Durban -
Traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal would soon speak Mandarin, King Goodwill Zwelithini announced after a meeting with a delegation of Chinese academics from the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University on Monday.
The meeting formed part of the Ingonyama Rural Development Forum’s Brics programme, in which Zwelithini was meeting delegates from participating countries to discuss issues affecting rural communities.
The king said that as a result of his collaboration with the university, the amakhosi would be enrolled at the Confucius Institute of Chinese Studies, to be launched at the Durban University of Technology on Wednesday.
He wanted them to be part of the programme because “the future is east”.
“It is my wish that in the near future we also have similar projects where universities in China can offer isiZulu lessons, as that will ensure that there is more understanding between our two nations,” he said.
The relationship between Zwelithini and the Fujian university goes back to 2005, when they helped establish a mushroom project at Cedara. This project will be further expanded and the king has also appealed to China to open its markets to farmers.
South Africans who had gone to China to learn about mushroom planting had also been taught how to cultivate rice. The king said this would grow well along the coast.
Professor Lin Zhanxi, of the Fujian university, said the mushroom research centre at Cedara was the biggest in Africa. He said they had already expanded the mushroom farming to seven Ingonyama Trust sites in KZN and wanted to use their technology to benefit people around the world.
“China and South Africa are strategic partners. This is not for commercial purposes – it’s for skills development and empowerment,” he said.
The king launched the Ingonyama Rural Development Forum in 2012 to bring together traditional leaders, experts, research institutions, businesses and policymakers to discuss rural development.
The Mercury