Heritage, A gift of past generations to all humanity Letter from the CEO - Siza Mzimela

What is our history? What have we accomplished? Who are some of our icons worth knowing? Which places, buildings and sites are a sign of our heritage and worth visiting and knowing?

Since 1994, the affinity towards our heritage has grown, embracing everything about the past that anyone, anywhere, may find interesting or important. And now, even more than before, heritage has a moral component. It is something with which everyone is encouraged to engage and celebrate.

Heritage fits seamlessly into the modern matrix of cultural management, a key part of the information that all of us ought to want to gain. This includes the shared memories by which our country is supposed to define itself and naturally, the population must therefore have access to.

There is a great need for people of all ages to know about their heritage, what makes them proud to be South African and what can be done to help all of us remain an important part of the great ethnic mosaic of South Africa.

I believe that when you know more about who you are, when you know the heritage and history of your country, you are more willing to share that pride with the next person.

During September, there are many ways to celebrate our heritage. Here are a few suggestions on how to learn more about your heritage:

• Read a book on your cultural history or South African history and share your findings with family and friends;
• Review a map of South Africa and look for the town or city of your ancestors;
• Research your family tree. Ask other family members to share their knowledge of your family history with you;
• Visit a museum or heritage site. Attend a heritage event and support an organisation publicly celebrating your heritage and culture. When you attend, invite others to go with you;
• Display a South African flag or a heritage poster in your home or place of business and
• Learn more about your customs and culture and celebrate them with family and friends.

In our industry, heritage tourism remains one of the most significant and fastest growing forms of leisure travel within the South African market. Heritage tourism involves travel to heritage sites that in some way represent or celebrate an area, community, or people's history; identity or inheritance.

The heritage tourist tends to seek more in the type of experience and benefits expected, than other types of tourists. Heritage tourists usually search for an informed visitor experience rather than merely gazing. They also expect outcomes that include learning about their destination and gaining an insight into its past. While enjoyment is still crucial, the heritage tourist often expects a greater degree of involvement with, or immersion into, the sites, with a heavy educational component.

Heritage-based travel, like all segments of the tourism industry, offers the potential for numerous economic benefits in destination areas. The attraction of new visitors to a site or area increases spending and may lead to the creation of new jobs and businesses, thereby stimulating the local economy both directly and indirectly, through the multiplier or trickle-down effect. Taxes on spending can be used to benefit all members of a community, not just those directly involved in the tourism industry, through the improvement of physical infrastructure.

Sustainability can be associated with heritage-based tourism when society realises the significance our unique resources. Honouring our heritage encourages local residents to acquire a sense of pride in their community and build on heritage sites which reflect their identity.

Heritage sites provide real-world classrooms where both children and adults (local and visitors) can learn about the history, nature and/or culture of an area. Beyond these opportunities for education lies the additional potential for increased awareness and understanding of resource preservation. Heritage sites offer nostalgic images of traditional lifestyles, as well as the progress of a region or country.

Preserving and enjoying our heritage constitutes a gift of past generations to all humanity. It is our shared responsibility to preserve and transmit our heritage to the next generations.

Siza Mzimela

Sikhumbuzo Zulu: A force to be reckoned with By Lindi van Rooyen

Sikhumbuzo Zulu, Chief Financial Officer at South African Express Airways (SAX), is a jack-of-all-trades, yet a master of many. An experienced builder, tailor, teacher and chartered accountant, he is a man committed to expanding his mind in whichever way possible. Surprisingly soft-spoken, Sikhumbuzo is a man driven by the will to succeed and to do everything to the very best of his ability.

Growing up in the small, dusty town of Vryheid did not deter Sikhumbuzo from dreaming big. A natural entrepreneur, he started setting business goals for himself at the age of nine and worked relentlessly towards them. Sikhumbuzo says that everything he has achieved today sprung from those goals and he is now living the life that he dreamt of as a child.

While he was still in primary school he aspired to own his own clothing factory by the time he was in matric; and although this dream was not realised then, he now partly owns an embroidery and silkscreen printing company, which his wife runs. Believing strongly in the custom of ubuntu, Sikhumbuzo hopes to expand his business in the future to create even more jobs

Sikhumbuzo started making clothes at the age of eleven to earn pocket money and to expand his wardrobe. His mother was a seamstress who mended the neighbourhood's clothes and made the odd piece of clothing. Her sewing machine came in handy when Sikhumbuzo decided to make himself a suit. The suit was the first item of clothing he ever made and Sikhumbuzo admits that after completing it in three days; he decided to stick to making trousers. Soon after that he was churning out three pairs a day, which he sold for R5 each.

After mastering his tailoring skills, Sikhumbuzo decided that it was time he learnt his father's trade and soon became an experienced builder. He supplemented his income by mending shoes and chopping wood.

By the time he reached high school, Sikhumbuzo's talent for numbers became evident and he set himself a new goal - to become a chartered accountant. However, funding was a problem and Sikhumbuzo turned to the teaching industry to raise the necessary finances that would get him through his training. He taught mathematics at the Department of Education and later, the University of the Witwatersrand, while simultaneously studying full-time for an Accountancy degree. Sikhumbuzo completed his Honours part-time at UNISA.

Once in the accounting and auditing industry, Sikhumbuzo made his mark at reputable companies including Deloitte and Touche; the African Union, as the President on the Board of External Auditors; the South African Post Office Courier and Freight Group as Financial Director; Ngubane and Co as Deputy Managing Director and KhabaZulu Consulting as Managing Director. He joined South African Express Airways in May 2006. Sikhumbuzo plans to apply all the knowledge he has acquired over the years to SAX's benefit and wants to do the best he possibly can for the airline.

Sikhumbuzo strongly believes that knowledge is power and is addicted to expanding his mind. He enjoys a challenge and is willing to take on anything in order to experience something new. He is ambitious and believes that anything is possible once you put your mind to it. Sikhumbuzo lists his greatest achievement as delivering financial reports to high-powered African leaders and ambassadors at the African Union. Although numbers are his first passion, he is trying to move towards planning and strategy in a bid to take on more responsibility and reach new heights.

Sikhumbuzo has been married for six years and has five children. Not a stranger to large families, he is one of twelve children and sees himself as a traditional family man. He grew up in a small mining compound in Vryheid where everyone played an active role in the community. Sikhumbuzo was brought up in a strict home where he was taught that if he respected those around him, his days on earth would be rewarded.

The days in the mining compound did not last very long and after Sikhumbuzo's family moved away to a larger community, he found himself longing for the closeness that the previous community had offered him. "Because the community in which we lived was so small, everyone took responsibility for those around them. Children were raised by the entire community and it was not uncommon to be disciplined by the neighbours while your parents were away. I miss those days and believe that it is a viable way to run a community," he says.

With a success story of note, Sikhumbuzo believes that if you want to get anywhere in life, you have to move from the point of being disadvantaged and grow. There are stepping stones everywhere and if we are willing to utilise them, we will be successful.