Story audio is generated using AI
AmaRharhabe Kingdom prince and prominent Eastern Cape businessman Sivile Mabandla has been appointed as a special envoy by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a role that will see him focus on land reform and investment matters in the neighbouring country.
The appointment was confirmed this week by Zanu-PF secretary for information Christopher Mutsvangwa, who said Mabandla’s experience and long-standing involvement in Zimbabwe would help advance the country’s development agenda.
The Eastern Cape-born Mabandla, a former ANC Youth League provincial executive committee member, is well known in agricultural and business circles.
He has built extensive international networks and is recognised locally for his large-scale livestock export operations, which have at times attracted criticism from animal rights activists.
A special envoy is a high-level diplomatic representative appointed to handle specific political, economic or developmental priorities on behalf of a head of state.
Mabandla, the son of former Ciskei chief minister and chief justice Thandathu Jongilizwe Mabandla, confirmed the appointment while in Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
“I am deeply humbled by this appointment and grateful for God’s grace, as well as the confidence that President Mnangagwa has placed in me after 20 years of service to the Zimbabwean people through navigating rough storms,” he said.
“For more than two decades, I have stood in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe through some of their most challenging periods, and this appointment is both an honour and a responsibility that I do not take lightly.
“At the end of the day, I remain an ordinary son of the Eastern Cape who has been afforded an extraordinary opportunity to serve.”
Mabandla said he hoped his appointment would inspire young people from rural communities to pursue leadership opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings.
“As a young man from the Eastern Cape, this appointment demonstrates that where one comes from should never limit one’s aspirations,” he said.
He credited several respected Eastern Cape business leaders, including the late Soto Ndukwana, Saki Macozoma and Mxolisi Makongolo, for mentoring and guiding him throughout his career.
“Their investment in me reinforced the importance of opening doors for others who are less fortunate,” he said.
“When this term of appointment comes to an end, I hope to have strengthened the bonds between Zimbabwe and its partners, contributed meaningfully to the advancement of the president’s vision, and created opportunities that benefit ordinary people.”
Mabandla, an established farmer and former deputy chair of the Contralesa Youth Congress in the Eastern Cape, has played a significant role in agriculture and rural development across the continent.
According to his professional profile, he helped establish the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa) and served on SA’s presidential food security committee, where he worked to bridge the divide between commercial and emerging farmers.
His profile describes him as occupying a unique position as both a traditional leader and business figure, allowing him to navigate issues of communal land ownership, governance and economic development.
Mutsvangwa said Mabandla had become a trusted partner of Zimbabwe during some of the country’s most difficult economic periods.
During Zimbabwe’s economic crisis in 2006, Mabandla was deployed by the ANC to assist in identifying international partners and investment opportunities as the country faced growing international isolation and economic pressure.
“In the wake of sanctions against Zimbabwe, and recognising the limitations of traditional financial centres like London and New York under the prevailing hostile climate, Mabandla identified Dubai as a strategic alternative,” Mutsvangwa said.
“By facilitating connections through the UAE’s aviation and financial sectors, he provided Zimbabwe with a crucial interface for trade and investment.”
He said those efforts laid the foundation for Zimbabwe’s current economic relationship with the United Arab Emirates, which has since become one of the country’s most significant trading partners.
Mutsvangwa also credited Mabandla with helping attract investment into agriculture, mining and infrastructure projects and playing a role in negotiations around compensation agreements between the Zimbabwean government and South African farmers.
“Prince Mabandla has been at the forefront of these noble initiatives,” he said.
“He has already acted as a key negotiator in the landmark signing of compensation agreements between the Zimbabwean government and South African farmers, a complex cross-border mediation typically reserved for state ministers.”
On Wednesday Mabandla was re-elected to the livestock committee of the World Farmers Organisation, for the third term, where he represents Africa.
The organisation represents more than a billion farmers worldwide.
He is also a director of Elliot Meats, a company involved in livestock exports to several African countries, Mauritius and the Middle East.
Mutsvangwa said Mabandla’s experience in agriculture, diplomacy and international investment made him well suited to his new role and would assist Zimbabwe in strengthening economic partnerships and attracting further investment.
AmaRharhabe kingdom spokesperson Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe could not be reached for comment.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.