BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MANZINI- Meeting His Majesty King Mswati III during the 58th Eswatini International Trade Fair has left BSA Training Centre student Sifiso Maseko believing that God has greater plans for his future.
Maseko, an auto-electrical student at BSA Training Centre, was given the opportunity to interact with His Majesty during the King’s tour of exhibition stalls at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre yesterday. He said the encounter still felt like a dream.
“I still can’t believe that I am the one who had a conversation with the King. This means so much to me. I am literally lost for words,” he said.
Maseko said he believed the meeting was a sign that God had bigger things in store for him.
“This clearly means my project will not end here,” he said.
He had showcased a wheelchair he built himself, which caught the attention of His Majesty, particularly because Maseko is a Liswati living with a disability.
He said His Majesty expressed happiness after seeing the wheelchair and encouraged him to take the project further.
According to Maseko, the King told him that he should now consider that the opportunity to establish such a business had already opened in Eswatini.
He said His Majesty spoke about the possibility of a factory that could manufacture wheelchairs locally.
“He said this means we will have a factory that produces wheelchairs in Eswatini, as he was officially blessing it,” said Maseko.
The student said the King also indicated that the project would now be followed up through the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, with the Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla expected to provide updates to His Majesty on its progress.
Maseko said His Majesty emphasised the importance of preparing the necessary paperwork and properly planning the business.
The King asked him to consider where he would acquire the materials needed for the project and how much they would cost.
For Maseko, these questions were a major source of encouragement.
He said they demonstrated His Majesty’s desire to see emaSwati develop their ideas, establish businesses and create employment opportunities.
Maseko also emphasised the importance of training centres, saying those who had acquired knowledge and skills should use them to their advantage by establishing businesses that could create jobs for other emaSwati.
Maseko said his original motivation for developing the wheelchair was to help people living with disabilities.
The royal encounter, he said, had now given the project a new sense of purpose.
He also thanked BSA Training Centre management and his instructor for the support and guidance they had given him.
“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Maseko further expressed gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister, saying she had played a major role in his life.
Overcome with emotion as he reflected on his meeting with His Majesty, Maseko quoted 2 Samuel 9:8, recalling the words of Mephibosheth after King David invited him to eat at the king’s table.
“What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Maseko quoted, before becoming emotional.
For the young innovator, yesterday’s meeting with the King was an unforgettable moment, one he says has strengthened his belief that greater things lie ahead.
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