Meet ‘Bill Gates of Africa’ Strive Masiyiwa: the billionaire and philanthropist pioneered telecoms in his native Zimbabwe and owns multimillion-dollar properties
- He took the Robert Mugabe government to court to be able to run his company Econet, but now also has the Higherlife Foundation with wife Tsitsi
- He leased a Manhattan flat at 737 Park Avenue and now owns two penthouses in Eldorado Tower, plus has a US$3.3 million mansion in Surrey, England
Strive Masiyiwa, the richest businessman in Zimbabwe, is more than your average billionaire. Econet Wireless, the telecommunications company he set up in 1993, pioneered the use of mobile phones and changed the communications landscape in the country. Higherlife Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife Tsitsi, has supported the education of more than 250,000 vulnerable children. Touted for his entrepreneurial savvy and philanthropic work, he has been dubbed the “Bill Gates of Africa”.
Other than his business ventures and philanthropy, who is Masiyiwa, what does his lavish life look like, and what challenges did he face in becoming a billionaire?
1. He almost joined the military
Born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Masiyiwa was only seven when his parents fled the country amid the political turmoil that followed the white minority government’s 1965 declaration of independence from Britain. His family first moved to Zambia, but they were able to send him to a Scottish boarding school for his secondary education, with him joining their neighbour’s son in Edinburgh, according to Business Insider South Africa.
He returned to Zimbabwe in 1978 and was keen to join the military to fight against minority rule. However, his plans were derailed with the war already being won. Masiyiwa then studied engineering at the University of Wales.
2. His legal battle took him half a decade
Masiyiwa’s rise to billionaire status did not come easy. After starting Econet in 1993, he faced intense opposition from Zimbabwe’s government under Robert Mugabe. He took the government to court in a legal battle that lasted five years and left him almost bankrupt, but eventually he secured the license to launch his network. Today, the company is a pioneer in mobile communications, but continued harassment led Masiyiwa to leave Zimbabwe and move to South Africa in 2000.