I'm Takunda Chidanika, a software engineer in Harare. I've spent the last five years building financial systems: credit platforms wired into core banking, payroll-linked HR systems, API gateways.
Most of my work has been in financial services here in Zimbabwe. I've built a credit platform that plugs into core banking and clears over 10,000 transactions a month, an HR system tied straight into payroll, and an API gateway that more than ten enterprise systems route through. None of it is flashy. All of it has to work on the last day of the month.
I also picked up a PMP® certification in 2025. My work kept drifting toward delivery - estimates, timelines, stakeholders, managing dev teams - and I wanted to be properly trained at that side, not just competent by accident.
That mix is what I bring, whether you're an engineering firm that needs someone you can put in front of clients, a business modernising old infrastructure, or a founder shipping a first version: someone who writes the code and owns the delivery.
An HR platform for an insurance group, wired directly into payroll. Agent policy forms and HR processes that used to live on paper now happen in the system - which is how the stationery bill dropped by about 80%.
A lending system for a microfinance company, connected to core banking. It clears more than 10,000 transactions a month and automates SSB civil-servant loans from application through to disbursement.
One gateway that ten-plus enterprise systems route through. Before it, every integration was a special case with its own auth and error handling. Now there's one set of rules, and one place to look when something misbehaves.
Lending over USSD and WhatsApp, for customers who don't have smartphones or data bundles. You dial a code or send a message, and it works on any phone made in the last twenty years.
A multi-tenant school management platform I designed and built, serving 1,000+ students across schools. Student records, staff, automated term reports - with new modules shipping as schools ask for more.
A UK platform connecting IB (International Baccalaureate) students with tutors. I set up the CI/CD pipeline and helped migrate the system to a newer stack while it stayed live - releases got faster and a lot less nerve-wracking.
System design for organisations with lots of moving parts. I help draw the boundaries, keep the contracts clean, and write decisions down so they survive staff turnover.
Production services in Java and Spring Boot, or Laravel when it fits better. Built to be fast, reliable and honest about their data.
Getting legacy and modern systems talking to each other properly. The last gateway I built carries ten-plus enterprise systems through one front door.
For founders: getting from an idea to a working product you can put in front of customers, without over-building the first version.
Replacing paper forms and manual processes with auditable digital workflows. The last time I did this, the client's stationery bill fell by 80%.
Leading delivery across the full lifecycle, from estimation to deployment and support. This is where the PMP® earns its keep.
I work on enterprise architecture for the group's technology arm. So far that has meant an AI-driven HR system tied into payroll and the API gateway connecting 10+ systems - plus managing our BPO development teams.
Three and a half years building the credit management system the lending business ran on: core banking integration, SSB loan processing, the USSD and WhatsApp channels, and Angular dashboards for the analytics side.
My first job in the industry. Backend APIs, maintenance, testing and documentation - and a good place to learn how production systems actually behave.