The Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders has elected new leadership during a congress held in Thohoyandou on Monday. The elected Provincial Executive Committee which consists of the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and three additional members will lead the house for the next five years.
The main function of the House of Traditional Leaders is to advise the government and legislature on matters related to customs, traditions and cultural practices.
It also advises on developmental initiatives that have an impact on rural communities. Hosi Pheni Ngove has been elected the chairperson, while Kgoši Boleu Rammupudu was elected as the deputy.
Kgošigadi Masemola, Kgoši Lebogo and Hosi Chauke were also elected as Executive Members.
Hosi Ngove says they will work for development in rural areas. “The mandate is a common one, to make sure that our communities are developed and to make sure that the unemployment, whether it’s by youth or women, are improved especially in the rural areas because that’s where the problem is. So that is a clear mandate. It’s not about positions, it’s not about leadership, It’s about working for our people especially the marginalised ones from the rural areas,” Ngove explains.
Meanwhile, Limpopo Traditional Affairs MEC, Basikopo Makamu says the provincial government is looking forward to working with the newly elected leaders.
“To outgoing leadership, thanks very much, they’ve been advising. One of the most important mandates of the provincial house of traditional leadership is to advise government on issues of the institution of traditional leadership. They’ve been doing that. We’ll agree and disagree at some point. But what I’ve learned during the process was a compromise that will always be made between them and government. To the incoming leadership is to say the premier with his provincial government is readily available to work with them. That is the message he has sent me here to bring and I can assure them that the premier will support them,” says Makamu.
Ngove is taking over from Kgoši Malesela Dikgale who served the Limpopo House of Traditional leaders as the chairperson since 2012.
Dikgale has been nominated to represent the province in the national structure. Kgoši Dikgale says this is a vote of confidence in him.
“I’m happy that the provisional House office still has trust in me. I’ve led the house for two terms which were 10 years. For now, they are saying I must go to Pretoria and represent them on that side. I’m very happy that they got trust me and I got very good support from the executive that we had with Hosi Ngove being Deputy Chairperson at that time. So, today to see him as the chairperson, I’m also happy that we have groomed someone who can take care of the provisional house,” Dikgale explains.
The newly-elected team will serve until 2027.
