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I have been informed by the Speaker of Nongoma Local Municipality Cllr Babongile Sithole of their meeting with His Majesty Misuzulu.

In this meeting they sought his blessings following the council decision to rename Nongoma Local Municipality after  the late King.

We are looking forward to the completion of the council process.

King Zwelithini Local Municipality will be a fitting tribute to Umdlokombane who always received visitors in Nongoma with a beaming smile.

King Goodwill Zwelithini represented a unique brand that gave KwaZulu-Natal a competitive edge.

His public appearance created a unique but appealing image about the province, creating more interest for tourists and investors alike.

Many investors who visited our province and pleaded to be presented to the late King before returning to their respective homes.

Those who were hosted by the late King, left with a lasting impression of the compassion, friendship and charm of the people of KwaZulu-Natal that the King Goodwill Zwelithini displayed.

We are grateful that King Misuzulu has taken upon himself to promote the Zulu Kingdom as a both tourists and investment destination. 

In addition, we salute the King for giving his blessings to the Mayor Cllr Mshangane Ndabandaba and the entire leadership that visited him in his Palace.

As the department we offer to work with the King and the leadership of the municipality to promote Nongoma as a destination for heritage tourism.

Importantly, the success of tourism will be judged by how much it is contributing towards our efforts aimed at creating jobs and growing local communities where tourism happens.

In this regard, our department and our entity Tourism KwaZulu-Natal is towards increasing the number of tourism programmes and projects that are led by, and benefit communities.

This will lay the foundation for real transformation to take root on the ground.

During Tourism Monthh, we will  intensify the roll out the Local Government Tourism Capacity Building Programme for Tourism Practitioners and Communities.

Our aim to ensure that KZN is amongst the top tourists destinations. 

To achieve this vision, we have focused on enhancing our destination by improving infrastructure at various tourism magnets across local municipalities.

We want to develop skills and promote a culture of service excellence.  Through our grading system we want to ensure quality of service and facilities. These initiatives are all aimed at enhancing the experience of tourists.

Lastly, as government we understand that an infrastructure base of a municipality is one of the critical determinants of its attractiveness as a tourism destination. In this regard, we strive to ensure reliable water and energy supply as these are essential to the quality of service we offer tourists. 

The maintenance of transport infrastructure is critical in providing a good experience for tourists. Adequate infrastructure and service excellence is being improved through co-operation between the various spheres of government.

Issued by the KZN Leader Government Business and MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma