 I've shown you my home, not to show off. I've shown you my home so that people know that it is possible to achieve it as a woman. It is possible to achieve it as a woman. If you work very hard, you know what you want in life. Is this Bentley? Yes, it is a Bentley. My late husband loved cars. He was my inspiration. He loved cars. He was a Ferrari. He just loved cars. So because of that, I also took that from him. I also love cars. I love cars. This is the only car you have? I've got a G-wagon, but it's not here at the moment. It's in South Africa. It's gone for service. These are material things like the Bible says. We are going to leave all this behind when we go. But whilst we are on earth, God allows it to happen. If you are given something, you can't look after it because you have been given. You don't know how to look after it. You don't know how difficult it was for the person that gave you to get the money to buy what they would have given you. That's why you find if I give you 10,000 today because you didn't work for it, chances you won't do much with it. But if you give 10,000 to someone who is an entrepreneur, if you come back after two months, that 10,000 could be 15,000 or 20,000. But other people, you give them 10,000, especially girls. I always say girls of today. You give her 10,000. The first thing she thinks of, she's going to leave it on. She's going to Gucci. That's all they think of, to buy the latest hair. That's all they think of. They will never say, okay, I've been given 10,000. Let me think, what can I invest in to make sure this 10,000 remains there? Others will go to China buy clothes, resell. Make that money multiply. My name is Odwom Ganda. CEO of Travej Travel in Arare. Born and bred in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe has got beautiful women, but the most beautiful come from Bulawayo. That is a fact. I'm a mother of two girls, precious and melisamtunzi, 27 and 21 year old. I'm 50 years of age. I love my country. I love Zimbabwe. I'm proud of Zimbabwe. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my country. Any time you see me in this outfit, it means that this is my last day in a particular country. Hello, hello, hello, hello. Zozo, ha? Yes, Zozo is my name. They call me Zozo. How are you? I'm good. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to my country. Thank you. You're everywhere. You're everywhere. And everyone knows you. Let me tell you something. I went to a place and then they didn't want me to go. I'm like, oh, my friend is Zodwa. They say, oh, just pass, pass, pass. I can't believe that. Your name saved me. Ya, my name, I've got an effect on everybody. All I have is my name. That's all I have. That's all you have. I've got nothing. Riches, everything is nothing. What I have is my name. My name is more important to me. There's no price anyone can pay for my name. So when I go out there, when people talk about Zodwa or when they associate themselves with me, they have to identify with the name, with the brand. I will forever associate myself with you since I'm in Zimbabwe. I hope when I'm listening, people will give me money. Listen, I want to tell you more stories. So I told my friend that I'm going to meet Zodwa. No way. I think you've made it to life, man. Because I think people cannot have access to you like that. I don't know. They have access. It's just that it's an assumption. People think I'm not accessible. You called me, when you called me, it took you less than 30 minutes from the time I got a message from our common friend in Ghana. Thank you. And you got to my house. Within 30 minutes. Within 30 minutes. So if I was not accessible, it would not have been possible for you to see me. I don't have a secretary. I'm my own PA. I manage my own diary. I manage my own life. I don't... You don't have a PA. I think you need me as a PA. I'm looking for a job. I can be a perfect... As long as you are selling my country, my tourism. I'm so happy for you walking into your house. It's not a house, I'm sorry. What come into your mansion? It's a mansion, right? It's a house. It's a house. Stop being humble. It's a one of many or just this one. So as I'm here, I really need to know more about you, what you do, how it all started. So I need a place to sit. Just... I don't drink beer, I need water. So that I can ask you all the questions. Is that okay? You need to drink beer. To be able to ask the question. If I need beer, then I need some basic beer. No, but you need alcohol-free beer. Alcohol-free. There's no alcohol-free. There is alcohol-free beer. So you were born in Bolawayo? Yes. You grew up in Bolawayo? Yes. You schooled in Bolawayo? I went to school in Bolawayo, yes. I did a few years in Harare, but most of my education was in Bolawayo. And what brought you to Harare? My father used to work for foreign affairs in Harare, so that's why we lived here. But when he then was sent on a diplomatic mission outside Zimbabwe, then that's why I then moved back to Bolawayo. Okay. Because we were originally from there, so it made sense for the children to remain home to remain in Harare. It didn't go well. No, I didn't travel with him. I would only go to visit on children's school holidays and then come back for when schools open. How was life in Zimbabwe growing up? It's always been beautiful. It's always been the same. Zimbabwe is all I know. It's a beautiful country. