Businessman gives back

Born on 28 April 1977 in Hurungwe where his mother hails from, Robson Eriya did his primary education at Seke 11 Primary in Chitungwiza where he stayed with his parents. Eriyas father was employed as a tailor and he complemented his earnings by selling vegetables and tomatoes in the neighbourhood.

The money realised from selling vegetables was used to buy me uniforms and school shoes. My parents were enterprising. After school, I could join my mother at the market to sell eggs, fruits and vegetables. This way my parents could pay for electricity and water bills, said Eriya.

In his fifth grade, Eriya started participating in athletics competitions at the school. He was not very good in athletics and switched to playing cricket where his performance was outstanding. Cricket became his favourite sport and he continued to excel in the sport until he finished his secondary education at Seke 3 High School.

In 1995 I played cricket at Old Hararians Sports Club with the majority of players being whites who came to train at the grounds. A mate introduced me to Zimbabwe Cricket which later employed me as a development coach. I had a good time at Zimbabwe Cricket but unfortunately had to leave the organisation in 2000. I relocated to Shamva Gold Mine where I founded a cricket academy. I also played country cricket with commercial white farmers in Shamva before their farms were expropriated.

During that time I studied sports management and physical education. I was employed as a sports director at Ariel primary School in 2003 before moving to Rydings primary and later Westridge primary school in Belvedere, said Eriya.

With money realised from his cricket job, Eriya bought five packs of corn snacks (maputi) during school holidays in 2003 and started selling them to tuck shop owners. The orders for maputi increased and by the end of the week he had managed to sell 50 packs to the tuck shop owners and other informal dealers.

I diversified my product base and started supplying childrens toys and balloons to shops and tuck shop owners. I realised huge profits from the business and rented a shop at Zvido in unit N. I turned the shop into a clothing boutique where I sold trendy and fashionable clothes. The business was good and in six months time I managed to buy a pick-up truck to ferry groceries and clothes to my customers.

At Makoni Shopping Centre, I opened a shop for the wholesale of cell phones and accessories. The demand for cell phones increased. My friend taught me to repair cell phones and in a short time I became an expert in repairing them. Many people came to my shop with their cell phones for repair and I had to employ five technicians to meet the customers requirements, said the businessman.

Eriya managed to rent two shops and a wholesale outlet at Makoni Shopping Centre. He specialises in the retailing and wholesaling of groceries and electrical domestic goods.

I owe my success to the love of sport, discipline and having a clear vision for the future. I grew up as a very poor boy, but that did not hinder me from dreaming and aiming to achieve higher.

My dream is to establish an elite school here. While providing an excellent learning environment, the school will focus on sports development and make use of the untapped talent in our area. Meanwhile, I rent out my commuter omnibus to ferry school children to sporting activities in different areas.

One can become a successful businessman through sport. Peter Ndhlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari are typical examples of successful sportsmen in Zimbabwe. The success of my dream can be realised when I partner the corporate world. Networking with sporting bodies like ZIFA, Zimbabwe Cricket and the Tennis Association of Zimbabwe will make me realise my vision for youngsters in chitungwiza, said Eriya.