Nelspruit born, South African, Pan-African, global entrepreneur and philanthropist, the 2005 Runner-Up for South African Chapter of the World Entrepreneur of the Year award, Mr Robert Matana Gumede is the Executive Chairman of the diversified, 14,000 strong staffed, Guma Group of Companies.
Guma Africa Group of companies is an Afro-Global Conglomerate involved in inter-alia Mining, Energy (Renewables), Infrastructure Development, Tourism & Hospitality, Rail & Ports, Heathcare,
ICT, Real Estates, Agro Business, Human Capital Development & Training, etc.
Gumede was born and raised by a domestic worker single parent and began working from the tender age of seven (7) as a gardener, golf caddy and at ten (10) years of age joined his mother selling used (second hand) clothes.
Gumede was born during the height of the notorious Apartheid system in South Africa in the same year that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for calling for equal rights and justice.
It was obvious to the young Gumede that he had to become a man at 7 years of age in order to help bring food to the table for his over 13 siblings and cousins, who all shared his grandmother’s three
roomed home. Gumede learnt to work hard and share from childhood.
Gumede is a smart business strategist, visionary leader, excellent salesman, successful people’s person and a serial entrepreneur with business operations in various countries of the world, such as the United Kingdom, Brazil, USA, New Zealand, India, Spain, Japan, the Caribbean, the Middle East and various African countries.
Gumede as a Pan-Africanist global entrepreneur, understands the parallels of socio-political enhancement anchored by the economic development of the African continent through education, human capital development, industrialisation and infrastructure development, that will create sustainable jobs, economic development and the generation of the much needed foreign currency to spearhead Africa’s regional intra-trade.
Gumede believes that this is an African Century to industrialise all the 54 countries of Africa through investments into continental transport logistics for ease of movement of goods and people, through the integrated socio-economic corridors, including smart cities.
Guma has a huge footprint on the African continent with operations in strategic African countries and Guma is well positioned as a gateway for international business partnership into Africa.
Gumede strongly believes in forging win-win partnerships amongst the west and Asia with his mother Africa, who is blessed with an abundance of mineral resources, arable land and human capital.
Gumede is an award winning businessman and entrepreneur who is the Chairman of the USA-South Africa Business Chamber based in Atlanta (USA), he is a Member of the BRICS Business Council, a Member of the Africa-China Trade and Infrastructure Development Forum as well as a Board Member of the Association for Development and Cooperation between South Africa and Italy and currently a Board Member of the FIFA Foundation. He was previously the Co-Chairman of the South Africa-Russia Business Council, Inaugural Co-Chairman of the BRICS Business Forum held in Sanya, China 2011.
Gumede is a philanthropist who gives away millions of dollars annually to needy projects and people for inter-alia education, healthcare, housing, roads, etc, through his Robert Gumede Family Keni Foundation and directly by his businesses.
Gumede, as a visionary serial entrepreneur with a conscience, is a firm believer in his grandmother’s
teaching: “SHARING IS CARING”.