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wouldn't move to go and stay anywhere. I think for me this is home. I don't think I would be comfortable staying in another country. Yes, I love visiting. I can only do a week at most 10 days in a foreign country, but I love my Zimbabwe. I think this is me. I've been born and I'm 50 years of age. That's all I've known. No. You're what? I'm 50 years. I'm 10-50 this year. You don't look 50. Well, my genes, Bolawayo genes. I've looked at my age of 50. Where would I go? All I've known is Zimbabwe. It doesn't mean that you never lived any country apart from Zimbabwe. I've never lived any country. I've only gone on holiday to visit and come back. That's all I've ever done. I've never gone to... Yes, my parents were diplomats. They stayed in Angola. They stayed in Ethiopia. They stayed in India. But I just only went to those countries to visit and to come back. So I've always been... Zimbabwe is all I know. I know how to manuva. I know how to do business here. The people understand each other. We know how our systems work. So I wouldn't want to go in a land where I'm going to be told what to do because I don't think we are brought up with those people that are taught how to do. We are the ones who tell people what we need done to be independent people in Zimbabwe. We find many of us are very independent. Many of us want to work for themselves. We are all hard workers. That is what makes us the nation that we are today. So which means you are making Zimbabwe product? Yes. I want to know how it all started. Okay. Give me a brief of how you became the Zodua that saved me from so many things. I used to go to school. I walked 10 to 15 kms to school from my first day of school up to grade 7 in the village. That's where my father came from. So I stayed with his mum. That's why I stayed in the village. So when my grandmother passed away then I moved to Harare to come and join the parents. And then education year up to Form 3 then moved back to Bulawayu. Did my education finish. Then came back to Harare. Did my diplomas, traveling tourism. Then got my first job at a company called Express Motors as a bus conductor. So I was selling bus tickets at that company. I think for 2 years then I left. And then I got a job at a travel agent as a receptionist. That was 1995. I worked at that travel agent as a receptionist and then started doing tickets and consultants. I think for 3 years then I moved. I think I have always been wanting to look for something better to do because I never was happy staying in one place because I always thought that I think if I moved to this company I would be better. That's what I did. Until I said no. Wait a minute. I keep moving from one job to the other. I ended up being a job trotter. I'm here, I move, I'm here. What are you looking for? Then I said to myself I think let me start my own business. Prior to that I was teaching after work. I've always been an entrepreneur all my life. After work I would go to college to learn how to make cakes, to learn how to cook, to learn how to cut clothes and all that. And then during weekends I would be doing wedding cakes, I would be doing events, whatever and I would be teaching. I ended up having my own classroom at home where I was teaching at home the travel and tourism from the house. So I've always wanted to make my own money without working for somebody. So that's the journey. 1999 we decided to start a company called Ruletraveling Tos with my four partners. One official I met as my student where I was teaching. Then he says, no you can't be a teacher and working for somebody. Can you start your own travel agency? We started our own travel agency in 1999 with this gentleman who was my student. He had money. He had his own business. He had started way before me. We started the company in 1999. 2000 I was the marketing director. There was a CEO and other people. But still I wasn't satisfied. I felt that I was doing all the marketing for the business so I was bringing all the clients. I felt that all the money belonged to me. I didn't want to share with the other three directors. So I moved again. 2003 I started my own entity which is travel travel. That is where I am now. So since 2003 I've been running my own business. It hasn't been easy. Just like anything it's never easy. It's like a baby is born. It's not easy for the child to grow up. They are born. They start crawling. They start to walk. They start talking. So many things happen. Same applies to the business. When you open a business it's like a baby being born. You have to look after it like an egg so that it doesn't break. Though sometimes it can fall, break. What is important is when you fall in what do you do? Do I fall and remain sleeping forever? Or I fall, I pick myself up, I start afresh. I find out what is it that I did wrong so that you correct yourself. So I started my business 2003. It wasn't easy. Like I thought it was going to be but because I'm not a quitter. I don't give up. I always nothing with me something that cannot talk back to me can never be difficult. From 2003 to now what has been the major challenge that you faced? The major challenge like any other economy the economy keeps going up and down our currencies, the fluctuations the rate changes and all that I think that's what's been a challenge for most of the businesses that we have in Zimbabwe but the spirit is the same there's Zimbabwe people they are very supportive and when they believe in a product they believe in it and they will do it we've been a top agency a top producer for so many years and people they know us they love us look challenges are there like any other business what is important is when you have those challenges what is it that you do what do we then do do I close shop do I move to another country what do I do but for me giving up is not an option so we've never given up as much as we'll have challenges but always try and find a way what is it that we can do differently what is it that we must change to make sure that we get the business that we want what is it that we must do to make sure that our clients our customers are happy with the service that we provide to them as a company so there's always ways we don't sleep we're always finding ways of how do we give a better service to the next person how can we be different from the other company my belief there's only two travel agents in Zimbabwe travel in others I've always believed in that so when someone wants to