30 April 2007
The Premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Premier
Sibusiso Ndebele, will deliver the keynote address at the KwaZulu-Natal
Successful Alumni (KZNSA) Ebandla dinner in London on 4 May 2007 at The
Millennium Gloucester Hotel Kensington, 4-18 Harrington Gardens, London SW7
4LH.
A project of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government in association with the
African Renaissance, the KZNSA Ebandla Campaign is something close to the heart
of Premier Ndebele and has the unanimous support of the KZN provincial
government executive council. The intention of the campaign is to reach out to
alumni throughout the world.
To this end, in collaboration with educational institutions, organised
business and other associations, the campaign is identifying relevant
individuals with whom they intend networking through the production and
maintenance of an interactive website, regular electronic newsletters,
organised reunion functions and invitations to strategic events in
KwaZulu-Natal in the months and years ahead.
The campaign has already seen the hosting of successful reunions in both
Johannesburg and Cape Town attended by about 1000 business men and women,
formerly from KwaZulu-Natal, and similarly, the reunion in London will enable
the KZNSA Ebandla Campaign to establish a networking mechanism to provide other
business men and women with access to information on developments and
opportunities for them and their company, so that they may elect to do business
with KwaZulu-Natal or to visit or retire in due course. From a provincial point
of view it is hoped that this campaign will enable the provincial government to
accelerate socio-economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal for mutual benefit.
Premier Ndebele said that through the KZNSA-Ebandla campaign we wish to
reach out to our alumni who are now scattered, not only across South Africa,
but indeed throughout the world. It is for this simple but significant and far
reaching objective that we have decided to host a Reunion Dinner in London on 4
May 2007. Invitations have been extended to some of the most senior business
representatives and other opinion makers from various spheres within the public
and private sector.
There is a tradition of collective decision making and problem solving in
our Province that stretches back hundreds of years. Central to this is a
gathering, or Ebandla. People would come great distances for this purpose. This
tradition is very much alive today. And thanks to modern technology, distance
is no longer an obstacle to this meeting of minds.
Today, Ebandla can unite people no matter where they are in KZN-South Africa
or the world. It is in this spirit that we are reaching out to the absent sons
and daughters of KZN. We are calling on them to join us in a 21st Century
version of Ebandla. We are calling on our Successful Alumni to join together in
a collective effort aimed at promoting the growth and development of
KwaZulu-Natal, said Ndebele.
There is much talk these days about harnessing alternative sources of
energy. Ebandla would like to do the same...with people power. We plan to model
the success of countries like India and Ireland, whose Diaspora played a
critical role in the economic and cultural renaissance of their mother
countries. Indian emigres are renowned for their close ties to their home
country. This contact has benefited India enormously. Many of the Indian
software engineers who helped build Silicone Valley in the US have returned to
their motherland and are building a homegrown technology powerhouse. Ireland's
unprecedented boom of the past 15 years has been fuelled by Irish Americans,
many of whom have never set foot in Ireland, Ndebele said.
In a similar fashion, KwaZulu-Natal is turning to its own children, now
spread across South Africa and the world, to help grow the province. We're
calling on them and thousands of other absent KZN alumni with a passion for
this province to raise their hands. Albert Luthuli's famous call - let my
people go - now has a modern equivalent: - let my people return. We call on our
absent sons and daughters to return, either physically or in spirit. Come home
to KZN. Come home to Ebandla, said Ndebele.
You don't need to be rich and famous to be part of Ebandla. But we are
looking for people able to make a real difference to KZN. We're seeking people
who are leaders in their respective fields, whether in the arts, sciences, the
humanities, business or medicine. We call these people the KZN Successful
Alumni. Some were born and bred here, or studied here. Others built their
businesses or made a name for themselves here. Today you'll find them scattered
across the world, from Parys to Paris, Cape Town to Cairo, Dullstroom to
Dallas. Wherever they may be, we're seeking them out to be part of
Ebandla,Ndebele said.
If Ebandla is to succeed, it is crucial that we attract the broadest range
of successful alumni, irrespective of their race, gender or political
affiliation. To this end we've tapped into a host of resources, including our
embassies around the world, professional bodies and the alumni associations of
local tertiary institutions, said Ndebele.
Enquiries: Logan Maistry
Spokesperson to Premier Ndebele
Cell: +27 83 644 4050
E-mail: maistryl@premier.kzntl.gov.za
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
30 April 2007
Source: Sapa
