Date: 04/05/2006
Source: The Presidency
Title: Mbeki: Opening of National House of Traditional Leaders
Address of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, at the opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders, City of Tshwane
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi MB Mzimela,
Deputy Chairperson, Kgosi FP Kutuma,
Your Majesties and Royal Highnesses,
Members of the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders,
Honourable Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Sydney Mufamadi, and Deputy Minister, Nomatyala Hangana,
Your Worship, the Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to thank the National House of Traditional Leaders for extending an invitation to me once again to make some short remarks at this opening session of the House. This meeting takes place four days before our national Parliament convenes to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution.
This is the Constitution that outlines the rights of all our citizens, the values that underpin our society and the institutions that are central to the upholding, protection and promotion of these rights and values.
It is a Constitution that also recognises the status, the role and place of the institution of traditional leadership. It is the same Constitution that made provision for the establishment of the National House of Traditional Leaders.
Indeed, over the years we have worked together to adhere to the prescriptions of our constitution with regard to this and other important institutions provided for by the supreme law of our land.
Chairperson, when we met here last year, we raised a number of matters which we thought should be addressed by this House and I think we should continue to attend to those issues because they are part of the many challenges that still face all of us as we work for the transformation of our society.
These include the need to work together to ensure that our languages are not marginalised and that we increase efforts to help, particularly our youth, so that they become proficient in all our languages, that they understand and appreciate our customs and traditions; that all of us are well versed with the wisdom contained in our idioms, in our music and in our African outlook as expressed in the concept and practice of Ubuntu.
We also discussed the important challenge to ensure that the regional and continental structures of traditional leadership play a role in the regeneration of our continent. Clearly, we should continue with this work so that this institution becomes one of the catalysts for change in Africa. Undoubtedly, these and many other challenges will continue to face us both in the present and in the future.
During the course of this year, it is important, among other things, that we align the Strategic Plans of the National House with those of the Provincial Houses so that these Houses do their work from the same understanding and within a unified perspective with regard to the role of the institution of traditional leadership and the challenges facing both the institution as well as our communities.
Among other things, the alignment of the plans would make it easier for all of us to have a better understanding of the role that these Houses are playing in the governance of our country.
Further, as all of us know, our country continues to be faced with a serious task to pursue the goal of moral regeneration. In part, this arises from the fact that many of our communities have abandoned the central tenets of our value systems of Ubuntu, which for centuries ensured that our people acted responsibly and respectfully towards one another, giving due regard to the objective to respect the dignity of every individual regardless of their status in society, concerned to protect the most vulnerable among us.
As we know, many of our people have turned their backs from the important elements of Ubuntu of humanism, compassion, and solidarity, which ensured that none among our people would go hungry when others live the life of luxury.
I think many of our people will agree that our traditional leaders have a responsibility to take the lead and help all of us to value a life of respect, of honesty and human dignity.
Working together with local councillors, provincial governments, religious bodies, youth and women organisations, professional structures such as teachers’ and other bodies, we need to ensure that the matter of moral regeneration become central to our interactions within our communities.
In this regard, among other things, I am very encouraged by the partnership that the National House of Traditional Leaders has concluded with the National Prosecuting Authority. I understand that there is already some visible progress in the matters you are dealing with in this partnership, and that training around the matters of domestic violence has started.
Chairperson,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our traditional leaders for their role in ensuring that our people participated in the last local government elections. This is an important part of strengthening our democracy which we achieved after many years of heroic struggles. These are the struggles many of which were led by brave traditional leaders whose actions inspired millions of our people to confront the might of colonialism and apartheid.
Accordingly we have a duty to deepen this democracy. We also have the responsibility to improve the working relations between this institution of traditional leadership with our elected public representatives so as to build a better and a more effective machinery for the development of our communities, especially those in the rural areas.
Indeed, we can only improve infrastructure and the delivery of services to our people when we work together; when we do not regard one another as rivals and when we respect our different but complimentary roles in rendering service to our people.
As you are aware, our laws require that our traditional leaders should participate in our local municipalities. The law further stipulates that no development can take place in the area of an Inkosi without consultation with the relevant Inkosi.
I therefore urge this leadership to be proactive in engaging elected councillors to discuss issues affecting your communities and make constructive contributions for the development of the areas over which you exercise jurisdiction. Needless to say, the need to reach out in a spirit of cooperative governance also applies to our councils as well.
By working constructively with our elected public representatives, we will make it easier for development to take place. We will make it easier for local economic development to materialise because all leaders would be focussing on the challenge to end poverty and develop our communities.
During the course of this year we will establish the third level of the Houses of traditional leaders, the Local Houses of Traditional Leaders. It should be understood that the establishment of these local houses is yet another way of strengthening our system of local government.
What is important is that traditional leaders will be represented at all levels of government, the national, provincial and local. Clearly, we must use this system of government to ensure that our traditional leaders truly add value to the governance of our country.
Those traditional leaders who would be part of the local houses have to work closely with councillors. They have to understand that this would them to improve service delivery to their communities. They have to work with their communities and the ward committees to help improve peoples’ participation in governance issues and ensure that the people themselves increase their participation in the development process.
To enable them to carry out their tasks effectively, we should, as part of building capacity at the municipal level, ensure that we provide these local houses with the necessary capacity. Clearly, through these houses we have the opportunity further to improve the relations between traditional leaders and our democratically elected institutions, so that we achieve the necessary levels of cooperation that can only benefit our people.
Chairperson:
Government is aware of the capacity requirements our traditional leaders need in order to perform and contribute effectively the development of our country. As part of addressing this challenge, the Department of Provincial and Local Government is in the process of establishing an agency that would focus on increasing the capacity of our councillors. It is clear that this agency will also have to attend to the important matter of capacity building for our traditional leaders.
The challenge to provide this capacity will guide us when we allocate resources, because it is necessary to invest in the leadership and structures that are close to our people, especially those in the rural areas where many of our people continue to suffer from serious levels of poverty.
The central task ahead of us is to ensure that our system of governance as a whole is properly geared to use the achievements we have scored over the last 12 years to accelerate our advance towards the realisation of the goal of a better life for all.
It is only in this way that we will succeed to give meaning to the promise we made, when we said that our country has entered into its Age of Hope. I am certain that this House will do everything it can to ensure that that promise does indeed result in speeding up the process of improving the standard of living and the quality of life of all our people.
Once more thank you very much for making it possible for me to address you on the important occasion of the opening of this House. On behalf of our government and people, I wish you success in your important work focused on serving the people of South Africa.
Thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
4 May 2006
Source: The Presidency
Title: Mbeki: Opening of National House of Traditional Leaders
Address of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, at the opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders, City of Tshwane
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi MB Mzimela,
Deputy Chairperson, Kgosi FP Kutuma,
Your Majesties and Royal Highnesses,
Members of the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders,
Honourable Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Sydney Mufamadi, and Deputy Minister, Nomatyala Hangana,
Your Worship, the Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to thank the National House of Traditional Leaders for extending an invitation to me once again to make some short remarks at this opening session of the House. This meeting takes place four days before our national Parliament convenes to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution.
This is the Constitution that outlines the rights of all our citizens, the values that underpin our society and the institutions that are central to the upholding, protection and promotion of these rights and values.
It is a Constitution that also recognises the status, the role and place of the institution of traditional leadership. It is the same Constitution that made provision for the establishment of the National House of Traditional Leaders.
Indeed, over the years we have worked together to adhere to the prescriptions of our constitution with regard to this and other important institutions provided for by the supreme law of our land.
Chairperson, when we met here last year, we raised a number of matters which we thought should be addressed by this House and I think we should continue to attend to those issues because they are part of the many challenges that still face all of us as we work for the transformation of our society.
These include the need to work together to ensure that our languages are not marginalised and that we increase efforts to help, particularly our youth, so that they become proficient in all our languages, that they understand and appreciate our customs and traditions; that all of us are well versed with the wisdom contained in our idioms, in our music and in our African outlook as expressed in the concept and practice of Ubuntu.
We also discussed the important challenge to ensure that the regional and continental structures of traditional leadership play a role in the regeneration of our continent. Clearly, we should continue with this work so that this institution becomes one of the catalysts for change in Africa. Undoubtedly, these and many other challenges will continue to face us both in the present and in the future.
During the course of this year, it is important, among other things, that we align the Strategic Plans of the National House with those of the Provincial Houses so that these Houses do their work from the same understanding and within a unified perspective with regard to the role of the institution of traditional leadership and the challenges facing both the institution as well as our communities.
Among other things, the alignment of the plans would make it easier for all of us to have a better understanding of the role that these Houses are playing in the governance of our country.
