IN the corporate world, revered businesswoman and philanthropist Karen Mutasa has received multiple awards.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
She has been on the local business landscape for the past 30 years and has left a footprint in the beauty and hospitality industry.
Mutasa is the founder of The Skin Spa Group, which includes Masawara Urban Retreat, Organikks Restaurant and International Skin Spa College of Beauty.
But 18 months ago another chapter opened in her life after she was invited to be part of the new Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) board led by Gerald Mlotshwa.
Mlotshwa’s team, which has promised to take sport to the Promised Land, has only three women in Gail van Jaarsveldt, Colleen de Jong and Mutasa.
While revealing her passion and dreams for local sport, Mutasa talks about the past year and a half in the sports regulatory body leadership.
“The experience has been insightful. I now have an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles governing sports and recreation in Zimbabwe,” Mutasa said in an interview with The Sports Hub.
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“There is a lot of work to do which I am confident with the combination of a very dynamic team of commissioners who share a common vision to transform the SRC to be professional, transparent and, most importantly, to work with all NSAs (national sports associations) in supporting our gifted athletes to reach their potential and put Zimbabweans across all the different sports and recreation disciplines on the world map,” she said.
From the outset, the SRC has made its intention to fight maladministration and corruption, among other issues bedeviling local sport, clear.
In stark contrast to the previous SRC boards, the incumbent one has already taken two of the biggest sport codes — cricket and football — to task.
Mutasa’s dream for local sport tallies with what the current board is trying to do.
“I desire to see an improvement in accountability, transparency and administration of our sports in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has the talent, what we need is to harness this talent for competitiveness. Unfortunately, we lose most of our talent to South Africa, Australia, America and Europe as they search for greener pastures simply because the industry in Zimbabwe is not lucrative,” she said.
“I envisage a Zimbabwe that will retain its athletes and offer fulfilling careers both from a financial and a competing point of view.”
Many have questioned the inclusion of Mutasa in the SRC board due to her non-existent sport background.
But the businesswoman declared her passion for Zimbabwe sport and reckons she has a lot to offer in the SRC because of her business acumen as well as experience in the corporate world.
“When the opportunity presented itself, I was more than happy to take up the role. Above and beyond my passion for sport, the thought of serving my country and making a significant contribution to sport through my experiences and knowledge as a businesswoman was a motivating factor,” she said.
“Having spent the greater part of my career in the tourism and hospitality industry, which has a significant portion of recreational activities, I knew that I was going to add value to the commission.
“As Zimbabwe, we have not really invested in the recreation side of things, yet globally the recreation sector has become a multi-billion-dollar industry with noteworthy contributions to GDP.”
“I believe I have a wealth of experience in business matters; be it investment, restructuring, organisational change management and ensuring the transformation of ailing businesses into competitive and high performing entities.
“To this end, I am more than confident that I have already started adding value. Testament to this was the transformation of the 2019 ANSA awards. Whilst not yet at the level that we would want them to be, we are in the right direction in ensuring that these awards are competitive and that the brand alone attracts corporate partners.”
Because of her passion in business and marketing, Mutasa is chairperson of the business development and marketing board committee in the SRC.
The primary mandate of the committee is to ensure that the commission becomes a viable entity by engaging in activities as outlined under section 19 of the SRC Act.
According to the Act, the Commission can undertake special projects, with the approval of the minister, including fundraising, marketing and trading activities, in furtherance of the purpose of the Act.
“Our committee is there to ensure that SRC pursues business initiatives that will result in a financially independent parastatal with reduced reliance on the government grant,” she said.
Mutasa is excited by the composition of the current board.
“The board boasts of technocrats with diverse experiences and technical know-how in sport development, sport governance and compliance, business management, sports science and organisational remodeling for competitiveness
“I am confident that the board will transform the sport and recreation sector into a well-managed, viable and competitive industry with positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the nation,” she said.
Mutasa is married to Zimbabwean business mogul Shingai Mutasa.
