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DUBLIN – Zimbabwe leading businesswoman and a crusader for women empowerment Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula was recently inducted into the Excellence Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.She was inducted on Thursday last week alongside Jean Oelwang, President and Chief Executive of Virgin Unite which she founded with Richard Branson.The Excellence Hall of Fame honours businesspeople for excellency and it has 38 member countries and four business people are honoured each year.Divine is the Founder and Chief Executive of SECURICO, an award-winning security company in Zimbabwe. She is a multi award-winning serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, speaker, and advocate for the empowerment of women, and is one of Africa’s most successful businesswomen.She was recently chosen as one of Forbes “50 over 50” women in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (2023).John Bourke, President of the Institute welcomed guests at the function who had come from all parts of the World. Divine was presented with her award by Yiannis Lagos, Fellow of the Institute.Meanwhile Jean’s award was presented by Marie Lindsay, Fellow of the Institute and Excellence Hall of Famer (2018). Jean is President and Chief Executive of Virgin Unite which she founded with Richard Branson. She has worked on the incubation and start-up of numerous global initiatives including The Elders, The B Team, The Africa Donor Collective, Ocean Unite, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, and The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship. The Mirror

Ndhlukula was inducted into the Excellence Hall of Fame by the Business Excellence Institute (BEX) during a ceremony held in Dublin, Ireland last Thursday. The founder and managing director of SECURICO SECURITY SERVICES, a security company Divine Ndhlukula has been recognised for her outstanding work with an international award. Ndhlukula was inducted into the Excellence Hall of Fame by the Business Excellence Institute (BEX) during a ceremony held in Dublin, Ireland last Thursday. “She is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, speaker, and advocate for the empowerment of women, and is one of Africa’s most successful businesswomen,” the BEX said.. She was recently chosen as one of Forbes “50 over 50” women in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (2023). BEX president John Bourke said: “Once again we’ve had a fantastic evening celebrating two exceptional people – Divine Ndhlukula and Jean Oelwang – who strive for excellence in everything they do. “Women who are shining lights on the journey to excellence and who have made enormous contributions to the world of business, social justice, philanthropy, and, by doing so, to society overall. “We are honoured to welcome them to the Excellence Hall of Fame.” Headquartered in Dublin, the BEX is the only global membership body for business excellence, the leading authority on excellence, and the go-to organisation for those wanting to excel. With members in 36 countries on 6 continents, BEX supports organisations ranging from small family businesses, through universities, to federal governments with a portfolio of services delivered by its members. THE STANDARD

In line with the heritage-based Education 5.0, which is hinged on a five-pillar framework aimed at building a complete individual capable of navigating the changing global terrain, Chitungwiza-based Nyatsime College continues to ride on the crest of the developmental wave as it opened a clinic and garment making factory on Saturday. The memorial clinic, named after Dr Tommie Marie Samkange, who with her husband, Professor Stanlake Samkange, founded Nyatsime College on August 11 1960, is manned by a Nyatsime alumnus, Dr Kenneth Sawunyama. It consists of a consultation room, a treatment room, two observation wards, a dispensary and a spacious waiting area. Dr Samkange, a researcher and psychologist, left footprints on the academic landscape at home and abroad, beginning as an Associate Professor at Tuskegee (Alabama) Institute in 1964. She was a chief educational psychologist for the Government of Zimbabwe from 1981 to 1994. She died in 2021 aged 88. Professor Stanlake Samkange, who became the first African graduate from Mashonaland in 1947 at Fort Hare, and the fifth black Zimbabwean to receive university education, was a teacher, journalist, novelist, church patron, and captain of industry. He died in 1988 at 66. The college also set up an ultramodern garment making factory, with the capacity, not only to meet its school uniforms requirements, but to also cater for other schools and institutions. It comprises straight machines, overlocking machines, an elasticator, button and buttonhole sewer, fusing machines and knitting machines. Speaking at the opening, Securico Security Service chief executive, Dr Divine Ndhlukula, who was the guest of honour, commended Nyatsime College for undertaking the projects, saying they were in tandem with the Government’s thrust as epitomised in Education 5.0. “The approach that Nyatsime College has taken is running in tandem with Education 5.0. We have witnessed the garment factory and a lot of other innovations,” she said. “This is what the Government and the world, especially the private sector, is looking for, that is, employing graduates that are ready to produce goods and services. Dr Ndhlukula extolled the school’s leadership for keeping track with global trends with a new bias towards skills critical to industrialisation, as opposed to only bookish learning. She implored other institutions to emulate Nyatsime College in ensuring that they produce learners who are ready to work, instead of seeking employment. Nyatsime College principal, Dr Shepherd Masaraure, said having their own clinic was going to cut on the school’s healthcare expenditure by at least half. “We know that for pupils to perform better they need to be healthy, as such, we have established a clinic here. The safety of our children is now guaranteed. Also, we were spending a lot of money engaging other private service providers,” he said. Dr Masaraure said, the school refurbished the kitchen and the dining hall, and is now using user-friendly equipment. This has seen the school using charcoal-fired boilers and 300-litre oil jacketed pots for cooking, thereby significantly reducing electricity costs. Concerning food provisions, Dr Masaraure said the school was on the right path, as the poultry project run at the school sees to that. “We are doing chicken rearing, and we produce 600 chickens per cycle, which makes us self-sufficient. We also produce eggs for consumption by learners and staff, in addition to cattle projects,” he said. On maintaining the school’s identity, the principal pointed out that challenges of uniformity would be curbed through the production of sufficient uniforms at the garment making factory at low cost. Enthusiastic learners told The Herald that the skills impacted through hands-on projects will go a long way in making them fit into the real world after school. They are trained in cooking, sewing, agriculture, and carpentry, among other disciplines. Some of the products learners produce are coffins and grace sealers, which can be a game changer should they venture into business full time. Parents, who spoke to this publication, thanked the leadership of the school for equipping their children with life changing skills. Herald

