When Masiyiwa was just seven years old, his family had to flee from Zimbabwe as Ian Smith’s government began to fall down. The family lived in Kitwe, Zambia where his mother thrived as an entrepreneur with interests in retail sales, transportation, and small-scale farming. Meanwhile, his father worked at a nearby copper mine but later on joined his mother in the family business. The family realized enough success that they can already afford to send Strive for a European education.
He went to Edinburgh, Scotland to study and he graduated in 1978. He then acquired a degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Wales in 1983, graduating as a Cum Laude. Though he was able to land a job in the computer industry while he was in Cambridge, England, he chose to go back to Zimbabwe, hoping to aid in the country’s recovery after winning its independence in 1980.
With his intelligence, determination, and love for country combined, he was able to become successful, fulfilling his goals not only for himself, but for his country as well.