is the number 1 headache for a first time builder as it often results in shoddy work.

Building Material Disappearance: Most builders get money from selling excess building materials, this is a given. They make you buy more cement and sell the extra bags. They can even say we have run out of cement so that  you can compensate for the stolen cement bags. This practice of stealing building materials starts from the foundation up to roofing level. When you involve them in drafting a bill of quantities, chances are high that they will be including their ‘profit share’ in the materials to be purchased.

Proposed solutions

We have mentioned the need to vet builders as a starting point, discuss with others who have built houses or will be building in your area. They will give you tips on the top risks of engaging independent builders to construct your first house. Secondly we encourage you to be involved in certain critical stages of building your home such as the foundation.

The rule number 1 of building your home is that’ You should be physically available’ when your foundation is being built. In your planning, take leave for a few weeks from your employment and ensure that you oversee the construction of your foundation. Do not second anyone-you should be physically available, get an independent expert to assist you if you can afford. Most builders are unscrupulous and will find ways of duping you during this stage because this is where most of the funds are used. This is where you spend more money on cement, bricks and more. For the unethical builder-the foundation represents a cash cow! This is where they make the most money through stealing materials.

Can you use a relative to oversee the foundation construction?

We mentioned above that you should be physically present right? Now what if you are busy and decide to second a relative to the project? A good friend of mine seconded a close relative to the project and guess what happened? The relative ended up conniving with the builders and stealing building materials! He thought everything was right only to be shocked when he found a lorry fetching cement at his construction site. So the fact is -do not trust anyone with overseeing your construction project especially at critical stages such as the foundation stage. If you are in the Diaspora then it can be worse-expect ridiculous prices, shortages and missing building materials. If you are not physically present then expect prices to shoot by more than a half.

After ensuring that the foundation is complete, you can leave the builders to finish the construction knowing fully well that  your home will not crack in future because of looted building materials. Do take leave again when roofing your home because this is another critical stage like the foundation where a lot of money is used and thus presenting high risk with carpenters selling roofing materials if not closely monitored.

So there you are, do monitor your construction projects and make sure you are physically present at certain critical stages. Do not miss our next article when we feature Zimbabweans building homes in Australia.