Platinum accolade for Craft Properties CEO

MULTIPLE award winner, Mr Kudakwashe Taruberekera, the chief executive of Craft Properties recently won Megafest CEO of the Year (2020) platinum award for Masvingo region.

The Megafest Business Awards was held at Great Zimbabwe Hotel where various Masvingo-based companies also walked away with various awards. But for Mr Taruberekera, as renowned entrepreneur, he was honoured for his innovative leadership style.

In recognition of his achievement, Tapiwa Kwangware and Tatenda Chizu of Craft Properties Masvingo, received a certificate and a medal on behalf of Mr Tarubeka.

The theme for the Megafest Business Awards was “Rethink, Reposition and Refocus”.

The award comes less than a year after Craft Properties opened offices in Masvingo City.

“I would like to believe that these special recognitions and awards pay homage to our vision and aim to develop cities and for everyone to have a proper home,” said Mr Kwangware.

Speaking at the event, Megafest Business Awards chief executive Dr Tafadzwa Matsika, implored local entrepreneurs to embrace the new normal ushered in by the Covid 19 pandemic, which has given rise to widespread utilisation of digital products.

He said local businesses should go beyond local markets by taking advantage of opportunities in the region and abroad. “Your website should speak about you, reposition yourself to become afloat. Many organisations see themselves closing by December 2021 because they are not going along with technology,” Dr Matsika said.

Humble beginnings

The awards received so far are part of Craft Properties’ journey, starting from its humble beginning in Kadoma, where in 2008, Mr Taruberekera and his partners started what has now grown to be a giant in the real estate, land and housing development industry.

In the past 13 years, Craft Properties Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Craft Properties Holdings, has set the pace, setting sights on consolidating its dominance by spreading across Zimbabwe where it now has presence in Harare, Masvingo and Kadoma.

Craft Properties International is now found in Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, with plans to set up an office in South Africa on course. The company has also an office in Texas, the US where it provides services to a variety of clients including the United Nations.

Craft Properties USA LLC is registered as a Real Estate Developer and Real Estate Agents and Brokers. It was recently assigned a Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S which enables it to apply for government grants, projects, loans, among other things.

Anchor projects

The company’s anchor projects include two major housing projects in Kadoma.

These include a high-density housing development and an agricultural residential plots development. The high-density project – Holyland high density Suburb – comprises 1 573 residential stands in Kadoma, sitting on land measuring 60 ha.

The project is expected to boost high density accommodation provision in Kadoma.

The scope of the projects includes retail shops, primary schools, low cost housing stands and space for recreation. Progress recorded so far include the completion of topographical and surveying, Environmental Impact Assessment and engineering designs.

Civil works completed include opening of roads and the actual construction is now in progress.

Laying of water pipes in phase 1 is complete and the focus is now on second phase. “Craft Properties will continue to work and provide all essential services for the residents. “Construction of houses is at an advanced stage and beneficiaries include low income earners, including civil servants. In the other project, an agro-residential plots development at the Greenfield Cherries Residential Agricultural Plots, and this has 93 plots,” said Mr Taruberekera.

Craft Properties is an elite member of the World Confederation of Businesses, which gives it opportunity to attend high levels global business meetings or conferences.

Honours and Awards

An international business license awarded by the EBA in December 2018 in Oxford, UK. Directors participated at the prestigious International Socrates Award Ceremony and Oxford Summit of Leaders at the same event.

Mr Taruberekera was one of the speakers at the Oxford session in Oxford, United Kingdom. He also represented Zimbabwe at the Oxford Summit of Leaders.

Craft Properties Holdings was recognised as one of the Best Enterprises in the field of Real Estate at the Socrates Awards in Oxford, UK that same year .

Mr Taruberekera, who was recognised as one of the Managers of the Year, received an award and the EBA Global Gold Card at the same event

He is a recipient of the World Leader Businessperson Award for being a successful leader who works in an innovative, knowledgeable and systematic manner at an event in Miami, Florida USA in 2018.

At the 2018 Zimbabwe National Real Estate Awards, Mr Taruberekera was accorded the Businessman of the Year Award in Special Recognition in Community Development Leadership Excellence.

Mr Tarubeka scooped the Megafest 2020 Businessman of the Year Award as a special recognition for being a conciliator, an astute and sagacious professional.

In November 2019, He scooped various awards including the prestigious International World Confederation of Businesses held at The Bizz Amea in the City of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Excellence in Business Leadership Award, Excellence in Business Management Award and the World Leader Businessperson of the Year Award

At the same event, Craft Properties Holdings director Ms Yeukai Taruberekera won awards in Excellence in Business Leadership and Excellence in Quality Management

Craft Properties Holdings administrative executive officer Mr Tinashe Muzondo won the Excellence in Marketing Management (with all its rights and privileges) at the same awards.-herald.cl.zw