Tsitsi Masiyiwa is a philanthropist and the wife of Zimbabwean millionaire Strive Masiyiwa. Before her husband became a billionaire, they were virtually penniless and struggled to feed themselves and their children.
“We were so broke. We couldn’t even afford to give our visitors tea,” Tsitsi Masiyiwa said in retrospect in an interview with Forbes. “We were practically living from hand to mouth.”
Tsitsi Masiyiwa recalled that things were not always so dire. Prior to that, her husband had founded Retrofit Engineering, an electrical contracting firm that handled big federal construction contracts, and had amassed a sizable fortune, according to Forbes.
However, his fortunes changed in 1993 when he established Zimbabwe’s first independent mobile telecoms network to compete with the state-run Zimbabwean Post & Telecommunications Corporation (PTC).
He was denied a license after being questioned. When he brought the matter to court, the government retaliated by suspending all business with Retrofit Engineering. The Zimbabwean government was his most important client at the time. Retrofit’s finances began to deteriorate, and Strive Masiyiwa was unable to pay his employees. He eventually had to sell the company’s assets in order to pay his court dispute with the government.
“So we were broke. In trying to understand what was going on around me, I began to do an intensive soul searching. Then I prayed to God and made a deal with him. I told God that if he granted us the license to operate the mobile phone company in Zimbabwe- and he made us successful, then I will help support as many poor people as possible for as long as I lived,” Tsitsi Masiyiwa recalled.
Tsitsi Masiyiwa sought refuge in divine intervention amidst the mayhem. She prayed and took a leap of faith with her husband. They established the Capernaum Trust, a foundation that would provide scholarships to deserving youngsters.
“It was an unpractical thing to do at the time, especially considering the fact that we had nothing. But as a Christian, you do unreasonable things,” she said.
During this trial period, they presented a compelling defense in court for a license to operate a telecommunications network. God answered their prayers in 1997, when they were granted permission to establish a mobile telecommunications firm in Zimbabwe.
Econet quickly surpassed the state-owned telecommunications corporation to become the country’s top mobile telecoms company. In addition, the corporation expanded into Botswana, Burundi, and Lesotho. According to Forbes, Strive Masiyiwa quickly became Zimbabwe’s richest man.
Tsitsi Masiyiwa honored her pledge to God amidst success. She became a humanitarian and organized orphan parties on a regular basis. She assisted orphans and vulnerable children by paying their school fees and provided funding for school uniforms and stationery through the Capernaum Trust.
Capernaum Trust helped 40,000 students at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels a decade ago. She was instrumental in the establishment of three other charities, including the Christian Community Partnership Trust (CCPF), the National Healthcare Trust of Zimbabwe, and the Joshua Nkomo Scholarship Fund, all named after the late Zimbabwean patriot. All four foundations merged to become the Higher Life Foundation, an umbrella organization for Tsitsi Masiyiwa and her husband’s charitable activity.