A prominent KwaZulu-Natal businessman Manzini Zungu has partnered with University of Johannesburg (UJ) for creative work, particularly storytelling projects.

Zungu, a relative of Amazulu Football Club owner, Sandile Zungu, owns several Spar retail shops under his company Spar Pacina Retail in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, however, he has spread his wings and ventured into the creative industry. He has partnered with UJ, producing storytelling projects for university students.

Zungu described his research and collaboration with the university as a landmark in his efforts to nurture African storytelling. He said his collaboration with UJ’s Faculty of Humanities aims to unearth and develop young storytellers through creative activism and Afrocentric narratives. Led by Professor Suzy Graham, the project includes literature initiatives based on the uShaka Inkosi Yamakhosi film which Zungu produced in 2021, fostering new creative perspectives among the university students. The film is on Netflix.

“The partnership emphasises creativity as a 21st-century workforce skill, with UJ students engaging in projects that blend storytelling with educational activism,” said Zungu.

He has published his first book Shaka Inkosi yamaKhosi (Shaka, the king of kings) which is based on extracts of his film. He has also devised several marketing strategies for McDonald’s restaurants. Zungu is also a UJ Research Associate and has partnered with the Salvation Army church in Soweto where he serves as musical director of the Soweto Central Chorus.

Through his Manzini Zungu Foundation, the businessman also supports cultural preservation through projects like uShaka Inkosi Yamakhosi, ensuring African stories reach global audiences. The foundation was established in 2018. The foundation also supports rural communities especially in remote areas of Mthatha and Ngqeleni in the Eastern Cape.

Zungu shot into prominence when he scored a lucrative schools nutrition tender in KwaZulu-Natal in 2023 but later pulled out after a protracted battle with the provincial education department.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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