The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
KING Zwelonke Sigcau of AmaXhosa in South Africa celebrated his 50th birthday in Bulawayo yesterday at the invitation of the Xhosa community in the country amid pomp and fanfare.
The king, who was accompanied by a delegation from the royal house expressed gratitude and called for people to be united saying tribal and cultural diversity should be celebrated.
“I am happy to be welcomed into the land of AmaNdebele while I come from the land of the Xhosa. The people are warm here, what excites me most is that both the Ndebele and Shona people interact very well as one which is what we want in the whole of Africa,” he said.
He went on: “I came here for my 50th birthday celebrations and I encourage all of us to take education of our children seriously and invest in it in an appropriate manner. The investment will benefit generations to come if we do it well and now. I also encourage that we venture more into agriculture and livestock production which guarantees food security for the African nations. This is a way of life that we have learnt from our ancestors and we should carry it on,” said King Zwelonke.
He said communities also have to move with the times, embrace the digital world and also acclimatise to the trend because the world was going in that direction.
“Let us join hands as nations and build a lasting legacy that we will leave behind, there is a need to leave a traceable footprint. The unity between Zimbabwe and South Africa should be everlasting so that generations to come can learn from the legacy we would have left behind,” said King Zwelonke.
During the celebrations the king handed over a Royal Order of Leadership and a blanket to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his outstanding leadership that unites the people. The order was received by the Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Cde Angeline Masuku.
Historian and culturalist Mr Pathisa Nyathi also received a Royal Order of Excellence for his contribution to the arts, culture and heritage of Zimbabwe and also for bringing prominence to the Xhosa people in Zimbabwe through his writings. The award was received by Chief Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna.
Cde Masuku thanked the king for coming to the country and said the visit was testimony of the cordial relations that exist between the two countries. She passed on to the king President Mnangagwa’s mantra that the country is indeed open for business and investors should feel free to come and invest in the country. She told delegates at the function that efforts are in place to revive Bulawayo industries.
“Go and be ambassadors of Bulawayo when you go back to your country, tell them that we are open for business and they should come and do business in the city. We are open to have joint ventures as neighbours to revive Bulawayo,” said Cde Masuku.