travel they must think travest fine they can't come to travest they'll go to others but their first point of call should be travest travel what's the main service that you provide we do a tickets all over the world locally, internationally regionally we do hotel accommodation holiday packages cruises, everything anything you do travel we do rich cousins it's a great group of ours as girls, as friends there's 14 of us on my 50th birthday they put money together $50,000 that's what brought this kitchen I knew those friends in my life they are very good they support team we are there for each other whenever one is down we never let one be alone is this like something up from the village so this one looks so oh my goodness ah there's no food in the kitchen right now we still the kitchen is only 2 days old oh really it was only installed 2 days ago this is amazing and like really beautiful and a touch of luxury oh yeah no they are not married and they are not looking they are not married and they are not looking they are in relationships so they claim mother of two precious and Melissa 27 and 21 oh wow to their father and where is the dad now he lives in England he missed out on he left when she was 3 months old he has never come back to Zimbabwe since he left so I think he may be remarried so you took care of the daughters by yourself I took care of them by myself and then juniors they were 6 and 12 when I met juniors so he then took over from them with juniors my late ex husband Geniemi oh my god how come I didn't know the guy passed on yes you didn't do your homework well that's your late husband before he passed on were you guys still friends very close friends he was one person I spoke to every day of my life we were very close friends I spoke to him even 2-3 hours before he passed on we were not together before he passed on we were not together I think we had broken up for a year before he passed on but we are now working on getting back again you know my relationship with Geniemi look those that know us those 2 they never go apart would break up and make up break up and make up but he was a wonderful guy he was a good guy how was the debt affected you we still live in recovery it's going to take years for me to like forget about him or I don't think it's something that you can forget he played a very big role in my life in my family, in my girls my younger one was they were so close he was the father she never had oh wow indoor swimming pool yes my brother do you want to swim? can you swim? I'm the best Olympic swimmer but my body doesn't touch water oh okay oh my goodness this is a bar right? I hope we don't encourage people to drink zambizi and then jump into the swimming pool like I said we save alcohol free everything is alcohol so they can drink as much as they want oh my goodness I'm inspired I think there are so many young women watching us who will be so much inspired of what you've been able to achieve can I say you're a millionaire no how? how am I a millionaire? listen I'm just going to tell you something your kitchen costs $50,000 so you're going to calculate the change the house cost $800,000 no remember the house was built by my late husband so I don't know how much it cost him to build it so I don't know how much he used to build it so that one it's his expense not mine half a million half a million if you had come earlier you would have started with the exercise together me? I only exercise with food when you are eating the hands goes up and down that's like I'm working out this is amazing it's God's work you know what there's a time I run every morning I do 10 kilometers every morning so when I run outside when I get out of my house at 5 in the morning you run and when you come back I would stand outside and ask is this really my house has really God blessed me this much it took me time to believe that I've been able to achieve this single handedly it really took me time yes I had help here and there from my late but 90% is hard work a woman working hard have you seen that so many people out there never believe that women can actually make it big and anytime a woman makes it big they should shoot with a man that's what they do they believe a woman cannot do it without the help of a man but mine is opposite yes a woman can make it with the help of there's nothing wrong with your men helping you achieve stuff but there's also nothing wrong with you as a woman helping your men achieve stuff it's two sided remember all equals we've been saying that there's no difference between a man and a woman because we're all equal God has blessed us equally the same where women that want to stand up on their own and work for themselves as women don't depend on men a lot because young girls of today they think for them to live for them to look good a man must be there a man must bless them a man must do that as a result they end up they don't go to school right now it's almost 10 o'clock they are sleeping because when they club last night they only got home at 6 in the morning how do you expect to progress look after your own child you have to be going from one man to another and this man they will abuse you but as long as you are always asking from them all they do is just give you when they can, when they are fed up they move on to the next girl remember they've been born every day there's more beautiful and beautiful girls like I always tell them I'm 50 they might be 19 when they are 50 do not look half as good as I look because I exercise I eat well I eat healthy and I work hard to make sure I maintain my lifestyle but if you don't have the resources to look after yourself it's not possible if you don't work hard enough to have the resources to take care of yourself and your family it's also not possible because you can't be asking a man every day I need money to do this I need to do my hair I need to do makeup again for any financial support from any man I want them to be