Keith Powell is a name everyone knows in Mtunzini, not necessarily because he was born and raised in Mtunzini, but also due to his amazing work and community orientated mindset. Born in 1940, Keith has lived in Mtunzini his entire life. You will have to go far to find a man as passionate about a town as him.
As a young lad he went to school here in Zini. When asked about his youth he smiled and looked away as if trying to go back to that moment. One story that stands out is how he and a couple of primary school youngsters tried to derail a train, innocent child play. Of course, his father and principal did not take it as that! The hiding afterwards was not playful but nonetheless still innocent. He remarks, “It was definitely one of the worst hidings I ever got from my principal”. His stories have no end, and he knows every corner of our town.
For Keith, the fact that Mtunzini has always been community orientated stays close to his heart. As a person who has served on every counsel from the young age of 19, he states that this community orientation has not yet simmered down. He goes on to say that he is grateful every day for the gift of living his whole life in Mtunzini and that the town has upheld its high standard of aesthetic and preservation. After all these years he is still very positive about Mtunzini and urges the residents of this town to appreciate each other and the ones that walk ahead to make this town prevail. Other small communities have not been this lucky over the last years.
Regardless of his leadership quality and hard-working mentality, he also has a big heart. COVID affected a lot of rural communities and Keith was front and centre organising a food parcel drive and feeding over 100 families. On the personal front, Keith has is also a father to the beautiful Apiwe, whom he adopted. It’s not this man’s drive to change that promotes Mtunzini’s well-being but rather his heart that is so full of love and care. That of course, makes him an Mtunzini legend.