M Mabuyakhulu: International Conference on Traditional Leadership
Affairs

25 October 2007

Programme director
His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation
The Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr JS Ndebele
The Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Obed Mlaba
Honourable Ministers from various countries
Honourable Provincial Ministers from various provinces
Your excellencies, the ambassadors
Your Majesties, the Kings
Your Royal Highnesses; the Queens
Royal Princess and Princesses
Esteemed Traditional Leadership Strata, the world over
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Eminent academics and scholars
Historians
Heads of departments
Distinguished guests
Observers
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
All Protocol observed

It is indeed enthralling and honourable to be present today and bear witness
to history in the making. As Africans and the world, we are in search of
appropriate and all inclusive governance models that will reflect on the work
of various scholars and, in our admiration of royalty and leadership present
today, we remember the words of Professor Don Ray (University of Calgary,
Canada) where he says; "I hope that in the case of Canada, we can learn from
Africa, especially this concept of National Houses of Traditional Leaders," Dr
Ray concludes. "I would like to bring Canadian first nations leaders together
with the traditional leaders of Ghana, Botswana and South Africa to explore how
the African Houses of Traditional Leaders operate, and whether similar
institutions might be useful to the First Nations"

These words put into perspective our task today as we endeavour to position
the institution of traditional leadership in its rightful place in the world's
multilateral forums thereby optimising the impact of its contribution to
development and governance. Our deliberations today will assist us in crafting
strategies that will catapult traditional leadership to its rightful place in
the epicentre of programme implementation particularly in the area of human
development throughout the world. As we embark on these deliberations we draw
strength from the enabling environment created by our respective governments
and the key focus areas of co-operation and synergistic partnerships between
elected and indigenous traditional structures.

We follow with keen interest debates and developments in respect of required
institutional development improvements. Various African scholars and other
scholars elsewhere in the world continue to research and compare institutional
models of functionality between governments and traditional leadership
structures. We follow with keen interest to elaborate on the system of Houses
of Chiefs in Ghana and the system of tribal administration offices in Botswana.
We know that throughout the world, traditional leadership structures and
governance are constantly searching for improved models. It is true that
institutional arrangements will always be the focus for continuous improvement.
We cannot arrive at a point in our history where institutional arrangements are
at a stage beyond which no improvement is required.

Programme director, notwithstanding the task of institutional development
and alignment, it gives me a sense of hope to note that the majority of
democracies in the world today have put in place a policy framework that allows
traditional leadership structures to participate fully in matters of
development and governance. It is up to us to rise to the occasion and seize
this opportunity.

It is encouraging for us as South Africans in particular to learn and follow
in the footsteps of African and global traditional leaders who have battled
with these issues for many decades before the birth of our own democracy. It is
therefore not surprising that our national framework legislation (Traditional
Leadership and Governance Framework Act, Act No. 41 of 2003) and our provincial
legislation (Traditional Leadership and Governance Act, Act, No. 5 of 2005) are
very much in line with the findings of the research by Prof Ray where he
discovered that in Ghana "The roots of legitimacy for African traditional
leaders are partly pre-colonial, historic, partly religious and partly
cultural".

This alignment becomes very clear in the White Paper on Traditional
Leadership and Governance, the subsequent Bill and the ultimate principal
legislation that we now have in place. This legislation attempts to re-position
traditional leadership structures as close as possible to the pristine
pre-colonial condition and status thus setting the framework and scene for
participation in matters of governance and development.

Programme director, our deliberations today will not focus on institutional
and policy related issues only. We are here to ask serious questions about the
focus and extent of the contribution of traditional leaders and their
structures in the world community. We therefore must ask ourselves the
direction of the interest and challenges facing global communities. We cannot
operate in isolation and pretend that our villages and nations are not part of
the global economy.

We are therefore encouraged by the presentation by the African scholar Njei
Moses Timah when he addressed His Royal Highness the Fon of Ngyen-Muwa,
traditional ruler of Moghamo (Cameroon) on the 30th of June 2001. Moses Timah
was respectful and elegant in comparing the Moghamo geographical area to
Paradise. As soon as he gained the confidence and acceptance by His Royal
Highness, Moses Timah continued and said "The only problem is that we are
destroying the wonderful potential of our surroundings. Ignorance has driven us
to wage a war on our pristine environment. We have decimated our natural forest
and we are already reaping the results of our actions. The streams and rivers
are drying up".

The protection of our environment, global warming, deforestation and
desertification are all issues that should confront traditional leaders
throughout the world today. We can no longer continue to profess our lack of
power against international interventions such as structural adjustment
programmes imposed by the so-called knowledge economies of the north. We have a
responsibility to participate in all global forums to advance the cause of our
communities. It is interesting to note that traditional leaders are already
making serious in-roads in the determination of the global agenda on crucial
mattes of the environment and human development.

The final section of Moses' presentation to His Royal Highness is
particularly fascinating. He concludes by drawing attention to the scourge of
HIV and AIDS. At the time of presentation (30 June 2001) the rate of infection
for Sub-Saharan Africa was a new case of infection every 25th second. He made
it very clear that traditional leaders had a responsibility to encourage
awareness campaigns in their areas. He also pleaded with traditional leaders to
encourage their subjects to show compassion towards those that were infected
and affected by the disease. Once again the whole area of HIV and AIDS is a
global emergency that requires a well co-ordinated strategic onslaught by the
institution of traditional leaders throughout the world.

