By Gilbert Sikanyika

Doctor Kudzanai Vere belongs to the group of African young Turks determined to conquer the world and leave permanent foot-steps on the sands of life.

I have known Dr. Vere through social interactions over the years and I have come to know him as a pragmatic, hard-working, and purpose-driven person. He sets high goals and when he attains those goals, he sets even higher goals. He places a high premium on his aspirations. He challenges himself to challenge challenges in his life. He does not take “no” for an answer…He knocks, knocks, and keeps knocking until doors of opportunities fling open before him. He is tenacious and aggressive in his daily operations. He does not wait for opportunities; instead, he creates opportunities for himself. He is a workaholic if ever there was one.

He was compelled to stop school in form 4 due to family financial constraints but that could not deter him from pursuing his dreams. He started working as a Receiving and Costing Clerk at Redstar in Nyanga in Zimbabwe and he rose through the ranks to become Branch Manager within a spell of three years. He was arguably the youngest Branch Manager heading a Blue Chips Company when he was only 22 years old.

Doctor Vere has “A coat of many colours.” He is an entrepreneur, Author, and Speaker of international repute. He enjoys developing people in areas such as Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Practical Business Management, Organizational Development, Financial Literacy, and Leadership Development.

Just what makes him tick

He gets inspiration from motivating himself and others. His life gets better when he impacts lives in Business related issues. He was born in a family of 10 in a remote area of Zimbabwe in Nyanga. He went to Maereka primary school, Nyatate school, and Mapako High School. He has also attended: Zimbabwe Open University, British College Of Professional Management, Coppetstone University among others. He has:

• Diploma in Accounting
• Diploma In Accounting In Business Management
• Bcom Accounting
• Certified Public Accountancy
  -Master of Arts in Leadeship and Management
  -Registered Public Accounting
  -Certified Forensic
  -Doctorate in Phylosophy in Entrepreneurship among others.

Dr. Vere is also a notable and versatile writer whose books such as Becoming A Person Of Impact and Exceed Beyond The Ordinary have blessed multitudes of people. It seems he is a “Jack of all trades and master of everything.”

His books have impacted the hordes of people from all walks of life because of the nuggets of life they carry. His presence is being felt almost everywhere and so far so good. Although he never completed formal education, he is a self-made man who has managed to school himself and has acquired a string of diplomas and degrees and was recently conferred with a Doctorial degree in recognition of his teachings and passion for entrepreneurship.

“The whole of my adult life I have been learning business at times passively and at other times actively. I have vast years of business management, ” he said. His ultimate goal in life is to become an oasis of inspiration in Business circles. He is married to a lovely lady Fortune who is the Managing Director of the family business empire. Doctor Vere is also blessed with a wife and five children.

Gilbert Sikanyika is a Writing Prophet based in Zambia

Young People’s Program Zimbabwe Youth Association (YPPZ) is recruiting graduate trainees from the following disciplines:

• Information Technology & Information Systems
• Software Engineering
• Computer Sciences

Nelson Mandela was the first black President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and he was a globally respected leader, philanthropist, and politician who was also famous for his quotes and inspiring speeches. Nelson Mandela is regarded as one of the best world leaders and his quotes that span from education, leadership, social justice, and inequality continue to be recited, used, and cherished even many years past his death.

Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, and died on December 5, 2013. Mandela immersed himself in official talks to end white minority rule and in 1991 was elected ANC President to replace his ailing friend, Oliver Tambo. In 1993 he and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize and on 27 April 1994, he voted for the first time in his life after having spent served 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, and Victor Verster Prison.

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

“Difficulties break some men but make others.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“Young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in the future as future leaders.”

“No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective.”

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

“When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?”

“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

“Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”

“When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.”

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”

“I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”