#BehindtheSelfie: Tafadzwa Samushonga, Bolt Food country manager
Where do you live, work and play?
I live in Johannesburg and work takes me between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Most of my weekends are spent at home, so that’s where I play.
What’s really behind your selfie?
Mosi-oa-Tunya is literally behind me in this picture. I was hiking through the rainforest and stopped for the obligatory selfie. It turned out to be very well-timed because just after this, there was a serious downpour.
What does a typical weekend look like for you now?
Exercise - my own and accompanying my niece to her swimming lessons.
Gardening - I’m in a transition from being the type of person who couldn’t keep a cactus alive, to actually learning to care for plants.
Discovering new restaurants - since I work in food delivery, I love trying out new places and getting them signed up for our platform.
Describe your career so far
A diverse set of experiences that initially look incredibly disjointed but are actually held together by a common thread of enjoying turning vague concepts and ideas into clear plans of action, in the ultimate service of making a positive impact on people’s lives.
That’s taken me from a hydroelectric power project in Tanzania to a cashew farm in Ghana, to a fashion e-commerce start-up in the Philippines, as well as a copper mine, hospital group and insurance company in South Africa. Most recently, I’ve taken on the challenge of not just developing plans but executing them in my operational role as the country manager of Bolt Food.
What are you streaming/reading/listening to right now?
I’m reading Let It Go by Dame Shirley. It’s a really inspirational story of how she transcended a range of personal and professional challenges. The book takes you on a journey through her life - from arriving in England as a child refugee from Germany to building a successful career as a tech entrepreneur well before #WomenInTech was a popular hashtag while caring for a son with autism.
What’s your favourite gif?
Any variation of a facepalm. Apparently, exasperation is my most-expressed emotion.
Give us the quote you like to live your life by?
“Life is a rollercoaster; just gotta ride it.” That’s how I remind myself to keep life’s ups and downs in perspective.
Do you have any secret talents?
Why would anyone keep their talents secret? I share all of mine with the world!
What are some of your best loadshedding survival tips?
Become the ultimate loadshedding dodger by ensuring you have a network of friends and family who live in areas that are on different schedules from you. Then, conveniently plan to visit them when your electricity is off.
More seriously though, getting an inverter changed my life. That covers two of my top three priorities. The other priority is food and for that, my survival tip is to order in on Bolt Food!
