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Blessings Chidakwa-Senior Lifestyle Writer

Gone are the days when local businesspeople were known to keep their business “secrets” away from everyone, including their spouses and children.

The country is littered with shells of business empires that crumbled as soon as the owner died, simply because no one else was aware of how to move the business forward after the death.

In the past, it seems some were afraid of entrusting their businesses to their children for different reasons and this usually created a lot of inheritance challenges, especially when they die without a will.

But this seems to be no longer the case.

Local businesspeople are increasingly opening up during their lifetime, involving their children in business, sometimes taking a back seat and letting them run the show.

This has led to the emergence of young Zimbabweans who are taking over business empires of their parents or guardians.

And the examples are plenty.

Speaking during a recent business forum, Mashwede Holdings founder 72-year-old Mr Alex Mashamhanda said his two young boys were now steering the ship of his business empire.

The Sam Levy Village is now known to be successfully run sons of the founder.

But it is the emergency of 27-year-old Kenneth Junior Musanhi that has set tongues wagging, not only because he is into a successful business at that tender age, but also due to the uniqueness of that business.

Kenneth Junior is son to famous businessman and politician, Mr Kenneth Musanhi, whose empire includes a unique sector of the aviation industry.

Of course, when the name Musanhi is mentioned, many quickly remember him as the yesteryear famous bus operator.

In political circles, he is known as the Zanu PF Politburo member and Bindura North legislator. Whichever way one may choose to associate him, either as a businessman or a politician, he is the man who decided to entrust the running of his vast empire to his son, Kenneth Junior.

If life were predictable, it would cease to be life, and be without flavour, Eleanor Roosevelt once said. Such is the story of Kenneth Junior, who now owns a vast business empire, which includes a unique aspect  – a fleet of aircraft.

Fourteen of them, some in hangars at Charles Prince Airport, while others are in resort towns of Kariba and Victoria Falls.

Very few Zimbabweans own an aircraft, let alone 14 of them.

A school drop-out, of course by choice, Kenneth Junior, who successfully passed his O Levels, convinced his parents to pursue business interests instead of taking the Advanced level route, which most of his peers pursued.

His father has now entrusted him with steering the vast empire of KSM Group of Companies.

“KSM Group of companies started as a farming business,” said Kenneth Junior. “My dad was a farmer who was into buying and selling of cow peas. He borrowed three cows from my late grandmother and sold them, venturing into sunflower business.

“My dad would sell the produce to Olivine Refineries, which was a white-owned business company. After that he bought taxis.”

Kenneth Junior said from proceeds of the taxi business, Mr Musanhi repaid the cows acquired from the grandmother.

“As the taxi business boomed, my dad then bought a bus,” he said. “From the first bus, they started multiplying and that was to lead to the genesis of the KSM Group of Companies.

“It was KSM Musanhi buses at first and then it boomed to become KSM Group of Companies when we bought Central Air Transport Services (CATS). It provides professional tailor made aviation services to meet the needs of air transport in Southern Africa.” 

Mr Musanhi bought his first plane in 1990 before buying CATS in 2004, then known as United Air Charter.

CATS operates in the aviation industry out of Charles Prince Airport in Mt Hampden and Victoria Falls International Airport.

 

“CATS, through its subsidiary Aerotech, is one of the few companies which offers plane repairs in the country and has the best equipped workshop in the region,” said Kenneth Junior.

He said CATS was making a profit.

“It makes me happy since I believe in black people excellence,” said Kenneth Junior. “We work with Fidelity and we also chatter goods such as crocodile eggs and perishables.

“So, in case someone wants to move their flowers from one place to another, we can do that. We also do cloud seeding. I would say partially we contributed towards this year’s rains through cloud seeding.”

Kenneth Junior said humbleness was one of the key factors why KSM Group of Companies was progressing.

“I would not say I am the mastermind behind it,” he said. “There are people who discuss and suggest opinions which we embrace.

“We are open to every opinion. When in business meetings, there is no managing director, there is Kenneth Junior. There are no special people since I believe productivity and efficiency are there when people are comfortable.” 

Kenneth Junior gave an insight on AVM Africa buses under KSM Group of Companies, which is the highest producing bus company in Africa.

“For AVM, our clients are mostly Government institutions, Zimbabwe United Passengers Company, Zimbabwe Power Company and those companies have been keeping us afloat,” he said.

“If you have noticed, as of late people have this belief of importing buses and that has mostly affected our business. So, our clientèle is mainly the Government organisations and some other private companies. In terms of productivity, we can make up to 25 buses a month.” 

Kenneth Junior, who is happy to have been entrusted by his father to run such a vast business empire, narrated the inspiration towards venturing into business.

“I enjoyed playing games too much,” he said. 

“During school holidays, I would attend workshops helping my father so that I could earn myself a few dollars to acquire a PlayStation. So, as a curious person, I started to learn how business works from a young age.

“I started learning more about the business after my Ordinary Levels. I decided that I would not go to university. Instead my focus was on making money and bettering what my father had achieved.” 

Kenneth Junior said while he may have decided to be a school drop-out, he did not stop from learning in life.

“I would go to workshops for AVM Africa,” he said. “At some point, I could wear a work suit since I needed to have an understanding of what we were really doing. If you are not aware of your co-existence you will never fully deliver.” 

Kenneth Junior said KSM Group was also into social corporate responsibility and starting with their backyard in Mashonaland Central province.

 “We are drilling boreholes for the people in Mashonaland Central,” he said. “We want to give them a viable water system. That is an ongoing project that is happening right now and we are also providing school fees for the young and less privileged children.” 

As for harbouring any political ambitions like his father, Kenneth Junior said it was far from his mind for now as his focus was only on business.