The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
MRS Elizabeth Chakudunga’s incredible courage and determination, which saw her do most things considered masculine, is a source of inspiration for women and the girl child.
Defying the odds, she rose from being a poor, uneducated village girl to become one of the first few female bricklayers in the country.
She also broke barriers to emerge one of the first Zimbabwean female owners of a construction company that currently employs close to 60 workers.
After dropping out of school, when she was in Grade Seven, Mrs Chakudunga, the founder and managing director of Manyame Women in Construction, went on to accomplish what many people who knew her during her early days deemed impossible.
Born and bred in Murehwa, Mashonaland East province, she got married at a tender age and then raised nine children.
With the odds heavily stacked against her, the Chitungwiza-based entrepreneur became one of the few women who were trained and became professional bricklayers during the early 1980s.
She broke into the construction sector at a time the industry was largely dominated by men. From humble beginnings, she is now the proud owner of a diversified business empire with interests in farming, education, service provision and the hospitality industry. Apart from the construction company, she runs the Red Sun Group of Schools and lodges in Chitungwiza and Bulawayo. Her cleaning company, Red Sun Cleaning Services, has branches throughout the country.
“After completing Grade Seven, my father told me that since I was a girl, I could not proceed to secondary school. I then got married and relocated to Chitungwiza, where my brother introduced me to the Boy Scout Movement,” said Mrs Chakudunga, as she chronicled her journey to success.
As a scout, she learnt the art of bricklaying and was among the volunteers who constructed public toilets in Epworth during the early 1980s.
Using the bricklaying certificates she acquired during her stint with the scouts, she joined the then Ministry of Construction and National Housing as a bricklayer.
As a female bricklayer, the 73-year-old faced a lot of challenges.
“The working environment was hostile towards women. I was among the group of workers who constructed the Manyame Airbase. Of the 700 workers on site, I was the only woman.
“On site, we only had toilets for men. The majority of my workmates believed that as a woman, I was not capable of performing my bricklaying duties,” Mrs Chakudunga said.
Determined to start her own company, she began doing part-time construction jobs during weekends before registering her firm in 1993. She quit her job in 1997 to concentrate on the new construction company.
“I was getting more and more contracts, and it was becoming difficult for me to balance the two jobs. Several workmates bluntly told me that I was making a grave mistake. Some suggested I should venture into vending, instead of trying to run my company,” she said.
Among the projects her firm successfully completed is a 40-bed maternity ward at Murehwa Hospital. Her company also constructed houses in Norton, Budiriro and Whitecliff.
The majority of her workers are women.
“I prefer to work with women rather than men. From experience, I noticed that men waste a lot of time taking smoke breaks. Women are more serious than men, and are usually dedicated to their work.”
She is currently training Chitungwiza women how to construct and maintain biogas digesters.
“It pains me when I see women suffering. Some women approach me, saying they are suffering because they were divorced or are widows. My advice is that they must work. Being divorced does not mean one cannot fend for herself,” she said. Mrs Chakudunga is married to Mr Lawrence Chakudunga, a carpenter, and they are also blessed with 27 grandchildren.
She helps the disadvantaged in her community and also bankrolls two community football teams. She is a firm believer in family values.
“My business must be operational long after I am gone. To achieve this, I decided to involve my family in the day-to-day business,” she said.
Despite being a woman of means, Mrs Chakudunga, of Chanakira village in Seke, leads a simple rural life.
“I can afford to buy a modest house in Harare but I like it here. The air is fresh and I have enough space for my other projects and for my grandchildren to roam around,” she said.
Mr Evans Musitu, a local, commended the businessperson for the work she is doing for the rural communities surrounding Chitungwiza.
“She is a shining example of how women can uplift each other. She is a valuable member of the community, who teaches women how to earn their keep,” he said.
