WHEN apples fall, they never fall far away from the tree.
The old idiom opines that the apple never falls far from the tree.
It means, loosely, a child usually has a similar character or similar qualities to his or her parents.
However, the idiom should, arguably, have gone further looking at what happens with the fallen apples.
Do they gain value or just rot?
The story of a young Zvishavane-based gold miner and businessman Ronald Davidson Mugangavari can easily be equated to the apple that fell from the tree.
Mugavari followed in the footsteps of his father Shepherd Mugangavari, a tough nut who did not make life easy for his son.
“My father was a very successful businessman. He was a bit tough and militant, but he groomed me to be strong and energetic in the mining sector,” Mugangavari said in an interview with the NewsDay Weekender after bagging the first prize in the prestigious 2023 National Youth Awards held in Lupane on Tuesday this week.
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“We could have had misunderstandings in matters of principle, but he’s the reason why I pushed myself to be successful today.”
He triumphed in the Mining, Energy And Infrastructure category.
The 35-year-old owner of Mega Mining and Milling Company was nominated as the most consistent gold producer of the year in 2020.
He successfully installed two functional milling sites in Mberengwa, where he also provided construction materials for Svita and Chomubhobho primary schools.
Mugangavari admits that he did not miss out on the niceties that life can offer since his father was a successful miner in his own right.
After completing his upper level secondary school, his father did not make life easy for his only son.
“I was very ambitious and I planned to go into business straight from school, but my father did not believe I was ready for the cut-throat mining sector — let alone — gold mining.
“My father knew the pitfalls I was likely to face, but I was determined I wanted to try, but he wanted me to be patient.
“So, my ambitions became a source of conflict with my father and he chucked me off his mining area and I was forced to start my own venture without his assistance.”
Mugangavari believes his father actually taught him a lesson, which was far from the perceptions he carried in his early life.
“I was expecting favours from my father, but I realised that he was actually grooming me. He did not hurt or hate me, but it showed me that I had to face the harsh conditions so that I could grow,” he said.
On the flip side, he believes parents should also help their children grow.
“Parents should help their children, especially in these harsh economic conditions. My father thought I was too immature and would have to learn more, but I felt I had enough knowledge to start.
“So, it’s an issue of playing a balancing act between the father and the son. My father was from an era where they did not have faith in their sons to take over their businesses.
“In most cases, fathers left their sons empty shells because they procrastinate, thinking their children were not ready.”
Mugangavari also speaks glowingly of his mother who was there to motivate him when the chips were down.
“My mother was always there for me; she has always been my pillar of strength. She would tell me to push on as they had gone through similar challenges with my father.
“So she was always encouraging me and gave me strength to forge ahead with my dream until I made it and I think most mothers are like that,” he said.
Mugangavari believes standing against his father’s doubts helped him a lot.
“I turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to start my own business, my own mining project, while my father’s empire was equally large.
“I left him to start my own project in 2008 when the economy was so harsh and things did not go as I expected.
“It was only in 2014 that things got better. From 2008 to 2014, my father was always telling me that immaturity was affecting my business because I had rushed into business so I had to come back.”
His defiance was rewarded when things took an upturn as his venture started producing results.
Mugangavari, born and bred in Zvishavane mining town, attended Shabanie Primary School before completing his Advanced Level at Chegato High School in 2006.
He immediately joined his father’s mining venture.
After two years, he ditched his father’s venture to start his own.
“I started mining on my own in 2008. I acquired my own mining claim and started producing gold, but it was not easy until I achieved my breakthrough in 2014.
“I then acquired my first hammer mill and I can declare that things started moving in 2017. I also established a plant and I developed from being a small-scale to a medium-scale miner,” he said.
Mugangavari also established himself as a serious gold deliverer to the Fidelity Gold Refinery.
“I had some of my largest gold deliveries in 2020 and 2021. However, it has not been smooth sailing as young miners face a lot of challenges in the sector,” he said.
“After acquiring my claim, I faced a lot of resistance from big and established miners who were after the same area.”
He went through a tedious process that included several court cases until he finally secured his claim.
“We face a lot of hurdles in the sector as young miners. The first hurdle being funding challenges, with financial institutions very reluctant to issue out loans to emerging businesses,” Mugangavari said.
“Most young miners do not have the collateral and you can only get funding after getting proceeds from the mining venture.”
The second hurdle, Mugangavari said, was mining disputes.
“Zimbabwe’s mining laws are not tight enough to protect stakeholders, especially the young miners.
“There are well-established miners who are always on the prowl looking to take advantage and pounce on the weak.
“There is a crop of old and greedy players in the sector who are on the lookout for high output fields and they can grab these from the young miners.”
Government is currently amending the Mines and Minerals Act.
“This actually gives us hope that the laws would be tight enough to protect everyone. The Mines ministry should also computerise and document all claims.
“I was involved in a dispute that lasted for 10 years and that was all lost production time because we were forced to suspend operations during the period.
“There are many similar disputes that are not only costing the miners, but even the country in lost revenue.”
Mugangavari currently employs around 120 employees, although the number fluctuates with seasons.
“Our labour comes seasonally because we operate in communal areas where there are peasant farmers who go back to their homes during the agricultural season,” he said.
“When the rains come, they go back home to work on their field and the number of employees goes down. It rises during the dry seasons where production also peaks.”
His next step is to invest in more sophisticated equipment and increase production.
The communities provide labour and Mugangavari helps them plough their field as part of corporate social responsibility.
“We provide for the schools in the area and working with traditional leaders we provide various other assistance,” he said.
Mugangavari, while hailing government for assisting youths in Zimbabwe, said more should be done to empower youths so that they survive challenges they face.
“Zimbabwe has vast mineral resources that have to be explored and exploited. If that happens we can be the Dubai of Africa.
“The Mines ministry should invest in electro-magnetic surveys to unveil the mineral wealth in this country as it is an advantage for us to know the true value of the resources.
“The youths should also be educated to compete with the large mines and move from being small-scale miners.”
He also called on youths to be disciplined so that they succeed in business.
“Mining, like any other business, needs consistency and persistence. I think I have survived the challenges because of my resentment to drugs. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke.
“I am against the abuse of drugs. I always address this to my peers, the youths that are always coming to me for advice or coming to me for assistance in any form, cash or whatever.
“I always emphasise on the abuse of drugs. It’s only when you are under the influence of drugs when you cannot concentrate.”
He expressed his delight for being recognised during the National Youth Day.
“It came after 15 years, but I think it will spur me to work harder and seek more glory and growth as a businessman,” he said.
Married to Petronella Phiri, the couple is blessed by a son, Ethan.
