Date: 19/04/2007

Source: Limpopo Provincial Government

Title: Nkoana-Mashabane: Traditional Leadership summit

Address by Nkoana-Mashabane MEC for the Department of Local Government and Housing during the Traditional Leadership summit, Mokopane

Programme Director
Premier of Limpopo Honourable Sello Moloto
Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress Cassel Mathale
Chairperson of House of Traditional Leaders Limpopo M Tsanwisi
Chairpersons of Standing Committees in Limpopo Legislature
Honourable members of the Provincial Legislature
Executive mayors
Mayors of municipalities in Limpopo
Traditional leaders
Representatives from tertiary institutions
Representatives from political parties
Officials from our government
Representatives from government
Representatives from business fraternity
Our friends from the media
Comrades and friends
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

In 1910 Pixley Ka Izaka Seme after returning from his studies in America and England realised that the knowledge that he has acquired was not only for his self aggrandisement and enrichment but also for the upliftment and emancipation of his downtrodden people.

The conditions, under which Africans lived and worked particularly in the northern provinces, shocked him and stirred his mind into action. In those days a Black man was treated as a beast of burden. He was kicked and knocked with impunity. He was not allowed to walk in pavements and had to dodge motor cars in the street.

These briefly were the conditions under which the African people in the Northern provinces lived and laboured when Alfred Mangena, Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, D Montsioa and R W Msimang a group of African lawyers returned to South Africa from overseas.

When he saw what was happening to all Africans of all tribes, probably he remembered that the ultimate object of Tshaka in building the Zulu nation was to bring all the tribes under Zulu sway so as to eventually create a powerful nation of all the Africans.

He consulted with friends and they agreed that his idea was excellent and that the unity of the tribes was absolute necessity. So the four lawyers at the suggestion of Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, decided to convene a conference of all the Chiefs and prominent educated Africans to meet in Bloemfontein on 8 January 1912.

The chronological account of these events intends to demonstrate the historical relationship between our Traditional Leaders and the African National Congress (ANC). It is for this reason that the ANC's recognition of traditional leadership is unwavering and supported in all fronts.

Since the dawn of the democratic breakthrough the ANC led government through legislative mechanisms established a House of Traditional Leaders to support our constitutional democracy and to ensure that issues of tradition and culture are maintained and promoted through this House.

Programme Director

Traditional leadership is indigenous to South Africa and the rest of Africa. Its existence predates the colonial conquests and the apartheid era. Like other institutions and structures of governance, the institution of traditional leadership evolved with time. Each traditional community existed as an independent entity from others. The European colonial expansion into Africa and particularly in South Africa significantly altered the social organisation of African societies and transformed them in such a manner that they are amenable to European control.

The ANC led government has established the House of Traditional Leadership as a recognition of the role played by the traditional leaders in the history of our country and enshrined the institution of traditional leadership in the constitution.

Challenges on the role of traditional leadership in terms of facilitating Integrated Rural Development Planning and proper management of land use are still some of the critical challenges facing the entire South African rural hinterland.

Our department's core responsibilities are proper regulation and management of land use, eradication of informal settlements and land invasion, facilitation of orderly planning of sustainable human settlements and integrated human settlement, including a provision of basic services.

Central to these strategic objectives, we are still confronted with challenges of urban and rural sprawl. It is an imperative to ensure that all social partners play an important role to achieve integrated development planning and human settlement patterns, including in the rural areas.

Traditional authorities have an important role towards attaining these objectives. They are actively partaking on the allocations of sites.

Measures should be put in place to ensure that municipal development frameworks and integrated land use schemes are developed and adhered to during allocation of land use.

We appeal that traditional authorities and municipalities should develop common procedures that deal with allocation of the demarcation of sites.

Chairperson,

This summit should also deliberate on the inclusive measures to guide the release of land for development in the rural areas. For an example, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy had identified Jane Furse as a growth point. However, this matter is still outstanding because community resolution is not yet secured.

Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) should be based on the participation of all stakeholders, including the traditional leaders. The IDP should be the outcome of public participation process, whereby all stakeholders in a municipality are given an opportunity to make an input.

Chairperson

Traditional Leaders have a protracted record of facilitating community consultations. This process was done through makgotla / dipiitso. It is important to utilise these sessions to consolidate popular democracy.

The Municipal Structures Act and the Traditional Leadership Framework Act emphasis participation and representation of traditional leaders in municipal councils.

The Traditional leadership within the local sphere, the institution through its custom based structures should facilitate community involvement in the IDP processes, support municipalities in the identification of community needs and in the implementation of development programmes, promote indigenous knowledge systems for sustainable development.

Since a large number of people residing in rural areas which are in under the leadership of traditional leaders, they are correctly located to be entrusted with the responsibility to promote socio economic development and service delivery by advising government in developing policy impacting on rural communities and the development of legislation that impacts on rural communities.

To further deepen democracy, the traditional leadership may perform various functions in support of government, arts and culture, land and agriculture, health and welfare, economic development and environment and tourism.

Further the escalating crime in rural areas will be reduced in partnership with traditional leadership especially were there is co-operation between the municipality and traditional leadership in demarcation of sites. In a rural area setup, it is more likely to know each other than in an urban environment.

In observing and implementation of customary law, customs and norms, the traditional leadership must work closely with government and other institutions supporting democracy especially were there is conflict of laws and rights.

This co-operation will consolidate the relationship and respect to which the community has accorded it for years and minimisation of conflicts between elected councillors and the chiefs.

As government through local government continue delivery of services and housing to our people, traditional leaders may play a meaningful contribution ranging from identification of beneficiaries for free basic services and social grants.

In concert with the growing economy, the traditional leadership must assist government in job creation efforts especially in the field of agriculture and tourism.

As we to implement programmes that are geared towards social upliftment of our people and pushing back the frontiers of poverty and underdevelopment.

We hope that today's deliberations will advance our plan to make local government work better for our people especially those who are residing in rural areas who happen to be our Africa National Congress (ANC) voters in every election.

I wish you a success in this summit.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Limpopo Provincial Government
19 April 2007