By Kwanele Dhladhla
Africa-Press – Eswatini. “Doing business and being at the helm is not the easiest of tasks.”
This was one of the key takeaways from the interview with the astute Lidwala Insurance Managing Director (MD) and Certified Chartered Accountant, Dr Thokozani Nkambule, who referred to Dr John Maxwell when he said, “Everything rises or falls on leadership.”
Therefore, he said, the understanding that he must remain accountable for whatever outcome the business gets propels him to stay committed to the course and work extra hard to achieve results.
“It is about creating and adding value. I have also been very privileged to be mentored by Michelo Shakantu, a successful businessman who has travelled the journey and has built resilience. Support and empowerment help one to flourish even in times of personal inadequacies, and the greater team assists,” Dr Nkambule enunciated.
The versatile Dr Nkambule pointed out that being in a family of integrated businesses has assisted in getting him into certain doors.
“Once the doors open, I must create value. I have also been able to play on the strengths of my teammates for the greater good. Staying focused consistently and purposefully keeps me on course,” he emphasised.
When unpacking what were some of the remarkable lessons learnt during his professional life, Dr Nkambule disclosed that one of the key challenges he faced was navigating and bridging the gap between theory and practice.
“The corporate world is real, while technical competency is important to make one relevant and understand business, the softer skills are more important, especially as you climb the ladder. Emotional quotient and adaptability quotient become critical for one to be able to navigate the corporate space,” he said.
The former Inyatsi Group Holdings Finance Manager noted that people’s skills and sound business acumen had been among the essentials for one to thrive.
He stated that as one grows, the expectation gap from all stakeholders increases, such that goals one scored yesterday might not count tomorrow; “one must consistently score goals to stay relevant. I have managed to survive because I am an avid learner, and I believe that continuous learning to acquire relevant knowledge becomes an essential toolkit.
You learn from people ahead of you who have travelled the journey, learn from colleagues, through reading and taking courses to make up for knowledge gaps you have.”
When providing a word of advice to young females and males who aspire to follow his career path in the challenging world of finance, Dr Nkambule emphatically said, “Regardless of whatever stripes and accolades you have, your background and experiences, the world is ruthless; work hard, develop knowledge, create value where you are and stay consistent. Nobody owes you anything in this world, you owe everything to yourself.”
Soft skills important to climb the corporate ladder- Lidwala MD9
The soft-spoken philanthropist, when asked what milestones had been achieved by the insurance company, which also helps in fast-tracking the attainment of the country’s vision to become a First World Country,
recounted that His Majesty King Mswati III’s HMK has proclaimed the country’s vision of being a first world country, and said there would be specific indicators that demonstrate assimilation of this great vision, one of which would be inclusive financial services and quality healthcare among others.
“We have played effectively in this area, guided by our vision of being Africa’s Leading Integrated Business Partner. We have led to change by progressing from providing traditional short-term insurance products and introducing one of the best medical aid offerings.
We managed within three years to have over 6000 lives covered, placing us second in market share. Formidable relationships with our business partners have seen us increase our overall market share to 36 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, as per the FSRA quarterly bulletin,” Dr Nkambule explained.
In terms of how Lidwala Insurance ensures that it bolsters the economy of Eswatini towards self-sustainability, which could ultimately reduce reliance on Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts to finance the E32.61 billion national budget, Dr Nkambule said their role was asset protection through providing various covers as per client needs.
He mentioned that the world-class insurance company has pioneered comprehensive agricultural insurance starting from the grassroots to large farmers, among others.
“We have also packaged affordable insurance solutions for all business sizes, from SMMEs to micro and large corporates.
Protecting assets helps businesses and individuals recover quickly and does not regress in the event of an adverse happening. This allows those already trading to recover sooner, retain employment and contribute taxes to the government, building up the country’s reserves,” Dr. Nkambule explained.
In terms of what initiatives were undertaken by Lidwala Insurance as a responsible corporate citizen under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Dr Nkambule said they understood that they work in communities, and the businesses and individuals supporting them were from the communities.
Therefore, he stated that they should give back.
“We give back differently. Through our annual event, Lidwala Wellness Walk, the company has, over the last three years, invested funds in bringing together Emaswati to participate in walking.
This is aimed at promoting healthy living, getting people out of their houses to be physically active, interact and explore the beautiful scenery of Eswatini. Most, if not all, walks or marathons in the country require participants to pay, and the proceeds are put into charity.
Our charity is enjoyed by the able people who always give out to others, we are taking care of the givers. A healthy nation is a productive nation.”
He added, “We also address issues of mental health during these walks. This year we have our third edition on 11 July 2025; we are looking at having 3000 participants. Since we started the initiative three years ago, the numbers have been increasing year by year. In 2023, we had over 700 participants; in 2024, we have 2,500 per cent participants. While this year we planned for 3000 participants, we are overwhelmed by the responses. In less than 1 week we already have more than 2500 participants registered.”
Source: Eswatini Daily News
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