ROBERT ZWANE DIED A MILLIONAIRE

MANZINI - The late former Senator and businessman, Robert Zwane started business as a vendor, but he died a millionaire.

This is according to information that is contained in his obituary and further confirmed by former Deputy Senate President Ngomuyayona Gamedze, who was speaking on behalf of Zwane’s friends. This was during his memorial service, which was held at Metropolitan Evangelical Church in Manzini yesterday. Khabonina, who is one of the late former Senator’s daughters, read her father’s obituary and she revealed that he used to work as a chef at Swazi National High School and he started a fruits and vegetable selling business at the main gate of the school. On the other hand, the former deputy Senate president said Zwane died a millionaire. According to his obituary, Robert Lobi Zwane was born in 1950 and he was the second born of the late Samuel Kufa Zwane and the late Hendrianah Salwane Mabuza. He was born in Mankayane under the Manzini Region and went to Musi Primary School in 1959 before continuing with his education at Cana Mission School.

Zwane worked as a chef at Swazi National High School, which was Matsapha High School then. 

Passion

He began a fruit and vegetable selling business at the main gate of the school, where his wife Sibongile Dlamini worked. His strong passion for business made him start another one; buying and selling cattle. In the early 1970s, he started a butchery business in Malkerns. Later on, this business gave birth to another butchery at Sicelweni (kaKhoza) and this marked the beginning of his success in business. He developed himself until he had yet another butchery in Manzini, which was passionately known as Ekhaya Town Butchery. The business moved to Manzini Bus Rank where he expanded and spread his wings to bottle stores and other businesses. 

The obituary also revealed that Zwane had a strong passion for livestock, cattle in particular. He invested so much into cattle farming. After the devastating drought which hit the country in 1992, he made a huge loss. That sad experience inspired him to venture into the property business. As a result, he owned properties both in Eswatini and South Africa.

He was also the core founder of Eswatini Community Police, an organisation which fights crime in communities. He served in Parliament as a Senator from 2008 to 2013. He died in a hospital in South Africa after a short illness.

Brave

He is survived by his four wives and many children. He also had a few grandchildren, his elder brother and two sisters. He will be remembered as someone who was brave, a dreamer, a fighter and outspoken. “Rest in eternal peace Mangweni. Your legacy shall live on,” Khabonina said.

She then quoted a verse from the Bible, Revelation 14:13 which reads; ‘Blessed are those who die in the Lord, for they will rest from their labour and their deeds shall follow them’. Meanwhile, the former Deputy Senate President, Ngomuyayona Gamedze said he was proud that his former colleague (Zwane) died a millionaire because he was a hard worker. “Yes, he died a millionaire as he owned farms and businesses in both Eswatini and South Africa,” he emphasised.

He said it was a pleasure that he was associated with the late Zwane. He said in Parliament, he was Zwane’s boss as he occupied the seat of being Deputy Senate President. He added that as they worked with the deceased Zwane for five years (2008-2013), almost every day there would be a motion that community police should be paid. On another note, he said he failed Zwane together with his former colleagues of the 2008-2013 term as he asked them to take him to the King so that he could be a lecturer at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). He said at the institution, Zwane said he wanted to teach the students business. He said this was because Zwane was worried that after graduation, the graduates could not even start a business because they did not have knowledge about it.

On another note, Ndzingeni Member of Parliament (MP) Lutfo Dlamini, who was representing Parliament, said Zwane did not go to the House of Assembly for money, but to serve the country. He said this was because there was a time when Senators complained about their salaries and at that time, Zwane was not even aware how much they were paid. He said that was proof that he was there to serve the nation. 

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