NDABEZINHLE SIBIYA
Yesterday when I ended my reflection we were overlooking Hillcrest's Valley of Thousands Hills.
For the 5 minutes, having flown over Cato Ridge, I stopped worrying about not being prepared for the meeting that Dr Zweli Mkhize had asked me to attend.
I shifted my focus.
Actually, I realised that the world seemed to make more sense from up high.
Seeing cars on the road networks, the breathtaking landscape and the mountains brought symmetry.
For the next 10 minutes, myself and Cyril Xaba, were riveted, not saying a word as we sailed through.
An aerial view and the beauty of Pietermaritzburg, as we approached Oribi Airport to pick up Dr Mkhize, was unparalleled
“The people of the City of Choice don’t get to see their city from high up,” I quipped.
As I looked down the window, I wished that ordinary members of society had the opportunity to admire the tranquility of the place that was once ravaged by political violence.
The view was a blessing and it inspired hope for a better future.
In addition, the fresh breeze energised and refreshed my spirit.
Upon touching down at the Oribi Airport - the serenity and beauty of the 5th of May soothed my soul.
This peaceful day helped me appreciate being given the opportunity to be part of a journey of building a stronger KwaZulu-Natal socially and economically.
As we were waiting for Dr Mkhize’s arrival, I suddenly had waves of emotions.
Entirely warm emotions would come flooding over me sporadically and very briefly for 10 seconds or less.
I felt peaceful.
Many would agree that it's pretty rare to be feeling peaceful and just completely at ease.
This made me wonder what was in store for me in this meeting in Zululand.
If one accepts that at the root of development lies "peace", the definition of when a province or a country is at peace is still ambiguous. I am saying ambiguous because peace may mean different things to different people.
In South Africa for example, the white population may not have viewed the country as being at "war" in the 80s and 90s, whilst the black population saw this differently.
To many whites, the conflict in South Africa represented little else but a communist-inspired revolution, while many Blacks undoubtedly saw this as a struggle for freedom and democracy.
A case in point was the murder of Chris Hani in 1993.
In one of the interviews I archived, Tony Mariner, the Commander of the South African Defence Force suggested that the origin of a lot of preconceptions about Chris Hani was how the media dealt with his image.
He explains in the footage which has been shared more than 1000 times on my Facebook Wall:
“From a military point of view, he was our opponent. So, the image of a terrorist was quite firmly planted. A ruthless man – who was prepared to go to any length to achieve his aims. I think a lot of people had that preconceived idea – that was his image.”
Listening to Tony Mariner, you begin to realise the power of propaganda and how the media influenced the majority of whites to have a particular perception of who Chris Hani was and what he represented.
In sharp contrast, to the oppressed Africans - Chris Hani grew in statue to be an extremely remarkable leader. He was loved by millions of people at the time of his death in 1993.
Hani shared a special bond with Babu Harry Gwala, another communist who was misunderstood but loved by ordinary members of society.
Many will remember Mphephethwa for accommodating thousands of young people who sought refuge in his house during political violence.
He was himself very inspired by the youth whom he saw as determined revolutionaries and a major ally of the working class.
As previously mentioned, Dr Zweli Mkhize served with Harry Gwala, in the first democratic provincial government just after April 1994.
As a Premier-Elect, he was clearly taking the baton from leaders such as Gwala.
During the formation of the provincial legislature after April 1994, Babu Harry Gwala was nominated as the first Chief Whip of the official opposition in this House, the African National Congress.
In one of my discussions with former Deputy Speaker and former Premier Willies Mchunu, he reminded me that as a matter of principle, Babu Gwala never attended any sitting of the legislature in Ulundi despite being the Chief Whip of the ANC.
His reluctance also coincided with his state of health, which made it impossible for him to attend the meeting of the legislature as per the doctor’s instruction. He allowed Cde Ina Cronje, who was his deputy, to play the role of ANC Chief Whip.
Now - on the 5th May, we are heading back to Zululand for a meeting - where Ulundi is located. Quite interesting!
Khabazela finally arrived and was welcomed by our pilots after a brief chart with the manager of Oribi Airport. Along with flying, the two pilots, also had to load the bags, clean the plane and spend considerable time planning all aspects of the flight. Dr Mkhize was carrying his old black briefcase which to me was a clear indication that he was prepared for serious discussions.
