Government says it has established an Inter-Ministerial Task Team aimed at looking at all issues related to traditional leaders including those from the Khoi-San community.
The issues traditional leaders have raised include land ownership, improving road infrastructure in rural areas, and investment in their communities.
Deputy President David Mabuza said this at the official opening of the sixth annual National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in Parliament.
Mabuza, who is currently acting president while President Cyril Ramaphosa is out of the country, told delegates that some of the issues have been outstanding for a long time.
“The President has established an Inter-Ministerial Task Team to respond to these issues that you have raised over time. This task team is chaired by the Deputy President and comprises of the Ministers of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Minister of Police, Minister of Mineral Resources, and Energy, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture and Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.”
Mabuza explains the purpose of the task team.
“ The task team will endeavour to address all these issues raised by the institution of traditional and Khoi San leaders to advance development in your respective communities. As I have said some of these issues have taken long to resolve. However, we are confident that the process we have chosen will bear fruits. That is why we want to appeal to all sections of these institutions to afford this unfolding process space and opportunity to work on the issues at hand.”
Regulations for election and appointment of traditional councillors gazetted
He also revealed that regulations for the election and appointment of traditional councillors have already been gazetted.
“ At a policy level, we will continue to create enabling legislation for the benefit of this institution. In this regard, the Traditional and Khoi-San Act, which provides for the traditional councils to be constituted, is coming into effect as indicated last year. This has been a matter of concern to this institution. To this end, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has gazetted a formula for constituting traditional councillors which will pave the way for the elections and appointment of members of these councillors.”
Fight gender-based violence
Mabuza called on traditional leaders to work with the government in the fight against gender-based violence.
“We are also meeting at a time when social ills like gender-based violence and femicide including the abuse and violation of the girl child continue to confront us as the nation, so are the killings of rituals, especially people living with albinism. Let us be clear chairperson, that the acts of gender-based violence undermine all our efforts of building a united and prosperous country. The measure of any nation is how women and children are being treated.”