financially independent all kids actually must be financially independent so that's what I think I don't want, I've not raised I'll talk about my kids at this stage I've not raised my kids to be kids that beg from men they must be independent and most of these men that want to bless these young girls have put their own wives at home and their own kids that must look after so why are they looking after somebody else's child and why do we not see it as women that these men are using us as a dust this is my bedroom this is where I spend quality time if I come here on a Friday I don't live until Sunday when I go to church I don't get out of the room only to go and eat if I'm hungry but otherwise I stay here love for God put God first before everything that you do and everything else that we edit unto you and without God I don't think anything is possible I know some people don't believe there is a God but there is a God out there and with me and my family and my household even at work we pray every morning before we do anything and it has taken us this far and we will continue to do that without God we wouldn't be the people that we are today and I owe everything to him because he's been very good to me he's been very generous even through when I go through difficult times sometimes when I'm not able to pray still things still happen he's never he's never left me alone it's good that even if you lose the blood but God never lives he's always there this is my walking closet walking closet looks like my entire house bro oh I didn't say anything I was just telling them that the house looks so beautiful oh my goodness walking closet okay this is a different hairstyle different hairstyles the other ones they've gone to the salon to be cleaned they were empty ones do you actually know which shoe to use everyday? no I've got look I've got too many shoes this is nothing I've got too many shoes I love shoes shoes are my you know when somebody tells you that you can't live good in Africa show them this video shoes I think I buy more shoes than anything there are more shoes shoes more shoes I love shoes what's going on? I have no words I don't know you guys can't judge from the video I don't know what to say you mean this is the bathroom no words let's go let's go he's in his when I get married I've got two showers I'm keeping this one for him when he comes when I get married you still want to get married again? do you want me to die by myself? it's okay I've never done a video like this this is definitely going to be the first one I believe that a lot of people will be inspired allow me to come to their homes I really want to go to more people's homes now I've shown you my home not to show off I've shown you my home so that people know that it is possible to achieve it as a woman it is possible to achieve it if you work very hard you know what you want in life you can achieve this these are material things like the bible says we are going to leave all this behind when we go but while we are on earth and God allows it to happen why not enjoy it? why not enjoy it? enjoy it whilst it lasts while it lasts and work hard you must work hard after acquiring all this if you don't work hard you can't maintain it if you come back after a year or so everything will be in pieces because you can't maintain it that's also something if you are given something you can't look after it because you have been given you don't know how to look after it you don't know how difficult it was for the person that gave you to get the money to buy what they will have given you that's why you find if I give you 10,000 today because you didn't work for it chances you won't do much with it but if you give 10,000 to someone who is an entrepreneur if you come back after 2 months that 10,000 could be 15,000 or 20,000 but other people you give them 10,000 especially girls I always say girls of today you give her 10,000 the first thing she thinks of she's going to live it on she's going to Gucci that's all they think of to buy the latest hair that's all they think of let me think what can I invest in to make sure this 10,000 remains there others will go to China buy clothes make that money multiply because that person that is giving you the 10,000 might not give you that 10,000 again anytime soon and many men they will give you the money because they want to see whether you think or you are just someone if you don't think and don't use your brains they will never give you the money again and if you take that 10,000 you give me 10,000 a month ago it's now 15,000 or even if it's only made 10% of it you still have the money someone can build on you what is the secret to your success? hard work and not giving up and always have a pillar of support from various people from my own the government itself working with the government working with the ministers working with NGOs everyone that I work with they believe in my vision and they always always support me and I will not do anything to let them down because if someone believes in you and they trust in you they trust you with their money they trust you with their families to look after because when people are traveling from point A to point B families so as long as you don't let them down they say they want to go to America you book them to a wrong place South America they want to go to North America they end up in Central America they are getting lost and the families will not be resting because people are lost all over the world you just have to do something that you are passionate about something that you understand something that you love then you will succeed in that this is this is this is where the money is made hi how are you? she's our boss in the tickets if you want to travel to do your tickets I'm going to Ghana I need a free ticket that's alright if you want to toes right holiday packages I'll do okay nice to meet you sir oh you follow me you know I never knew that can actually