Watching passing goods train in Mzilikazi inspired UK-based logistics businessman
GETTING into the transport and logistics business is difficult everywhere in the world, but doing it in a foreign land is especially so. However, with solid funding it is generally much easier, but there are still issues such as the quality of service.
One business making strides in this sector is a logistics company founded by a youthful Zimbabwean Mr Bongani Mkwananzi based in the United Kingdom. Mr Mkwananzi left Bulawayo for the UK in June 2003. He started out 10 years ago working for five years as a selfemployed courier before he set up the company that he now wholly owns. Today the 33-year-old owns a logistics business that handles large volumes of freight annually. His company serves a large number of Zimbabweans in the UK and Europe alone.
“We are also responsible for getting maize from silos abroad to production houses locally where it is milled then we collect it and bring it to our warehouse where we dispatch to customers in UK and the rest of Europe. In the last 12 months, we moved over 100 tonnes of maize meal for them. At least 30-40 percent of my business serves Zimbabweans,” said Mr Mkwananzi.
Speaking from Lutterworth in Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, Mr Mkwananzi described his company as an independent international logistics company.
The company plans, implements and controls the movement of goods which it collects and delivers whatever the size of packages on the same day in Lutterworth or nationwide. The company also offers an express 24-hour emergency service for urgent parcels and its bespoke courier service offers detailed proof of delivery information within minutes of delivery.
“We are a logistics firm based in Lutterworth in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. We offer road, air and sea freight worldwide and we have warehouse facilities for storage and distribution of any size of cargo including vehicles.
“We provide an efficient service that places our customers at the heart of the business as well as provide a range of delivery options to ensure the package is delivered according to specified needs. We also offer customs clearance in the UK and airfreight from any part of the world to the doorstep in Zimbabwe,” Mr Mkwananzi told Sunday News.
He says in spite of being a foreigner, everything is so regulated in the UK that for as long as regulations are followed, establishing and operating a business is fairly easy, but he points out that one has to be knowledgeable to succeed.
“I wouldn’t say it’s hard to run a business in the UK. There are a lot of startup schemes offered as support by the government. There is a lot of support from businesses around too. There is a lot of learning in the process, if you allow yourself to learn as you grow, I feel it becomes easier. And to be fair we have had a lot of support from Zimbabwean business people based in the UK. It’s really humbling. I have heard that Zimbabweans are difficult to work with but I beg to differ.”
Asked if the general citizenry in the UK has been supportive of a black businessman from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Mr Mkwananzi said: “Yes, I think it’s the industry that we are in that’s helped a lot. I also think understanding the cultural differences does help too.”
The Bulawayo boy was educated at Moray and Mzilikazi Primary schools before departing for the United Kingdom where he finished his high school and enrolled at varsity.
“When I arrived in the UK I was 12 years old, started high school, then enrolled at university but I dropped out. It wasn’t for me. I have always been in love with things that move goods from a tender age. Growing up in Barbourfields at Ntabazinduna Flats, I always enjoyed watching the goods trains go past our house. My love for it grew in on me to the point that when I started as a courier, I already had a plan of a transport and logistics company.
“During peak Covid-19, we had 15 vehicles on the road ranging from small vans to lorries. Covid-19 gave the transport industry a big boost. Currently we have eight vehicles because 15 had become almost unmanageable for me as there is still things I am learning about business. I was now working longer hours to keep up with operations and it was affecting my family time.”
The married father of three has plans to invest in the country of his birth.
“I am really interested in investing in Zimbabwe. I am planning on setting up a company that offers vehicle GPS tracking and setting up a Zimbabwe office to then offer a solid, same-day or next day service for any sized packages around Zimbabwe, Africa and the world. I have been working on this for a few years now.”
Away from business, he is an avid sports fan who has already begun to invest in football development in the country.
“I have a great relationship with Skies United Football which is a development side in Bulawayo. The founder of the club, Mr Fish initially shared his vision in 2013 before he went over to China then returned due to Covid-19. After struggling to find opportunities in Zimbabwe, he started working on putting together this club. He consulted me for guidance and we spoke about the direction he wanted to take and I became involved indirectly. I always had plans to invest in sport, so this opportunity was perfect for us as a business.” — @ RealSimbaJemwa