Beyond the Barriers: Kuda Chitanga on Self-Honesty, Courage, and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

In the podcast episode “Courageous Crossroads,” host Jeff Johnson interviews Kudakwashe “Kuda” Chitanga, exploring his inspiring journey from a challenging upbringing in Chitanga Village, Zimbabwe, to becoming a lawyer in Zambia. Kuda shares personal anecdotes about overcoming language barriers and imposter syndrome while navigating leadership roles in a multinational organization. He emphasizes the importance of self-honesty in embracing one’s shortcomings and the transformative power of courage. Drawing on wisdom from his father and influential role models, Kuda reflects on the ongoing nature of challenges and the necessity of developing resilience. The episode concludes with Jeff thanking Kuda for his insights and encouraging listeners to share their own stories of courage.

Kadakwashe Chitanga is a distinguished legal professional, currently serving as the Regional Head of the Legal Department for First Quantum Minerals in the Sub-Saharan region. In his pivotal role, Kadakwashe excels in delivering a broad spectrum of in-house legal services, including corporate advisory, board advisory, as well as tax and human resources consulting. Renowned for his adept handling of litigation, he skillfully coordinates and oversees legal actions involving the company, addressing issues ranging from routine commercial disputes complex tax litigations and governmental confrontations.

Kadakwashe’s expertise is not confined to the legal domain; he plays a crucial role in the
company’s business development, focusing on transactions and deals with government entities. His efforts are instrumental in steering the company’s strategic shift towards an increased reliance on renewable energy. This initiative has further expanded his responsibilities, placing  him at the forefront of the company’s government relations.

Based in Zambia, Kadakwashe is a family man who brings a blend of professional acumen and a deep commitment to his community, ensuring that First Quantum Minerals not only thrives in its commercial endeavors but also aligns its growth with sustainable and community-friendly practices.

Thank you for listening! We hope you feel inspired and encouraged by our conversation today. If you did, be sure to share this episode with others.

Let’s stay in touch:

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• Email us at info@crossroadsapologetics.org
• Visit our website www.crossroadsapologetics.org

See you in the next episode! Be blessed!

Full Transcript

Intro:
Welcome to Courageous by Crossroads Apologetics, a look into what motivates us to step out in courage and the everyday bravery of men and women like you. In each episode, we hear a personal story of bravery centered around this question. What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? And now your host, founder of Crossroads Apologetics, Jeff Johnson. 

Jeff Johnson:
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Courageous podcast. I can’t wait for you to hear from my friend Kuda on today’s podcast. Kuda and I attended the same Oxford class last year, and this was actually recorded several months ago. Kuda and I had the opportunity to debate against one another in the old Town hall in Oxford. And one thing I can tell you for sure is that Kuda is a lot smarter than I am. And that might not be that big of a deal. But once I listened to his testimony and heard a little bit more about his story, I realized what a courageous man he was. And that’s a very big deal. 

Jeff Johnson:
So sit back and enjoy this episode of Courageous and be encouraged as you are with all the people that we get to interview here on the show about great stories of courage and be reminded that you’ve got that same kind of courage inside of you. So let’s sit back and listen to what Kuda has to say and hear his story of great courage. Enjoy. 

Kuda:
So, born and raised in a small village in Zimbabwe, a place called Chitanga Village in Masingo. A family of six. The last born, parents were teachers. Raised in a Catholic household. Bob died six days after I was born. Catholic way. Lived in Zimbabwe, you know, struggled through it, eventually made it out of Zimbabwe when the economy got a bit better. Now I live and work in Zambia. I’m a lawyer by training, working for a mining company, more in services and legal work. Married, two kids, two beautiful daughters. My wife. My wife was and always has been Baptist, Reformed Baptist. And so, yeah, moved into that when. Before we got married. So. 

Jeff Johnson:
Wow. 

Kuda:
That’s pretty much the things that define me, My family, my religion. 

Jeff Johnson:
That’s wonderful. 

Kuda:
Growing up was tough, Harder than it should have been. 

Jeff Johnson:
Zimbabwe was tough. 

Kuda:
Zimbabwe was tough and didn’t help. I mean, so I come from the lower end of the. Of the economy. Of the economy down there. I mean, I openly share this, but, you know, things like two meals or three meals a day are not things that I took for granted as a child, but, you know, went through it and persevered through it. 

Jeff Johnson:
And what was the thing. What was the thing that got you out? 

