ZDDT's Bulawayo City Councillor of The Month: Nduna Dladla - A Father Figure in His Community
Deeply rooted in Nguni culture, Cllr Dladla has not only managed to embrace the traditional values of community leadership but has also firmly grasped and adopted the qualities of Servant Leadership, a concept that has guided communities for reasonable and meaningful development and democratic ideals.
Cllr Dladla’s exhibition of these avant-garde leadership qualities and values is a manifestation of the impact of ZDDT’s Councillors’ training. The series of workshops has drastically enhanced service provision in the Local Authority, particularly at local level and has also catapulted the Community Leaders to greater heights.
The workshops, which commenced with the establishment of the Trust in 2009, have also equipped the Councillors with the necessary know-how for resolving issues in the communities.
Cllr Dladla applauded ZDDT for its initiatives and interventions in the City of Bulawayo, saying they have a profound effect in the realisation of democracy in the country. He also said these programmes empower the residents as they equip them with life skills, through self-help projects.
“ZDDT is different from other NGO’s in that when it introduces a programme or project, it follows through with it up until completion or to a point where the community is in a position to carry on with the programme. ZDDT also makes sure that it equips the people with the necessary tools to take total ownership of the projects, hence equipping them with valuable life skills in the process,” he said.
Cllr Dladla worked, as a foreman, at the Bulawayo City Council prior to retirement in 2004. His vast experience with people is also attributed to the leadership qualities that he acquired throughout his professional career, which spans over 3 decades. A combination of loyalty and long service has allowed him to confidently recommend numbers of youth in his ward to seek jobs at the LA. Most were successful in securing employment. They have vowed to excel in their respective areas of jurisdiction, as a “son” would not want to disappoint and embarrass his “father” by underperforming at work.
As a loving father cannot watch his children starve, Cllr Dladla sacrificed his pension and donated the whole monthly “cheque” to orphans and underprivileged people in his Ward. He established a “soup kitchen” which became a haven for a lot of community members as it was established at the height of the country’s economic meltdown.
“I once took my NSSA (National Social Security Authority) pension to donate to the needy in the Ward. I established a feeding scheme for all the elderly, orphaned and other underprivileged people in my community. They would come every Monday. My wife would be actively involved in the cooking,” he said.
Cllr Dladla has been advocating the recognition and the awarding of equal opportunities to all community members regardless of their political affiliation, religious and ethnic persuasion and social status. He has managed to mould the ward onto being one large family that does not segregate, discriminate or stereotype its fellow brethren.
“We have also established a huge garden in the ward. What is distinct about this garden is that, when we were choosing beneficiaries, we never looked at someone’s political, religious or tribal background. We would only consider that if someone is socially and financially disadvantage, they would be part of the garden. This exercise has shown all the people in the constituency that we are one and that there is more glory in working as one collective unit rather than discriminating against each other,” said Cllr Dladla.