Mama Red Rose: Salons and Entertainment Empire that Started with one Chair

by | Jul 31, 2020 | Leisure

(Zimbabwe) – Mama Red Rose; the name you cannot talk about hair in Zimbabwe without including in the paragraph or conversation. Great stories of entrepreneurship start with strange but inspiring beginnings, Barbara Chikosi, known as Mama Red Rose, started hers with just a single chair.

Born in the Marange area in Mutare, she grew up in Harare’s Highfield suburb where she attended several schools including Mutasa and Chengu primary schools before advancing to Highfield Community Mhuriimwe School.

She later moved to Zambia for both Ordinary and Advanced levels. She went to Kitwe High, Mindolo Girls High and Chipembe Girls High in Lusaka.

“My mother died while I was in Zambia,” she recalls.

“That is when I developed the interest in doing hair for my school mates. Unknown to me, this was the salon business in the making. Through this, I managed to augment my pocket money.”

When she came back to Zimbabwe on holiday, she continued with her hair-dressing business. Her clients were mainly employees from Harare Central Hospital.

“After completing my studies in Zambia, I came back to Zimbabwe but this time I was now staying in Mufakose with my grandmother because my mother whom I stayed with in Highfield had passed on,” she said.

Read more in Kufunga Magazine.

Source: Daily News (Zimbabwe).

More Articles...

Mbada Car Hire: Zimbabwe’s Leopard of the Road

Mbada Car Hire: Zimbabwe’s Leopard of the Road

Zimbabwe's vehicle rental market continues to evolve, quietly adapting to the needs of a diverse and mobile population. From shifting internal tourism patterns to the growing fluidity of business travel, demand for professional, reliable, and versatile car hire...

read more

UPICtv: The Botswana Equivalent of Netflix

Conceived in 1997 by Reed Hastings, Netflix is a name that comes to mind when talking about online video streaming and internet-connected screens. Following this model, Botswana launched its own channel called UPICtv in 2020. But what is Netflix? Netflix Inc. is the...

read more

Opportunities for Destinations Management Companies in Botswana

There are many opportunities for Destinations Management businesses in the tourism industry in Botswana, creating unique travel and tour packages that can be consumed by local, regional, and international visitors. Botswana is a tourist destination that is amongst the...

read more

Three Dikgosi Monument

There is a tourist attraction in Gaborone that you cannot miss, one that summarises the history of Botswana, political and economic – the Three Chiefs (Dokgosi) Monument. Three Dikgosi Monument is a bronze sculpture of three chiefs, located in the Central Business...

read more