Kuda:
I think a lot of it was so just despite what I look like, I actually am a very firm believer in power of God. Funny enough, people don’t usually pick that out quite quickly. But look, I, I have had a series of events in my life which have catapulted me into a posture that took me out from where I was and put me here. A lot of it had to do with hard work. But I’m also quite open minded enough to know that whenever I go back because my parents still live in the village where we grew up, I’m open minded enough to know when I go back, the guys I was with in primary school were better at school than I am, are still there. 

Kuda:
So I’m open minded enough to know that it was not just my, my hard work sort of doors open for me. My brother, my older brother who put me through school went through pretty much a series of events where he got a scholarship, went into to Belgium to do a masters, met his wife there who was Zambian, and when the Zimbabwean economy really tanked, he then moved to be with his wife in his wife’s country and as a result end up bringing me into Zambia rather than, and creating the first layer of that opportunity to work in Zambia and to work in a better economy which has led me to where I am now. So quite a number of things just sort of. 

Jeff Johnson:
You see the hand of God in that? 

Kuda:
Yeah, I do. I really do. I really do. 

Jeff Johnson:
Okay, tell me first, how do you define courage? Before I ask you what’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? How would you define courage? 

Kuda:
Well, I think courage is more about vulnerability for me. I think courage is accepting that you are afraid and still doing something even though you’re not afraid. That’s courage for me. Knowing that pretty much this is something that is out of my depth. I’m afraid to do it and then still doing it because you need to. That’s courage for me. 

Jeff Johnson:
That’s a great definition. I read a book a long time ago, I can’t. I should be able to cite the author, but it was feel the fear and do it anyway. That’s exactly what you’re talking about, just being afraid and then still pressing through and doing the other thing. Okay, well, Kuda, this is the reason why we’re doing this podcast is because I believe, I’m a firm believer that everybody’s done something courageous in their life. And some people may not recognize it, but everybody’s done something courageous. And so the question was put to me a long time ago. Jeff, what’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? And that had a profound impact on me because it made me go through my thought pattern of stuff that I’ve fears that I’ve had and things that I’ve walked through and whatever. 

Jeff Johnson:
So anyway, I’d ask you that question. What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? 

Kuda:
Yeah, you know, it’s funny, I, when you mentioned it the first time I thought about it and I thought I had answer. And then last night I thought about it again, thought I didn’t answer. And every time I think I have answer, I realize what I thought was answer actually isn’t the most courageous thing that I’ve ever done. And maybe a bit left field, but because of where I’ve come from and what I’m doing now, I mean, I sit as a regional head for a multi billion dollar company heading a large number of people, right. And I say this out loud to people that I couldn’t speak English growing up. People, people like to comment, I’m well spoken. 

Kuda:
But that’s purely because my mother once got me a student’s companion and gave it to me and told me to learn how to read English, you know, and how to say words in English. So my language was developed from reading actual dictionary and actual, you know, a student’s companion to learn that. And what I point out to is I never spoke to a Caucasian person until I was 24. 

Jeff Johnson:
Really? 

Kuda:
Really. I’d never had a chance to meet one. I knew they existed because, you know, we had a tv, but I never had a chance to do that. Right. And when I was 27, I was thrust into an organization which is multinational organization and quickly promoted to the point where I was heading all these people. And I went through quite a large amount of imposter syndrome. And a large part of that said to me, I don’t belong here because how am I just this young boy leading and being a boss over all of these people. And it was actually harder to do my job back then. And as a result I actually got to a stage where going to work day to day became the hardest bit of my life. 

Kuda:
You know, accepting that I’ve taken on this challenge and I am going to do it was quite difficult for me. And I think one of the most courageous things I’ve ever had to do was to sit with myself and reflect on myself and on my personal journey and accept that I have failings and challenges. But I’ve overcome and therefore grant myself the courage to go to work and to lead the teams that I lead now in a way that says, I accept that I might not be the perfect definition of how a person arrives here, but I’m here now, and I’m the one who’s going to do it. So quite different from like a light bulb moment where you. Where, you know, you see a lion and you. You punch it in the face or something. 

Kuda:
But I think my act of courage was more a mental realization and a system reworking of myself to try and overcome. Overcome the challenges that came with where I was now in life. And that, for me, sort of ticks that box. 

Jeff Johnson:
I think that’s fantastic. Feeling like maybe you didn’t measure up or you weren’t qualified or any of that sort of thing, but yet the door was open, so you walked through it anyway. That’s absolutely the definition of courage. That’s fantastic. So what do you think? What would you tell somebody else? Maybe this is a better question. What would you tell somebody else to encourage them to either be brave, act courageously, feel that fear, and do it anyway? What encouragement would you give our listeners to do that? 

