Home Small Business Graviquip: a story of three friends on a mission to solve the waterproofing problem in the construction industry.
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Graviquip: a story of three friends on a mission to solve the waterproofing problem in the construction industry.

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The idea of establishing Graviquip, a company that provides waterproofing and coating solutions, was mooted out by three friends whose belief in their ability to make a positive difference in the construction and housing sector has now become their motivation to thrive.

Riddel Jere (28), Eric Muunganirwa (25) and Tichaona Mutandwa (30) became very close friends in 2022 when their paths crossed after they enrolled for the same degree programme at the Harare campus of Midlands State University (MSU).

In between attending their lectures, studying and writing examinations, the three would meet up regularly to relax and socialise while discussing their dreams, aspirations, hopes and future plans.

Although at that time the three friends did not know exactly what they wanted to pursue after completing their studies, the common denominator among them was the ambition to start a project of their own that would create solutions to the various challenges being faced by people.

During their brainstorming meetings, their young and inquisitive minds would delve into many project ideas whose feasibility and practicality would ignite long discussions among all of them.

We managed to compile a long list of project ideas through our many discussions. Throughout our discussions, we were all determined to establish something of our own, as opposed to working for a company,’
said Eric, who is the managing director.

Their friendship and trust was something that eventually helped them to come up with the idea of establishing a company. They all believed in themselves and knew that they had to be innovative in anything that we wanted to do if we were to achieve success.

Tichaona, who handles the company’s finances, said it was easy for the three to get along with each other when they initially met and became friends because they were brought together by the idea of wanting to make something meaningful out of their lives.

Said Tichaona:

When you go to school, someone is going there to get promoted and another person is going there to get a first qualification. When we socialised we noticed that all of us wanted to start a business. We did not know what we wanted to do exactly so we gave ourselves time to think about the ideas we shared with each other.’

It was while Eric’s family were building a house in Marlborough that the seeds of venturing into a waterproofing and coating business were sown.

The house that we built had a concrete roof and we reached a stage where we needed to waterproof it but we did no know that because we though a concrete roof was enough. After we had put the roof, it started raining and the water started to leak. The engineer instructed us to find someone who does waterproofing to fix the problem but it was difficult to get such a person’
, Eric added.

When he eventually found someone to attend to the problem, he then shared his experiences with his two friends. Graviquip was born in 2023 when the friends, through research, realized that the few waterproofing services available were mostly using one method to stop leakages and not implementing other cost effective and long terms solutions. The name of the company is a combination of the words gravitas and equipment and the three circles that make up the logo is an acknowledgement of their partnership and the entrepreneurial journey they have all embarked on together as three friends with a common goal and objective.

The person who fixed our roof used the popular torch on method to fix the problem and we started gathering the material he used and sold them to people with similar challenges. Later we then decided to get into the technical aspect of providing waterproofing and coating services’
, said Eric.

Besides the torch on method of addressing leakages in roofs, Graviquip provides many other waterproofing and coating solutions, depending on the nature of the problem that they will be attending to. They provide damp proofing systems, water proofing systems, polythene systems as well as acrylic systems.

Building on a big breakthrough

Riddel and his friends are confident that Graviquip is now ready to secure huge contracts that will enable it to showcase its ability when it comes to providing waterproofing solutions.

Riddel, the company’s operations manager, said the realisation that 95% of the problems found in buildings and homes have to do with leakages means Graviquip has a very big role to play in correcting this anomaly in the country’s residential, property and industrial sector.

Having worked in the construction company for many years exposed Riddel to the various methods of waterproofing structures. As a new company, Graviquip focuses on providing tailor made solutions that fit the pockets of all their clients. By engaging architects and engineers for site visits, they have been able to come with the best solutions to those that seek their services. They also use social media top advise people about their activities and to alert them about the dangers of not waterproofing their properties.

Graviquip have also collaborated with a South African company and have an agreement to provide the technical expertise to them whenever they sell their products in Zimbabwe.

We achieved a major breakthrough as a company when we managed to complete the waterproofing of all the blocks at Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) last year. It was a very big project to us and I am hoping that it will be a springboard upon which we can secure big contracts’
, said Riddel.

Graviquip gets a lot of business from their clients during the rainy season, which exposes cracks and other structural deficiencies of buildings and houses.

Instead of solely focusing on being a service provider, Graviquip hopes to establish retail shops that will enable them to supply a whole range of products that are used in the waterproofing industry to the public. As they travel their road to become a bigger player in their industry, Graviquip is also looking at establishing systems that will enhance the efficiency of their business.

In the coming two years or so, we would like to reach a stage where we are able to hire people with masters degrees in business administration so that they can handle key aspects of our business while we focus on other things. This is what we would like to achieve’
, said Riddel.

Eric pointed out that while the Zimbabwean economy has its own challenges for small and emerging businesses, it was up to entrepreneurs to fight not only for their survival but for their success through hard work and learning from their mistakes.

All we are crying out for is a platform to show that while we may be a small company we have the ability to get the job done. It is not a matter of being big or small, it is about the ability that we have. I would like us to be known as a company that is offering the best services and the best products.

Tichaona, on the other hand, believes that more young people in Zimbabwe should be given a chance by the government and other stakeholders in the various industries they operate in to prove that they are also capable of providing quality services.

He said while many emerging companies being spearheaded by young people have the potential to grow, they often fell victim to malpractices by players who are prepared to bend the law to succeed.

In a number of cases, it is not about what you know but who you know. We need to change this mentality because some of the people who are getting big contracts only have briefcase companies, with no offices or papers. They still get contracts because they are well connected. A lot of big contracts are secured after someone has received money. As young people, we are saying contracts should be given on merit. Everyone should be given a chance.’

Optimism for a bright future in Zimbabwe and the belief that the economy will soon take a turn for the better is a driving force among the three friends, something that gives them the energy to wake up every morning and work towards establishing their goals.

Riddel is confident that a property boom in Zimbabwe is looming and that Graviquip is well positioned to take advantage of that eventuality.

Look at what companies like Westprop are doing. We have to move with the times because most of the waterproofing solutions being used are outdated. We are stuck in the 1960s but many European and Asian countries have moved on and embraced new, cost effective methods. Our aim is to make sure that Africa knows about the modern ways of waterproofing their properties so that they do not get left behind,’
said Tichaona.

The raw determination and passion in the eyes of the three friends when they talk of Graviquip is a demonstration of their seriousness to take their venture to a higher level. What started off as a friendship could end up with their names becoming like the stars written in the sky.

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