Pioneering indigenous entrepreneur Ted Makoni has spoken about how he built his businesses around Harare using his salary.
Makoni shared his story on the platform In Conversation with Trevor, which is hosted by Alpha Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube (TN).
Below are excerpts from the interview.
TN: Ted Makoni, welcome to In Conversation With Trevor.
TM: Thanks.
TN: When I finally decided that we need to sit down with you a lot of beautiful memories came across my mind.
I was reminded of the beautiful days that you and I . ., remember Shewa Chimbwa?
TM: Yes. The journalist.
TN: And Regis Nyamakanga?
TM: Yes.
TN: We would go to cocktail parties?
TM: Yes.
TN: You were already [a] pioneering businessman...
We would be having our drinks and then in the middle of it all you would then say is guys I want to go out and smoke and you would take out your pipe and start smoking and you would tell us these amazing stories...
TM: We called it the smoke break.
TN: The smoke break. Do you still smoke Ted?
TM: No. Given [it] up.
TN: Why?
TM: It was by coincidence. Apparently, for your own information, I became a victim of Covid, and during the process of being...
TN: Healing?
TM: Cured and healing, I went to some doctor who in fact misdiagnosed.
I cannot remember what problem he was looking for, and when I asked him what had caused it he said it was smoking.
I said really? And he said yes. I said from now on I am not smoking.
That is how I stopped.
TN: Wow. But you survived Covid obviously?
TM: Oh yes.
TN: Do you still drink?
TM: Only occasionally, if I am at a place where there is relaxation. But I will never drink just because there is a drink.
TN: Right. Why the change?
TM: Well, when I stopped the lagers I carried on drinking occasionally whiskey, and that is what I go for.
And it is not a question of drinking because it is there. I have got to have the feeling that I think I...
TN: I need a drink?
TM: Yeah. Or I among most friends who are also drinking and I feel I would like to. Not necessarily because I must.
TN: That comes with maturity isn't it? That is wisdom?
TM: I think so, yeah.
TN: Ted you represent an amazing crop of pioneering businessman, and I am going to run through those that I remember and I want you to add a few names there.
And for me really having you here is partly a celebration of your generation.
TM: Thanks.
TN: A celebration of these amazing people who started businesses in the most difficult times.
You were in business, I mean I was reflecting you know, I think I have known you for 30 years or over 30 years?
TM: It is much longer than that yeah.
TN: Much longer than that. So the people that you represent to me are people like Paul Mukondo.
TM: Yes.
TN: The late Ben Mucheche.
TM: Yes.
TN: Paul Matambanadzo.
TM: Yes.
TN: Job Kadengu.
TM: Yes.
TN: Who else do you remember within that group of you guys who started businesses in very difficult times?
And at that time by the way Ted, most of you were limited to retail stores, you were limited to running transport companies.
Farming in the old African purchase areas. Who do you remember in that group that stands out for you?
TM: Well, you have to do what you have to do. (There was) Josephat Ruredzo.
TN: What was Josephat into?
TM: He was in transport.
TN: Transport.
TM: He was in competition with the Matambanadzos.
TN: Aha. When you look back Ted talk to us about starting your business? What challenges you encountered?
What you overcame to finally, you know start your business Muchira Butchery? Was that your first business?
TM: That was the first business.
TN: Talk to me about how you started it?
TM: Well what you do not know is that before I went into that business what was I doing?
TN: What were you doing? Shall we go there?
TM: I was actually one of the pioneer blacks in telecommunications as a technician.
So, from school [in] 1962 I enrolled as an apprentice student under the what was called PTC now...(TelOne and Zimpost)
TN: Post and Telecommunications Corporation.
TM: It was at that time known as the GPO (General Post Office), which encompassed the postal services and telecoms [which] were all under the one umbrella GPO. Eventually it turned into PTC which is what...
TN: Now TelOne one by the way I think so.
TM: That is right TelOne. One of the bits of PTC Tel-One, and then there is NetOne...
TN: NetOne.
TM: Yes. Actually, while you are there, I eventually sat on the board for PTC and we are the ones who recommended the split of these three.
But let us go to my starting the business. I started business while I was working for PTC.
The driving force was when I asked, in fact I had lost my father, and I wanted to be transferred to either Rusape or now Marondera.
My boss, the one I was working with, only wrote one word: provided I get a suitable replacement.
Therefore, my transfer was declined, and I carried on and I decided well I better find my way out of this.
A cousin of mine introduced me to the owner of a butchery, which was called Fadza Moyo.
TN: Where was this?
TM: In Highfield, Machipisa. I got started and the business started doing very well, but one thing you do not know, you people do not know is actually my wife who started running this business.
I stayed on working until 1978. The business was now running.
Then back to my desire to be transferred, I said this is the time to leave these people.
So, I put in my letter of resignation and the same boss again wrote provided I get suitable replacement...
TN: Hahaha.
TM: But there were others above him who realised that they were losing an asset.
He quickly came to me and said ‘can we transfer you for you to remain in the corporation?’ I said no [and] that my mind was made up...
TN: I am leaving.
TM: I am leaving. And that is how I left.
Then I started running the business full-time. This time the business had grown from a butchery to a general dealer, so the two were running side by side.
TN: Where was this?
TM: In Machipisa.
TN: Machipisa Shopping Centre.
TM: My wife stayed running the butchery, I went into the retail.
TN: Were they same place? The retail and the butchery?
TM: Same place. In fact, on the same block.
TN: Okay.
TM: Yeah so it was very easy to supervise and communicate.
TN: Talk to me Ted about how you funded it? Did you fund it from your salary? Did you get a loan? How did you do it?
TM: Self-funded. I had made a bit of savings...
TN: From your salary?
TM: From my salary which I then paid a deposit to the seller and in about six months’ time I paid him off.
TN: From your salary?
TM: From my salary, because I told him I could not rely on the business, therefore, I was going to rely on my salary.
So [he] accepted those terms, which I met without any problem.
TN: So you paid him off in six months’ time?
TM: Yeah, then I was full-time and my wife kept on running [the business].
For your own information, we did not have an account and all the sales were kept at home...
TN: You did not have a bank account?
TM: No we did not.
TN: Why? Because the bank would not allow you to open or what? Was it by choice?
TM: The environment was not as welcome, but my wife decided there was enough money for us to now open an account.
TN: Okay.
TM: I said well go ahead and open the account.
For your own information my wife was better known at the bank than myself.
She was the only signatory and all the time that we ran businesses I eventually became a signatory and it was not a question of counter signatures, each one would sign on the account.
And when I started running the retail shop apparently...