Deputy President David Mabuza says the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders remains an embodiment of South Africa’s collective history, heritage and the common thread of national identity.
In his address at the opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders on Thursday, the Deputy President said the House is an important affirmation of the constitutional and democratic dispensation that embeds the leadership role of traditional leaders in society.
“It is an opportunity to reflect, and shape collective action towards resolving complex developmental issues confronting traditional communities,” the Deputy President said.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mabuza said government looks to the partnership with the institution of traditional and Khoi-San leadership to sharpen its efforts of economic recovery and reconstruction.
“That is why as social partners, we must solidify our partnerships and collaboration in driving COVID-19 vaccination in order to get the country back to normalcy, and open up the economy to reverse the losses caused by the impact of Coronavirus.”
The Deputy President said he has no doubt that with the economic recovery and reconstruction measures that government is implementing, these challenges will ultimately be overcome.
He said the role of traditional leaders should never be limited only to ceremonial and cultural responsibilities, but should be seen in the broader context of the daily struggles of ordinary people in the search for a better quality of life, access to economic opportunities, improved infrastructure for service delivery, as well as quality health and education outcomes.
He called on traditional leaders to see themselves as catalysts and agents of change to bring about better development outcomes in areas under the jurisdiction of traditional leadership.
“Government will continue to build and sustain strong collaborative and partnership platforms with traditional leaders to address poverty and underdevelopment challenges in traditional communities, many of which are located in far-flung, rural and economically deprived parts of our country.”
These collaborative efforts will also include a concerted fight against crime that affects traditional communities, thus impacting on issues of safety and development, said Mabuza.
Addressing GBV
The Deputy President told the House that they were meeting at a time when social ills like gender-based violence and femicide, the abuse and violation of the girl-child and ritual killings, especially of people with albinism, continue to confront the nation.
“Let us be clear that acts of gender-based violence undermine all our efforts of building a united and prosperous society. The measure of any nation is how women and children are being treated. We cannot be a society that regresses and has no regard for the rights of women.
“We raise these issues sharply as we do, comfortable that members of this House possess distinct wisdom that is drawn from the people in various makgotla and izimbizo held within their communities.”
Mabuza called on the leaders to stand up and fight all that divides the nation. He said that all should work together as partners in efforts of building a united South Africa.
Addressing issues affecting leaders
Mabuza acknowledged the issues and challenges raised by AmaKhosi and Khoi-San leaders, which in the main are about the strengthening of this key institution, and placing it at the heart of development of traditional communities, to be on par with the rest of the country.
“It is through collaboration between government and traditional and Khoi-San leaders that we will be able to make faster progress in finding solutions to prevailing challenges that confront our communities.
“With a unified sense of purpose and direction, we stand a better chance to make a positive impact on the lives of our people in traditional communities.”
Mabuza said among the issues raised, government has heard calls for the need to resolve the land question, to improve road infrastructure to connect communities and enable economic activities, including facilitating access to essential services.
Other key issues include investing in rural development, rolling out access to water and sanitation, turning Great Places into heritage sites for the promotion of tourism in traditional communities, and ensuring access to information, communication and technology.
Mabuza said when looked at collectively, these issues find expression in the programmes outlined in the State of the Nation Address by the President. – SAnews.gov.za
