Discover the stories, experiences and contributions of members of the Old Owl community.
Simba is currently pursuing his masters and doctorate in Ethnomusicology as a graduate student at Wesleyan University. Prior to enrolling in this program he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis on vocal performance and a concentration in Spanish at Houghton College before continuing on to pursue a masters degree in Choral conducting. At a young age, he has enjoyed some success as a musical artist; he travels extensively in the United States, and internationally, as a performer and guest clinician. This summer alone, he was the Artist in Residence at a music school in Boulder, Colorado, and also presented various workshops at Zimbabwe Music Festival in Monmouth, Oregon.
Samba Kamuriwo attributes his success, in part, to the solid foundation that he received from Watershed College – from the dedicated mentorship and guidance of a committed faculty, to the close knit community of life-long friends that continue to challenge him today. In his own words, “Watershed College gave me a glimpse of all the possibilities that were before me. During my time at Watershed, I was challenged to look beyond present circumstances, and dare to be a dreamer. At Watershed my dreams were supported, and I was sufficiently prepared and provided with the necessary resources to achieve my goals. I doubt I would be where I am without all the input from the Watershed Faculty and Staff.”
Clinton describes himself as an entrepreneur, marketing whizz and all round blogger.
In 2008, Mutambo set up Uhai Media, a marketing agency that saw him working with government departments and the private sector. His work with Uhai Media got him on the Deputy Prime Minister’s Rebranding Panel and on the national STICT 2010 (Sports Tourism Image and Communications Taskforce). His clients included some of Zimbabwe’s biggest firms, like Innscor Franchising and Axcil Jefferies. In 2011, Mutambo shut down Uhai to seek opportunities that would allow him combine his love for marketing and Information and Communications Technology which gave birth to Esaja.com. Esaja, an acronym for Empowering Solutions and Joint Action. By 2016, Esaja, which operates from Harare, had made a mark in over 15 countries in Africa. For his enterprise, he was named one of Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs for 2015.The Esaja platform went into live Beta on 25 May 2013.
Esaja.com is a marketing platform committed to facilitating trade and cooperation between small and medium scale enterprises and big corporations on the continent. It is self-described as Africa’s business and yellow pages directory for distributors, suppliers, agents, buyers, wholesalers, importers and exporters.
“The key motivation behind Esaja Continental Services is to be an enabler of progress and prosperity across Africa,” Mutambo said. “By definition this means that our efforts should lead to more jobs being created as a result of traders accessing wider markets and ultimately more value addition is happening. The challenge is massive and exciting enough to feed our passion for Africa.”
Clinton is also currently a member of the Kairos Society’s Africa chapter. Working with other young entrepreneurs from around the world to combat unemployment and address some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Rudo is a Plant Biotechnologist, who wishes to improve crop yields by transferring genes of interests from other sources to the plant. Rudo helped the crop science students under the Department of crop science, university of Zimbabwe in 2012 in the Molecular Physiology of plant practical’s, a course that was taught by Dr Robertson.
Linda is a multitalented and successful business woman and politician. Linda studied Accounting & Financial Management with the University of South Africa. Linda is an auditor by profession, she served articles at Grant Thornton, Zimbabwe. She is now the owner and managing consultant at Westia Group International, managing consultant at Poppers Brands and creative director at Amazimzim!
Linda is a fashion designer by passion, and her popular clothing label and brand Amazimzim featured in the Hembe Magazine and the Ecco Magazine. The brand Amazimzim is about positivity, believing in your dreams, working hard to achieve your dreams and never giving up. Linda has recently been appointed as Chief of Staff of the African Democratic Party – the youngest Chief of Staff in Zimbabwe. The next stop for Linda is honourable MP!
Class of 2003, I spent 2 of my last high school years doing the Diploma in Agriculture Course which I passed with a couple of distinctions in Business Management.
This was an amazing, unforgettable experience and I would say the various practical weeks (we would spend 2 weeks at a time on a farm, winery or automobile repair company) possibly readied me more than the others for the real world. I was fortunate enough to be one of the 12 College Prefects in my upper school year. I played first team rugby.
I then went to Hartbury College in England to study a BA in Agriculture Business Management, midway through I changed both the university and course to study my other passion and obtained a BA in Sport Business Management from Leeds Beckett University. While playing club rugby I tore all my knee ligaments and damaged the peroneal nerve in my right leg. This left me unable to weight bare for several months and with no movement in my foot for 2 years. (Several surgeries would follow after that and I’m still to have my ACL done when I feel I’m ready to go back in the theatre room).
All of a sudden I couldn’t train, work out and play the sport I so dearly loved and that was starting to affect me mentally. To help cope with the effects I decided to start Kyros Sports. It started off as a blog then moved to helping talented kids get sports scholarships to what it has evolved to be now, a developing full bouquet Sports Management firm.
We have the best bunch of guys in the Kyros Sports team and I wouldn’t swop these guys for anyone else- most of this has to do with the fact that 95% of them are staunch Old Owls who continue to deliver that “who are we”? “what are we”? “MAGIC” !!! mantra. We certainly have a big desire to give back to our Alma Mater and as we prosper so should Shed. We shall Overcome!! Ex Arduis Florio Gombora- G-Side Sharks rule!!
