Enock Kamushinda Zimbabwe Entreprenuer

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has hailed Enock Kamushinda, the minority shareholder in Namibia’s SME Bank as a philanthropist. Kamushinda has been the subject of negative reporting from some of Namibia’s media houses since he initiated and set-up the SME Bank together with the Namibian Government.

He has been described as a fugitive from his country and someone who is not suited to have a shareholding or serve on the board of a banking institution.

Apart from his interest in the SME Bank, Kamushinda also has banking interests in Zimbabwe and Malaysia.

Mugabe’s hailed Kamushinda’s philanthropic work after the banker helped with funding worth several millions of US dollars for the construction of two modern hostels at a Catholic school in Harare.

Kamushinda bankrolled the hostel project at Chishawasha Mission Primary School, on the outskirts of Harare, after he was approached by President Mugabe to assist.

“We have come a long way with him [Kamushinda] and we have worked together in many places, like Malaysia and Namibia where he sometimes stays while doing projects to help the people,” Mugabe added.

Addressing thousands of people who gathered at the school a fortnight ago for the official handover of the two boys’ hostels as well as a new 75-seater bus, Mugabe urged other business people to emulate the successful entrepreneur’s generosity.

The veteran Zanu PF leader, who was accompanied at the event by his wife First Lady Grace Mugabe and daughter Bona, also donated 20 computers for the school’s new computer laboratory. President Mugabe described Kamushinda – the founder of Metbank and a shareholder in Namibia’s recently established SME Bank – as a friend he has closely worked with for a long time.

“We have our people whom we have empowered through education and now they are prosperous in business and they are prepared to give back to the community,” said Mugabe, as he introduced Kamushinda to a thunderous applause at the commissioning ceremony.

“He is the man who helped us, so we thank him.”

The two double-storey hostels, which have the capacity of housing 360 pupils, were furnished with new beds and linen.

Kamushinda attended the commissioning ceremony together with many other businesspeople and government officials, including Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, as well as Jesuit Fathers provincial superior Stephen Buckland, who led a special thanksgiving mass.