Inkosi Malusi Zondi, the new man at the helm of turning around the fortunes of hostels and townships across KwaZulu-Natal, believes there is massive untapped potential in the areas.
This week, AmaZulu King MisuZulu kaZwelithini appointed Zondi as the head of economy and cultural envoy. He is tasked with leading an ambitious project to attract investments and change the face of hostels and townships.
The primary role of the head of economy and cultural envoy is to ensure the growth and development of the economy in traditional leadership areas and urban centres, with particular focus on key economic provinces such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
“I was given a mammoth task by His Majesty the King. All hands are on deck and we are determined to transform the economy of the townships and hostels. We must transform these areas into attractive places for investments and ensure that local people benefit economically,” Zondi said in an interview with the Mail & Guardian.
Before taking up his new role, Zondi served as Zulu royal chancellor. He was unceremoniously removed from the position, together with the king’s private secretary Nododile Ndamase. It was widely believed the pair were victims of the battle for proximity to the AmaZulu king.
Last November, King MisuZulu appointed Zondi, who is also a leader of the Black Businesses Federation, as his chief envoy and principal diplomat. His responsibilities included attracting investment into land under the jurisdiction of the Ingonyama Trust. His role saw him travel internationally to lobby governments and investors to engage with the Zulu kingdom. He was also a key negotiator, leading efforts to stabilise the embattled KZN sugar giant Tongaat Hulett.
Zondi will also serve as Iso leSilo (the king’s representative) stationed at the eMbelebeleni royal residence at Durban’s KwaMashu township.
“We must do away with the notion and wrong narrative often peddled about black business and the areas we live in. Localisation is very important and the economy must begin to work for the people of the land. We can’t allow a situation where the majority are spectators in the levers of the economy while big business amasses wealth through their sweat, ” Zondi asserted.
He will also oversee the annual royal calendar of programmes, commemorations and cultural celebrations under King MisuZulu’s office. These include significant events such as the Battle of Isandlwana and the Reed dance ceremony.
Zondi explained that his other role would be to ensure that the royal house and the traditional leaders took part in economic development initiatives at all levels of government.
“The goal is to bring industries to places where people live and turn townships into economic hubs for sustainable development,” he said
‘I was assigned a mammoth task by his Majesty the King. All hands are on deck and we are determined to transform the economy of the townships and hostels. We must transform these areas into attractive places for investments and ensure that local people benefit economically.’