From the university of Cape Town Rumbidzai has a Bachelor of social sciences and politics and a Master’s in Public Administration from Central European University. Rumbie speaks English, French, Mandarin and Shona.
Honours and awards Rumbi has received include:
Rumbidzai Masango in 2009 represented the Economic Justice Network at the African Youth Forum on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The forum was organized by Peace Boat a Japan based NGO, and was attended by youth activists from Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. The objective was to explore innovative ideas for MDG campaigns.
Rumbie’s is currently consulting for the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) on a project that seeks to enhance the operating environment, particularly the legal operating environment of identified groups of human rights defenders in West African countries. Rumbi’s research and advocacy efforts focused specifically on Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Sierra Leone. Prior to this Rumbie was working as an international tax programme officer for Tax Justice Network Africa, where she led a campaign against illicit financial flows from Africa called “Stop the Bleeding”.
Ruramiso is a young woman farmer in Marondera. She holds a BA Degree in Agriculture Business Management from the University of West England (UWE). She is a horticulture farmer and grows crops for export into the European union and Africa.
She has a 100ha plantation on her farm and is working with Sustainable afforestation association to address the issue for deforestation in her community. She is passionate about indigenous organic grains and is currently growing a rice variety called Oryza glaberrima, which is native to Zimbabwe and is at risk of becoming extinct. She is the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union youth wing and the first woman to hold this post in 75 years.
She is also a member of Southern African confederation of Agriculture Unions (SACAU).She is currently working on a project of training women and youth in her community on climate smart agriculture and nutrition. In 2014 she was invited by AGCO Cooperation to speak at their Africa Summit in Berlin and after her presentation the Chairman CEO & President of AGCO Martin H. Richenhagen awarded her with an award for influence and leading women towards mechanized farming in Africa.
She has been on the cover of The Zimbabwean Farmer magazine and also on the New Alliance for food and nutrition publication, which is endorsed by the African Union. She has been profiled by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale (GIZ), Zimbabwe Farmers Union and AGCO. Ruramiso is also a Mandela Washington 2016 fellow.
Barry is the Senior Account Executive at GO1 Sydney Australia. He has a Bachelor of Business & Marketing from USC.
Barry’s Passion for dealing with people has led him into a career in sales and business development where he has worked with clients in sports, marketing, education and employment markets. Learning at Watershed certainly played a huge role in my ability to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life.
Farai Gwaze after leaving Watershed College went to South Africa where he studied Media and Communications Drama and Performance at the University of Kwazulu-Natal.
Farai is distinguished as one of the best presenters in Zimbabwe and he is conquering the broadcasting world. He is producer and presenter at Capitalk 100.4fm – Capitalk is Harare’s premier talk radio station telling and reflecting Zimbabwe’s story. He is also part of the African Economic Expansion Summit whose objective is to use new media tools to present the entrepreneurial endeavours of young Africans in Fashion, entertainment, the performing arts and music, while looking at the social needs that must be met in their respective communities.
Farai says that school isn’t about being educated, it’s about being learned, so don’t just go to school to pass, do it to learn.
Kudakwashe Kudenga is a farmer by profession and an entrepreneur. He holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Agriculture and Land Management from the University of West England. He completed his studies in 2004 after which he worked for Dairy Crest, the second largest dairy company in the UK, as a graduate trainee for two years. In 2006 he returned to Zimbabwe to oversee operations at F.G Rhodesdale farm located in Marondera.
Kudakwashe is currently implementing a mixed farming programme comprising field crops, horticulture and livestock management. He was awarded the overall Young Commercial Farmer of the Year award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016) by the Confederation of Young Farmers in Zimbabwe. He is also currently serving as the president of the Next Generation of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show Society. Kudakwashe is now venturing into value addition and is currently developing a brand.
Founders’ Day 2019
Every year on the second Tuesday of the first term, we commemorate our founders. The event starts with a Chapel service followed by tree planting by form one students. A former student is invited to grace the occasion. In 2019 we had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Kudakwashe Kudenga.
Kuda’s Speech to the Watershed students.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I am Kudakwashe Kudenga and I am a farmer and agriprenuer by profession and most of all, an Old Owl. First of all, I would like to thank Watershed College for inviting me to speak at the Founders Day of 2019 and for the education, friendship, life skills, memories, foundation and pride that I gained from when I first enrolled as a young boy in 1995.
Talking about my experience at Watershed College is easy and personally, I have too many memories that have been etched into my mind and will live with me for the rest of my life. I would like to think of my time at Watershed as some of best years of my life and at times I wish I could go back and re-live those days. When I first enrolled, there was a house which I don’t know if it still exists, known as Junior Hostel where most form ones would go into for a year then eventually move to their big hostels. However, I can’t talk about that, because I was one of the lucky few that went straight into the main hostels being the mighty Chinyika House. When we first got there we got a baptism of fire as we quickly realised that we were no longer at the top of the food chain and at break time we had to go to war especially on Fridays for the sweet tasting donuts soon after the seniors had their lion’s share after the famous war cry of those days ‘hondo’. We formed lasting bonds at that time as we learnt to work together in order to ensure we got our share. Back in those days we had to earn our respect in our house and that we did as we made contributions to a lot competitions in both sports and general knowledge in order to contribute to the Dux Trophy at the end of the year and as I look back now, I see how those experiences helped me through life and are still helping me now.
