Hard work pays off for Tatenda Safaris’ Gunda

04 Oct, 2015 - 01:10 0 Views

The Sunday News

Richard Muponde, Business Correspondent
SHEER determination and years of hard work have finally paid off for Victoria Falls prominent businesswoman and Safari operator, Mrs Tatenda Rangarirai Gunda after she scooped this year’s Megafest Businesswoman of the Year Award at a ceremony held in the resort town last week.

Mrs Gunda, the widow to the late national hero, Brigadier-General Paul Armstrong Gunda who died in a car crash in 2007, runs Tatenda Safaris in the resort town. The businesswoman is not new to this kind of competition as last year she was the first runner-up. Her hard work has finally bore her fruits coming from humble beginnings in setting up Tatenda Safaris Lodge in 1993 as the first black person to run a safari company in the then white dominated business in the country.

She started with a four-roomed cottage which had a carrying capacity of about 15 guests until she expanded her empire which now boasts of vast buildings and a large carrying capacity which can accommodate a conference.

In an interview, Mrs Gunda said her hardwork has been recognised after having tragically lost her husband who was her pillar of strength.

“This happened through hard work. When I lost my husband people thought I was going to get broke and the safari business crumble. However, I picked myself up and dedicated all my time to this business so that it grows to what it is today. I deserve this award because I worked hard to have this business reach this level,” said Mrs Gunda.

She said she used her experience as a tour guide at the now defunct United Touring Company (UTC) to set up her safari company and received a lot of support from other black people especially those in hotels in the resort town.

“I had a desk in nearly all hotels in Victoria Falls. My black counterparts supported me a lot since I was the only black person who had ventured in the whites only tourism industry then. From there the business grew in leaps and bounds until I established the whole package I have right now,” she said.

Mrs Gunda said winning the award was not that she had campaigned for it, but was the work of the Megafest teams which assess them without their knowledge.

“What happens is that their teams go around assessing the facilities, services offered at the places and how one has been climbing the ladder. They also talk to guests, ask the community and come up with the winner. It’s through all this that I was chosen to be the winner of the award,” said Mrs Gunda.

The best businesswoman of the year had this to say to her counterparts in the industry: “The economy is not performing well but it’s a passing phase. Let’s not give up. We should make sure that the money we get is ploughed back into business and not waste it on trivialities. We can’t run away from Zimbabwe, this is our home as indigenous businesspeople. Let’s hang on, things will improve and we will prevail,” she said.

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