By Fanuel Viriri
Joina City’s origins are personal, not imported. The 24-storey Harare landmark is named after Joina, the mother of businessman Shingi Mutasa.
Despite keeping a low profile, Mutasa’s business footprint is everywhere. Many Zimbabweans use his services daily without realizing it.
The name is not a Dubai reference, as some assume. It’s a heartfelt tribute to his mother. That contrast — private man, public empire — makes Mutasa one of Zimbabwe’s most intriguing business figures.
The idea for Joina City came from discussions between Mutasa and his architect friend Vernon Mwamuka, who designed the building. Construction started in 1999 but stalled four times due to funding gaps, forex shortages, and the economic turbulence of the early 2000s. The delays stretched over a decade, yet the tower was eventually completed as a statement project.
Joina City is arguably the most visible symbol of Mutasa’s career. But it’s just one piece of a much larger portfolio.
Born Shingai Stanley Mutasa in Mutare on 26 November 1958, he studied Economics at University College London before returning to Zimbabwe at independence in 1980. He worked alongside his father from 1980 to 1992. His father ran a continental trading company, and that early exposure to commodity broking laid the foundation for Mutasa’s own ventures.
Mutasa built his reputation as a “quiet, long-game” investor — buying undervalued, debt-laden assets and restructuring them over years, not months. He rarely gives interviews, preferring the boardroom to the spotlight.
His defining move came in 1997 when he acquired TA Holdings, a diversified but debt-ridden conglomerate. He restructured it into Masawara PLC, an investment firm now listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market. Under Masawara, he built stakes in companies Zimbabweans use daily.
He also sits on boards of companies in South Africa, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, and is involved in business and education forums aimed at developing the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
Mutasa is married to Karen, an entrepreneur with interests in wellness, beauty, and hospitality. The couple have three children: sons Mudiwa and Tinashe, and daughter Itai.
From a mother’s name on a Harare skyline to a cross-border investment firm, Mutasa’s story is one of patience, reinvention, and building in plain sight.
