President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged traditional leaders to become more involved in community development.
He was speaking on Saturday at the Congress of Traditional Leaders (Contralesa) 8th National Elective Conference in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.
It was a gathering of kings and queens from across the country with President Ramaphosa as the guest of honour. And, with rural communities pinning their hopes on this cohort of leaders, the President asked them to be deeply involved in the development of their rural subjects.
Contralesa represents traditional leaders and chiefs in the country and seeks to work with the government towards a unified South Africa that draws on the strength of the country’s cultural and traditional diversity.
And where sometimes development is stalled because some royal families fight over who should be the right person for the throne, President Ramaphosa urges traditional leaders to work together to ensure that the customary succession is seamless.
CONTRALESA 8th Elective Congress: Ramaphosa
Traditional leaders have expressed concerns about their salaries, tools of the trade, and what they see as the government’s unfair treatment of some chiefs and kings.
President Ramaphosa assured them that their concerns would be addressed soon and urged them to collaborate with his administration in order to develop the country.
In their last interaction with the President, traditional leaders wanted salaries, not stipends, the disparity in the treatment of traditional leaders with others treated better than others and complained about over 800 traditional councils dysfunctional.
Ramaphosa says his administration is committed to resolving all their concerns.
“Land ownership, as agreed at the 2017 Traditional Leadership Indaba, is a critical issue for government to address. Consultations on draft proposals towards communal land tenure are on course, and I have been advised that Contralesa has already been consulted in this regard.” pic.twitter.com/VuQYiwDQdp
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