By Nigel Pfunde
Bulawayo- DURATION Gold Public Relations Manager and veteran career journalist Robert Mukondiwa has been honored with the Emerging Sustainability & ESG Leader Award by ESG Network Zimbabwe, marking him out as one of the country’s emerging voices in responsible business and mining communication.
Mukondiwa received the accolade at a ceremony held at a Bulawayo hotel, with Deputy Minister Raj Modi and ESG Network Zimbabwe executive director and ESG trailblazer Willard Razawo presenting the award.
The citation recognized his five years at Duration Gold, where he has championed a new generation of mining communication by humanizing the industry, opening conversations where silence once prevailed, and advancing humanitarian ESG and sustainability initiatives particularly across Gwanda and Matabeleland South.
Accepting the award, the Gwanda-based manager attributed his achievements to the supportive corporate environment in which he operates.
“No individual shines in isolation. My ultimate success would not have been possible without belonging to a solid brand that gives people the room to grow, pursue excellence and imagine the impossible — then gives them the confidence and freedom to make it reality,” he said.
He emphasized that modern ESG leadership requires much more than simple compliance or polished corporate messaging.
“The future of mining belongs to organisations that understand that their social licence is earned every day. Communication must build trust, ESG must create measurable value, and sustainability must become part of how a business thinks, not simply what it reports.”
Mukondiwa stood out as the sole living individual recipient among the corporate awardees of the night. The only other individual recognition was bestowed posthumously on national hero Edward Raradza.
Paying tribute to the late national hero, Mukondiwa shared how Raradza influenced his character long before this recognition.
“I worked with Cde Raradza in Muzarabani during my days of political mobilisation. He was inspirational, formidable and deeply human. He was also a business acquaintance of my late father, Pascal Mukondiwa, and men like them taught me that character is built through service, courage and how one carries responsibility. I carry those lessons with me.”
Looking ahead, Mukondiwa views the award not as a final destination, but as a foundation for future impact.
“I regard this as a beginning. The responsibility now is to shine even greater and to prove that African mining can communicate, operate and lead at a standard that is genuinely world-class.”
