Lynn Mazerenganwa is a multi-talented woman who isn’t afraid to go after her dreams. Her love for public speaking led to a remarkable opportunity that changed her life. She opened up to The Weight She Carries about how, at just 26, her passion, dedication and hard work opened doors for her.
My name is Lynn Rutendo Mazerenganwa. I hail from Karoi but grew up in the capital city, Harare, where I attended school up to Form 6. I am the youngest of five children.
I now reside in Bulawayo, a move I made after completing my industrial engineering degree at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
Apart from being an engineer, I am a poet, actress, talk show host, entrepreneur, as well as a horticulture and livestock farmer.
Growing up I dabbled in the arts, i.e. giving speeches at school, and it has stuck with me to this day. Being a talk show host began during my student days at NUST, where I launched a show called Friday Night Debates. It’s a platform I created for people to come together and discuss a broad range of topics. I would also invite an expert on the topic to come as well. In the beginning, we used phones to record; but as time went on, people came forward, volunteering their services for filming, editing, etc.
For one of the shows, I invited the owner of Hamara to speak. Through the help of a well-known man, we got a crowd of over 150 people, which impressed him.
After the show, he asked if there was any help I needed. I told him I needed something to do to keep me in Bulawayo. That’s when he offered me a job as the head of media personnel at Hamara.
My job entailed going around the country and interviewing farmers, which made me realize that there was wealth in the soil; and since my parents are farmers, I knew it was something I needed to do, even though I didn’t know how.
During my time at Hamara, I was introduced to a guy who asked me to work on a presentation for a company that builds fire-suppressant devices, which is basically a replacement for a fire extinguisher. The CEO was impressed with my presentation, so much so that he offered me shares on the spot!
It can only be God’s doing because not in a million years did I think that something like that would happen.
Eventually, I found a piece of land, which is where I do my poultry and horticulture farming. We have a chicken business, which prompted me to open up an eating place. With the help of an investor, Grill n Chill was born. We also farm horticulture products such as lettuce as well.
Word of Encouragement
I am a Christian and strongly believe in God’s direction. He opens the right doors at the right time, but what we have to do is trust the process.
Failure is part of the process, and it has taught me to always get up. Even if prices of goods are low at the market, chickens die or plants don’t produce well…we keep moving.
Since I’ve had hands-on experience in all the menial jobs, I now have taken a managerial role and can handle daily challenges as they come because nothing surprises me now. I have learnt to learn from every challenge.
Some say passion doesn’t matter, especially in this economic climate, but I can assure you that my passion for the camera paved the way for me. From initiating my show to being offered a job at Hamara, being offered shares then owning a piece of land which also paved a way for Grill n Chill…it was all a ripple effect.
Never give up. Keep pressing, and something will definitely give one day.
