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This trademark attributes fitted well into his career as a leading hotelier that Isadore Tsatsa was.
They called him “Mhondoro Yemvura” because of his sartorial elegance.
Everyone in his or her own right represents a personal brand.
The only difference is that some people represent weak, hideous, evil and sordid brands while others are an embodiment of strong, excellent and spectacular brands whose equity is priceless.
One individual — whom many people would agree with me represented the latter brand — is the late veteran hotelier par excellence Isadore Tsatsa who passed on, on February 22, this year in Harare, aged 59.
For various reasons that made him a distinctive person and marvellous brand. I have always wondered by what alchemy a person of his calibre was brought to this earth.
From the day I came across him at the Monomotapa Crowne Plaza Hotel in 2005 where he was then the deputy general manager, I never stopped admiring his endearing character.
He was a jovial figure and a person of high, exquisite moral sensibility.
I had gone to Monomotapa Crowne Plaza Hotel with a couple of friends to sample their traditional cuisine.
Being a busy day it was with waiters and waitresses overwhelmed, remember yesteryear Fridays.
Tsatsa was literary running around serving drinks while wearing his trademark smile.
He served us with drinks and gave us company as we waited for our food.
In a very short time we had known each other, this man had made us laugh, had taught us and admirably asked us a lot of questions in our different fields of expertise with the desire to learn.
Unlike in most cases, introductions were made when we had finished our meals and exiting the hotel.
That’s when we realised that we had spent the entire dinner with the deputy general manager of a top hotel. Everyone present could not hide their admiration of this man’s unmatched humility.
Little did we know that five years down the line we would meet at the Tourism House both employed by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority where he became the Head of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions).
It was at the authority that we were to learn more of this modest man who was a preacher, teacher, manager, brother, father and — above all — a team player.
Born in 1953 in Rusape, Isadore attended St Peter’s Primary School before proceeding to St Benedict’s for his secondary education.
Upon successful completion of his secondary education he enrolled with the Bulawayo Technical College for a Diploma in Hotel Management.
The attainment of the tourism and hospitality qualification marked his breakthrough into an industry he loved most which was also to give him fame, pride and dignity.
Between 1973 and 1984 he held various positions within the then Zimbabwe Sun Hotels Group.
In 1985 Tsatsa opened Sheraton Harare as front office manager.
Five years later he did a Rooms Division Course (Cole Hotelier Lausanne, Switzerland) where he was also awarded Best Front office manager and also received another accolade, Sheraton Hotels Division for Middle East, Africa & Asia and nominated for the Harold Geneen Award (ITT)
Tsatsa was instrumental in the opening of several international hotels and was once attached to Brussels, Middlesex UK, and Antaliya Ephesus- Turkey Sheraton, Egypt and Red Sea.
After his stint in the regional and international hospitality arena he brought back his wealth of experience as the deputy general manager of Elephant Hills Hotel in Victoria Falls in 1991.
In 1993 he became the assistant GM at Mowana Lodge in Botswana and was back in Zimbabwe in 1996 as the GM at A’Zambezi River Lodge.
In 1999 he bounced back as rooms division manager Sheraton Harare. The next year he was appointed GM Cresta Lodge before moving to Mozambique in 2002 as administration manager in Barra Lodge, Mozambique.
In 2004 he worked as the manager at Archipelago Sun Hotel in Mozambique and the following year he came back home and worked as the deputy general manager for African Sun Monomotapa Crowne Plaza.
In 2010 Tsatsa joined ZTA as Head Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions.
After his one-year sojourn at ZTA, he was the next year given a job at the Awallah Hotel in Nigeria.
Tsatsa was the director there until his untimely death. Like or hate him, Tsatsa had an illustrious career in the tourism and hospitality industry that spurned over 39 years.
One cannot talk about Isadore Tsatsa’s trademark without mentioning the late man’s taste for good clothes.
He was always dressed in executive suites and used to laugh it off when he always said, “munin’ina unofanira kuchena senyoka”.
He was of the Soko totem and I used to pull his leg telling him that he was of my Moyo totem, “mhondoro yemvura” as evidenced by his immaculate outfits and trademark smile hence, my close relationship with him.
As I bid farewell to my brother Isadore I say one thing that no one can dispute is that you were a distinguished hotelier.
The contribution you made to the hospitality sector shall always be cherished and we already miss you big brother. May your dear soul rest in eternal peace.