The Zimbabwean culture has been significantly polluted by the globalisation concept which continues to manifest in daily lives of every individual through clothing, choice of entertainment and the adoption of western technologies and life skills but that is not the case for Terrence,”Terry” Maphosa, a young and established entrepreneur from the remote area of Village 6, Turf in Mhondoro, Zimbabwe.
Terrence Maphosa has continuously broken age and westernization barriers by introducing and promoting the concept of rural tourism and the benefits of sustainable agriculture through his,”KwaTerry” traditional restaurant located in Ngezi District, Mashonaland West of Zimbabwe.
The birth of KwaTerry Traditional Restaurant
“KwaTerry” is a shona expression which was adopted by Terrence Maphosa as a name for his restaurant to give a sense of direction for his customers as they visit the restaurant. Situated approximately 150km from Harare, Kwa Terry was officially established in 2018 by Terrence who is also a full time farmer in crops, horticulture and livestock production. Raised by a single mother in a family of six, Terry often narrates how hard it was growing up and harvesting mopane worms(madora) to sell and be able to afford school shoes and food.
He was able to go through school by assistance from well-wishers including his teachers and highlights how this has played a part in enabling him to be globally a recognised entrepreneur as he is today.
“Today I want to appreciate my Science Teacher who paid for my O- level exams registration, If it wasn’t for this lady I’d be following traditionally brewed beer everywhere in Village 6”, he once wrote.
Terry Maphosa acquired his first degree in Political Science at the University of Zimbabwe. The idea of farming came to him after the reality of post graduate unemployment in Zimbabwe hit him hard. He revealed that his courage to venture into farming was hugely inspired by his background and he began with rearing 400 chicks.
KwaTerry Traditional Restaurant has attracted both local and international visitors who travel from far places to enjoy his traditional cuisine in that rural setting. Some of his signature meals include, sadza and road runner, boiled fish stew, game meat, peanut butter vegetables, pumpkin leaves and rabbit meat among others. Apart from his appetising traditional cuisine, Maphosa’s clients are also attracted by his food presentation skills in plates and utensils made purely made from indigenous trees and other activities he introduced such as fishing and quadbike riding.
Despite the challenges he faced in establishing his business including being duped while acquiring his first batch of chicks, Maphosa now rears different breeds of chickens, goats and cattle. He has established connections in the business environment leading to his new business ventures such as the launch of his, ‘Coral soft’ toilet paper which is now famous around supermarkets in Zimbabwe.
Terry is a well travelled and recognised entrepreneur in and outside Africa and has been awarded various awards for his achievements including his contribution in the Roadrunner marketing and Farming in Africa. He has also been invited to deliver youth and entrepreneurship empowerment speeches at the World Food Programme(WFP) and other entrepreneurship networking events.
Amongst his visitors and clients, Terry has hosted public figures also earning him a celebrity status. Among the famous ones are; International soccer star, Marvellous Nakamba, Sebastian Magacha, Caps United soccer players, music producer Stewart Nyamayaro,Dynamos,Ngezi soccer players and many others. He has also hosted international tourists including academic students from Spain and foreign business men who have shown a keen interest in his rural tourism ideas.
To date, Terrence Maphosa’s venture has managed to create employment within his community in Mhondoro as he has over 10 employees at his farm, he has assisted over 300 youth in his village by giving out free roadrunner chicks to begin their projects, his story continues to inspire Zimbabwean youth in venturing into rural tourism and farming as a means to curb unemployment and poverty in the country. He has also managed to compete in showcasing home grown products, culture and Zimbabweans’ manufacturing capabilities on the global stage.