Pretoria - Kgosi Phopolo Pontsho Maubane from the North West Province has been elected to serve as a new Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL) for the next four years.
Kgosi Maubane was elected the new chairperson during the inauguration of the House in Pretoria on Thursday. The event also saw traditional leaders being sworn in as members of the House by Judge Peter Mabuse.
After the swearing in, traditional leaders voted for the both the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, where Kgosi Maubane and Nkosi Jacob Matanzima from the Eastern Cape were nominated for the positions of Chairperson.
Kgosi Maubane received 15 votes while the remaining votes from 23 members went to Inkosi Matanzima.
Kgoshi Sefogole Makgeru from Limpopo and Ikosi Sipho Mahlangu from Mpumalanga were nominated to contest the Deputy Chairperson position. Makgeru got 13 votes to become the Deputy Chairperson.
Addressing the House after his election, Kgosi Maubane said: "It is an honour and privilege to ascend to what I consider to be the most important position within the history of the traditional leaders ... and it is indeed a surprise.
"I commit myself to do the best of my ability, guided by the supreme laws of the country."
Cooperative Governance Minister Richard Baloyi said there were five areas where traditional leaders and municipalities would need to work together.
"We know that with your sterling leadership we can further accelerate service delivery, further promote good governance, further enhance sound financial management, as we accelerate the roll-out programme for infrastructure development and as we fight corruption.
"It is when we [work together] on these five areas, that the true story about a successful South Africa in a chapter that is to be written led by yourselves will become a real story," he said.
The fourth National House of Traditional Leaders will be officially opened by President Jacob Zuma in Parliament next week.
