Beyond the ramp with Trust Mathe
A tall and well-built young man charmed ladies as he went on the ramp in the 90s. He was one of the few male models of that era.
It took confidence for men to be in this field because of stereotypes associated with the trade.
So, a young, tall, handsome, muscular and confident Trust Mathe turned ladies’ heads as he did what he loved best.
Mathe says he was aware of all the attention around him, but did not allow it to distract him because his focus was somewhere else.
He wanted to attract the attention of world modelling adjudicators and corporates as he moulded his profession.
Mathe knew that his smile was charming, and he was determined to smile his way to the bank and make a professional name.
His popular image when he was spotting dreadlocks and wearing a suit was trendy.
If technology had been somewhere closer to the current Internet crazy, his pictures would have gone viral on social media and he would have been called all sorts of suggestive names — hunky, hot, dude, sexy and so on. But in that era, his magazine pictures should have made it to the walls of girls’ rooms and ‘autobooks’ that were trending those days and approximate the walls, handles and accounts in today’s social media tools and jargon.
It was inevitable for young Mathe to join the drive down fast lane of life that many famous and young men and women go through in their early 20s.
He was outgoing and a serious party animal.
Still, he was careful not to slide away to controversy and social madness on that fast lane. He remained focused and was able to clinch various lucrative deals with leading corporates.
Sharing space with the likes of Jonathan Denga, Angeline Musasiwa and Shirley Chingoka, who were known billboard faces for a long time, Mathe was able to ink good deals.
He was signed by G3 Model Agency in South Africa where he had various corporate deals, while back home he had contracts with Econet, Edgars and Topics, among other companies.
Male modelling that was despised and demonised by many due to stubborn social constructs made life for Mathe.
Many who are reading this should be asking: so what is he doing now?
Well, The Herald on Saturday Lifestyle had the same question and sought the answer from the man himself.
We found him at Guest and Tanner offices in Harare. Mathe is now a sales and marketing consultant with the real estate company.
Nothing much has changed in Mathe’s physical appearance.
He still has the masculine body, beaming smile and champion voice that made him famous. He no longer has dreadlocks and a few grey hairs might mislead people to misjudge his age.
He is only 43.
Spotting a brown winter jersey and swaying in his immaculate chair behind a huge desk, Mathe showed glittering excitement in his eyes as he spoke about his past and present experiences.
“Life after modelling is quieter, with added responsibilities,” he said. “I did a lot of things as a young man. From wild parties, clubbing to crazy fashion shows and lucrative adverts because I had made a name for myself.
“I was still young and single. You can imagine the life of a famous bachelor. We had parties and merrymaking as young men that were achieving fame and fortune in life, but a time of maturity always comes. It is good that I did not lose focus because of the fast fame and fortune that came at a young age.
“A lot has changed now. I got married and I gave my life to Christ. I am a born again Christian, loving husband and father. So my life now is very sober and focused on things that matter for my family. I now have responsibilities and I am more mature.”
Mathe says he is still involved in modelling.
“I have not completely quit modelling even though I am no longer that active,” he said. “I have been mentoring some aspiring models. Some of them have excelled in the field and Emmanuel Tenga is a good example.
“I have also been a judge in different beauty pageants. I am no longer the boy next door anymore. Now it is difficult to pose in a speedo outfit because I am a family man and many people look up to me.”
At 43, he still maintains a good shape because of his lifestyle and exercising.
“I work-out at home for now due to the lockdown, but I have been a member of one gym for almost 20 years,” he said. “I also listen to lots of music. I play pool and tennis. After lockdown I intend to be serious about playing golf also.”
Clinching a number of titles at home helped Mathe to get attention from the South African market.
“I got my first title when I was 24 years old,” he said. “I secured a modelling contract with G3 Model Agency in South Africa, where I did a lot of fashion shows and commercial adverts. I came back home and was the main male model for Topics and featured in their catalogues and brochures.
“I was later contracted for a huge campaign for Edgars Stores Zimbabwe and I was the face of the fashion shop for six years. I also worked with mobile service Econet Wireless and did a number of adverts for their billboards.”
Mathe is grateful for the nurturing he got when he was still young, which opened doors for his success.
“I was discovered by Amina Patel who had an agency called Medusa Modelling Agency and I enrolled for modelling courses, which opened doors for me,” he said. “I got a lot of mentorship and it was easy to be on the ramp because of the lessons we learnt at the agency.”
Speaking about his new trade in sales and marketing, Mathe said he always felt the urge to be a marketer since he was young.
“I started doing modelling as a part-time venture when I was already into sales and marketing,” he said. “I was into commodity broking before l made the move to real estate.
“Real estate is broad and people need to understand it. I have a list of role models who shaped my real estate career. They include Dr Goodwill Shana of Word of Life Ministries, Cornwell Nemberi SGC Communications, Bob Proctor and my current manager for Guest and Tanner real estate, Mr Chakoma.”
Mathe said he wished to grow in the real estate business and start his own company. day have my organisa- this busi- he said. matter of and pro- However, are chal- in this field include the ace of fraud- We are facing challenges new cli- because conmen have invaded our trade.
“Selling immovable assets process and can an emotional “One I will own tion in ness,” “It is a time gress. there lenges which mensters. many with ents is a be roller wife Park and with three (12), Victo- one-year-old ior). coaster because of sentimental values attached to the property from the seller’s side. Because of this value and many other aspects involved, most sellers are now afraid of losing property to conmen.” Turning to his family, Mathe said he is happy to be sharing life with his longtime sweetheart, Angela. “I dated my sweetheart Angela for a long time,” he said. “We customarily married in 2006 in February then wedded in October of the same year. I met Angie in church where she was a worship leader and I was an usher. We became good friends and our friendship grew into love. One thing has led to the other until now.” Mathe said he drew inspiration from reading and meditating on the word of God Mathe and his stay in Zimre were blessed kids Lorna ria (10) and Trust ( Jun