Recently Prince Manqoba Dlamini took over the reigns of the Mpumalanga Region as Regional Commissioner.
Manqoba, who was born into the royal family in the Kingdom of eSwatini, came to South Africa as young man to study BSC Hydrology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After graduating he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Policy and Development and another in Water Resource Management at the University of the Western Cape and a Post Graduate Diploma in Policy and Development Studies. It was an internship at the Mpumalanga based NGO Eco-Link that brought him to the province he has called home for many years. He is a renowned environmentalist, motivational speaker and now also the Regional Commissioner for the Mpumalanga Scout Region.
“I was first introduced to Scouting by Deputy Chief Scout Khonzaphi Mdaka a few years ago”, explains Manqoba. “The Region had organised an Imbizo. When I saw the activities and learnt more about the Scout programme I was keen to get involved. The Scouting enthusiasm really rubs off on a person! So in 2018, when the position of Deputy RC for the Mpumalanga province became vacant, I was honoured to step into uniform and for the opportunity to serve a bigger number of young people.
The Scouting enthusiasm really rubs off on a person!
I have worked with many youth in my career and often see that they are afraid of dreaming big, and are mostly unaware of the impact their actions have on the environment”, continues Manqoba. “As a motivational speaker and a role model I feel it is my duty to break this pattern and to inspire and encourage them to break free from this way of thinking. Many young people that live in rural and poor communities think that they can’t and won’t make it in life. They are often scared to dream big. This is where I feel Scouting can make the difference. With strong role models and the Scout development programmes they can gain self-confidence and the abilities to make it. That’s what I want for the Region.”
Manqoba has gone to great lengths to inspire young people through his work. This even included adopting an elephant in a private game reserve. “A local game reserve was raising funds and awareness about their anti-elephant poaching initiatives. That was the perfect opportunity for me to support an elephant financially as well as to put a face to a problem that needed to be addressed. In my motivational talks it always surprises people when I tell them that I am the 1st Royal in the world of officially adopt an elephant”, he quips.
So what are his plans for the Scout Region now? “I want to grow Scouting in the Region and encourage members to advance through the Scout programme. I want to see them attain their dreams, be it studying or excelling in a vocation of their choosing. In addition, our immediate plan is to fill all vacancies in the Region, appoint a training team and a Regional award committee by mid-August this year. We are also prioritising the COVID-19 Awareness Badge to Scouts. Within our communities we are continuing to distribute food parcels and are enhancing awareness around Gender Based Violence aggravated by the pandemic.
I further want to pioneer environmental change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. People who don’t know me will realise that I’m a doer, a coordinator and that I like to get things done ship shape”, he concludes with a smile.
#SCOUTSSA #scoutssouthafrica #Mpumalanga #Scouting #CommunityService #MessengersOfPeace #Scouts4SDGs #GlobalGoals #ZeroHunger #GenderEquality #Youth #YouthEmpowerment