Going to classes was always a joy especially if I had studied well and even when I hadn’t the teachers were quick to correct me, which speaks volumes of the leadership and school spirit that recognised that detention and extra work would straighten someone out and it sure did. I was a sporty young man as well, gaining provincial colours in athletics and basketball and national colours in rugby. I also think I would have excelled in swimming if it wasn’t for my friends teasing me about being in the tight swimming trunk. I went through form 1 to 4 between the sports field, classes and come 1998 I had finished my ‘O’ Levels and was at the brink of the biggest decision of my life at the time. A level or an Agriculture course.
My decision however to do the agric course at the time came with a lot of ridicule as most people thought that the people that took the agric course were in simple terms not skilled enough to do ‘A’ levels. For me it was a conscious decision as it was my passion and I had done well at ‘O’ Level. I had grown up going to our rural homestead over the holidays and was privileged enough to see my grandfather and mother win Seedco competitions with their maize crops. So when my parents bought a farm in 1991, I knew that was my passion. I then did my diploma in agriculture and acquired a distinction which gave me credit with the university that watershed was affiliated to known as Hartbury College in Gloucester, England. This meant that I could do my degree in two years instead of three and sure enough by 2003 I had graduated with an (hon) degree in Agriculture and Land Management. I would like to talk about my diploma days at Watershed as for me that was the foundation that I’m standing on right now.
I remember those days I think we used to be 17 or so in the class and we were course 9. I remember the first day we got to class there was the year on year tradition where we had to plunge into the slurry pit and considering there were course 8 students to ensure we had a full body and head submission, we truly were initiated. We did projects such as dairy, pigs, beef cattle production, horticulture, tobacco, maize etc.. of which today I still remember Ms Mujoma saying, ‘don’t worry they will grow’ as I nursed my cabbage plot. I remember taking the steers which we fed for 3 months in the pens going to Surrey and seeing the results. I remember the alternating two weeks where we would be in the class doing theory for the first two weeks and then be stationed at various farms for two weeks, of which I must say the two week practicals gave us the opportunity to learn hands on how a farm is run.
Fast forward to 2019 and I look at the years after leaving high school and I see the following achievements:
Diploma in Agriculture Watershed College
(Hons) Degree in Agriculture – Hartbury College
Apprentice at the 2nd largest dairy company in England
Running of two farms totalling 2000 hectares of land and doing beef production of over 1000 cattle, chickens 20 000, tobacco 80 hectares, maize 300, soya 80, greenhouse production 2 hectares, piggery, fish, cashew and macadamia nuts.
Young farmer of the year 2 years running
Trustee of the confederation of young farmer’s clubs
Winner of the global shapers award in agriculture run by the Higher Life Foundation
Runner up for the Seedco 11 tonne club with a yield of 21.86 tonnes per hectare which is the second largest yield in Africa.
Brand ambassador for Seedco with billboards across the country
Hosting of various field days that ministers and the current president have attended.
I have been on television and radio shows a number of times and featured in a number of magazines
I have travelled to a number of countries to research in my field and I have been asked to consult on various projects in those countries.
I’m in the process of setting up my own brand.
All these achievements and more have been because my foundation was right and during my main formative years when I was finding myself at Watershed College, I got the mentorship and guidance that has lead me to be where I am. Most of all, I learnt to go out there to grind and never give up. I have had a rough time on occasion with people not understanding my vision or not thinking I work hard enough but one thing that my teachers can tell you is that I always used to be cool, unphased and almost seemingly not under any pressure. Little be known I used to put in that extra work when I needed to, I used to wake up at 4.30 everyday in pursuit of my dreams and sleep at midnight most nights. I always did extra sit ups and press ups and I’m empashising this point because everything that the school is asking you to do, go at it with the right and positive attitude because it will leave you in good stead for the future challenges of this world. And if you learn to manage yourself now and find your passion, go at it like your life depended on it with a duck approach – cool on the surface but paddling the heck underneath.
Finally I would like to encourage the students to not only concentrate on their school work and sports but to also look for something that interests them, a solution to a problem, for example, hopefully a Zimbabwean and African problem, then create something to solve that problem. It’s high time we stopped complaining and become the solution. We have all these natural resources and are happy to be selling them in their raw forms, yet we should be asking ourselves why we can’t make our own planes and boats? I am in the agricultural sector so I ask why are we not making our own tractors and harvesters? It all starts from our foundation and getting to understand the concepts you are taught in maths, science and physics to name a few, will give you the background to being your own master. The sports and extra curricular activities will give you the ability to juggle what life throws at you. That being said, I wish you all the success in your school activities and in the future. Remember ‘fortune favours the brave’ God bless and thank you!