Kuda:
I think it all starts with an honest conversation with oneself. And I think different people have those conversations in different setups. Other people have those conversations in confessional. Other people have those conversations when they’re, you know, drunk and talking to the. To the bartender across the bar. Other people have those in different setups. Right. But I think it starts with you being honest enough to have the honest conversation with yourself. I think that’s the first step to any courageous move you make. Right. Whatever it is that. That you think is the big problem. Being honest enough to know that it’s a problem and to convince yourself it’s a problem and to know exactly where you are within that problem structure. What you can do, what you can’t do. That first honest conversation is, I think, the most critical part. 

Kuda:
And I think to anybody who wants to change their life by being more courageous in certain setups, I think it’s about finding your comfort zone and being honest with yourself first. Because only when you’re honest with yourself do you then realize the shortcomings and the actions you need to do to take that step of courage that you want to take. And until you are honest about where you are sitting and what you need to do, you just can’t do that. So I think the first step, by and large, is have the honest conversation with yourself. You can lie to everybody Else but the one person that you can’t lie to is yourself because it’s all in your brain and lie to yourself. 

Jeff Johnson:
That’s a great way to put it. Is there somebody that you admire for their courage? Is there somebody, if you think about somebody who’s been very courageous or done a courageous act or just lived a courageous life, is there somebody that comes to mind? 

Kuda:
You know, I. So my life has been inspired in different stages by several people. And my dad has a very huge impact on who I am. And in terms of instilling the virtues and values that I live by, I think he did a good job at it. I like to give an example and I say this to my close friends and I say this to my wife all the time. I remember my father eventually heading up an organization during the land reform program in Zimbabwe where he was responsible for parceling out farming equipment to newly resettled farmers. And we just acquired a farm and there was an application list. You had fill in application form, drop it off and then there was this whole list and then there would be a committee which he chaired allocating the things according to the list. 

Kuda:
And I remember when the allocations were done we had nothing allocated to us. And that’s because, and dad put it very bluntly to us. Well, we applied late and so were further down the list. Well, but you were the one dealing with this. You could have changed our lives financially by doing that. And what sat with me at the time was there’s rules and if there’s rules and regulations, you follow them. And there’s so many steps in my life where had I not had that core essential lesson, I would have gone very wrong and my life would have turned out this way. And so that’s a person that I take as a role model in terms of a structure of how to navigate life by staying within the bounds. 

Kuda:
Another person I take as a very good inspiration is of the people I work with now, gentleman by the name Anthony Mukutuma. Anthony is a pretty much a. He’s a 50 year old but grew up quite poor in Zambia but has worked himself up to, you know, to senior management roles within mining companies. One of the sort out general managers for most mining companies, copper mining companies in the world. And Antonin’s story has always been about, and he says his story has always been about seeing the challenges and overcoming the challenges that came his way and working closely with him. Now I’ve come to realize and appreciate that it’s not, don’t matter how much or how accomplished you are or how small you think you are, in every role, there’s a requirement for an act of courage. 

Kuda:
And until you actually actively know and have those honest conversations with yourself, every time there’s an act of courage required, I think you just don’t go anywhere. And I see it with him every day. You see a person who’s probably, you know, earning a million dollars plus a year, still struggling with some small things and having that honest feedback to you as a mentee and saying, hey, look, this is what I think is what I’m struggling with here, and I think this is what I need to do. And then, you know, forwarding it onto an act of courage and doing something about it and achieving something post that. So it’s been very inspiring to see that even people you consider successful by some metric are actually also still going through things that require them to be courageous and to step out. And. 

Kuda:
And that almost sort of tells you that you are not unique. You are going to have issues and struggles and you’re going to have moments where you feel down. But that’s not just you, that extends to everybody. The problems might be different. Maybe today you’re not struggling about how. What to put in your mouth. You’re now struggling about how to advance your career. Maybe tomorrow you’re not struggling about how to advance your career, trying to expand your own business, whatever that thing is that’s keeping you awake at night that requires that decision made, those struggles will always be there. But once you then learn what works for you in terms of doing those courageous acts to overcome those moments where the decisions are needed from you, I think then you always excel. 

Jeff Johnson:
You’re always going to have an opportunity to be courageous. 

Kuda:
Exactly. 

Jeff Johnson:
That’s wonderful. Kudu, you’re a courageous man. Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it. 

Kuda:
Thank you. Thank you for the friend look. I’m always happy to share my experiences. 

Outro:
Thank you for joining us today on Courageous. If you’d like to hear more about the work and ministry being done at Crossroads Apologetics, please visit our home on the web at crossroadsapologetics.org Would you or someone you know like to be featured on Courageous? Send us an email at info@crossroadsapologetics.com or info@crossroadsapologetics.org telling us about the most courageous thing you’ve ever done.