Masimba Holdings Limited is marking 75 years of operation in Zimbabwe’s construction industry with a campaign that puts its workforce, rather than its projects, at the centre of the celebration. In a recent tribute shared on social media, the company highlighted staff members such as Ivan Arifeto, framing its longevity as the product of the people who have carried out the day-to-day work behind its buildings and infrastructure over the decades.
The company traces its roots back to 1934, when civil engineer Douglas Roberts founded Roberts Construction in South Africa. Its regional presence in Southern Africa was cemented in 1950 with the landmark contract to build the Victoria Falls Hydro-Electric Power Station, a project the company still regards as a defining moment in its history. In 1967, Roberts Construction merged with Murray & Stewart to form the Murray & Roberts Group, and by 1974 the business had listed on what was then the Rhodesian stock exchange as Murray & Roberts (Rhodesia) Limited.
The decades that followed brought several rebrands as the business evolved, from International Holdings Limited in 1980 to Murray & Roberts (Zimbabwe) Limited in 1997. The company took its current name, Masimba Holdings Limited, in January 2013, after Murray & Roberts’ South African parent sold its stake to Zumbani Capital. The name Masimba, derived from the Shona word for strength, reflects the group’s positioning as a homegrown Zimbabwean firm with deep regional roots.
Today, Masimba Holdings operates as a diversified contracting and industrial group, listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, with operations spanning civil engineering, road building, quarry mining, structural steel fabrication, and property development. Its work touches sectors including agriculture, energy, housing, mining, water, transport, and communications, and the group has been involved in projects ranging from airports, hospitals, and shopping malls to bridges, dams, and reservoirs across the region. As of 2024, the company employed more than 1,100 people.
The 75th anniversary campaign has leaned heavily on individual staff stories rather than corporate milestones alone. In its tribute to Arifeto, the company highlighted his commitment to precision on site, quoting his own approach to the job: “Measure twice, cut once. No room for error in construction.” Masimba described that mindset as part of the foundation the company has been built on, extending its thanks to employees past and present for sustaining the business through 75 years of change in Zimbabwe’s construction sector.
The anniversary comes as Masimba continues to position itself around its long-standing “Excellence Delivered” philosophy, an approach the company says it plans to carry into its next chapter of growth across Southern Africa.
