The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
DSK Holdings managing director Mr Worthwhile Mugabe reaffirmed his status as one of successful businesspersons in the southern region when he scooped two awards at the Zimbabwe Institute of Management (ZIM) 2016 Southern Region Leadership Excellence Awards held in Bulawayo on Friday.
Mr Mugabe through his company DSK Holdings, which incorporates six subsidiary companies namely DSK Electricals, Girjac Services, High Peak Cables and Hardware, Power Control Systems, Kayzed Sales and another portfolio offering accommodation in Dalesford, Gweru’s leafy suburb was the toast of the night at a colourful awards ceremony held in Bulawayo after winning the Private Sector Leader and Special Recognition Award.
The other biggest winner on the night was Nyaradzo Group which scooped the Human Resources Training and Development award as well as the Bulawayo Regional Contribution award.
The other winners were National Social Security Authority regional manager Mr Willard Chinembiri (Public Services Leader of the year), Inclusive Financial Services (Customer Service Excellence), White Site Engineering (Small to Medium Enterprises Leader of the year) and Mr Nathan Mpofu (Bulawayo Region young manager of the year).
The southern region awards cover Bulawayo, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South and North Province.
The awards were held under the theme: “Business unusually sink or swim”. In her citation ZIM southern regional manager Mrs Felistus Sakone said Mr Mugabe was a seasoned and experienced industrialist who has won various private sector leadership accolades over the years.
“Through his innovation, the group of companies remained afloat despite economic hardships experienced across the country. The award winner’s primary duty is to constantly map out the strategic trajectory for the group of companies in pursuit of their respective visions. Through his visions, he has managed to create strategic alliances with internationally recognised manufacturers of electrical components and other associated products . . . Through the leadership of the award winner, his organisation has become the leading sole supplier of goods and services for large corporate organisations in the region,” said Mrs Sakone.
An elated Mr Mugabe said the awards were a testimony of the growth of his business and its contribution to the country’s economy.
“I feel humbled by winning these awards, it actually encourages us to put more effort in improving our business and definitely we will thrive to even do better and obviously spread our footprint across the southern region by opening other branches in various areas in the near future,” he said.
The winner of the Small to Medium Enterprise leader of the year, White Site managing director Ms Charity Mudhubiwa said the award would go a long way in motivating her to grow her business.
“I feel thrilled and very excited about this honour and to tell the truth, I feel motivated now than ever to take the company to another level which is to become a big corporate,” she said.
White Site is into manufacturing and supplying of mining, industrial, agricultural and general engineering equipment and spares.
One of the country’s fastest growing Bulawayo-based security firms, Nokel Security was the first runner up in the Customer Service Excellence category.
In his address ZIM president Dr Lucky Mlilo highlighted a number of business survival skills in a turbulent economy. The Leadership Excellence Award is a concept conceptualised in the late seventies and is meant to promote the best management and leadership practices at senior and executive levels of management.
The Leadership Excellence Award is the most prestigious award conferred by ZIM. The first award was conferred to a Mr J Fraser, then general manager of Bata Shoe Company in 1978 after a generous trophy donation by former Ziscosteel managing director Mr Kurt Kuhn.
The awards are available for presentation each year to personalities who have made outstanding contribution to leadership and management in Zimbabwe.
Nominations are invited from various sectors of the industry and the final choice is made by a special panel of adjudicators appointed by the Council of the Institute. Over the years, the award has evolved but it remains focused on identifying, recognising and rewarding disciplined leaders in the country that in a particular year perform above and beyond set targets within their organisation and within their sector of participation.
@DNsingo
