Online Reporter
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WHEN Kian Hawa was inducted as the Bulawayo Junior Mayor on 26 April, his grandfather, businessman Mohamed Esat, was among those present.
For the other junior councillors, the presence of Esat was like a badge of honour.
Even on that occasion, most of them likely wore uniforms purchased from his business, Esat Stores. Ever since his father started the franchise from a pushcart in 1914, Esat Stores has become one of the most iconic businesses in Bulawayo.
Children who once donned Esat’s uniforms have grown up, had children of their own and now send them to school in gear purchased from one of Bulawayo’s oldest retail stores.
So, when Esat stepped up to the podium to say a few words, it was not only awe-inspiring to Hawa, an Advanced Level student at Christian Brothers College, but to the 80 other councillors from schools around the city.
“When I was inducted, my grandfather was there and they allowed him to say a few words. It was a very special and touching moment for me and my family. I could not be prouder to be the junior mayor,” Hawa told Sunday Life in an interview.
For Hawa, the moment held significant meaning.
His grandfather, who once served as a councillor in Bulawayo, had encouraged him to pursue the post, continuing a record of public service that the family had established over the years.
“For a long time, I was intrigued by the prospect of serving the city because my uncle, Hassen Esat, was the junior mayor in 1990 and my grandfather was a councillor in the City of Bulawayo. So, my family has a long history of leadership within the city. When the chance came for me to go for it, I was initially sceptical because I have a lot of things to balance.
“Then, one night, I was sitting with my grandfather and he said, ‘What do you want to do for the city? What legacy do you want to leave behind in this city that you have grown up in?’ We had a back-and-forth and eventually, I thought, ‘Why do not I just go for this?’ I decided to go through the process because I believe that I am someone who can be a game changer,” he said.
Esat also expressed his joy at the path his grandson had chosen.
“There is honour in serving the people and the city and this is something that our family has always prided itself on.
It is encouraging to see a young member of the family take up the mantle and follow the footsteps of his elders,” he said.
Hawa said that while he initially had doubts about where he fit in the Bulawayo leadership matrix, his grandfather’s selfless deeds, even after leaving office, encouraged him to take on more responsibility.
“I think he is someone who inspires all of us within the family and the city. He is someone who is turning 79, but his passion for helping people does not stop. It is something that I even witnessed this week, as he went to Kwekwe to comfort a bereaved family.
“He is 79 and still wants to help everybody and be a leader. He is someone I put on a pedestal because he spent his whole life serving the community and not asking for anything in return. This is something that I also strive for,” said Hawa.
He added that after being elected from a field of hundreds of hopefuls, starting with competition within his school, he realised there was a need to unite the city’s pupils, regardless of their backgrounds.
“It is difficult because Bulawayo has divided itself into private schools, public schools and semi-private schools, which I only found out about during the election process. I had to think about how I would become a leader for everyone.
“So, within the last six months of training, I have learnt a lot and built a great bond with everyone. It also made me realise that anyone can be a leader. It does not matter where they come from,” he said.
Hawa said he was eager to see the city retain its status as the cleanest in the country, hence a drive that will see all junior councillors lead clean-up campaigns.
“We have been known as the cleanest city in the country and that is something that I want to help enhance. We live in a world that is trying to go green because of the devastating effects of pollution, and so, with that in mind, I think that keeping the city clean will be one of my highest priorities.
“So, as the junior council, we will be conducting clean-up campaigns around Bulawayo. We have 80 councillors from schools around the city and all of us are going to do clean-up campaigns at our educational institutions,” he said.
Hawa said during his tenure, he would not only focus on youth, as one of the most important roles of the junior council was to act as a guide for city officials, opening their eyes to the needs and wants of young people.
“As a junior mayor, you can have input in policy-making. So, I want to get the youth more involved than ever and give them a chance to have a voice on how we can improve the city. I will be working very closely with the senior mayor and our patron to try and show them what the youth think of the city’s current policies and what we should be doing to make life better for them.
“I want us, as the junior council, to tackle a lot of the ills that we see in Bulawayo. We know there is a problem with drug abuse and we know that there is now a crisis with vaping. We see a lot of young people who are no longer in school and are just wasting their lives away. So, I am trying to be a role model to those who have lost their way,” he said.
