Dr Divine Ndhlukula
Born
Divine Simbi

(1960-02-05) February 5, 1960 (age 64)
Gutu, Zimbabwe
Occupations
  • Businesswoman
  • Farmer
EmployerDDNS Security Operations
SpouseStanely Ndhlukula (late)
ChildrenDavid Simbi
Parent(s)Mary and Piniel Simbi
Websitewww.divinendhlukula.co.zw

Dr Divine Ndhlukula is a Zimbabwean businesswoman, founder and Managing Director of DDNS Security Operations (Pvt) Ltd which is the holding company for SECURICO Security Services.[1] Dr Ndhlukula is the past president of Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) and Chairperson for Women’s Desk.[2]

Early life and education

She was born on 5 February 1960 in rural Gutu to Mary and Piniel Simbi. She grew up in Gutu, having attended a number of schools, namely, Zvinavashe School, Machingambi School, Bondolfi Mission, St. Domincs Secondary School, Makumbe Mission. She was married to Stanely Ndhlukula (late) and has one son - David Simbi and two grandchildren. She studied for an Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Midlands State University and she holds another an MBA from Women’s University in Africa and a PhD in Business Leadership from the Women’s University which was conferred in recognition of her business leadership and gender equality initiatives.[3]

General career

She worked for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and Old Mutual for six years as an Accounting Officer and then joined Intermarket Life Assurance as a Marketing Executive where she worked for 16 years and left to found SECURICO.[4]

Business career

She founded a security company Securico from humble beginnings in Zimbabwe in 1998.[5] In an interview she said that the idea to form Securico was conceived out of the need to earn a livelihood but critically to revolutionize[6] the male dominated security industry. Speaking to a Zimbabwean newspaper she said:

I thought there was a gap in the industry. Companies that were there were not living up to the needs of the clients. The industry was renowned for wild cat strikes and guards generally were perceived as the lowly-paid in any sector. I wanted to change the perceptions and create a niche in which people could carve out a career and I knew I needed to go in with a different approach and that approach was going to make the difference , the people had to be key or central feature of the vision.

Securico is the first Zimbabwean staffed security company to be certified to the internationally acclaimed ISO9001:2008 Quality Management System.[3]

Dr Divine Ndhlukula was named one of the most successful women in Africa by Forbes.[4] She also founded Zvikomborero Farms, an agricultural company involved in a variety of farming activities and presently employs 17 permanent employees and over 12 on a temporary basis.

In August 2018, Dr Ndhlukula was also named in the top 10 CEOs in Africa.[7]

Positions held

Philanthropic Work

She is the founder of the Mentorship in Practice programme, Woman Owned Brand initiative, an offshoot of the Women in Enterprise Conference and Awards platform which she started in 2013 to help women scale up their businesses. Became the first SADC member at Women Presidents Organization.[8]

In November 2022, she launched Mbuya Mary Simbi library in her home area of Gutu that benefits 8 catchment schools where she is also paying fees for disadvantaged kids.[10]

Honours and awards

Her business has also won several awards which include;

References

  1. ^ "About Me – Divine Simbi Ndhlukula". Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. ^ https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2017/06/29/ndhlukula-appointed-new-zncc-president Archived 2018-06-18 at the Wayback Machine Ndhukula appointed new ZNCC president
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Being a woman has nothing to do with it Archived 2019-03-02 at the Wayback Machine, Daily News, published: November 22, 2012, retrieved: October 26, 2016
  4. ^ a b Africa's Most Successful Women: Divine Ndhlukula, Forbes, published: January 20, 2012, retrieved: February 27, 2018
  5. ^ Divine Ndhlukula queen of Africa's security industry has her sights set on regional expansion, Lionesses of Africa, published: January 27, 2015, retrieved: October 26, 2016
  6. ^ "My rural upbringing shaped me, says Divine Ndhlukula". The Standard. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  7. ^ "Similar results". Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Divine Ndhlukula, LinbkedIn, published: No Date given, retrieved: February 27, 2018
  9. ^ Ndhukula appointed new ZNCC president Archived 2018-06-18 at the Wayback Machine, published: June 29, 2017 retrieved: February 2201
  10. ^ "DSN Foundation – Divine Simbi Ndhlukula". Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  11. ^ Divine Ndhlukula wins Zimbabwe's private sector leader of the year award Lionesses of Africa, published: September 17, 2017, retrieved: February 27, 2018
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