Mrs Fortunate Kufakunesu (right) is congratulated by Securico managing director Dr Divine Ndhlukula after addressing delegates at a fundraising dinner in Harare on Friday night. Looking on are Firstlink Insurance chairman Mr Caleb Tapfuma and his wife Vitality Wellness representative Mrs Edith Tapfuma. — Picture: Kudakwashe Hunda EMPOWERING young girls through education will ensure they contribute meaningfully to Zimbabwe’s sustainable development. This was said by Lily of Valley Home of Hope founder Mrs Fortunate Kufakunesu in Harare on Friday, during a fundraising dinner for the knowledge hub at Materera Secondary School in Chihota. Lily of Valley Home of Hope is a registered trust with a commitment to educating, empowering and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly adolescent girls and young women. “I see God’s grace. That is why l am looking for that same grace to be upon every girl child,” she said. “The world presents different sorts of situations in life day in and day out, situations that we cannot control sometimes, and they do not even allow us to succeed. “Many girls in rural areas are in such situations. When God created us, l strongly believe we were created for each other. “It is our duty to look after these vulnerable young girls because they were born for a purpose and that purpose should be lived and it can only be through education.” Mrs Kufakunesu currently assists 34 learners in Chihota, her rural home, where she has also established empowerment projects for local women. She said her philanthropic work was inspired by her tough upbringing. “I am coming from such a background and I know how it feels,” she continued. “I am a product of a teen mother, who, after giving birth to me, decided to go and look for employment as a housemaid in Harare. “I was left in the hands of a blind grandmother. Schooling was a luxury because l had to look after my grandmother. That girl was fortunate because, at the age of 14, she was remembered by a couple, who sponsored my secondary and tertiary education.” She said development of the knowledge hub will provide learners with resources to enhance their education. “If I was saved by one couple and I am saving thousands of girls, then, it means together, we can save millions. We hold hands, we pay fees for them, give them resources for their education and we will be assured they will pass because they have the necessary resources,” said Mrs Kufakunesu. Keynote speaker Securico chief executive officer and one of Zimbabwe’s most prolific businesswomen Dr Divine Ndhlukula said underprivileged young girls in rural areas deserve support. “You find that in the peri-urban and urban areas, it’s very easy to support children, particularly girls, but those girls at the back of cities, no one knows them,” she said. “Mrs Kufakunesu is doing a great job and this knowledge hub will provide them with resources that will be useful in their exams. “There is a lot of abuse of girls in rural areas and no one reports the cases. So, this project is a brilliant idea because it is going into areas of real need.” The Sunday Mail

Securico managing director, Dr Divine Ndhlukula has described her journey in founding and managing one of Zimbabwe’s leading security services companies as “exciting” and full of “splendour”. A prominent business leader who sits on the boards of many corporations, Dr Ndhlukula founded Securico on December 1, 1998, and has grown the business into an entity “that is an admiration to many locally and globally”. Speaking at a celebration ceremony, held on December 1, 2022, to mark the firm’s 24 years in existence, Dr Ndhlukula said the journey has had its “ups and downs”. “There are many different aspects on a journey, you go down the valley, you go up the mountain. You turn and go into gorges, that’s the journey we have travelled as Securico,” she said. Dr Ndhlukula said the dream and the vision were never to get this far, but were about giving a decent living to her “loved ones”. “That was the primary vision, that was the primary focus,” she said. “Secondly, obviously I thought it was an opportunity to get women coming into the sector previously thought to be not suitable for women. “So everything else that has come on board has been icing and cherries on a well-baked cake,” she said. The firm has managed to create 400 jobs every year for the past 11 years and now has 4 000 employees. Speaking at the same event board chairman Gloria Zvaravanhu said Securico was like an eagle that has soared higher than expected. Dr Ndhlukula said the kind of business they have on their books was testimony to the impact that the company has had. She said the wellness of citizens has always been a focus issue for the company despite other people questioning the decision by a security services company. Securico recently launched an industrial clinic to look after the physical and mental health of workers. The clinic, according to Dr Ndhlukula will be run by fully qualified staff including doctors. The plan was initially brought to the table seven years ago and finally came to life this year, said Dr Ndhlukula.

In a recent workshop on leadership and women empowerment presenters Dr Divine Ndhlukula of Securico Company and Dr Gallie Kawanzaruwa, senior academic manager from Dubai showcased their life histories as trailblazers in the business world and shared secrets of success. Divine, a girl child, a natural leader, born in a family of eight, of the Simbi patriarchal family in Gutu paramountcy, overcame gender-based hurdles within and without. Continue Reading on The Standard

GOAT Breeders Association of Zimbabwe chairperson Divine Ndhlukula has bemoaned the shortage of extension officers, saying it is affecting… Continue Reading on Daily News