Shingi Munyeza

Early life and education

Shingi Albert Munyeza was born to Fredrick Munyeza and Damaris Gwata, where he was the first born of six children. At the age of two, he moved to Inyanga to reside with his grandmother, later on attending primary school there at Tamunesa Primary School.

Munyeza moved to the capital city, Salisbury (now Harare) in 1978 where his parents had relocated to the neighbourhood of Marimba Park. He attended the rest of his primary school education at Mhizha Primary School in Highfield, Harare. Later, he went to St. John’s High School in Emerald Hill, and then later Prince Edward School, both in Harare. During his high school, he was head boy at St John’s High School and later served as Junior Mayor of Harare.

Business career

After completing high school he did his articles of clerkship under Ernst and Young, at the same time enrolled for a B.Compt in accounting with University of South Africa and also completed a Diploma in Applied Accountancy with the Institute of Accountants, Zimbabwe. He later went into advertising where he studied for an IMM Diploma in Marketing. After a while, he moved to Zim Sun (now African Sun) where he studied for a Diploma in Hotel Management Strategy with Cornell University, New York. He was later conferred an honorary doctorate in Business Administration and Development by Solusi University in March 2010 in recognition of his contribution to business development in the tourism sector.

He trained as an accountant with Ernst and Young, then made a career change to advertising and worked as an Executive Director in an advertising agency, CM & A Advertising. He moved from advertising to tourism when he got a job at Cresta Hospitality Zimbabwe, where he became Group Commercial Director. After a while, he moved to then Zimbabwe Sun Limited (now African Sun) where he assumed the role of Group Chief Executive.

African Sun

Munyeza led a consortium of business persons into buying a stake in the largest hotel management company in Zimbabwe, ZimSun Limited, becoming the Chief Executive Officer in the process in 2002. He later purchased shares in the firm to become the major shareholder, and in the process renamed the company to African Sun Limited (ASL). The company began to expand regionally and it bought properties in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique between 2009 and 2010. Some hotels in Ghana and Nigeria also became part of ASL during the same period. Munyeza secured about US$25 million to redevelop these hotels. Some of the hotels under African Sun Limited include Troutbeck Inn Resort in Nyanga, Holiday Inn Resorts and Hotels in Zimbabwe, Monomotapa Crowne Plaza in Harare, Elephant Hills Hotel in Victoria Falls, and the Cape Grace in South Africa.

Munyeza has been the president of the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism for three successive years, between 2003-2005 and serves on a number of boards.

Personal life

Munyeza is married to Wilma and they have a daughter, Nomsa.

Religion and social responsibility

Munyeza has made notable contributions toward community transformation and has been a leader in initiating sustainable youth programs in disadvantaged communities in Zimbabwe targeted at young people through Faith Ministries Church where he is the senior pastor. He is also involved in charity work under his church. He has assisted disadvantaged youths in various ways including giving bursaries to school children.