She Changed the Narrative to Win at Capitalism: Divine Ndhlukula's Fight Against Gender Bias
Review By: Oudney Patsika, the Chief Editor at Sona Headlines & Marketing Officer at Sona Solar Zimbabwe
Witnessing the exclusion of women and seeing glaring gaps in Zimbabwe's nascent private security industry in the 90s, Divine Ndhlukula spotted an opportunity. Her success is a testament to women business owners impacting even the most male-dominated sectors in Africa. Now, she is lending her voice to girls' empowerment all across the globe.
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| Divine Ndhlukula, Founder of SECURICO |
The Origin Story
In 1998, Ndhlukula launched Securico from her backyard with only four employees and a capital of $1,200. At the time, the security sector was widely regarded as a male domain with low professionalism. "My experience in travelling made me realise that the security services sector was a very professional industry that could be at a much better level than where it was operating," she explains.
Ndhlukula noticed that quality was lacking because employees had low self-esteem, viewing security work as a last resort. "Quality was lacking because people who worked in the sector had low self-esteem... I realised this was a gap to explore." Changing the narrative helped her employees build pride in their profession, improving service levels and transforming the industry into a valued service.
Building an Empire
Just over two decades later, Ndhlukula, 61, has built a massive empire. By 2012, Forbes reported Securico had a revenue base of $13 million. Today, it employs more than 4,000 people—1,000 of them women. According to the International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge, the company has achieved a staggering valuation, cementing its status as the first Zimbabwean security outfit to achieve ISO certification.
Beyond Security: Agriculture
Security is not her only frontier. Ndhlukula entered farming when her brother struggled to keep an inherited farm afloat. To prevent the bank from selling it, she cleared the debts and took ownership. "I started farming and for me, farming is something that has become close to my heart," she says.
She is now working with thousands of smallholder farmers to commercialize the goat industry. "Everyone is now interested in goat farming because the commercial value of it has grown significantly," she notes. Her initiative offers training, genetic improvement, and technical support to transform subsistence farmers into commercial producers.
The New Mission: Gender Bias
"I appeal to the world; the storytellers, advertisers, and marketers to stop reinforcing damaging gender stereotypes," Ndhlukula states. As a supporter of the Girls Get Equal campaign by Plan International, she is using her platform to call for narratives that empower young women.
"I believe every girl has power over her own life and can shape the world around her. The future belongs to girls and women. I will not stop until every girl is equally seen, heard, and valued."
She urges corporate decision-makers to create space for women to make crucial decisions. "Together, we can take action so that 100 million girls can learn, lead, decide and thrive." Her goal is to see women-run businesses scale from putting food on the table to becoming significant commercial enterprises.
Quick Facts
Divine Ndhlukula started Securico with just $1,200 and four employees in 1998.
She won the Legatum Africa Award for Entrepreneurship (2011), was named one of the Top 3 Global Women in Business by UNCTAD (2014), and won Forbes Africa Businesswoman of the Year in 2019.
She is focused on changing gender narratives and empowering girls through the "Girls Get Equal" campaign, aiming to help women scale their businesses from subsistence to commercial success.
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