News / National
Chief Dakamela's ambitious vision
23 Mar 2025 at 08:06hrs | Views
WHEN vehicles head in the direction of Nkayi on 4 April, where Chief Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela will be hosting his famed annual Imiklomelo kaDakamela, the traditional leader believes that they will be serving a purpose bigger than most of the ceremony's attendees can imagine.
Launched in 2022, the award ceremony has become a highlight on the cultural calendar, drawing people from far and wide to koDakamela, which has become an annual attraction for those who are seeking a taste of culture far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
At least once every year, Nkayi becomes the nerve centre of cultural appreciation and the celebration of individuals that are excelling in the local community and beyond.
While culture and celebration are the hallmarks of the annual pilgrimage to koDakamela, the lanky traditional leader believes that the growing prominence of the awards might help accelerate the construction of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, which, for many years, has been an eyesore.
Recently, the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road has gained momentum, with the contractor, Difflock Construction, working on a 23km stretch from Inyathi Business Centre, reaffirming the Government's commitment to infrastructure development in Matabeleland North Province.
The road is part of the 33 roads designated by the Government as priority projects for 2025 across the country, including the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road.
While authorities forge ahead with the construction of a road that has been a headache for motorists for years, Chief Dakamela told Sunday Life that the interest around the awards could spur them to work even faster.
"We are also seeing this event enabling the construction of the Nkayi-Bulawayo Road because it has been a hindrance in terms of achieving the numbers that we want to hit. The road is not as smooth as it is supposed to be, but we encourage people to join us all the same. So, the more they come, the more attention will be paid to the road and we believe that this is a good thing," he said.
With its fourth edition on the horizon, Chief Dakamela said that this year's award ceremony would see Imiklomelo kaDakamela spread its wings, as it accepted that its growth was now attracting attention even from non-Zimbabweans.
"If you look at it geographically, you will find that even though this event is happening in Nkayi, koDakamela, you see people coming from everywhere. So, it's not about the area but the idea that we are pushing. All this is important in terms of nation-building, in terms of unity and in terms of renaissance. So, I'm really happy that we have cultivated the interest and appetite for the event among our people and others from diverse areas.
"This year, we are anticipating people from Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa. I am not talking about our people who are in those countries but Zambians, Tanzanians and South Africans. This shows that true love, appreciation and good ideas know no boundaries. So, we are happy that people are amalgamating around this concept so that we can uplift and catapult each other to greater heights," he said.
Chief Dakamela said while the concept was rooted in Nkayi, he believed that the ultimate purpose of the awards was to spearhead a cultural renaissance in the region and beyond.
"We have acknowledged that this thing should not be limited to Nkayi. It should not be limited to people from Dakamela or Matabeleland because there are people that are doing well elsewhere. So, we are saying our slogan is ‘development without borders, culture without borders and appreciation without borders'. For me, the word ‘foreign' doesn't sit well because even people from Zambia, South Africa and other countries are not foreigners to me. We are one. So, this year, the cherry on top will be rewarding the people who are from beyond our borders," he said.
When our sister paper, The Herald, hosted its annual Community Heroes awards in December last year, Chief Dakamela was one of the honourees, crowning a glorious year during which Imiklomelo kaDakamela captured the public's attention.
That award served as confirmation for the traditional leader that he was indeed on the right path, he said.
"For me, being rewarded for something like that is humbling and heart-warming. I don't think I have words to appreciate what has happened. This shows what we are doing in the community. To me, it means we should continue doing what we are doing and also expand the concept so that it is owned by the people. Some people might be saying this is Dakamela's thing, so why should we support it? We want to show that this belongs to everyone.
"We need our people to support these organic ideas and concepts because they spearhead our cultural renaissance. Remember, we have a concept that says our culture is our humanity, Ubuntu bethu yisintu sethu. So, we envision this thing as a concept that is Pan-African and can recognise people from," he said.
While the awards have been a hit, showing steady growth, Chief Dakamela said he hoped to see further growth this year.
"We showed significant growth in terms of the numbers, the interest from corporates and other factors. We had a bus full of artistes who came and wanted to perform voluntarily because they wanted to propel the event to greater heights. In terms of the interest and uptake from the corporate world, it was very overwhelming, so it is something that we would want to continue having.
"I would like to say that love, appreciation, and development know no borders. They know no boundaries and they should not know of any. So, this initiative has resonated with many people because they identify with that idea, they identify with the motto 'love and appreciation know no distance,'" he said.
Chief Dakamela pointed out that the awards were not only about the gongs given out, but also bringing together a diverse number of people from various fields.
"The event allows networking because through these awards, Mr B and Mr C can come together and uplift each other. That is the synergy, something that we want to create in Nkayi, whereby people come together and appreciate those who are doing well while at the same time giving attendees a chance to propel and uplift each other," he said.
