FOURTH STROKE KILLS DAN ZEEMAN

EZULWINI – When the Zeeman’s Bus Service empire faced financial challenges in 2008, Daniel Jackson Zeeman suffered a stroke that paralysed part of his body.

Daniel, well known as Dan, was the founder of Zeeman’s Bus Service.
He died last week, aged 74.

After 2008, he suffered at least four strokes as the Zeeman family transport business continued to perform badly.
Yet another stroke attacked him last Monday. This time, it ended his life.
This was said by Ruth Ryan Zeeman, a relative of Daniel, in an interview after the latter’s funeral yesterday morning at Ezulwini.
Daniel died on April 14, 2014. He was born on January 20, 1940.

Over 500 people from the Ezulwini community and businesspeople in the transport industry paid their last respects to him.
He was buried yesterday at 6.30 am at the Zeeman family cemetery at Nyonyane in Ezulwini.

The funeral, which was also attended by Senator Edgar Hillary, was sombre and very emotional as speaker after another told mourners how Daniel had changed their lives for the better and how he was their source of livelihood.
Meanwhile, Ruth said Daniel was an astute businessman who was loved by the Zeeman family and respected by those who worked with him in the transport business.
His family credits him for having started the Zeeman’s Bus Service business which he established immediately he completed high school education.
He took over from his father who was also in the transport industry.

Robinson Zeeman, one of the two remaining Zeeman brothers, said his brother lived for the transport business and the Zeeman family brand.
The other is David, who lives in Nhlangano with his family. Robinson said his late brother was so dedicated in the business that he sacrificed his family.
Robinson said this was probably the reason why at the time Daniel died, he had neither a wife nor children.
He said Daniel was a warrior who fought hard to keep the Zeeman family brand in business. This was the reason why the Zeeman buses dominated the country’s passenger business from the 1970s until a new luxury transport entity was born. This was the Trans National Limited, which is also known as Zulu Kaya Lami Bus Service.  This business used classy couches buses, they were a new thing in the Swazi society then and became a phenomenon that was relatively cherished by many passengers and envied by many transport owners.
They transported passengers in the Mbabane – Manzini route and of late, took passengers, mostly hawkers, to Johannesburg and Durban.
Robinson said all the time he toiled, the three Zeeman brothers worked with him at directorship level.
He also said ever since Daniel suffered a stroke in 2008, the business failed to perform well. Robinson said in the latter years of Daniel’s life, he became less active.
“I will greatly miss him for his excellent advice and wisdom in the running of the business,” he said.
Robinson said the Zeeman transport business, which he manages, now owned over 10 buses. His other brother, David, described Daniel as a disciplinarian who disliked mediocrity in business. “As a young man, he was a fighter but as he grew older, he became a very nice person,” he said. David is no longer active in the family business as he runs his own transport company in Nhlangano.
“I left this place in the 1970s and am in the trucking business now,” he said. Vusi Dlamini, Daniel’s aide of more than 20 years, said in the latter years of his life Daniel was not a happy man.
“He always complained that the business was not doing well,” he said.
Dlamini said Daniel’s death was a huge loss to him.
“He was my father. I lived with him in his compound in Mvutjini for many years. I have worked with him my entire adult life,” Dlamini said.
Robinson is now the only active director of the Zeemans family business.

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