Tiyani Hahlani
Centre News Hub.
Victoria Falls-The thunderous applause that filled the Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls last week lasted only a few moments.
The trophies handed to Zimbabwe’s finest entrepreneurs glittered under the bright lights before cameras flashed and the celebrations continued.
Yet behind those brief moments of celebration lay decades of sacrifice, sleepless nights, difficult decisions and unwavering determination.
For many, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) National Business Awards are simply an annual celebration of excellence.
For Benonia Machavuda, the newly crowned ZNCC National Businesswoman of the Year, and Noah Marima, who walked away as first runner-up in the Business Leader of the Year category, the awards represented something much deeper.
They symbolised journeys built from humble beginnings, businesses nurtured through Zimbabwe’s toughest economic periods and an enduring belief that success means little unless it changes other people’s lives.
Although they operate in different sectors, the two entrepreneurs have become symbols of a growing new generation of business leaders proving that national excellence can emerge from Masvingo.
For Machavuda, however, the journey did not begin in a boardroom or corporate office.
It began in the dusty farming communities where she understood the struggles of ordinary farmers long before she became one of Zimbabwe’s celebrated entrepreneurs.
“I started as a farmer myself, buying inputs and raising broilers, and also saw how many farmers, especially women, were struggling to access quality chicks and feed at fair prices. They needed someone they could trust,” she said.
That observation would eventually become the foundation of Eben Hardware.
What started as a small operation supplying agricultural inputs to neighbouring farmers gradually evolved into one of Masvingo’s leading agro-sales businesses, providing agricultural inputs, agrochemicals and poultry supplies to thousands of farmers while expanding into different parts of the province.
Today, Eben Hardware has become synonymous with reliability among many farmers.
Starting a business in Zimbabwe has never been easy.
Building one during periods of economic uncertainty demanded even greater resilience.
Like many entrepreneurs, Machavuda found herself battling financial constraints almost from the beginning, with limited capital.
Transport remained a constant challenge as managing stock became increasingly difficult as economic conditions shifted.
Perhaps even more daunting was the challenge of establishing herself in an industry traditionally dominated by men.
“Capital was the first challenge. Then came transport and learning to manage stock during economic uncertainty.”
“But the hardest was proving myself as a woman in a male-dominated supply chain,” she said.
Rather than becoming discouraged, she endured a vast experience that reshaped the entrepreneur she would become through discipline and the value of patience.
She realised that sustainable businesses are built on systems rather than emotion.
“Those struggles taught me discipline, patience and to keep records.”
“They shaped me into a leader who listens first, plans carefully and never takes a customer for granted. Tough times build tough businesses,” she said.
Instead of chasing rapid expansion for its own sake, Machavuda chose to grow alongside the people she served, as her business strategy was remarkably simple.
“Integrity, quality and proximity to the farmer have been our guiding principles”.
“The key decision was to follow our farmers. Wherever our farmers moved, we opened to serve them,” she explained.
It is a business philosophy that has seen Eben Hardware establish branches in Masvingo and Mwenezi while earning the trust of farming communities across the province.
But Machavuda insists success has never been measured by the number of branches carrying the Eben Hardware name; instead, it is measured by the confidence farmers place in the company every planting season.
“We invested in our people and trained our staff to treat every customer like family”.
“We never compromise on quality because farmers remember who stood with them during both good and difficult seasons,” she said.
In Zimbabwe’s economic space,e many companies downsized as others disappeared altogether.
Yet Eben Hardware continued growing. Machavuda attributes that resilience to remaining focused on solving genuine problems instead of chasing quick profits.
“Resilience comes from service, as agriculture is essential. People will always need food,” she said.
Rather than abandoning the agricultural sector during difficult times, the company strengthened relationships with suppliers, carefully managed its finances and diversified within agriculture while remaining committed to serving farmers.
“When you solve a real problem, you survive any storm,” she said.
While her achievements in business have earned national recognition, it is perhaps her work outside the boardroom that reveals the person behind the entrepreneur.
Serving as the Women Entrepreneurship Day Organisation (WEDO) Ambassador for Masvingo Province and holding leadership roles in community organisations, Machavuda has dedicated much of her time to empowering women and young people through entrepreneurship.
She understands that motivation comes from personal experience, as it feels like to begin with limited resources while confronting stereotypes that discourage women from entering business.
“I know what it feels like to start with little and be told this is not for women, as my own journey taught me that one woman lifted can lift ten others,” she explained.
That belief has inspired training programmes in poultry production, mentorship initiatives and practical support for aspiring entrepreneurs.
For Machavuda, genuine wealth is not measured by personal success alone.
It is measured by the success of those she has helped along the way.
“The impact I’m most proud of is seeing women who started with just 50 chicks now running their own projects and employing others,” she said.
Her academic background in Mathematics, Chemistry and Statistics has also influenced the way she leads.
Rather than relying on instinct alone, she embraces data-driven decision-making, careful planning and continuous evaluation.
“Leadership is also a science as you test, you learn, and you improve,” she said.
That analytical approach, combined with unwavering faith and determination, has seen her collect several prestigious honours over the years.
Yet none has carried the significance of being crowned Zimbabwe’s National Businesswoman of the Year.
For many entrepreneurs, such recognition would represent the pinnacle of a successful career.
“Personally, it represents God’s grace and the prayers of my family, and professionally, it represents every farmer who trusts Eben Hardware and every member of staff who wakes up every morning to serve,” she said
She pauses before delivering the words that perhaps define her entire philosophy.
