WCW – Mai Chisamba – Businesswoman and Talk Show Host

Our #WCW today is the one and only, Rebecca Tsirikirayi popularly known as Mai Chisamba. Born on the 21st of October in 1952, Rebecca Tsirikirayi is a Zimbabwean businesswoman and talk show host.

Born in Bindura, Zimbabwe in a family of seven, Rebecca attended Bindura Salvation Army Primary School before attending Usher Girls High in Matebeleland. She went on to receive Teacher Training at Howard Institute.

Before she became Zimbabwe’s best talk show host, Mai Chisamba was a teacher and she became a Radio Teacher under the Ministry of Education and Culture, through the encouragement of her then Headmaster, Mr Douglas Sanyahungwe. She was invited for auditions at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) through the Ministry and she ended up hosting her own show on the national television.

That is when she made her television debut as a talk show host, she became known for hosting the Mai Chisamba Show, which went on to become a popular talk show in Zimbabwe. In her talk show, Mai Chisamba discusses a number of issues including health, marriage, relationships and more. She became the only Zimbabwean hosting a Shona language talk show in a time whete the English language was dominating in the television industry.

Mai Chisamba also has a newspaper column in which people send letters on marital issues and social statuses seeking advices and ideas. In 2018, she was appointed the Domestic Tourism Ambassador by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. She also went on to headline her show in Birmingham, England in the same year.

Besides her talk show, Mai Chisamba is also a Philanthropist, helping raise funds for and donating to the less fortunate. She is a supporter of the Maunganidze Children’s Home in Chitungwiza.

Mai Chisamba is also a mother of five, one of her daughters works on the Mai Chisamba Show as a Graphic Designer.

She has many awards including Communicator of the Year in 2003, Outstanding Woman in Zimbabwe in 201, Superwoman for Advice and Mentoring in 2012 and more. She is dubbed as the Oprah Winfrey of Zimbabwe.