By Celani Sikhakhane
- Queen Nozizwe Mulela-Zulu, Managing Director of Eswatini Bank, says women fear leadership roles will affect their families and other duties.
- The Queen said only three women currently hold bank leadership roles in Eswatini, and called on women to claim more space in the sector.
Zulu Queen Dr Nozizwe Mulela-Zulu, the second wife of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, says fear is still keeping women out of senior roles in banking. She was speaking on NTV Kenya’s Fixing the Nation show on Saturday.
Queen Mulela-Zulu is Managing Director of Eswatini Bank, the first woman to hold the position since the bank was established in 1965. She said banking remains a male-dominated sector that demands long hours, which makes some women fearful of taking on leadership roles.
“As we speak, we are three women in leadership roles of the banks in eSwatini. This means that as women, we need to push more and claim the space, because some of us are fearful that taking leadership roles will affect families and other duties,” she said.
She said she left a career in law to move into banking after feeling there was no room to grow.
“I felt bored, and then realised there was no growth for my future, which led me to switch the legal job for banking,” she said.
The Queen, who is based in Eswatini, said the bank is working to digitise its services to make transactions with other countries easier.
She said the bank has also found that people working in the informal sector often have significant amounts of money, but need convenient ways to move it rather than loans.
She is also involved in women’s empowerment projects in Eswatini and said women should take up leadership roles across sectors, including in parliament, rather than allowing men to make decisions on their behalf.
She said some banks have set aside funding specifically for women to use for their development projects.
The Queen married King Misuzulu kaZwelithini in a private ceremony. Her palace, Endlovini, is situated at kwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace.
Pictured above: Queen Nozizwe Mulela-Zulu of the Zulu Nation, Managing Director of Eswatini Bank.
Image source: Eastern Africa
