page_title: George Tawengwa
section_title: Business accomplishments
hierarchical_section_title: George Tawengwa / Business accomplishments
caption_attribution_description: Mushandira Pamwe Buses
context_page_description: George Tawengwa was the first black millionaire in Zimbabwe, a prominent businessman who was engaged in transport, retail, hotel and agriculture industries. He was the owner of the Mushandirapamwe Hotel in Highfield, Harare and others. In 1960 he was the first black person to purchase a 1,872.0-hectare commercial farm from a white farmer, in the then colonial system by a racist white minority of Southern Zimbabwe
  He went on to purchase other surrounding farms to Zimdale, namely: Sandra farm, Keal farm and Mhendamu.
  To mark another historic milestone, having purchased five farms in one transaction, Tawengwa and his wife Mabel Rose Tawengwa were featured in a 1977 edition of the Rhodesia Herald as a prominent couple in the African business community.
  Previously he bought two other commercial farms at Chemagora
  near Gokwe which he bequeathed to his two eldest sons Garikayi and Solomon when he was still alive.
context_section_description: He later established Mushandira Pamwe Bus Service with a fleet of over 150 buses.
  George Tawengwa had several retail outlets throughout Zimbabwe, including his first major building project Mushandira Pamwe Centre in Dombotombo, Marondera. 
  He was the first black man to own a commercial farm in colonial Rhodesia. He went on to acquire eight more commercial farms, each one averaging at least 1000 hectares each. A year before his death he had set in motion a regional expansion plan first to neighbouring Mozambique, a vision that was never fulfilled. The trading name Mushandira Pamwe means "working together as one". He believed as one much more could be accomplished. Therefore, unity is key for success.
  Mushandirapamwe Hotel was at Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, the transitional residence of returning ZANU PF Officials and ZANLA troops.
  His sons are all entrepreneurs and farmers, with Charles Tawengwa and Solomon Tawengwa having served as mayors of Harare.
  Solomon Tawengwa served as Member of Parliament for Highfields between 1987 and 1990, a seat that had been made vacant when the then Prime Minister of Zimbabwe was elevated to the Executive Presidency. He also served twice as mayor of Harare, and became Harare's first Executive Mayor. He served on the politburo of ZANU-PF as Deputy Secretary for Economic Affairs and was also very active in corporate Zimbabwe serving as chairman of key listed companies and parastatals, among them RioZim, Lafarge Cement and ZESA Holdings.
  In November 2005, Charles Tawengwa was appointed Zanu PF Senator for Highfield, Glen Norah, Glen View in the Zimbabwean Parliament. In 2010 Charles Tawengwa was appointed to the ZANU PF politburo. On 3 September 2013, Charles Z Tawengwa was elected as senator for Harare Metropolitan. Charles Tawengwa has served as Acting Chairman for ZANU - PF's Harare Province.
caption: The Mushandira Pamwe Buses. Started in 1947 and fleet later grew to over 150 buses.
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