As photojournalists last week trained their cameras on Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, their main focus was to get the picture of a man Forbes Magazine estimates is worth $17,5 billion.
BY NDAMU SANDU
There was no room for mistakes as it was a rare moment to get a picture of a man whose investments straddle across the continent. Anyone else encroaching into the photo was going to be edited out!
Then at State House, President Robert Mugabe, Dangote and a woman posed for a photo.
The woman in question is Josey Mahachi, credited with bringing the Nigerian billionaire to Zimbabwe.
Although Mahachi carved her name as the host of a television show, Click Africa, on Mnet Africa Magic, last week’s show would have added shine to her star.
A mother of three, Mahachi is married to a Nigerian, Jide Agbeniyi whom she exchanged vows with at a colourful wedding in Harare in 2013. How did she meet Dangote? “I host a TV show on Mnet Africa Magic called Click Africa so I met Alhaji at an event; I can’t even remember if it was in Abuja or Lagos but sometime last year,” she told Standardbusiness last week.
Subsequent to that meeting, Mahachi found herself attending Dangote Group’s commissioning of cement manufacturing plants in a number of countries.
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“… when I realised he had a target of 15 African countries and he’s on 13 already when we were in Zambia last month, I felt time was running out with the speed Dangote has and I approached him and now here we are,” she said.
Last month, Dangote Group commissioned a 1,5 million metric tonnes per annum cement plant valued at more than $400 million in Zambia.
Mahachi attended Hatfield primary and secondary schools.
Other than hosting a television show, Mahachi is also an entrepreneur running an upmarket restaurant, Gotcha Nyama, in Harare.
“…in Nigeria we have a guest house that accommodates most of the Zimbabweans that visit TB Joshua,” she said.
Gotcha Nyama was opened last year at an event where Nelson Mandela’s grandson Chief Zwelivelile Mandlesizwe Dalibhunga Mandela attended.
She was born to John and Tsitsi Mahachi 32 years ago.
She says she is inspired by Mugabe and Dangote.
“He [Dangote] is so rich, filthy rich but he still lives a very humble life. I am a nobody, a young woman from Gutu but here I am, a man like Dangote listened to me, fuelled his jet to honour my invitation to come and help my nation,” she said.
She plans to relocate to Zimbabwe with her husband to make sure “this investment takes place with no hiccups”.
