Businesswoman scoops award
IF you talk about mining, rarely do you expect success stories to come from women as the sector is maledominated.
But for Bulawayo businesswoman Mrs Beatrice Marumahoko, she has proven that assertion wrong and on Thursday she was crowned the winner in the Mining Category in the Women in Enterprise Awards held in Harare.
The awards are held in conjunction with the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce. To win the award, you have to be nominated and voted for by other businesswomen across the country after they look at the nominees’ achievements.
She said winning such a national award is a sign that women are making waves in business including those that are perceived to be male dominated.
“It is a big honour to get this award. I started venturing in mining in 2012 and I have never looked back. I had previously worked at a mining company for more than 10 years and I discovered that I needed to start doing my own business. I started with a company called Phat Ore and in 2016 I started another one called Greenstone Investments. Mining is a capital intensive sector and what I have discovered is that sometimes you cannot do it alone, and I have brought in a number of international investors that are also helping in the business,” she said.
Her companies are presently mostly in Matabeleland South where they have a number of claims with some still to be explored.
“We are doing our part in ensuring that we contribute to the economy. We have regularised all our operations and we sell all our proceeds to Fidelity,” she said
Mrs Marumahoko said winning the award was not a sign that she has reached her ceiling.
“To me this is like being given new energy. I feel I need to do more. I must continue to work hard so that I am not just looking at growing the company but to also contribute to the turnaround of the economy,” she said.
Mining is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product. Mrs Marumahoko said women must not shy away from taking initiatives.
“To other women in business, it’s tough out there but we need to fight for our space. If you commit yourself you can achieve anything provided you work hard. We need to show that we are equal to men as well,” she said.