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Mr Nakhozwe

Moonlight Funeral Assurance has over the years spread its wings across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe and beyond. Its tentacles now even reach South Africa. One man’s vision and dedication in life assurance today provides service to all and sundry in Zimbabwe and beyond.

To the public, he is an astute, but shrewd, media shy businessman, who has worked hard to build a business empire from nothing.

But to his kids, family members and friends, he is simply a humble, down to earth incredible father, who will always find time to engage with them on different levels.

Mr Grant Beaton Nakhozwe is the owner and founder of Moonlight Provident Associates — the holding company of Moonlight Funeral Assurance.

Humble and unassuming, Mr Nakhozwe has remained in the background, away from media publicity over the years, despite the success of the brand, which he formed 20 years ago.

“I am just a simple man, who thrives on perfection,” he revealed in an interview at his offices in Harare recently.

An astute businessman, Mr Nakhozwe has managed to build a business empire in funeral and life assurance, from a mere insurance agency he got as a token of appreciation after nearly two decades working for an insurance company.

It is as a result of his acumen to sustain a business in a very challenging economic environment that saw him being voted Businessman of the Year 2015 by Megafast (Northern Region) at a ceremony held in the capital recently.

The award was in recognition of his unwavering commitment to sustain his business against a myriad of challenges through the adoption of different strategies.

“I am naturally elated for the recognition. It is not something that I expected, but I guess it is an affirmation of the contribution that I have made in the industry over the years,” he said.

And true to his word, the company he started from mere passion to further his interest in insurance has grown to become a household name in life insurance and now has 39 branches that are sprouted across Zimbabwe.

Its coffin making factory located in Mutare bears testimony to the bullish attitude the organisation has adopted.

The business continues to grow each day and Moonlight Life Assurance will soon open another funeral parlour in Plumtree to serve the growing population of this border town.

With a workforce of more than 300 employees, Mr Nakhozwe has carved his place among the league of businessmen and businesswomen, who are heeding Government’s call to create employment.

“In our small strides, we have been able to consolidate our business model. We shall continue to do more,” he said, without any trace of arrogance.

However, Mr Nakhozwe concedes that the business he owns today did not come on a silver platter, but has been as a result of hard work, commitment, perseverance and a sense of responsibility to create employment.

“When we started 20 years ago, we faced a host of challenges and at one time I thought of giving up, when faced with obstacles in trying to set up the company,” he recalls.

Just setting up the company was no mean feat, he recalls.

Because actuarial services then where not available in Zimbabwe, Mr Nakhozwe had to travel with his team to South Africa to acquire the services, which he badly needed to come up with actuarial rates, needed in life assurance.

When they got to the neighbouring country, Mr Nakhozwe was ordered to return to Zimbabwe and seek the services from competitors who were already in the business and were not likely to make it easy for a novice to enter the highly competitive industry.

Spurred by his passion to continue serving in the insurance company, Mr Nakhozwe did not give up, but went back to South Africa to convince the service providers to certify for him the actuarial rates, a process which took long.

That phenomenal feat gave birth to Moonlight Provident Associate, a holding company of Moonlight Funeral Assurance.

“The first two years were not easy. I entered into the industry at a time when burial societies ruled the roost and most people were not keen on taking up life insurance policies.”

But with a team of dedicated marketing personnel, Moonlight Insurance got a buy-in from nurses and teachers, who had seen the beauty of services the company was offering.

In no time at all and with a robust marketing and sales team — business grew. By the time the company clocked five years, it now had its own fleet of vehicles and had started building funeral parlours in different cities across the country.

“Business was growing and the staff was happy,” he enthused.

However, the economy meltdown in the country around 2007 saw most businesses going under and Moonlight was not spared either.

That era, signalled the end of business for most companies and individuals who up to now have failed to revive their enterprises.

Mr Nakhozwe managed to pick up the pieces and has since remoulded his vision to be what it is today, something he attributes to discipline, good governance and good strategic business plans.

“There is a perception that it is easy to start and run a business in life assurance, working on the assumptions that people will always die one way or the other.

“That is a very wrong assumption that needs to be corrected.

“Life assurance is like any other business that requires a good business model for it to survive. Without that, it will not work,” said Mr Nakhozwe who is already working on his retiring plan, so that he can concentrate on farming — his second passion after insurance.

Despite the success of his business, Mr Nakhozwe says the volatile economic situation remains tricky for those who want to venture into business.

“Individuals will have to be cautious when thinking of venturing into business. One will need a good business model, assess the opportunities and risks involved,” he said.

With all the hard work and dedication, Mr Nakhozwe continues to be a torch that provides light and gives hope to many bereaved Zimbabweans.

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