Times Of Swaziland: WE NEED MORE SIZOLWETHUS

WE NEED MORE SIZOLWETHUS
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By Nathi Gule on 16/03/2019 01:01:00


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.