Date: 28/04/2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Address at the opening of Provincial House of Traditional Leaders
Speech by North West Premier, Mme Edna Molewa, at the official opening of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Old Parliament Building, Mafikeng
Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Mabe-Molopyane
Deputy Chairperson, Kgosi Mankuroana
Honourable Members of the House
MECs
Members of the North West Provincial Legislature
Distinguished Guests
Let me begin by first acknowledging the Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Nkosi Mpiyezintombi Mzimela, as well as Amakhosi and Dikgosi from other Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders present. Free State, Limpopo and Eastern Cape I believe are represented here today.
I am greatly honoured Your Worships to have this opportunity to open this session of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders. I also want to thank the House for extending this invitation to my office.
We always appreciate this interaction with Dikgosi as it not only deepens co-operation between the Provincial Government and Traditional Authorities but also reaffirms our commitment to the role of Dikgosi in consolidating our democratic governance.
In acknowledging this critical role of Dikgosi in our governance, I would also like to pay tribute to those members of Traditional Authorities who passed away in the past year as well as early this year. They include Kgosi Modisane Mangope, Kgosi Leema and Kgosana Moshwana Moiola. May they be joined with the ancestors and their souls rest in peace.
In the North West Province, we are proud of a very healthy relationship between all structures of government, particularly and crucially at local government level and our traditional leaders. We will continue to nurture and enhance these healthy relations.
Opening the National House of Traditional Leaders in Cape Town a few weeks ago, President Thabo Mbeki stressed the importance of language, tradition and identity and how they related to the institution of traditional leadership.
He said: “We all know that language is not merely words that are spoken on a daily basis, nor is it just a means of communication. Language is a critical factor in terms of sustaining national identity. It contains in it the history of those who use it. It communicates the traditions, customs, the morals and the values of the people.”
Language, President Mbeki continued, gives guidance as the people face all manner of challenges in their lives. “All of us continue to derive wisdom from old-age idioms of our languages, which help when we face difficulties, when we deal with conflict situations, when we raise children and families and when we build communities.”
Noting the particular challenge posed by the President, as Provincial Government, particularly the Departments of Education and Sports, Arts and Culture, we are ready to constructively work with this House, to attend to the important matter of revival and treasury of our languages as repositories of culture.
Chairperson
As Members of the House of Traditional Leaders may be aware, we have tabled to the Provincial Legislature, a Provincial Bill on Traditional Leadership and Governance and I believe public hearings and consultations are now complete. As soon as it becomes law, the Bill will put in the clearest of terms, the role of traditional leaders in the democratic governance, including co-operation with local government authorities.
It is of particular importance that traditional leaders work closely with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) as the umbrella body governing all local government authorities. The municipalities as you know are at the coalface of service delivery.
We are also delighted to report that the audit of provincial headmen and headwomen, as commissioned by the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act 41 of 2003, is nearing completion. Certainly after this process, the precepts in the Act will be followed further in entrenching the role of Dikgosi in governance.
We would further expect, as part of the Act, that Dikgosi reconstitute their Traditional Councils to include women as traditional leaders. I believe you are better placed to champion this democratisation process in your respective areas.
Chairperson
We are delighted as well to report that we have restructured the House of Traditional Leadership and that all members and the executive are now engaged in their respective duties. I am aware, for instance, that Dikgosi have recently had their Strategic Plan. We fully support this Plan and call on traditional leaders to work closely with Members of the Executive Council (MECs), the North West Executive Council (EXCO) and the Legislature in dealing with issues on their tables. The Office of the Premier is ready to assist in drawing an implementation strategy for the Plan.
The MECs, the EXCO and the Provincial Legislature have all guaranteed their unconditional co-operation with the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders on the implementation of the Strategic Plan as well as other areas of co-operative governance.
I might also add, Honourable Members, as we announced in the Budget Vote a few weeks ago, that the Office has spent R3 million in the past financial year on the construction of new Tribal Offices of Batlokwa and GaMotlatla as well as renovations of offices for Ramatlabama and Moubana.
We would also like traditional leaders to develop close working relations with other sectors of society, including business communities like ABSA, ESKOM and Telkom as their various corporate investment programmes form an important part of developing our communities.
