WE NEED MORE SIZOLWETHUS

The Finance Minister Neal Rijkenburg highlighted ‘why we are in trouble’ in his budget speech recently and also offered solutions. Some we agree with, others we don’t.

Here is another solution Mr Minister and country—We need more Sizolwethus.
Sizolwethu is a name that means our help. It is also the name of a teenage girl from Manzini Nazarene High School.

This is the same girl who recently was in the news for winning the African CEO of the year 2018 in the Junior Achievement competition held in Ghana.

inspirational

She is also the very same girl who made a good impression on the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres, as well as the head of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in Ethiopia.

It is not her accolades though that make people of her caliber a need than a want in our country. It’s the overall character, ambition and work ethic she possesses that is inspirational.

It makes one believe in the capability of the youth once again. And that the country’s future is in good hands, if and only if we can have more Sizolwethus.
So here is the interesting thing about Sizolwethu and others with a similar anatomy of excellence.

These are young people who are patriotic and filled with passion to provide solutions for the economic development of our country.
Sizolwethu represents a breath of fresh air. She is among a rare breed of individuals who does not believe in excuses but instead results. As the saying goes, you can either have excuses or you can have results, not both. She is a multi-disciplinary thinker embracing innovation and using what she has to the best she can.

She is a reader.

And readers become leaders. What she and other Sizolwethus are doing is not only breaking barriers but also picking up their hands to be counted in the nation’s development.

I don’t know her grades in school, nor have I ever seen what she does outside of school, but what she does symbolize when she is in front of a crowd is renewed belief that we can have youth that excels in participating in national development.

Revolution

Sizolwethu also represents the new age teenager who is equipped in public speaking even while still in school. She is as articulate as a well-trained orator, confident and very convincing. She got a standing ovation during the recent Fourth Industrial Revolution Seminar at Convention Centre.

To put this into perspective, over the two days, more than 10 speakers took to the podium. Each offered very insightful and well-researched presentations which were appreciated by the audience. But it was only Sizolwethu, to the best of my knowledge, who got the whole room on its feet to offer her a standing ovation after her presentation.

I happened to be a part of this seminar and I noted how quickly after her presentation she was shuffling around with a memory stick looking for copies of the other presentations, as well as materials that were offered at the seminar. Sizolwethu understands that good is the enemy of best and does not rest on her laurels. She keeps going and striving for the next peak.

initiatives

Our nation, as the Finance minister pointed out in his speech, is in trouble…and to get out of trouble we need not only look at increasing taxes but also capacitating and grooming more Sizolwethus. As her name suggests, they will save our nation. They are a generation that is already digitally literate and are at the forefront of development initiatives.

This supports the Finance minister who said, “We need a holistic, integrated approach that immediately and radically addresses these structural imbalances and failures - one that requires sacrifice, but that ultimately benefits every liSwati, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.”

And to do that we need all hands on deck, especially Sizolwethus. Why? For starters the UN has long recognised that young people are a major human resource for development and key agents for social change, economic growth and technological innovation.

And in the case of Sizolwethu, we have that in personification. And now we need to support, multiply and encourage more Sizolwethus because they are our help.
During an interview with His Majesty King Mswati III at the time he was commemorating 30 years of leadership, one of the questions I asked was what role does he see youth playing in the future development of the country.

pronouncement
He stated that he sees them playing a key role and made an example of other countries where teenagers are already in business and trading. By the way, to register a company there is no age limit. He said he envisages an Eswatini where the youth is proactive and those who do not get any chances to get jobs become active in entrepreneurship, tapping into the Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund and others. And here is Sizolwethu manifesting that.
The Finance minister also noted four sectors that the country will concentrate on as it continues its recovery. “To reiterate His Majesty’s pronouncement in the Speech from the Throne, the priority growth sectors in the economy are: ICT and Education, Energy and Mining, Tourism, Manufacturing and Agro processing.”
All these sectors, bar mining, are where the Sizolwethus of this world thrive.
As we continue to seek solutions and in the minister’s own words, to act now and do so with what we have in our hands, the youth must not be left too far behind. They have the energy, the zeal and the drive to make any vision a reality.

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