Traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape are demanding expanded powers in local government, warning that their institution has been increasingly marginalised despite its role in governing rural communities.
The call was made at the Eastern Cape Traditional Leadership Summit in KuGompo City, where Contralesa provincial chair Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana said traditional leaders should be granted greater authority and representation in municipal structures.
“Our institution has been sidelined and relegated to the periphery of decision-making,” he said.
“We need to be part of the solution to address the challenges facing our communities.”
Nonkonyana, who is also an MP, a member of parliament’s select committee on security and justice and an advocate of the high court, said the participation of traditional leaders in governance had steadily declined since the dawn of democracy.
He said some categories of leaders, such as headmen and headwomen responsible for administrative areas, had been removed entirely from traditional leadership structures.
Contralesa is pushing for greater recognition and participation in governance.
Nonkonyana said traditional leaders had initially welcomed amendments to section 81 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act of 1998, which provided for 30% representation of traditional leaders in municipalities.
“Although we had few representatives, our members acted very hard to represent the institution.”
He said traditional leaders had worked with municipalities on issues affecting communities, including efforts to curb deaths linked to botched circumcision ceremonies conducted under the pretext of initiation.
However, he said these gains were short-lived.
“The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act was further amended to restrict our participation to only three senior traditional leaders,” Nonkonyana said.
“To add pain to the injury, the enactment of the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Act No 3 of 2019 exacerbated the issue, as traditional leaders in charge of administrative areas [headmen and headwomen] were unceremoniously removed from all houses of traditional leaders.
“There is no doubt that our participation has been reduced from bad to worse. If this is unintended mischief, it must be remedied.”
Nonkonyana also called for the recognition of sub-headmen and headwomen as part of the traditional leadership system, saying current legislation had created divisions within the institution.
“The provisions of the act have caused unnecessary division and mistrust between traditional leaders in charge of administrative areas [headmen and headwomen] and senior traditional leaders [chiefs],” he said.
He said municipalities and traditional councils should work together within the cooperative governance framework provided for in chapter 3 of the constitution.
Nonkonyana proposed several reforms, including granting traditional leadership institutions powers to govern within their areas of jurisdiction alongside councillors elected by residents, with imbizos serving as community assemblies.
This option would require amendments to the constitution and enabling legislation.
He also proposed amendments to local government laws to strengthen the representation of traditional authorities and suggested that traditional leaders should have their own chamber to consider municipal by-laws.
Nonkonyana further called on government to provide traditional leaders with “tools of trade” similar to those given to other public office bearers.
These included gratuity and pension allowances, medical aid and other benefits.
“We expressed our disgust after the department withdrew gratuities payable to bereaved families of traditional leaders in this province,” he said, adding that he welcomed assurances from the premier that the matter had been remedied.
He also called for the expansion of SAPS’ traditional policing concept to protect traditional leaders, many of whom live under threat.
“The need for such service cannot be over-emphasised as traditional leaders have been killed and many live in fear in the execution of their responsibilities,” he said.
The summit is expected to adopt a declaration outlining the institution’s demands for reforms to strengthen the role of traditional leadership in governance.
Daily Dispatch
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