The year 2020 has started on a positive note for entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. Our forum is coordinating monthly events where members network, get inspired from business presentations and also get an opportunity to sell their products and services.

We have been encouraging the spirit of supporting our own members and the response to date shows massive responses in support. Call it the awakening of entrepreneurs, if we dont support our own, then noone is going to come from outer space to support us.

We held a highly successful meeting on the 1st of February in Chitungwiza and a record number of members attended.

Another meeting on the 7th of March had a similar attendance. Mobilising 50 members from an online forum is a tall order. Getting 100 a steep mountain climb. When you get more than 200 then you have reached 5 star level.

We had members coming from as far as Bulawayo, Zvishavane, Mhangura, Bindura and Macheke. Our South Africa forum did not disappoint either with a good number attending a meeting at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg.

The good news is that next month, we will form a Business Forum for Women and it promises to be one of the biggest in the capital. Already more than 100 sisters have signed up and numbersmay even surpass 300 in the coming weeks.

They are going to choose their leadership, create a constitution and a strategic document for their operations.

When women work in harmony with a focus on business, the results are always outstanding. So far so good from the initial response and you can follow our Facebook pages for various group links for the forum.

I have travelled several times along the Harare-Bindura Highway and never bothered to enter the Mazowe Boating Club as I knew it as a private club for the white community -mostly farmers.

But last month I stopped to buy fish and noticed high traffic at the area-inquired about entry fees and was told its free for all provided you pay.

So on Christmas Day took my family there and got an insight into the Northern Suburbs Gateway

Activities
1)Boating: Great place for kids with a couple of boats for hire and some vana vevhu towing their boats to the dam…great spectacle.
2) Picnic Area: Bring your braai stand and mind own business-own car music and enjoy
3) Kids Entertainment Zone:Jumping castles, swings, see saw…awesome stuff

Witnessed more than 3000 folks who thronged the place creating a carnival atmosphere. All the inside parking space was filled up and some cars had to park along the highway for more than a kilometre…had never seen anything like this at this place!

Entry is USD5,00 or RTGS equivalent for adults and USD3,00 for kids. It took us 30 minutes to get inside. There are 2 venues…the ordinary and the VIP section…I opted for the ordinary section where most people were creating a Ghetto feel of entertainment..

Very clean bathrooms with Mazowe Hotel providing bar services…bring own drinks or they will charge you twice the average retail prices.

However the drinks ran out..they were ill prepared for the large influx of entertainment seekers.

Small business opportunities:

1) If you had cooler boxes of drinks for sell…chances are high you would have run out of stock and ordered replenishments-not once or twice but thrice!
2) Mr Ice cream? Where were you?
3) Photographers where were you? Drone pilots?

Big business opportunities:
1) Opposite the dam-the area is under developed providing opportunities for expansion, conference centres, casinos, motels etc
2) Did show you marvellous pub restaurants in Beira with ship like designs….bring the concept here and we will have the best pub near Harare. The management of the place need to take a 590km journey from Harare to Beira and check out Club Oceana. Although we left at 6:00pm, most of the folks we left there seemed as if they were probably leaving very late in the evening!
3) Proper beach: There is need for a proper sand beach and swimming pools. They can charge for these extra services and there is ample space for this. Shops selling swimwear have potential too
4) With kids having fun, fathers fishing, what can mothers do? Dont be surprised when hair salons crop up!

To those who have been to resort areas, compare and contrast what you have experienced vs Mazowe Dam…the dam has massive potential.

The risk is in future it may be too small but may help spawn new opportunities in the area.

Unlike Lake Chivero, the water is not heavily polluted.

Its located 50km from Harare and less than 35km for those in the Northern Suburbs. The road is good shape and I also witnessed a Vaya Shuttle Bus. Ndikati iya ko Hararians vange varonga izvi nguvai futi lol

So good guys, Hararians never disappoint, they create plans, they open up new areas.

With the current state of the economy, only a tiny few can afford the luxury of travelling far from the city for holidays. In comes Mazowe Dam and you need to go there to believe it..

Look at its current state and opportunities and then its future potential when the economy picks up and traffic increases 20-30 fold.