Past recipients of the prestigious awards include the late historian and cultural icon, Pathisa Nyathi, prominent medical doctor, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, and musician Albert Nyathi.
Launched in 2022, the award ceremony has become a highlight on the cultural calendar, drawing people from far and wide to koDakamela, which has become an annual attraction for those who are seeking a taste of culture far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
At least once every year, Nkayi becomes the nerve centre of cultural appreciation and the celebration of individuals that are excelling in the local community and beyond.
While culture and celebration are the hallmarks of the annual pilgrimage to koDakamela, the lanky traditional leader believes that the growing prominence of the awards might help accelerate the construction of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, which, for many years, has been an eyesore.
Recently, the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road has gained momentum, with the contractor, Difflock Construction, working on a 23km stretch from Inyathi Business Centre, reaffirming the Government's commitment to infrastructure development in Matabeleland North Province.
The road is part of the 33 roads designated by the Government as priority projects for 2025 across the country, including the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road.
While authorities forge ahead with the construction of a road that has been a headache for motorists for years, Chief Dakamela told Sunday Life that the interest around the awards could spur them to work even faster.
"We are also seeing this event enabling the construction of the Nkayi-Bulawayo Road because it has been a hindrance in terms of achieving the numbers that we want to hit. The road is not as smooth as it is supposed to be, but we encourage people to join us all the same. So, the more they come, the more attention will be paid to the road and we believe that this is a good thing," he said.
With its fourth edition on the horizon, Chief Dakamela said that this year's award ceremony would see Imiklomelo kaDakamela spread its wings, as it accepted that its growth was now attracting attention even from non-Zimbabweans.
"If you look at it geographically, you will find that even though this event is happening in Nkayi, koDakamela, you see people coming from everywhere. So, it's not about the area but the idea that we are pushing. All this is important in terms of nation-building, in terms of unity and in terms of renaissance. So, I'm really happy that we have cultivated the interest and appetite for the event among our people and others from diverse areas.
"This year, we are anticipating people from Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa. I am not talking about our people who are in those countries but Zambians, Tanzanians and South Africans. This shows that true love, appreciation and good ideas know no boundaries. So, we are happy that people are amalgamating around this concept so that we can uplift and catapult each other to greater heights," he said.
"We have acknowledged that this thing should not be limited to Nkayi. It should not be limited to people from Dakamela or Matabeleland because there are people that are doing well elsewhere. So, we are saying our slogan is ‘development without borders, culture without borders and appreciation without borders'. For me, the word ‘foreign' doesn't sit well because even people from Zambia, South Africa and other countries are not foreigners to me. We are one. So, this year, the cherry on top will be rewarding the people who are from beyond our borders," he said.
When our sister paper, The Herald, hosted its annual Community Heroes awards in December last year, Chief Dakamela was one of the honourees, crowning a glorious year during which Imiklomelo kaDakamela captured the public's attention.
That award served as confirmation for the traditional leader that he was indeed on the right path, he said.
"For me, being rewarded for something like that is humbling and heart-warming. I don't think I have words to appreciate what has happened. This shows what we are doing in the community. To me, it means we should continue doing what we are doing and also expand the concept so that it is owned by the people. Some people might be saying this is Dakamela's thing, so why should we support it? We want to show that this belongs to everyone.
"We need our people to support these organic ideas and concepts because they spearhead our cultural renaissance. Remember, we have a concept that says our culture is our humanity, Ubuntu bethu yisintu sethu. So, we envision this thing as a concept that is Pan-African and can recognise people from," he said.
While the awards have been a hit, showing steady growth, Chief Dakamela said he hoped to see further growth this year.
"We showed significant growth in terms of the numbers, the interest from corporates and other factors. We had a bus full of artistes who came and wanted to perform voluntarily because they wanted to propel the event to greater heights. In terms of the interest and uptake from the corporate world, it was very overwhelming, so it is something that we would want to continue having.
"I would like to say that love, appreciation, and development know no borders. They know no boundaries and they should not know of any. So, this initiative has resonated with many people because they identify with that idea, they identify with the motto 'love and appreciation know no distance,'" he said.
Chief Dakamela pointed out that the awards were not only about the gongs given out, but also bringing together a diverse number of people from various fields.
"The event allows networking because through these awards, Mr B and Mr C can come together and uplift each other. That is the synergy, something that we want to create in Nkayi, whereby people come together and appreciate those who are doing well while at the same time giving attendees a chance to propel and uplift each other," he said.
Past recipients of the prestigious awards include the late historian and cultural icon, Pathisa Nyathi, prominent medical doctor, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, and musician Albert Nyathi.
Source - The Sunday News
