The Mutsonziwa Foundation was founded by Dr Kingstone Mutsonziwa, Dr Itayi Mutsonziwa and Ms Natalie Rutendo Mutsonziwa. The founders share a passion for helping underprivileged communities have sustainable livelihoods. As a family, we have had different experiences in dealing with underprivileged and vulnerable individuals. Having grown up in different societal situations, we have witnessed how different people are affected by their backgrounds. We have lived in Zimbabwe and currently reside in South Africa and know that the challenges faced by underprivileged communities are similar in most African societies. We strongly believe that when we put our hands together, we can lift each other and help those who are underprivileged and less fortunate. Together, we can achieve more. We desire to make a difference in vulnerable people’s lives and make their lives more meaningful.
Dr Kingstone Mutsonziwa
Dr Kingstone Mutsonziwa is the co-founder of the Foundation. He is a seasoned leader who is an Executive of Data and Analytics at FinMark Trust (FMT). Dr Mutsonziwa is also the co-founder and non-Executive Director of Sigma Kairos Research and Consulting. From February 2019 until December 2021, he served as a Board Member and the Treasurer of AFM Midrand Impact Christian Centre. He also served as an Educational Board Member at the AFM Christian Centre during the same period. He has always been fascinated by FinMark Trust’s work of ‘Making Financial Markets Work for the Poor’ in the SADC. This work motivated him to form the MF as a way of making a difference in the livelihoods of underprivileged communities. He was part of the team that worked on the formation of the insight2impact (i2i facility), which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Mastercard Foundation.
Dr Mutsonziwa possesses strong leadership qualities and has experience in engaging with different stakeholders at senior levels. His global research experience and Christian background have made him aware of how privileged some people are, yet do not consider giving back and sharing with poor communities.
Dr Mutsonziwa lectured Statistics at the University of Zimbabwe and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He was also a research consultant for several companies. His experience includes working for a market research company and non-governmental organisation.
He holds a Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL), a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Science (MSc) in Statistics, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Honours in Statistics. In addition, he has completed various executive training courses. He has published numerous academic journal articles and contributed chapters to books. A vision of a better world with equal opportunities for all is his driving passion.
Dr Itayi Mutsonziwa
Dr Itayi Mutsonziwa is a co-founder of the Foundation and also the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sigma Kairos Research and Consulting. Dr Itayi is a seasoned prayer warrior. She was a Finance Committee member of the AFM Midrand Impact Christian Centre from 2018 to 2021. She belongs to many women’s forums and is a motivational speaker. Dr Itayi is the current CEO of Impactress, a grouping of women from AFM Midrand Christian Centre. She is a seasoned social entrepreneur and has always given a helping hand to the less privileged and helped solve some societal and community issues. Motivated by her drive for other people, the topic of her PhD was on ‘Ubuntu’. She defined Ubuntu as ‘an African philosophy reflecting the belief that a person’s humanity is expressed in relation to other people.’ She sees herself being who and what she is because of other people. Her PhD on Ubuntu solidified her social entrepreneurial spirit and pushed her zeal to help others.
Dr Mutsonziwa is passionate about seeing young girls and boys grow to their full potential and succeed in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM subjects). She enjoys spending time assisting high school students plan for their careers and advising on subject selection based on their interests and abilities.
An exceptional leader, she has a demonstrated record of accomplishments in creating functional strategies and specific objectives for multiple business units. She engages with Boards, Exco, management, and research and development teams, recommending effective solutions based on research findings and data analytics. She has helped many businesses develop and implement strategies to improve market performance through research and data analytics. Her expertise includes overseeing market research projects, project management and data analytics. She has implemented research in many disciplines in South Africa and on the African continent. Through her vast research experience, she has helped to unpack and resolve many business problems and also understands different segments of the population.
Dr Itayi Mutsonziwa holds a PhD in Business Administration, a Master of Science (MSc) in Statistics, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Honours in Statistics.
Natalie Rutendo Mutsonziwa (Engineer Candidate)
Eng. Natalie Mutsonziwa is also a co-founder of the Foundation. She is a cum laude graduate in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Johannesburg and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in e-Science (Data Science) at Wits.
Eng. Natalie has held leadership positions from a young age. These roles began in primary school, where she was a prefect, library monitor and administration monitor. Her leadership roles in high school included being a prefect and Head of the Community Service committee, as well as being a member of the Johannesburg Junior Council (JJC). As a member of the JJC, her group of councillors raised over R50 000 for the purchase of reusable sanitary towels for girls in underprivileged communities. They also held events for the elderly and children with disabilities.
Eng. Natalie was the secretary of the Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering School Council at Wits. The School Council deals with all matters affecting the academic performance of the student body and provides the relevant help or solutions to the matters brought up. This includes both group/class matters, as well as individual or personal matters.
Being part of the JJC fuelled her passion to work with and help those less fortunate. Natalie’s particular passion is education. She participated in a Saturday School programme called Ububele, where she would dedicate five hours every Saturday to teaching young girls from neighbouring disadvantaged schools to read, do maths, arts and crafts, and swim. This was an eye-opening experience that showed her that it is possible to have a better community in our lifetime. As Malala Yousafzai once said, ‘One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.’
