It is his life away from the business world that Ncube is best known for. He has lived in South Africa and the United Kingdom since he left Zimbabwe 13 years ago.
Miss Zimbabwe occupies a central part in his heart and he is very passionate about it.
“The Miss Zimbabwe concept was being run all over the world by other organisations, who seemed to ignore the fact that the biggest concentration of Zimbabweans outside their home country is in South Africa,” said Ncube.
“I therefore seized the opportunity and after trying unsuccessfully to launch the event in 2009, I am very happy that I managed last year and am hopeful for an even more successful event this year.”
The beauty pageant brings together a bevy of Zimbabwean beauties scattered around South Africa.
“We will soon unveil our headline sponsor, as well as media partnership with one of Zimbabwe’s most respected publications in the Diaspora,” said Ncube.
“Having learned a lot from last year’s event, we are geared up to make this one a classier, well-organised event. We are really going all out to put on a truly Zimbabwean event, with the likes of Nox Guni, Vulgar as well as Bulawayo hip-hop upcoming star, Zibozy, entertaining the crowds,” he added.
Writer
Ncube is also a respected writer whose works have received international acclaim. Some have been nominated for a number of awards.
Earlier this year, he was, alongside his younger brother Mbonisi, nominated for the Intwasa Arts Festival’s Yvonne Vera Award.
“I was very pleased with the nomination because it was some form of recognition for an art that I love so much – writing,” said Ncube.
He was nominated for his short story, “A Moment of Madness”, in which he recounted his personal experiences during the Gukurahundi atrocities that rocked the western parts of Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1987, when President Robert Mugabe unleashed terror meant to crush his then main political opponent – Joshua Nkomo and the Zapu party.
Ncube’s story derives its title from Mugabe’s own admission in 1999 that the atrocities were a “moment of madness” on the octogenarian ruler’s part. Ncube, a poet and prose writer, was also nominated for the same competition and in the same category in 2009 and was also a runner-up in a short story competition run by the Lion Press in the United Kingdom.
“I felt honoured to be mentioned amongst the big names in this field and that my young brother was also nominated.”
Ncube’s writing is, according to him, based on his experiences as an extensive traveller and a world citizen.
African
“Mostly, it is shaped by my deeper sense of being an African, and more importantly a Zimbabwean in these interesting times that we live in. I am an avid observer of the human condition, and the socio-economic turmoil that has hit my birth country plays a huge part in all my writing.”
He is in the final stages of completing his first short story collection, provisionally titled “Reluctant Patriots”, for which he hopes to get a publisher soon.
Born in the scenic mountainous area of Matobo in the South East, Ncube began his rise to the top when he arrived in South Africa in 1998, a couple of years after graduating in business studies from the Bulawayo Polytech.
He taught in several private colleges before opening his own – Trinity Business College, which he successfully ran up to 2001, when he left on a Management Training scholarship to the United Kingdom. This eventually became more than six years of adventure, travelling, learning and entrepreneurship for the enterprising Ncube, who is also a passionate follower of Bulawayo ABSA Premiership giants, Kaizer Chiefs.
Always inclined towards his homeland while abroad, Ncube did not rest upon his laurels, and he successfully ran a transport company back home, where he also owned a ZIFA Division Two football club, Black Pirates.
Professionally, he works as international civil servant – Finance and Operations Associate for the United Nations’ GEF programme in Pretoria. His duties involve travelling to countries in the sub–region ensuring the financial and operational integrity of all the projects run by the UN agency.
Post published in: News