Bulawayo Councillor of the Month: Councillor PZ Ndlovu - From Humble Beginnings to a Democratic Leader
Born, 58 years ago, in the remote rural area of Nemane in Tsholotsho, Cllr Ndlovu had his first brush with servant leadership in 1984 when he became a caretaker at Entabeni Primary School in Entumbane (Ward 10). Prior to that, he had worked as a garden boy and later a general hand at Barham Green Primary School in Ward 6.
In 1999, Cllr Ndlovu resigned from work to pursue a new avenue, that of civil society activism. His burning desire for equality of everyone before the law and justice for every citizen was, and still is, his driving force. By the time of his resignation, the National Constitutional Assembly had begun to stir waves, clamouring for the citizenry’s rights.
He was elected to be the district chairperson for the non-professional Government Workers Association. Due to him excelling in executing his leadership roles, he was promoted to be the vice secretary for the Matabeleland North Province. He rose through the ranks to become the national vice president of the Association. He was also doubling as the vice treasurer for the Public Service Association.
It is these various activism channels that moulded him into being the people driven Councillor that he has become. In 2003, he was elected and served his first term of Councillorship. He again proved himself to be a diligent leader, a quality that led to his re-election in the 2008 contest. His humility and ability to listen to the constituents he serves continues to gain him support and popularity in Ward 14.
Cllr Ndlovu strongly believes that the City of Bulawayo will be restored into being one of the cleanest cities in Africa and thus will again busk in the glamour as it did a few decades ago. ZDDT is one of the Civil Organisations that are involved in the drive to propel the “City of Kings” back to its “royal status”.
“ZDDT came to our rescue. Ward 14, together with the other wards, benefited a lot from ZDDT. It brought about initiatives such as clean-up campaigns so as to keep our beloved city clean. Not only did it bring interventions but it also brought tools with which to carry out the programmes. ZDDT gave us garden tools, they even donated a lawnmower for people living with HIV,” he said
The Trust pioneered clean-up campaigns and various other initiatives, that have irreversibly changed the face of Bulawayo for the better. This intervention has, more importantly, positively altered the mindsets of the residents. They have now regained their self-esteem and are now proud of their home, Bulawayo, once again, demonstrating their new found sense of ownership.
Cllr Ndlovu is not a stranger to ZDDT and its interventions as he was one of the first City Fathers to welcome the Trust’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Local Authority. This MoU enables these two stakeholders to work hand in glove in the restoration of this monumental city. Cllr Ndlovu received one hundred trees from ZDDT as part of the Trust’s Urban Greening Initiative, which has seen over 2 900 trees planted and handed over to the communities. This intervention, which is a step further in the war against the negative aspects of climate change, also emphasises total ownership of projects by communities. Cllr Ndlovu has ensured that his constituents grasp this concept as he has been untiringly preaching about it in his Ward’s public meetings.
Cllr Ndlovu hailed the Trust for conducting leadership workshops for Councillors and CAT’s. He said these workshops assisted them to understand their roles better and thus carry them out more effectively.
“As an individual, I feel that those workshops assisted us. I remember one time, ZDDT had a workshop with Councillors from other cities and it was a very good podium for sharing ideas. We learnt a lot from that workshop and many others that ZDDT conducted,” he said.
He said ZDDT, together with the Councillors and the LA, has managed to raise adequate awareness on the issue of cleanliness and the importance of empowerment through voluntary work and self-help projects.
“We are winning, especially in Ward 14 because people now understand the whole concept and therefore understand what we are talking about. ZDDT is the only NGO that believes and values the Councillor and that is very important because it helps bring the people together. ZDDT must keep this spirit, to say we are here to serve Bulawayo and not to protect the Councillors, or to help the Councillors gain political mileage. The good thing is that the people of Bulawayo understand ZDDT as the organisation of the people,” said Cllr Ndlovu.
In 1999, Cllr Ndlovu resigned from work to pursue a new avenue, that of civil society activism. His burning desire for equality of everyone before the law and justice for every citizen was, and still is, his driving force. By the time of his resignation, the National Constitutional Assembly had begun to stir waves, clamouring for the citizenry’s rights.
He was elected to be the district chairperson for the non-professional Government Workers Association. Due to him excelling in executing his leadership roles, he was promoted to be the vice secretary for the Matabeleland North Province. He rose through the ranks to become the national vice president of the Association. He was also doubling as the vice treasurer for the Public Service Association.
It is these various activism channels that moulded him into being the people driven Councillor that he has become. In 2003, he was elected and served his first term of Councillorship. He again proved himself to be a diligent leader, a quality that led to his re-election in the 2008 contest. His humility and ability to listen to the constituents he serves continues to gain him support and popularity in Ward 14.
Cllr Ndlovu strongly believes that the City of Bulawayo will be restored into being one of the cleanest cities in Africa and thus will again busk in the glamour as it did a few decades ago. ZDDT is one of the Civil Organisations that are involved in the drive to propel the “City of Kings” back to its “royal status”.
“ZDDT came to our rescue. Ward 14, together with the other wards, benefited a lot from ZDDT. It brought about initiatives such as clean-up campaigns so as to keep our beloved city clean. Not only did it bring interventions but it also brought tools with which to carry out the programmes. ZDDT gave us garden tools, they even donated a lawnmower for people living with HIV,” he said
The Trust pioneered clean-up campaigns and various other initiatives, that have irreversibly changed the face of Bulawayo for the better. This intervention has, more importantly, positively altered the mindsets of the residents. They have now regained their self-esteem and are now proud of their home, Bulawayo, once again, demonstrating their new found sense of ownership.
Cllr Ndlovu is not a stranger to ZDDT and its interventions as he was one of the first City Fathers to welcome the Trust’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Local Authority. This MoU enables these two stakeholders to work hand in glove in the restoration of this monumental city. Cllr Ndlovu received one hundred trees from ZDDT as part of the Trust’s Urban Greening Initiative, which has seen over 2 900 trees planted and handed over to the communities. This intervention, which is a step further in the war against the negative aspects of climate change, also emphasises total ownership of projects by communities. Cllr Ndlovu has ensured that his constituents grasp this concept as he has been untiringly preaching about it in his Ward’s public meetings.
Cllr Ndlovu hailed the Trust for conducting leadership workshops for Councillors and CAT’s. He said these workshops assisted them to understand their roles better and thus carry them out more effectively.
“As an individual, I feel that those workshops assisted us. I remember one time, ZDDT had a workshop with Councillors from other cities and it was a very good podium for sharing ideas. We learnt a lot from that workshop and many others that ZDDT conducted,” he said.
He said ZDDT, together with the Councillors and the LA, has managed to raise adequate awareness on the issue of cleanliness and the importance of empowerment through voluntary work and self-help projects.
“We are winning, especially in Ward 14 because people now understand the whole concept and therefore understand what we are talking about. ZDDT is the only NGO that believes and values the Councillor and that is very important because it helps bring the people together. ZDDT must keep this spirit, to say we are here to serve Bulawayo and not to protect the Councillors, or to help the Councillors gain political mileage. The good thing is that the people of Bulawayo understand ZDDT as the organisation of the people,” said Cllr Ndlovu.