Further, as all of us know, our country continues to be faced with a serious task to pursue the goal of moral regeneration. In part, this arises from the fact that many of our communities have abandoned the central tenets of our value systems of Ubuntu, which for centuries ensured that our people acted responsibly and respectfully towards one another, giving due regard to the objective to respect the dignity of every individual regardless of their status in society, concerned to protect the most vulnerable among us.
As we know, many of our people have turned their backs from the important elements of Ubuntu of humanism, compassion, and solidarity, which ensured that none among our people would go hungry when others live the life of luxury.
I think many of our people will agree that our traditional leaders have a responsibility to take the lead and help all of us to value a life of respect, of honesty and human dignity.
Working together with local councillors, provincial governments, religious bodies, youth and women organisations, professional structures such as teachers’ and other bodies, we need to ensure that the matter of moral regeneration become central to our interactions within our communities.
In this regard, among other things, I am very encouraged by the partnership that the National House of Traditional Leaders has concluded with the National Prosecuting Authority. I understand that there is already some visible progress in the matters you are dealing with in this partnership, and that training around the matters of domestic violence has started.
Chairperson,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our traditional leaders for their role in ensuring that our people participated in the last local government elections. This is an important part of strengthening our democracy which we achieved after many years of heroic struggles. These are the struggles many of which were led by brave traditional leaders whose actions inspired millions of our people to confront the might of colonialism and apartheid.
Accordingly we have a duty to deepen this democracy. We also have the responsibility to improve the working relations between this institution of traditional leadership with our elected public representatives so as to build a better and a more effective machinery for the development of our communities, especially those in the rural areas.
Indeed, we can only improve infrastructure and the delivery of services to our people when we work together; when we do not regard one another as rivals and when we respect our different but complimentary roles in rendering service to our people.
As you are aware, our laws require that our traditional leaders should participate in our local municipalities. The law further stipulates that no development can take place in the area of an Inkosi without consultation with the relevant Inkosi.
I therefore urge this leadership to be proactive in engaging elected councillors to discuss issues affecting your communities and make constructive contributions for the development of the areas over which you exercise jurisdiction. Needless to say, the need to reach out in a spirit of cooperative governance also applies to our councils as well.
By working constructively with our elected public representatives, we will make it easier for development to take place. We will make it easier for local economic development to materialise because all leaders would be focussing on the challenge to end poverty and develop our communities.
During the course of this year we will establish the third level of the Houses of traditional leaders, the Local Houses of Traditional Leaders. It should be understood that the establishment of these local houses is yet another way of strengthening our system of local government.
What is important is that traditional leaders will be represented at all levels of government, the national, provincial and local. Clearly, we must use this system of government to ensure that our traditional leaders truly add value to the governance of our country.
Those traditional leaders who would be part of the local houses have to work closely with councillors. They have to understand that this would them to improve service delivery to their communities. They have to work with their communities and the ward committees to help improve peoples’ participation in governance issues and ensure that the people themselves increase their participation in the development process.
To enable them to carry out their tasks effectively, we should, as part of building capacity at the municipal level, ensure that we provide these local houses with the necessary capacity. Clearly, through these houses we have the opportunity further to improve the relations between traditional leaders and our democratically elected institutions, so that we achieve the necessary levels of cooperation that can only benefit our people.
Chairperson:
Government is aware of the capacity requirements our traditional leaders need in order to perform and contribute effectively the development of our country. As part of addressing this challenge, the Department of Provincial and Local Government is in the process of establishing an agency that would focus on increasing the capacity of our councillors. It is clear that this agency will also have to attend to the important matter of capacity building for our traditional leaders.
The challenge to provide this capacity will guide us when we allocate resources, because it is necessary to invest in the leadership and structures that are close to our people, especially those in the rural areas where many of our people continue to suffer from serious levels of poverty.
The central task ahead of us is to ensure that our system of governance as a whole is properly geared to use the achievements we have scored over the last 12 years to accelerate our advance towards the realisation of the goal of a better life for all.
It is only in this way that we will succeed to give meaning to the promise we made, when we said that our country has entered into its Age of Hope. I am certain that this House will do everything it can to ensure that that promise does indeed result in speeding up the process of improving the standard of living and the quality of life of all our people.
Once more thank you very much for making it possible for me to address you on the important occasion of the opening of this House. On behalf of our government and people, I wish you success in your important work focused on serving the people of South Africa.
Thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
4 May 2006
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