Together with Premier Sbu Ndebele, Dr Mkhize worked on a strategy to renovate regional airports across the province. This is the matter that Dr Mkhize spoke passionately about shortly after taking off to head to Ulundi.
Scheduled flights to and from Ulundi, used mainly by government employees and business people, ceased in 2004 when subsidised air services between Pietermaritzburg, Ulundi and Durban came to an end.
Many officials also stopped flying to Ulundi after the provincial legislature moved from Ulundi to Pietermaritzburg.
The airport in Ulundi was still used by private aircraft, charter firms and the South African Air Force, but little maintenance had taken place for almost 10 years.
On the other hand, the Oribi airport had also seen a steady decline in aircraft arrivals over the past seven years – an issue that Dr Mkhize had raised in various platforms as the MEC.
Other factors that he often cited for the steady decline in activity at Oribi included the recession, a lack of precision approach instrumentation, the poor state of the runway and the high price of tickets due to a lack of competition.
These are matters that Dr Mkhize singled out as deserving special attention of the soon to be established KZN Planning Commission. As the discussions were unfolding, I immediately realized that Cyril Xaba was being given a mammoth task of setting up the first Provincial Planning commission in the country.
In the following chapters, I will give a blow-by-blow account on the establishment of this commission and the drafting of the Provincial Growth and Development Plan – Vision 2030.
It was around 10h30 when we arrived at Prince Mangosuthu Airport in Ulundi. We were welcomed by a very hard-working security detail that included Thulasizwe Malevu Pule Malevu, Skhanyiso Sithole, Mfihlo Gwala and Dubazane who are both late.
Within a few minutes, the convoy of cars sped off without flashing blue lights something that Dr Mkhize had always discouraged. We drove for less than an hour on the King Dinizulu Highway R66 until we reached Royal Thokazi Lodge.
Upon arrival, we were ushered into a dining area with a boardroom. Quite noticeable, in the boardroom, was the Royal Chair of the King – Isilo Samabandla.
Meeting royalty can be an exciting and daunting prospect at the same time. If you are fortunate to be afforded the opportunity, a little preparation which must include a royal protocol briefing will give you the confidence. This is exactly what Dr Mkhize offered ahead of the arrival of His Majesty.
He briefed us about the purpose of the meeting.
“As you know, tomorrow political parties will elect the premier. The inauguration of the Premier will take place on the 11th of May. We are therefore here to meet His Majesty,” Dr Mkhize explained.
He continued: “Our meeting has specific objectives”.
“Firstly, to explain processes from tomorrow leading up to the inauguration of the Premier and the Opening of the Legislature.”
“To seek guidance from the King regarding the proposed government’s programme of action during the term of office ending in 2014;
“Secondly, to seek King’s inputs that will be incorporated into the State of the Province Address. We will have a brief discussion on plans to renovate Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport and the importance of tourism in the District.”
Critically, Dr Mkhize pointed out that the Premier was also the MEC of the Royal Household Department. The department had a Head of Department Dr Vusi Shongwe and a Chief Financial Officer Mduduzi Mthembu.
“Linked to our discussion on my work as the MEC of the Royal Household Department, we will discuss the setting up of the Royal Household Trust and the role of Cyril Xaba as a special advisor,” says Dr Mkhize, providing clarity.
“Fourthly, we will discuss the establishment of the KZN Planning Commission and our plans to ensure joint planning and integration of our work with Ingonyama Trust. Cyril Xaba will be critical during this discussion.”
“We will also discuss the management of media on behalf of the King and the overall communication of the work of the Monarch as an institution.”
Dr Mkhize summed up the briefing by turning his attention to me: “I expect you to note every aspect of our discussions today. You must compile a report which must inform your work and our posture on matters of the Royal Household moving forward. We need to create a new image of the Monarch as an institution.”
At this stage, Prince Mbonisi Zulu walked in to inform Dr Mkhize that His Majesty was making his way to the meeting on the 5th of May 2009.
End of Part 2 (To be continued)
● Questions - What was the input from His Majesty? Is it possible to zoom into issues of image building of the Monarch? What were the discussions around the augmentation of the work of the Premier and members of the executive council by the Monarch? Did they discuss the alignment of the diary of the Premier and His Majesty? If yes why?
Ndabezinhle Sibiya is a government communicator and writes in his personal capacity
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