“He hails from Mpumalanga, eMthambothini kwaSimuyembiwa, in the Ndzundza Mabusa Traditional Council,” said Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
“Our thoughts remain with the royal family and all who mourn his passing during this challenging time. I wish to convey my deepest condolences to his family and join the Amandebele nation and all South Africans in mourning the departure of this great leader.
“His passing comes as our sector is coming to terms with the losses of other prominent leaders to the pandemic which has taken lives of loved ones and disrupted our lives and communities. We acknowledge and value his contribution in ensuring that traditional leaders work with the government in containing the spread of Covid-19 and create conditions suitable for stopping the spread in communities.
“We have indeed lost a gallant and a selfless servant of the people who spared no effort in striving to build a united, effective, and efficient institution of traditional leaders which served communities and has at its heart their development.
“He loved and believed in education as a key to the success of communities. He led by example when he matriculated in 1992 and went on to obtain a bachelor of administration in 1995 from the University of the Western Cape and then further completed a business management certification course through Unisa in 1999.
“He served as a member of the Mpumalanga House Traditional Leaders and due to his work ethic and dedication, he was elected as the Leader of that House. He was then deployed to serve as a leader of the Mpumalanga Provincial House into the NHTKL.
“In 2012, he was elected to serve as an executive member of the National House and subsequently elected as the deputy chairperson of the NHTKL in 2015. In 2017 he was elected as the chairperson until his untimely passing on July 16.
“He was an activist leader whose vision was to change the posture of the institution of traditional leaders from that of an inward to a more inclusive and developmental institution. In this context, he was at the forefront of the invest rural strategy and developmental monarchs. He participated in a number of developmental initiatives and was part of key meetings convened by the government and the private sector where he immensely contributed on behalf of the rural communities under the leadership of Amakhosi.
“He was at the forefront and the founder of United Royal Kingship Holdings which is owned by traditional leaders and their communities as a vehicle for development.
“He facilitated support to traditional leaders with over 34 projects across the country funded by CWP. He led in the conceptualisation, implementation, and monitoring of the Agrarian Revolution and pioneered the farm in a box for the Ndzundza Mabusa community.
“He led the NHTKL on a number of government initiatives like the United Nations on Indigenous Communities, during the exploration of Customary Laws, and represented traditional leaders in various platforms.
“Being an activist for anti-gender-based violence (GBV), he initiated a number of projects and hosted youth summits in and around the Ndzundza Mabusa community to raise awareness about the impact of GBV.
“We had the greatest confidence in his leadership as the leader of the entire newly elected executive of the NHTKL. We were confident that he would steer the traditional institution towards the objectives of improving the livelihoods of communities in tribal areas, and we can proudly say that indeed he achieved that task.
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“I once again wish to extend my condolences to his family and pray that they find strength during this difficult time,” she concluded.
Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
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