“This award is not the finish line, as it is a responsibility,” she said.
For her, the recognition is not an invitation to celebrate past achievements; it is a challenge to work even harder.
“It says to the world that a woman from Masvingo can build a national brand through hard work and honesty.”
If Machavuda’s journey is one of empowering farmers and transforming agriculture, Noah Marima’s story reveals another path to national recognition, one built on education, skills development and a vision that business should leave communities stronger than it found them.
If Benonia Machavuda’s journey is rooted in empowering farmers and transforming agriculture, Noah Marima’s story is one of building institutions that touch lives across generations.
Soft-spoken but purposeful, the Junior Holdings proprietor has spent years quietly building a diversified business empire that stretches from driver training and education to construction and media.
His vision has never been to own businesses for the sake of expansion, but to create institutions that solve real problems while contributing to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development.
His latest recognition at the ZNCC National Business Awards, where he was named first runner-up in the Business Leader of the Year category, marked yet another milestone in a journey characterised by consistency rather than chance.
For Marima, however, the latest accolade carries a significance that goes beyond personal achievement.
“Receiving this honour for the fourth time is incredibly humbling, as his latest award carries even greater weight than the previous ones because it speaks to something much tougher to achieve: sustained resilience and consistency,” he said.
Those words capture the essence of a businessman who understands that true success is not measured by isolated achievements but by the ability to remain relevant, innovative and dependable over time.
In Zimbabwe’s often unpredictable business environment, surviving is an achievement in itself.
Remaining competitive while expanding across multiple sectors demands vision, discipline and the courage to embrace change.
Marima’s entrepreneurial journey has been defined by exactly those qualities.
What began with driver training gradually evolved into something much bigger.
Instead of limiting his ambitions to a single industry, he saw opportunities to address broader societal needs.
Looking back, Marima says one decision changed everything.
“Transitioning from driver training into education and construction was a bold move. The turning point was deciding to treat each sector not as separate businesses but as pillars of community development,” said Marima.
That philosophy explains why Junior Holdings has continued expanding while maintaining a strong presence in the communities it serves.
For Marima, leadership has never been confined to boardrooms or financial reports.
His understanding of leadership was shaped long before he became one of Zimbabwe’s recognised business leaders.
“My background as an educator taught me that leadership is a form of service that, whether we are constructing safe infrastructure, training responsible drivers or nurturing the minds of the next generation, our primary goal is to uplift,” he said.
Those words reveal a businessman whose greatest investment has not been in bricks and mortar, but in people.
That people-centred philosophy mirrors the values expressed by Machavuda.
Although their businesses operate in completely different sectors, both entrepreneurs repeatedly return to the same principle: service.
For Machavuda, service means standing with farmers through difficult seasons.
For Marima, it means creating opportunities that improve lives; perhaps that explains why both have earned national recognition.
The ZNCC awards celebrate excellence in business, innovation and leadership, but both recipients insist the real measure of success cannot be displayed in a trophy cabinet.
Asked what gives him the greatest sense of fulfilment, Marima does not mention awards, profits or expansion; instead, he speaks about people.
“Watching a young student walk through the gates of Junior Primary and graduate equipped to change the world, seeing a driver safely master the roads, and knowing our construction projects create sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of families gives me a sense of fulfilment no trophy can match.”
“The awards are wonderful, but the changed lives are the real reward,” he said.
It is a sentiment echoed, albeit differently, by Machavuda, who says her proudest moments come when she sees women she once trained becoming successful entrepreneurs in their own right.
“The impact I’m most proud of is seeing women who started with just 50 chicks now running their own projects and employing others. That is true wealth.”
Such reflections suggest that the national honours bestowed in Victoria Falls are less about individual success than about the ripple effects these entrepreneurs have created within their communities.
One is helping secure Zimbabwe’s food systems by supporting farmers, while the other is investing in education, skills development and infrastructure that will shape future generations.
Both are creating employment, and both are mentoring emerging entrepreneurs.
Both are proving that businesses can be profitable while remaining socially responsible.
Their stories also challenge the notion that nationally recognised businesses must originate in Zimbabwe’s major cities.
From Masvingo, they have built enterprises whose impact now stretches far beyond provincial borders.
For young entrepreneurs watching from the sidelines, their journeys offer a powerful lesson.
For Machavuda, that recognition represents a renewed commitment to serving farmers and expanding opportunities for women and young people.
Marima shares a similar outlook; rather than viewing the latest accolade as the culmination of his career, he regards it as motivation to raise the bar even higher.
“This award is not a destination. It is a higher baseline, adding that it strengthens Junior Holdings’ resolve to continue creating employment, supporting communities and contributing to national development,” he said.
As the curtains closed on this year’s ZNCC National Business Awards, the trophies would eventually find their place on office shelves.
But perhaps the real legacy of Benonia Machavuda and Noah Marima will never be found in polished plaques or framed certificates.
It will be found in the farmer whose harvest improved because quality inputs were finally within reach.
It will be found in the young woman who discovered confidence through entrepreneurship and now employs others.
It will be found in the student whose education opened doors to a brighter future, the newly licensed driver who safely navigates Zimbabwe’s roads, and the worker whose livelihood was secured through businesses built on vision and integrity.
For these two entrepreneurs, the greatest honour is not the recognition they received in Victoria Falls.
It is the opportunity to continue building businesses that place people before profit, transform communities and inspire a new generation to dream beyond limitations.
And in doing so, they are not only flying the Masvingo flag high;h they are quietly helping shape the future of Zimbabwe’s economy, one life at a time.