Our continued support for the administration of traditional affairs is a matter of commitment and duty. We would in turn like to call on traditional leaders to support the Traditional Leadership Commission on Claims and Disputes, as appointed by President Thabo Mbeki recently.
Recently, our Provincial Growth and Development Summit (PGDS), as well as the subsequent PGDS Strategy, have boldly located Dikgosi as strategic partners in service delivery. And indeed, a process is underway in Office of the Premier of developing service standards to govern and determine our relations and responsibilities to the traditional establishment. We will adhere to these standards in the strictest manner possible.
Honourable Members
We can never overemphasise the critical involvement of traditional leaders in all our rural development work as well as in all the challenges of rebuilding our societies. This nation building would include participation by traditional leaders in the revival and promotion of our diverse and rich, yet often marginalised languages.
Furthermore, as custodians of culture and our communities’ values of Botho, respect for human life and many other communal values, traditional leaders are best placed to lead the fight against HIV and AIDS.
We further rely on them to assist in the criminal justice system, thereby stemming such unacceptable activities as stock theft, abuse of women and children and drug and alcohol abuse. In playing that role, traditional leaders would be assisting this nation that is South Africa greatly in the campaign for moral regeneration.
Together with traditional leaders, Government will work to promote a society that highlights caring and social progress, a society that prevents and fights social ills, a society that respects human dignity and promotes respect for each and every person regardless of their station in life.
Finally, as we develop the Second Economy to improve the lives of the majority of our people, an even greater role remains for traditional leaders in the formulation of strategies for implementing the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Let me now conclude by reassuring this House that this Government will work hard to return and entrench the dignity and authority of our traditional leadership that was corroded by many years of colonialism and apartheid. We see no contradiction in our democratic system of governance that incorporates traditional leadership. We will therefore continue to work together to improve the lives of all our people.
There is no doubt in my mind about the support we will continue to draw from this institution of traditional leadership as we together build a province and a country that truly belongs to all, united in our diversity.
I thank you again for this opportunity to open this session of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
28 April 2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Address at the opening of Provincial House of Traditional Leaders
Speech by North West Premier, Mme Edna Molewa, at the official opening of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Old Parliament Building, Mafikeng
Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Mabe-Molopyane
Deputy Chairperson, Kgosi Mankuroana
Honourable Members of the House
MECs
Members of the North West Provincial Legislature
Distinguished Guests
Let me begin by first acknowledging the Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Nkosi Mpiyezintombi Mzimela, as well as Amakhosi and Dikgosi from other Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders present. Free State, Limpopo and Eastern Cape I believe are represented here today.
I am greatly honoured Your Worships to have this opportunity to open this session of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders. I also want to thank the House for extending this invitation to my office.
We always appreciate this interaction with Dikgosi as it not only deepens co-operation between the Provincial Government and Traditional Authorities but also reaffirms our commitment to the role of Dikgosi in consolidating our democratic governance.
In acknowledging this critical role of Dikgosi in our governance, I would also like to pay tribute to those members of Traditional Authorities who passed away in the past year as well as early this year. They include Kgosi Modisane Mangope, Kgosi Leema and Kgosana Moshwana Moiola. May they be joined with the ancestors and their souls rest in peace.
In the North West Province, we are proud of a very healthy relationship between all structures of government, particularly and crucially at local government level and our traditional leaders. We will continue to nurture and enhance these healthy relations.
Opening the National House of Traditional Leaders in Cape Town a few weeks ago, President Thabo Mbeki stressed the importance of language, tradition and identity and how they related to the institution of traditional leadership.
He said: “We all know that language is not merely words that are spoken on a daily basis, nor is it just a means of communication. Language is a critical factor in terms of sustaining national identity. It contains in it the history of those who use it. It communicates the traditions, customs, the morals and the values of the people.”
Language, President Mbeki continued, gives guidance as the people face all manner of challenges in their lives. “All of us continue to derive wisdom from old-age idioms of our languages, which help when we face difficulties, when we deal with conflict situations, when we raise children and families and when we build communities.”
