“You’ve Worked Hard and Deserve the Praises”…Congratulations! (isiZulu)

Nonetheless, Buhle has not yet completed the internship programme, but he finds his workspace enhancing and appealing. He is under the supervision mentorship of Mr Shabbir Ismail, a Professional Architect. The two have a long way together in advancing the statutory mandates of the department through their expertise in architecture. It is encouraging and pleasing to realise that South Africa prides itself with vibrant people of Buhle’s calibre. He is young, gifted and black and has a character of substance. He is responding to governments’ call of moving South Africa forward.

During the inauguration at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria on 25 May 2019, President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa said “…and every person who wants to work will have a reasonable opportunity to find employment. We must be a society that values its young people by creating a conducive environment for them to gain skills and be productively employed to develop our country.”

Mr Khuzwayo has indeed responded to that call. He is now a professional architect. The very first architect in history was Imhotep, one of the officials of the Pharaoh Djoser who designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara, Egypt in 2630 – 2611 BC. For our ease of understanding, Buhle is involved in architecture, which is explained as both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or any other structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings is often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art.

The climate changes gradually, so is architecture. Architects such as Buhle, and other specialists in similar work stream have today a huge task on their shoulders – transforming living environments and artefacts such as space into a more environmentally friendly version such as greening a building, office or home. Construction processes are a huge aspect of green building that forms part of architecture.

In order to respond to the threat of global warming and the needs of sustainable development, a new approach to building design and construction is of essence. New concepts of integrated design that entail the generation and use of energy have to be in place, bringing the imperatives of environmental responsibility with an intent to implement strategies that respond to climate change.

The rationale of this context is that Buhle’s generation have the wisdom that will seek to smoother the constraints of architecture and global warming with special attention to ensure minimal harm to the natural habitat, efficient use of space, use of recycled architectural salvage, adaptive use of older buildings, eliminating long haul transportation, installation of ventilation systems designed for efficient heating and cooling, optimal location on the land with maximizing sunlight, winds and natural sheltering, etc.

On the second part of the interview with Buhle, we learnt that he has a sibling brother, Siphesihle. They were raised under the loving care of both their parents in Durban. The Khuzwayo family is tightly bonded to Christian fellowship and embraced by the spirituality that calms their homage. It is acknowledgeable that Buhle had his share of difficulties before reaching this accolade. The pathway was not smooth. However, today, he will begin to understand that education truly lessens the challenges one faces in life. The more knowledge one gains the more opportunities begin to open up to allow individuals like Buhle to achieve better possibilities for his personal growth.

During the congratulatory photo shoot with Ms Dudu Fihlela, the eThekwini Regional Director, one could feel the sense of belonging. The mood and atmosphere got so quiet, emotional and touchy but full of exuberance. The handshake between Ms Fihlela and Buhle signified nothing but a ‘thank you’ to the department for having played the support role and equally ‘well done’ for Buhle in enduring all life pressures until the last day of his ‘success’.

In conclusion, this is not only a time to celebrate your accomplishment but also a time to look forward to what tomorrow brings. Buhle should take a moment at the summit and be proud of his accomplishments.

You have worked hard and deserve all the praises. Congratulations once more