Ndhlukula opens up on Securico journey

By Tatira Zwinoira | Feb. 16, 2024

Our business has gone through a lot of cycles — the ups and downs of this economy. We went through high inflation in 2007 and 2008. From 2009, there was a semblance of order. But there had been a depression and people had lost their livelihoods. There have been cycles like that. However, it did not deter us. We still grew our operations. Because of this, people look at me and say you are a woman, and you are running a business in a sector perceived not to be suitable for women. All these things were totally against me.

DIVINE Ndhlukula (DN) is one of the most successful businesswomen in Africa. She is known for establishing and growing Securico Security Services into one of Zimbabwe's top firms in that space. She then diversified into farming. Ndhlukula’s Zvikomborero Farms is also becoming a leading entity in its sector. In her new book released last week, she shared experiences about how to grow a small and medium enterprise (SME) into a large corporation. Our deputy group business editor Tatira Zwinoira (TZ) interviewed her at the launch of the book, Entrepreneurial Success Insights on Growing Business in a Fluid Economy. Below are excerpts from their discussion:

TZ: Why did you decide to write the book?

DN: First and foremost, I have a lot of people that look up to me — everyone who is starting a business. I started this business when we had just gone over the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (1990 to 1995). That was way back. It was a volatile time. People were losing jobs. There were a lot of layoffs. People were questioning whether they could start a business when people were losing jobs. There was just so much despondency. But, as they say, entrepreneurship is about seeing what the problems in society are, which require solutions. So I managed to do that.

TZ: The environment was a bit harsh?

DN: Our business has gone through a lot of cycles — the ups and downs of this economy. We went through high inflation in 2007 and 2008. From 2009, there was a semblance of order. But there had been a depression and people had lost their livelihoods. There have been cycles like that. However, it did not deter us. We still grew our operations. Because of this, people look at me and say you are a woman, and you are running a business in a sector perceived not to be suitable for women. All these things were totally against me.

People come to my inbox to learn from me. Everyday I receive invitations to speak at different business fora in Zimbabwe and outside. So I said I have a story to share. That is the reason behind this book.

TZ: What do the people say?

DN: People want mentorship from me. This is particularly so for young African men and women. Some of us are on our way out. If an elder dies, a whole library has just gone. This is why I felt I should share what I think, which can really be key for the prosperity of the next generations.

Keep Reading

TZ: Tell us more about the book

DN: The book captures my thoughts and everything that I have done to grow a business in an environment like this, as a woman in a male dominated sector. I have insights that I share, which I believe are important. I am sure you have heard people who reviewed the book mentioning them. These are people that have led corporations at high levels.

TZ: Please share some of these insights.

DN: You need to cultivate a culture of excellence. This is how you can grow. Yes, it is a tough environment but short cuts do not work.

TZ: You must be well connected?

DN: All those questions you are asking are here in the book. It is not about your connections. First and foremost, it is about your mindset. You have a lot of people that have connections but they are just doing everything wrong. You have seen a lot of people that have inherited businesses, but they have gone under in no time. It takes a positive mind set. People must be able to say yes, ‘I am prepared to pay for this and pay for it on time.’ So, even if you are connected, you have bundles of money, or you have a good business, it will go under if you are doing it in the wrong way because there will not be sustainability. The only way you can maintain that business is by attending to some of the insights I mention here in my book.

I do not run my business on connections because I am well networked in the sense of having built my name, my credible name. I always say the best currency, or the greatest currency one can build now is their reputation, their integrity. If you do not have that, people will not trust to do business with you. In my case it is not because of connections. I can knock on any door and be able to say, ‘Okay, let us discuss this,’ because I have built that reputation.

TZ: Tell us more about 2007/2008. How did you make it?

DN: If you remember in 2007/2008 — if you were working at that time — your salary would be reviewed at the beginning of the month like what we are doing here at Securico.

You would be told what you would be get-ting paid in February, for example, and by the time the 29th of February arrives it wouldn’t even buy 25% or 30% of the basic commodities basket. We had to find work-arounds in 2007/08. We came up with innova-tions. Other people in our own sector start-ed following us as well.

TN: These are profound insights.

DN: You see, you build it, you build your business. You do not just wake up and have a business. These are the things that I talk about in this book. So, I cannot call it connections. I have earned that respect for someone to agree to see me even without an appointment.

TZ: Where are the entrepreneurial opportunities in this environment?

DN: There are so many opportunities. When you look at agriculture, for instance, people want to eat. You can stop buying clothes but still want to eat. This is one area where one can leverage because people will always have to eat. They want to buy food. Establishing schools is another area. Everyone wants their child to go to school. There are a lot of private schools because as Zimbabweans we have this affinity for education. We have this affinity to compete with each other in terms of having our kids graduating. So, with education there are opportunities. There are many sectors by the way.

These are just the ones that came quickly into my mind. In addition, people want to own their own homes. This is another area where you can establish a business for selling construction materials.

This is why we have all these hardware stores, which are coming up. Businesses like Bhola, Halsteads and Electrosales are all expanding. This does not mean that you need to be at their level to start a hardware store. You can start your own community hardware store. There are already a lot of them. When you go to Mbare market (in Harare), people are selling all sorts of building materials. It is the same if you go into the central business district. There are a lot of markets that have shops selling building materials. So, these are all business opportunities.

TZ: Start-ups generally fail within the first year of opening. Tell us more about this. What are the dynamics?

DN: I think they say there is a very small percentage of start-ups that succeed.

TZ: Let me take you back to 2008 a bit

DN: For our people to come to work we came up with contracts with companies who could give us commodities. We had one client, who gave us sugar. Another client gave us flour.

We told these companies not to pay us in monetary terms but in commodities. In high density areas, our workers were kings because supermarkets had nothing. They were better off because we had to think quickly. Some of these ideas did not even come from me. I listened to some of my workers’ ideas.

This is what I also talk about in the book as well. So, I just went and addressed my staff at parades. And I said ‘guys, this is the situation we are in. How do we get out of it?’ The response I got was ‘ma’am, we are guarding sugar refineries. We cannot get sugar in the high density suburbs. Why do we not get the sugar?’ This was from a security guard. Another security guard said this, and another one gave another idea. So I did not have to impose, to say I am going to pay you in sugar.

There is need for engagement. That is number one. Secondly, you need to think outside the box, and you must also listen to your people.

All those are very important aspects that I share in this book. This is how we navigated through that period. Do you know during that period our business grew a lot because a lot of our colleagues could not fulfil the numbers?

They failed to deliver services because their people were not coming to work. We took it a step further. We brought our guards to work. I personally went to South Africa and bought second-hand 30-seater buses, about four of them.

We started providing transport to our workers because those days it was very hard, and no one could, so we started getting the contracts. What I am saying is that you have got to think outside the box. In any environment, there are work-arounds.