Platinum Kennels

It’s quite the story — funny in hindsight, though I can tell you it was far from it at the time!

I’d just built my home in a new, quiet area — the kind of place where once darkness falls, you can hear a cockroach scuttling across the floorboards. I’d settled in for the night, and around 02:00 I got up to use the bathroom. I switched the bedroom light off, and barely sixty seconds later — footsteps. Heavy, deliberate stomping right out in the yard.

These weren’t stray animals. Someone had scaled the perimeter wall and was pacing around outside. I flicked the outside light on — then off — hoping they’d take the hint and vanish. But they had a plan, and they weren’t leaving. Next thing, a torch beam shone straight through my window — they were casing the place, checking what was inside. I pulled the covers right over my head, my heart pounding.

I reached for my phone. I barely knew a soul in the neighbourhood — only had the numbers of my immediate neighbours. The first call went unanswered. The second? A friend was way in Chipinge for a visit — 200 kilometres away! He didn’t hesitate. “Stay inside,” he told me. “Don’t open that door. Find a safe spot, and shout — loud — ‘Mbavha!’ thief.

I did exactly as he said. I called out, strong and clear — and thank goodness, it worked. They heard me, they realised I wasn’t alone, and they scrambled back over the wall and were gone. But I didn’t sleep another wink that night. I sat there until 05:00, watching the sky lighten. Come morning, I had no choice but to call in sick — I was exhausted, shaken, and wide awake when I should have been rested.

That was the moment I knew: I needed a dog. Not just any dog — a proper guardian.

2 days down the line I went straight to now my friend Sachiti who l met through business, who keeps a fine line of Boerboels. He sold me my very first puppy — and what a dog he became. Elik — may he rest in peace — loyal, solid, and steady. I rehomed him to a good family before I left Zimbabwe, and I still think of him.

After that, I looked to expand. I reached out to a respected breeder in Westlia — Blessing — who sold me a beautiful German Shepherd female puppy I named Bupe (Named by my uncles son in Zambia). Sharp, protective, and with a strong, serious temperament — exactly what you want in a working line. Between her and Elik — who was the more laid-back, docile sort — I had the perfect balance: one calm and watchful, one alert and ready.

Time went on, and I decided to grow my GSD line. I went to see Bond — a renowned breeder right here in Sakubva, barely ten minutes from my gate. And from Bond, I brought home a truly striking, high-energy German Shepherd — Bingo — as fine a show-line example as you could hope for. My daughter named her, and the name stuck. Bingo came from impeccable stock — pure-blooded, from the renowned Mazumba bloodline out of Penalonga; Bond had sourced her parents directly from that celebrated line, so her pedigree was second to none.

Suddenly I had two German Shepherds and my Boerboel — and let me tell you, from that day on, my yard became a no-go zone for anyone with ill intent. Not a soul dared come near.

Funny enough, I’d never once thought of breeding to sell. That shift came through a friend — Taku, my old neighbour from Chikanga. Back then I’d always told him how much I loved dogs, but renting meant no space, and the fencing just wasn’t secure enough to keep or breed them properly. When I built my own place and finally got my pack, I called him up, eager for him to come and see them. He never made the visit, but what he said changed everything: “My friend, make these dogs work for you. Get yourself a quality stud for your Shepherds — breed those pups, and you’ve got something to trade. And that Boerboel? He’s prime for stud service too.”

I took it lightly at first — until my first litter arrived. A close friend took three puppies, and that Christmas handed me $1,100 for them. That was the wake‑up call. I’d always seen these dogs as companions, family — never stock. But I realised then: I could do this properly, and sustain it.

So I expanded. Built proper kennels, improved their diet, and committed to the most important rule of all: love them first. Every morning meant time with them — hands‑on, not just feeding. Weekends were for my daughter; she’d help with meals, clean the runs, and bond with each one. My wife too — dogs run in her blood; she grew up with them, so this was home for her as much as for any of us. That’s how Platinum Kennels took root — not as a business first, but as a family.

Today my focus is clear: premium German Shepherds and Pitbulls. We provide highly trained dogs for events, protection work, and personal security — people know they’re getting stable, capable animals. And now I’ve taken the next step: joining the South African German Shepherd Federation. Because good breeding isn’t guesswork — it’s proven bloodlines, verified pedigrees, and raising dogs true to what they were always meant to be. I’m bringing that pure South African stock in, and building something lasting.

That’s how it began — one dark night, a shout into the dark, and a decision to bring home a dog. And look where we are now.