become a millionaire out of a travel and talk company so I think when I go back home I'm probably going to start one as soon as possible ya you have to work it's a volumes it's about the fake numbers it's a volumes business it is a profitable business but it's a volumes business you have to have lots of clients and clients are not easy to please but you have to make sure that you please your clients make them happy they'll stay with you if they are happy if they are not happy in Zimbabwe alone registered travel agency got more than 250 so imagine them for them to pick you out of the 250 it's not an easy thing to do so you have to have something that are doing different from others so that they stay with you otherwise it's not an easy service industry it's difficult to be why are targets clients? I deal with the corporates mainly government state house NGOs we have a few individuals that come but mainly our travel agents we do with corporates before I go just want to ask you do you think it's possible to make it in Africa? nothing is impossible it is possible to make it in Africa it's a mindset that we have we only think the white people only are the ones that can make it but we can make it as Africa as one if we are united we work together it's very possible it's about working together and supporting each other and the problem that we have we've got what they call PhD pull her down syndrome or pull you down syndrome people don't want to support each other because they think if I take my travel business to Zodwa she's going to be driving a different car she's going to be doing this or she's going to be doing that but what they don't realize is if we support each other if we support my business if we support your business we keep the money amongst ourselves as Africa we become a better place so with me I believe in my Africa I believe in my Africa I could never go and stay in England I don't think I'll ever be able to make it there I could never go and stay in America I don't think I can ever make it there but I think as Africans we've got one language that we understand each other that look this is my brother a black person wherever we are all one we stick together as one it doesn't matter where you come from but as long as we are black we are one so I wish everybody could treat us as one because Africa is one just one country so that is got subunits but we are all Africans if you have a message for Africans what would that message be let's stick together let's work hard let's encourage our children to be entrepreneurs to work for themselves to try and get look every child, every individual yes I know it's not everyone that has to have their own business someone has to work for someone but those that can or that have got the ability to be entrepreneurs it's best for them to do that because that is where the money is we employ other people fine I started my company in 2003 the people that I started with that I was working with most of them they all branched out to open their own travel agents so out of my business I think I've birthed about 5 other travel agents out of this same business I'm not bitter that they left and started their own the cake is big for everybody so we must encourage each other as Africans to grow to go out there try and make money try and find what is it that I can do to make my country a better country what is it that I can do to make a change we are quick to judge our leaders that is what we are good at this person is not good this person is also just human he is a human being he cannot do it by himself we need to support each other we support the system so that our leaders can also have their job their job can be easy on them yes they are our leaders but they can't do it alone we support the system we are responsible for our own economy we are responsible for our own development so we have to take it upon ourselves as an individual what is it that I'm contributing to the economy to make my country a better country what is it that I'm doing as an individual am I working hard am I those that are always on social media are always talking negative things about my government or negative things about my country what is it that you're contributing doing that, they are not going anywhere you always be going to stay outside your own country because you think it's better it's like even getting a job those that work at Travej they think if they go to Travelej and B it's better there than where they are but it's never greener on the other side of the fence that's my belief it's just never greener you just have to ask yourself what can I do to make this place a better place and a chance to change one thing I don't think there's anything I would want to change I love Zimbabwe's ease I just think we just have to work all together especially in our travel industry what I would encourage us as Zimbabwe in the hospitality industry to work together to make sure we support especially our national airline so that we see it going out there we've got other airlines from other countries that are coming and they want to take over our space I would really want Zimbabwe to take over the space to take over Zimbabwe to take over Africa as a national airline and as an African airline I think that's the only thing I would want to see change in the travel industry Brown Saza or White Saza Brown Saza that's what I want it's very healthy by the way they don't tell you the benefit of Brown Saza this is the question I want to ask every Zimbabwe because when I came here I always referred to Brown over the White one yes because in Ghana you guys eat but most Zimbabwe especially the younger ones they don't like the brown one, they like the white one Brown Saza or White Saza White Saza for me I want to say thank you so much for talking to me, I really appreciate your time and I'll see you when I get back next time thank you so much thank you for coming to Zimbabwe Zimbabwe loves you anytime Africa