Sue Blaine
17 August 2007
interview
Johannesburg — THERE is nothing small about Sibusiso Buthelezi. The man is one of life's giants, in size and, more important, in psyche. The 33-year-old GM for black e conomic e mpowerment compliance and execution at Dimension Data (Didata) has a philosophy of giving that permeates his business and home life. It extends to his wife, his "two beautiful daughters", a younger brother who lives "like a son" in his home, and to the seven adopted orphans, all boys, from the children's jazz band that he coaches.
He also pays the school fees for 10 other band members and buys musical instruments for band members. H e does all this from his Didata salary.
" I believe in order for you to have a peaceful life, you need to help someone who can't afford to help themselves. Every night when I do reflections, I can say to myself, 'I've made a difference'," says Buthelezi.
When asked what his salary is, Buthelezi just laughs. "I wish they paid me more!"
Before meeting Buthelezi at the Butcher Shop & Grill on Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, I had only seen him from afar when the band played at a function at which Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana spoke.
In the restaurant, I discover Buthelezi is an imposing figure -- tall and big, with an encompassing handshake and teeth so perfect they would make Denzel Washington green with envy.
When we chat over my delicious medium-rare cubed fillet, his well-done sirloin steak and a bottle of water -- Buthelezi fits body-building training into his busy days and declines the offer of a drink -- I realise that this giant is one of life's gentler people, despite his violent past.
Buthelezi left home at 16 and went into exile in an African National Congress (ANC) camp in Uganda. He had little choice.
" I was on an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) hit list".
This news surprises me. Frankly, the idea of this man being on anyone's hit list is incomprehensible.
When Buthelezi climbed on to a Uganda-bound plane with 19 other youngsters in 1989, tensions in SA were easing, but violence was by no means a thing of the past. Thokoza, where Buthelezi grew up, was a flashpoint.
" You were either in or you were out, IFP or ANC, plain and simple," he says.
Back from Uganda in 1991, Buthelezi commanded an ANC militia Self-Defence Unit at war with the IFP's Self-Protection Units. "It was not a very nice time," is all he says .
Buthelezi decided to make a difference to the killing and hurt that was daily life in the East Rand township.
"I was part of the peace process. I formed an organisation that worked to unite the ANC and the IFP in Thokoza ... to bring back life to the township," he says, passing me a bowl of creamed spinach.
"I ordered the veggies because they cook them nicely here," he says. He is right -- they do.
The youth organisation organised training and counselling programmes run by the Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) for "about 500" of Thokoza's damaged youth.
"We did English literacy training, computer literacy and training to counsel youngsters at school, to heal them from the impact of violence. No- one in that township (escaped being) a loser from that violence and a lot of kids were disabled," he says.
In 1995, Buthelezi found himself at a crossroads -- should he make a life out of politics or study?
"I decided I had done my part in terms of the community and a political career does not have guarantees. Today, you are popular; tomorrow no one wants you. I went to the University of Durban-Westville . "
He chose Durban-Westville to get far away from the Thokoza community he felt compelled to help, so he could concentrate on study.
I t was not long, however, before Buthelezi was an executive member of the university's student representative council, student president of the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Prisoners, chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal arm of the South African Students Sports Union and was also deepening his involvement in the brass band his father led.
The Faith Apostolic Brethren Brass Band was formed in 1978 by Buthelezi's father -- Jimmy Jabulane Malambule, the black community church's archbishop -- to unite Thokoza's youth and provide them with an extramural activity that would keep them off the streets, says Buthelezi.
Initially, the band was a church band, but later membership was opened to the wider Thokoza community, he says.
When I ask Buthelezi to explain all this community involvement, given that he went to university to get away from helping others, he smiles and shakes his head . "I tried not to , but some of these things just happen naturally!"
Does this man have more hours in your day than the average person?
Buthelezi smiles, dips his head and rumbles -- in any other person this would be a giggle, but it's too deep .
"Let me tell you, there's lots of people who ask me that question," he says.
While studying towards a commerce degree in KwaZulu-Natal, Buthelezi was writing music for the band in Thokoza and helping his father train it during the varsity holidays. Tragedy, however, struck the band he wanted to be "the best in SA".
" In 1996 ... on October 6, we were coming back from a performance in Ladysmith in six taxis ... One of the taxis was hit by a truck. Everyone died. We lost 10 members of the band, the big boys of the band," he says.
That the accident still burns Buthelezi's soul is obvious.
Faced with having to rebuild the band, Buthelezi took a step that few others would have taken -- he took township kids between the ages of eight and 12 and trained them. "We've grown from that and the retention rate is over 95%. Those kids are the big boys of the band now," he says.
During this time, Buthelezi obtained his honours degree in economics, accepted what was in effect an internship at a telecommunications company, and used his salary to start buying, "bit by bit", instruments for the band.
He also established a relationship between the band and the well-known Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company, a nonprofit group formed in 1998 .
Through this relationship and with help from orchestra conductor Laurie Wapenaar, many of the band members have been taught to read music. B and members have also been incorporated into the orchestra and its offshoots -- the Johannesburg Symphonic Wind Band, the Johannesburg Foundation Orchestra and the Beginners Strings and the Johannesburg Jazz Youth Orchestra.
"Now I've got six kids in my band who have started studying the music teachers' course ... at Wits .... T hey've all got visions of degrees in (music) if they get financial support. They all have matric, some with very good exemptions," he says proudly.
One of Buthelezi's biggest disappointments is that the band has yet to get sponsorship.
L ast year, it lost an opportunity to go to China on a month-long cultural visit because there was no money for flights. Other expenses would have been paid by the Chinese government.
At Didata, Buthelezi has brought his own, very personal, touch to getting others involved in development.
"In 2006, I started what we called 'BEE 101' sessions where I take some of the staff, weekly, on a township tour ... Then, in a talk, they openly interpret how they see transformation ... They used to see transformation as reverse discrimination, now they want to drive it," he says.
The idea has apparently been taken up by other companies.
Buthelezi says black economic empowerment only began to work for him during the second phase, when legislation was promulgated to widen its base.
"First it was a tool for black enrichment ... Now we are on the right journey to empowerment," he says.
Buthelezi still believes he is part of a struggle and he studied commerce to equip himself as a soldier in the campaign to win economic freedom for SA's black population.
"I believe that even if black people have won their political freedom, there is a new challenge before us of winning economic liberation. I studied commerce because we are still in a struggle," he says.
With guys like Buthelezi on our side, black economic freedom will come sooner.
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