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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Arts Reporter

Drama lovers have received an early Christmas present as the 13-episode audio drama series “Ayoba Mkoba”, which aired on Radio Zimbabwe and Skyz Metro FM, is now being shown online.

The initiative, which is meant to educate and entertain people in the comfort of their homes and offices, was made a reality courtesy of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) in partnership with the Investor Protection Fund (IPF) who are focusing on capital markets in Zimbabwe. 

To ensure that more people who missed the episodes aired on radio cancatch up, the drama series is now being shown on SECZIM’s YouTube channel, thanks to Rooftop Promotions under the directorship of Daves Guzha.

According to the synopsis, “Ayoba Mkoba” has a “seamless mixture of Shona and Ndebele, and the audio series focuses on young people in a small township of Mkoba in Gweru. 

“The main character is Tendai who is a tech savvy and a passionate aspiring entrepreneur struggling with his new family and a struggling tech project. In his journey, he meets Awilo who looks very smart and is running a small profitable business. 

“Unfortunately, Awilo is devoid of the skills he needs to invest his profits. There comes Tasha, an enthusiast of finance with keen interest to learn and invest on capital markets which earned her the title, ‘Miss Capital Markets’.”

Tasha teaches Tendai and his family how to invest in shares to grow their wealth and eventually, Tendai gets his breakthrough from Mr Gumbo. 

 “The series features some of the top voices such as radio personalities Perfect Hlongwane and Charlene Mangweni-Furusa,” reads the synopsis. “It also features Getrude Munhamo, Nothando Nobengula and Passmore Ndlovu who plays the role of Tendai. 

“This production comes during the global Covid-19 pandemic at a time where creative activities were stagnant due to the national lockdown. These creatives commend SECZIM for providing them with opportunities to resume their work and re-engage with their followers online.”

Munhamo, who plays Awilo, said she was elated to be part of the project.

“I was very happy to have been part of ‘Ayoba Mkoba’. The project taught me so much about financial literacy and business management through its emphasis on investing in capital markets and profiting. 

“Most importantly, it came when we were stuck without activities during the lockdown.” 

Hlongwane, who starred as Mr Moyo, said: “I really appreciate the chance I got to participate in this production. It helped me grow, especially in this Covid-19 era where activities have been on hold for a while. A lot of people were stuck in their homes without projects to work on.”

Mangweni-Furusa said the project was an eye opener.

“It helped open my eyes to the importance of not giving up on dreams and aspirations,” she said. “This is looking at Tendai’s ambition that seemed impossible until the possibility of investment came into play.” 

According to the SECZ, the purpose of the Investor Protection Fund was to provide compensation to protected investors for losses suffered as a direct result of a licensed contributor to the fund being unable to meet their liabilities through insolvency, malpractice or other causes.

SECZ chief executive Tafadzwa Chinamo said investor education, especially in the developing world, was vital for capital markets development.

“Our philosophy is that given the complex and risky nature of securities investing, information and knowledge are essential. We do not believe in sugar-coating the subject and so we published a comprehensive handbook, Investment 101, to give investors the full story. 

“The book, which is available in audio form, is downloadable from our website and social media platforms. I am glad to say investor education has been a success and over the years household investment in securities has grown from pre-hyperinflation peak.” 

According to its mandate, the SECZ has been  instrumental in the provision an optimal regulatory environment for the protection of investors and the sustainable development of capital markets for national economic growth, while also providing investor education through different platforms like radio, television, new media among other channels of communication in the country.