Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti inducts new president
The Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti recently hit its 60th anniversary milestone, and inducted its new president, Sipho Gumbi.
THE Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti celebrated an extraordinary 60 years of service to its community, and recently inducted Sipho Gumbi as president for 2025/6 at a celebration at the Amanzimtoti Country Club and Conservancy.
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During the meeting with the tightly-knit club, now past president, Aneska Dupont, a veteran Rotarian, delivered a heartwarming address, highlighting the club’s pursuit to enrich communities, improve lives, foster future leaders and create a better world.
A draw for a Chocolate Block Magnum bottle of wine was carried out, with Dupont the winner. She elected to use it in a future raffle to raise even more money to aid in Rotary’s endeavours.
Having joined Rotary in a unique and roundabout way, Gumbi first came across Rotary in Germany, when he represented his church there. In addition, he was a principal at the time, looking to present a case to the church to assist in his school’s plight.
“They said, ‘No, we cannot help you, but we can refer you to a club.’ From there, I ventured to the Rotary club in Bremerhaven. They asked me what business I have. All of them were multi-millionaires. From there, I came to the Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti. This club has done a lot, it has changed the lives of many people in the area,” said Gumbi during his presidential speech.
He added, “Aneska, you are a shining star in this club, the work you have done is amazing. I want to say to the board members, we have got a big task ahead of us. We have to expand Rotary both in terms of reach and membership. People do not understand what Rotary is. Some get in and leave because they think they are going to benefit financially, but the true benefit is the satisfaction of helping others. Rotary is about serving.”
Special guest, Ash Maharaj, assistant governor of the Rotary Club of Morningside, spoke about Rotary’s ‘friendship exchange’, where a group from two countries host each other in their respective countries, building strong foreign bonds, developing cultural awareness, all the while upholding Rotary’s core tenets.
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