UK-based businessman hopes to expand to Zim

Business
In his circle of friends, he is known as “Natty”. In the business world, Nkosinathi Zvimba is the founder and UK managing director of eZimtech Distributors, one of the leading marketer and industrial components distributor to Africa.

In his circle of friends, he is known as “Natty”. In the business world, Nkosinathi Zvimba is the founder and UK managing director of eZimtech Distributors, one of the leading marketer and industrial components distributor to Africa.

BY NDAMU SANDU

The company markets and distributes power tools and connectors, electrical products, automation and cables, chemical, mechanical and industrial tools, mining equipment, industrial valves and oil and gas products, among others.

Zvimba founded eZimtech Distributors in 2010 with a group of engineers from Zambia and Nigeria. Today, the company has a staff complement of 16. Zvimba’s journey to success has not been easy as eZimtech Distributors was formed using family savings and bank overdrafts.

“The biggest challenge we first faced as a business was operating capital as most of our customers used to pay by letter of credit and that meant us procuring the goods with our own funds first and then the bank only released the money after all the goods were ready for shipment,” he told Standardbusiness.

“At some stage we had a purchase order of £250 000 and I had to borrow the funds against my house and everything went well.”

Zvimba worked for eight years at Premier Farnell, a leading multi-channel, high service distributor of electronic components as international business development manager in charge of Africa before he left to form eZimtech Distributors. Before then, Zvimba worked for the marketing department of MTN, Africa’s leading telecommunications provider.

“I left Farnell after obtaining an MBA degree from Leeds Beckett University, which was a toolkit as it gave me insight into setting up my own business, as well as managing finances,” he said.

Does he have plans of setting up business in Zimbabwe?

Zvimba said he had always wanted to set up business in Zimbabwe but the terrain was challenging for a new business, although his company has exhibited before at the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

“It’s always best to do business back home and as soon as scales of economy change we will do that. We will be looking at expanding into Zimbabwe as we already have an office in Chingola, Zambia,” he said.

Zvimba is inspired by the Bible characters, king Solomon, Paul, David and historic figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Joshua Nkomo and Barack Obama.

His works have not gone unnoticed. He scooped the entrepreneur of the year award at the Zim Achievers Awards held last month. Zvimba said winning the award was an unexpected honour for him and the business “as we have been working tirelessly for over six years since the business started and we never knew we were making a difference”.

“I felt intensely proud and privileged to be included on this list,” he said.

Zvimba has amassed a number of qualifications in business management, strategic management, e-business management and e-marketing in his quest to harness all the qualities of management. As managing director, Zvimba is responsible for the performance of the company, as well as maintaining its overall business strategy, including its business plan and its sales strategy development.

Born and raised in Bulawayo, Zvimba is married with two children. He is on the board of trustees of the charitable organisation, Friends of Education Africa UK as well as board member of the Church & Pastors Council at the New Testament Church of God based in Leeds, UK.