Zimpapers Logo

Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Senior Lifestyle Writer

“Tinoti Ebenezeer, nesuwo tiri munyasha…

“Zvairema, zvichirwadza asi Jehovha vatisvitsa pano…”, go the lyrics by award winning United States based Zimbabwean Reverend Togarirepi.

It’s New Year and like they said before after a year like 2021, not celebrating New Year’s Eve was not an option.

Due to Covid-19 containment restrictions and regulations which have affected some celebrations such as crossovers and parties, celebrities and non-famous people alike still found ways to ring in 2022 in style.

The Herald on Saturday Lifestyle took a survey and asked some of the local celebrities, business personalities, musicians among others how 2021 has been, what they achieved, the losses and what is in store for 2022.

Here’s how some of the local celebrities said “goodbye and good riddance” to 2021:

Vanessa Chiyangwa-Chironga (skin care therapist)

“2021 has had incredible turn around for my entire family. My new outlook on life is faith based. I managed to graduate from Charis Bible school two days before delivering our miracle after trying for five years. She has been nothing but joy to us all. Her siblings love her so much and my husband is over the moon and so in love with this rainbow beautiful miracle baby. Their bond is absolutely incredible. Sadly, I had to cancel family holiday plans as Covid-19 hit us but it made us realise the importance of our family unit, what it truly means to have everyone still here after such a difficult period of others going through loss,” she said.

“Looking ahead I believe 2022 will open more doors for my construction company as I plan to grow from the interior construction projects into opening up an online office besides a web site so my clients can see all the buildings I have done and future projects to come as well as get client services on suppliers/ contractors and other needs to help them build their homes even whilst in the diaspora. I had a lot of issues with the companies we approached whilst constructing our home, so I’ve built a team that entails engineers, architects, designers, builders under my company LGS CONSTRUCTION who can do the whole build with less back and forth and less financial costs. So I am excited to push that forward whilst enjoying our new edition to our family.”

Charles Charamba (gospel musician)

“2021 has been a replica of the year before it. Public gatherings have been limited, music concerts have been affected.

Internet related engagements provided the reprieve for us. The down side of it is that our fan base is not wholly oriented in technology and we continue to miss each other, hoping that the closed space will reopen some day,” explained the “Mhinduro Iripo” hit maker.

“Prospects and plans of 2022 all point at versatility; we have to increase our efforts in broadening means of outreach and survival.

In as far as the preaching of the word is concerned, we have warmed up to online teachings which have become a very effective and reliable approach. We have been reaching out to people living in different geographical confinements with ease.”

Charamba said we will continue to grow in that regard even after the calming of the Covid-19 situation.

“We can never allow the pandemic to impact us negatively for too long, if we do, we cease to be artists. It’s a moment to wake-up and summon craftsmanship in every regard including circumventing the scourge of the pandemic. In short, our artistry, acumen as Zimbabweans should also involve our survival amidst storms like Covid-19. Above all, we have to seek wisdom from God who gives it freely,” he said.

“In 2022, God granting life, we shall consolidate and build on the foundations that we established in the past two years and beyond. More is in store for our fans; brand new music releases as well as reloads from our previous works.

We continue to sympathize with those who have lost loved ones due to the outbreak. We encourage the populace to follow the provided guidelines so that we exercise goodwill in freeing our space and revert to normal.”

Rinos Mautsa (businessman and philanthropist)

“It was a year that taught me gratitude. There were losses, grieving from those close to us. In the midst of all that I learnt to be grateful and never to take each day for granted. We are still alive; our companies are still operating. That’s enough reason for me to be grateful for the year,” he said.

“Each year we set social, spiritual, financial and personal development goals as a family. Financially we might not have achieved what we wanted however on the other areas we really did well. Just like any business, we were confined by Covid-19 induced restrictions.

“The challenges gave us time to reflect and focus more on new growth areas and markets. We opened offices in Botswana during the year and we are performing well there. We have also registered remarkable growth in the construction industry.”

“The year 2022 will certainly come with its fair share of setbacks with some similar to previous years. I however do believe we are now more experienced and we have been given another opportunity to redeem our time lost. It is our year to grow not only in Zimbabwe but in the region. It is the year that we shall see growth in different sectors of the economy and I do believe we will be part of that growth as a company,” he explained.

