Prof Jiri Hails Mazila Holdings As Model For Rural Growth
On a dusty stretch of Ward 20 in Mzingwane District, the neat homestead at Mazila Holdings stands out: solid buildings, tidy kraals, a well-tended field, and evidence everywhere of careful reinvestment. It was here that Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Prof Dr Obert Jiri, found what he called a “model household” for rural agri-business.
On his visit, Prof Jiri praised owner Mandla Ncube and his team for showing how local innovation, backed by technical guidance, can turn a family homestead into a functioning rural enterprise. His message was clear: this is what rural growth looks like when Zimbabweans invest back home and work hand in hand with Government extension services.
Mazila Holdings: A Homestead Turning Into A Business
Prof Jiri said Mazila Holdings demonstrates that rural households can build thriving businesses without waiting for expensive imported solutions.
“This is a model household,” he noted, commending how the enterprise makes use of locally available materials to keep costs down while still maintaining a professional operation. From structures to inputs, the focus at Mazila Holdings has been to build with what is at hand, and only reach outside when absolutely necessary.
For a district like Mzingwane, where many families depend on remittances or seasonal jobs, the visit was a signal that Government wants to highlight homegrown examples of rural transformation, not just large commercial estates.
Farm Managers And Extension Officers: Two Sides Of One Coin
Central to Prof Jiri’s remarks was the relationship between farm managers and extension officers. He stressed that the two roles are not in competition, but are complementary.
In his words, farm managers are there to run the business — making daily production, labour, and financial decisions — while extension officers provide an “outside eye”, advising on what is being done right and where improvements are needed.
This dynamic, he suggested, is part of what makes Mazila Holdings stand out: management that is open to technical scrutiny, and an extension service that is close enough to operations to offer practical, timely support.
FFA Explainer:
Extension officers are Government or NGO field staff who work directly with farmers. They share new techniques, help diagnose problems, and connect farmers to programmes and markets. When farm managers and extension officers work as partners, farms are more likely to adopt proven practices and avoid costly mistakes.
Local Inputs, Lower Costs
Prof Jiri highlighted Mazila Holdings’ ability to build its enterprise largely from locally available materials. This, he said, proves that successful rural agribusinesses do not have to start with imported equipment and high-cost infrastructure.
Using what is at hand — local bricks, timber, basic irrigation setups, and nearby feed resources — Mazila Holdings has kept capital and running costs down, improving its chances of staying profitable through dry spells and price swings.
Owner Mandla Ncube confirmed this approach, saying that ongoing collaboration with Government extension officers has helped the business refine operations and reduce costs by identifying where local inputs can safely replace bought-in materials.
“Working with the extension officers has helped us see where we can use what we already have and still improve our standards,” Ncube said, welcoming the Permanent Secretary’s visit as recognition of the effort put into growing Mazila Holdings. [Illustrative — verify or replace]
Invest Back Home: Start With The Homestead
Beyond the farm gate, Prof Jiri used his tour to send a broader message to Zimbabweans in towns and in the diaspora. He urged them to see rural homesteads not as retirement shelters only, but as platforms for agri-business.
He encouraged those earning incomes in cities or abroad to channel part of their savings into upgrading and equipping rural homes — improving water supply, storage, fencing, and basic infrastructure — so that businesses can grow to support the homesteads, rather than the other way round.
This call echoes Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which places rural industrialisation and household-based enterprises at the heart of inclusive growth, and aligns with AU Agenda 2063’s goal of prosperous, modernised African villages.
Diaspora investment into agriculture has often focused on buying land or equipment. Mazila Holdings offers a different blueprint: start by strengthening the home base, then build layered enterprises — crops, livestock, value-adding — around it.
Collaboration As A Template For Ward-Level Growth
For Mzingwane District, the visit was more than a photo opportunity. By naming Mazila Holdings a model, Prof Jiri effectively set a template for ward-level development that other households and cooperatives can emulate:
- Combine local materials and knowledge with formal technical advice.
- Treat the homestead as the centre of a business, not just a place to sleep.
- Engage extension officers as partners in planning, not only as inspectors.
- Use savings and remittances to build assets that generate income — wells, storage, livestock infrastructure, simple irrigation — rather than only consumption items.
This approach opens space for women and youth to play leading roles in managing specific enterprises within the homestead business — be it poultry, horticulture, small livestock, or processing — provided they also get targeted training and access to information.
From Model Household To Wider Movement
For now, Mazila Holdings is one example in one ward of Mzingwane. But by singling it out, the Ministry is signalling the kind of rural enterprise it wants to see multiplied across districts: grounded in local realities, disciplined in cost management, and open to learning.
If that message takes root — in villages, townships, and diaspora WhatsApp groups alike — the sight of a well-built, productive homestead like Mazila’s may become less of an exception, and more of a benchmark for what rural Zimbabwe can be.
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