Noting the particular challenge posed by the President, as Provincial Government, particularly the Departments of Education and Sports, Arts and Culture, we are ready to constructively work with this House, to attend to the important matter of revival and treasury of our languages as repositories of culture.
Chairperson
As Members of the House of Traditional Leaders may be aware, we have tabled to the Provincial Legislature, a Provincial Bill on Traditional Leadership and Governance and I believe public hearings and consultations are now complete. As soon as it becomes law, the Bill will put in the clearest of terms, the role of traditional leaders in the democratic governance, including co-operation with local government authorities.
It is of particular importance that traditional leaders work closely with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) as the umbrella body governing all local government authorities. The municipalities as you know are at the coalface of service delivery.
We are also delighted to report that the audit of provincial headmen and headwomen, as commissioned by the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act 41 of 2003, is nearing completion. Certainly after this process, the precepts in the Act will be followed further in entrenching the role of Dikgosi in governance.
We would further expect, as part of the Act, that Dikgosi reconstitute their Traditional Councils to include women as traditional leaders. I believe you are better placed to champion this democratisation process in your respective areas.
Chairperson
We are delighted as well to report that we have restructured the House of Traditional Leadership and that all members and the executive are now engaged in their respective duties. I am aware, for instance, that Dikgosi have recently had their Strategic Plan. We fully support this Plan and call on traditional leaders to work closely with Members of the Executive Council (MECs), the North West Executive Council (EXCO) and the Legislature in dealing with issues on their tables. The Office of the Premier is ready to assist in drawing an implementation strategy for the Plan.
The MECs, the EXCO and the Provincial Legislature have all guaranteed their unconditional co-operation with the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders on the implementation of the Strategic Plan as well as other areas of co-operative governance.
I might also add, Honourable Members, as we announced in the Budget Vote a few weeks ago, that the Office has spent R3 million in the past financial year on the construction of new Tribal Offices of Batlokwa and GaMotlatla as well as renovations of offices for Ramatlabama and Moubana.
We would also like traditional leaders to develop close working relations with other sectors of society, including business communities like ABSA, ESKOM and Telkom as their various corporate investment programmes form an important part of developing our communities.
Our continued support for the administration of traditional affairs is a matter of commitment and duty. We would in turn like to call on traditional leaders to support the Traditional Leadership Commission on Claims and Disputes, as appointed by President Thabo Mbeki recently.
Recently, our Provincial Growth and Development Summit (PGDS), as well as the subsequent PGDS Strategy, have boldly located Dikgosi as strategic partners in service delivery. And indeed, a process is underway in Office of the Premier of developing service standards to govern and determine our relations and responsibilities to the traditional establishment. We will adhere to these standards in the strictest manner possible.
Honourable Members
We can never overemphasise the critical involvement of traditional leaders in all our rural development work as well as in all the challenges of rebuilding our societies. This nation building would include participation by traditional leaders in the revival and promotion of our diverse and rich, yet often marginalised languages.
Furthermore, as custodians of culture and our communities’ values of Botho, respect for human life and many other communal values, traditional leaders are best placed to lead the fight against HIV and AIDS.
We further rely on them to assist in the criminal justice system, thereby stemming such unacceptable activities as stock theft, abuse of women and children and drug and alcohol abuse. In playing that role, traditional leaders would be assisting this nation that is South Africa greatly in the campaign for moral regeneration.
Together with traditional leaders, Government will work to promote a society that highlights caring and social progress, a society that prevents and fights social ills, a society that respects human dignity and promotes respect for each and every person regardless of their station in life.
Finally, as we develop the Second Economy to improve the lives of the majority of our people, an even greater role remains for traditional leaders in the formulation of strategies for implementing the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Let me now conclude by reassuring this House that this Government will work hard to return and entrench the dignity and authority of our traditional leadership that was corroded by many years of colonialism and apartheid. We see no contradiction in our democratic system of governance that incorporates traditional leadership. We will therefore continue to work together to improve the lives of all our people.
There is no doubt in my mind about the support we will continue to draw from this institution of traditional leadership as we together build a province and a country that truly belongs to all, united in our diversity.
I thank you again for this opportunity to open this session of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
28 April 2005
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