Victoria Manase affectionately known as Samsara (fashion designer)

“2021 was a mix for me, lots of lessons and lots of blessings,” she said.

“My Instagram page was hacked and I had to start again but I am glad it did not affect me much in terms of sales revenue and we have managed to gain most of our following back. Covid-19 caused serious challenges towards year end as quite a number of weddings were cancelled or moved indefinitely, we generate a significant portion of our revenue from bridal teams so that was a setback.

2022 we introducing a Luxe and lifestyle range and we are very excited about that,”

Bernard Banda (evangelist and motivational speaker)

“2021 has been a very interesting year for me, very challenging but managed to make it through the grace of God. In terms of achievements, I think we did well with my bible study team as we had about four sessions a week on social media, we reached to more people who wouldn’t ordinarily attend physical meetings, we equipped and gave people hope in this new norm. Because of the new norm I did a lot of counselling online thus did more compared to what I used to do visiting and meeting people in person.

I also managed to preach to various if not more congregations than ever before because I would do it in my home studio and not having to travel to their churches, all this made me spent enough and quality time with my family while I do God’s work with ease,” he said.

Mr Banda said the down side of Covid-19 was losing friends and loved ones and I had to do lot of counselling to those who lost loved ones.

However, we have adjusted the systems and structures to accommodate the new norm using social media opportunities, being creative so as to reach more people and at the same time not compromising on our message. 2022 we are looking forward to be having our usual programs since we have been meeting in person and also continue with our social media followers. I will also be launching two books,” cited Banda.

Maxwell Mugwagwa (Kusi Chemicals chief executive, businessman)

“Just like everyone 2020-2021 was more of like the same due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But we have adjusted and managed to receive awards at various business platforms. We hope to expand our business, involving the schools too since our line of work is for everyone. We want to open new plant and have a bigger warehouse,” he said.

Maimba Mapuranga (master of ceremony, lifestyle coach)

“2021 has really been a challenging year for my events and entertainment sector. As a professional master of ceremonies, I survive and live off events bookings and our pockets and livelihoods feel the brunt of these bans or lockdowns. The last quarter of 2021 has been good as business was great, the events industry opened up and bookings were coming in hard and fast which I am grateful for, from corporate to social events.

If there is one thing the last two years of this Covid-19 has taught anyone, is the need to adapt or die, to evolve or be dissolved. As a brand M.A.I.M.B.A, which is my brand, I had to adapt and expand into low hanging business ventures such as the establishment of my media and events company called Kutting Edge Media and Events Consultancy,” he explained.

“We are working hard to be the go to consultancy for any such events because I am familiar with the attendant protocols, requirements and demands of such events with such high profile guests. This has been our greatest achievement this past year. We looking forward to 2022. Now I get to host events in Ghana, Australia, United Kingdom and anywhere else in the world from the comfort of my office. We plan on building on the many virtual events opportunities available. How has been 2021

Pride Khumbula (Rainbow Tourism Group Corporate Affairs and Quality Manager)

“2021 has been a difficult year the world over due to the business viability risks posed by the Covid-19. However, notwithstanding such difficulties, we are proud of the resilience and commitment that our company has demonstrated in delivering strong operational performance during the year,” she said.

“This performance has been driven by the commitment of our teams across the group combined with a diversified portfolio and disciplined approach to resource allocation.

“We managed to recover some of the revenues lost due to lockdowns through activating the domestic market. During the year the company’s hotels and head office successfully underwent re-certification to the ZWS ISO 9001:2015 standard. RTG remains the only hospitality company that is ISO certified by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe. Our flagship the Rainbow Towers Hotel & Conference Centre was awarded the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe Hospitality Sector Superbrand award.

We lost five months of operations during the lockdowns. We hope to recover the lost opportunities as we end the year. The global lockdown restrictions have resulted in the decline in cross-border travel and tourism, with people preferring to travel locally or within their regions. This has resulted in a marked decline in international arrivals which has had an impact on performance. We are thankful to our domestic customers who have stood with us and have sustained our business operations,” she explained.