Meet man behind Ke Nako

1501-1-1-12540105_939678876067530_1452752781_NTafadzwa Zimoyo Lifestyle Writer
Call him the Sean Combs of Zimbabwe, and this will not be an understatement since the United States rapper otherwise known as P Diddy also runs various ventures which include a clothing line called Sean by Sean Combs, a movie production company as well as a string of restaurants.

Zimbabwe — just like the United States — has its own share of business moguls who run multi-million empires and if the country had its own Forbes, these are the people who would easily make their way into the top list.

While most of these affluent people are always in the news bragging about their wealth, there are however some who never move around blowing their own trumpets.

Rather, they choose to live a low profile, far away from the prying gaze and spotlight of the public, and they are comfortable living such a lifestyle.

They have created employment for many people through their business ventures, most of whose services are sought-after day in day out, but when you pass them on the streets, you might not have an inkling as to who this guy might be.

One such personality is Dr Peter Gwaza, the founder and owner of business entity, Ke Nako Media, which is into publishing, music promotion, events management, filming, among other areas related to the entertainment industry.

Call him the Sean Combs of Zimbabwe, and this will not be an understatement since the United States rapper otherwise known as P Diddy also runs various ventures which include a clothing line called Sean by Sean Combs, a movie production company as well as a string of restaurants.

But the similarities end there because while P Diddy is flashy in everything he does, Dr Gwaza chooses to be in the background and let his work speak for himself.

Unfortunately another major difference between P Diddy and Dr Gwaza is on academic. He has a doctorate in engineering.

Recently, Dr Gwaza, celebrated his Silver Jubilee with a massive birthday bash held at Pablos Restaurant in Harare and the party drew the who-is-who of top company bosses, socialites and other respectable members of society.

You can even call it the elite club, and it wouldn’t be a misnomer.

Gwaza prefers calling himself a “50-year-old boy”. And true to his words, he still looks fit as a fiddle, judging from the way and time that he spends working.

His industriousness his earned him the term, “workaholic” something which he, himself readily admits. “I feel like a 20-year-old, all thanks to the traditional foods I eat and my working approach. If you would ask me about my lifestyle, I would tell you that it is sort of boring, it is not complicated and I like it that way. I am not too much of a mafaro person, being a workaholic, but on this day when I turned 50, I decided to indulge myself and spoil my close friends, relatives and business associates.

“But the fact is that I speak work and eat work that sometimes if you ask me what I do for a living I might not be able to tell you because I too busy trying this and that and expect positive results out of it,” said Dr Gwaza, who is the publisher of Parade magazine.

And just like the Biblical verse of Ecclesiastes which says, “there is a time for everything”, Dr Gwaza sat down and started contemplating over what he might call his company.

“The name Ke Nako means time and to me, according to the Bible, there is a time for everything and once this comes to pass, time should also be cherished and used wisely. “This is the reason why we have adopted our 2016 theme as ‘Success and more success.’

“I believe success starts from somewhere and with it is God first above anything else,” said the entrepreneur, who is also a Christian although he says he has the liberty of attending any church of his choice when he feels it.

His quest for success and his desire to learn from other people who have written their own success stories the world over has seen Gwaza attending shows like Britain Has Got Talent and South Africa Has Got Talent.

“I also had the opportunity of touring the Google, Facebook and Alcatraz Company plants in the United States and this was a great eye-opener from me,” said Dr Gwaza, who also attended the Film International Showcase in Liverpool.

He says he is a strong believer in massive business.

“I believe that one shouldn’t necessarily re-invent the wheel, as they say, but take what is there and use it to go places. We are going to host various awards this year in the genres of Hip Hop, gospel, dancehall as well as entertainment. This will be on top of the Parade Queen and Miss Universities which we also sponsor.”

Married to Judith with three kids, Dr Gwaza owns four ‘modest’ cars and owns a house in Borrowdale Brooke whose and number of rooms he couldn’t divulge. His success secret?

“Give people what they like, and this is the reason why I always try to fit in the society so that I understand them better,” said Dr Gwaza.

The cheerful man has been to various parts of the world like Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others. His business incorporates publication, compass culture, advertising and events planning. Asked about his favourite sport, he said he likes shooting.

“Courtesy of my background, I love and enjoy the spot of shooting. I am an engineer in Armaments and have a diploma in Business leadership,” he said.

Dr Gwaza said was inspired by President Mugabe because of his integrity.

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