Programme director, we know that traditional leaders and their structures
continue to vigorously address the scourge of HIV and AIDS. Traditional leaders
in Tanzania, the Gambia and Zambia (to select a few) are involved in HIV and
AIDS programmes in partnership with United Nations. It is encouraging to note
that Ghana has developed a strategy to fight AIDS nationwide. Workshops have
been held in the Asante region where the Asante King declared the HIV and AIDS
is the greatest threat to all Ghanaians. We note with interest that following
this declaration by the King, the Ghanaian HIV and AIDS strategy endorsed the
role of Asante traditional leaders particularly female traditional leaders in
the mobilisation of public opinion and the modification of sexual behaviour. We
welcome these developments and we are gathered here today in the hope that they
will be developed further. We are confident that there are opportunities for
regional, continental and global collaboration particularly on the issue of
basic health and safety.

Programme director, we cannot consolidate and move forward to our rightful
place in the global development agenda; unless we acknowledge and affirm good
work that has been done. Governments in Africa have long embarked on the
journey of synergistic partnerships with traditional leadership institutions.
We have already acknowledged that these partnerships are in need of constant
improvement. We have already noted that in addition to such improvements we
must focus on current global issues such as the environment and the state of
health of our people. However, we acknowledge the relationship between
development and governance. We therefore acknowledge and affirm the good work
of African countries, some of whom have set good examples. We note the
developments in the Gambia, where the Forestry Department involves traditional
leaders in sensitising people on issues of desertification and the need to
plant trees.

This is a governance and development model which involves traditional
leadership structures in formal departmental processes of education and
communication. There is nothing stopping all of us gathered here today, from
developing these initiatives into region and continent specific strategic
inputs, aimed at influencing the global agenda through participation in
appropriate forums.

Programme director, Africans have made serious strides towards the
eradication of all forms of discrimination including discrimination on the
basis of gender. We are gathered here today to ask serious questions about the
requirement for the continuous adaptation of custom, and its alignment with the
immeasurable gains made in the emancipation of traditional communities. These
are sensitive matters, and we have no doubt that royalty and the academia, will
deliberate and find each other at the point where human rights cannot be
compromised.

It is therefore appropriate that we have gathered to deliberate on these
matters at a venue that is named after a world renowned human rights activist,
traditional leader, teacher, mentor, peacemaker, Inkosi Albert Luthuli. As we
mention all these accolades, we acknowledge the enormous role of traditional
leaders the world over, in the uprising and liberation wars that led to the
liberation of their people including this great African continent.

Programme director, we have congregated here today, coming from all corners
of the globe, to engage in a frank and honest discussion about the enhancement
of the participation of the institution of traditional leadership in global
affairs. We are committed to the restructuring and the maximisation of the
impact of this institution in the role it plays and in the entrenchment of its
rightful role in continental and multilateral forums. We humbly feel that this
groundbreaking conference will provide impetus to the momentum of this
province, as it surges forward in the transformation of traditional leadership
and the restoration of the dignity that it deserves.

Our national and provincial legislation is in place and what we need now is
concerted effort towards programme development and implementation. Such
programmes must mirror and receive support from the regional, continental and
global activities. It is therefore our hope that resolutions taken at this
conference will assist our region and other regions in this great continent and
elsewhere in the world.

We will, programme director, not talk much about the strides we have made as
the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal in particular, and the government of
South Africa in general, in ensuring that the institution of traditional
leadership is accorded a meaningful, worthwhile and clear role within our
democratic dispensation setup. We are of the view that today's conference is
much bigger than our national and provincial policy and administrative
achievements. We will have missed the point if we spend time deliberating the
detail of our legislation, our institutional arrangements and other matters
pertinent to us, save where our appearances might contribute in the positioning
of the institution globally. We are here today to focus our combined attention
on matters that can be taken up to the appropriate forums of the world. We are
doing so in order to speak with one voice when we address the Millennium
Developmental Goals (MDGs). These MDGs, as they are now popularly known, deal
with fundamental issues of global warming, economic development, health,
poverty, education, access to basic services, urbanisation and human
rights.

All these issues affect traditional communities. We cannot marginalise
ourselves by staying outside of world forums that deal with these issues. When
we do participate, we want to be coherent and consistent. As traditional
leaders throughout the world, we have an excellent track record in the
alleviation of poverty, the resolution of disputes and administration of
justice. We must organise ourselves to share our experiences with the rest of
the world, and we must be part of the determination of the agenda against the
eradication of violence and abuse against women and children. We must be part
of the continuous changes in the focus of the world in respect of human
development. We no doubt have something to say against drug abuse, human
trafficking and other forms of violation of rights. Today marks the beginning
of our institutional and strategic consolidation, in our resolve to be coherent
and organised when we address these issues.

Programme director, today's conference is no longer about responding to the
question of whether the institution of traditional leadership is still relevant
to today's society. We think that this question was answered a long time ago
through the gallant acts of traditional leaders who come before us, who risked
and indeed sometimes were stripped of their status, because they, like Inkosi
Albert Luthuli and many others in Africa, Asia, South and North America, Europe
and in other corners of the globe, decided to join the ranks of the oppressed
and fight against subjugation, slavery and exploitation. We draw a sense of
pride in the track record of traditional leaders some of whom, even as we
speak, are involved in partnership with their governments, in addressing
critical issues of service delivery in addition to their customary leadership
role. Such leaders continue to make an indelible mark on the lives and the
history of traditional communities; particularly in efforts towards fighting
the global scourges like crime, poverty, illiteracy, underdevelopment and
disease. It is no longer a question of whether traditional leaders can play a
role in the world, but it is a question of how this institution can be better
equipped and better-positioned to play its role.

In other words, programme director, this conference is long overdue because
the challenges facing the world today alter their form and content with each
passing day. Therefore, for the institution of traditional leadership to play
its rightful role, it needs to be aligned with global developments. We,
therefore, need to exercise revolutionary urgency in dealing with issues
pertaining to traditional leadership. The words of Web du Bois,
African-American scholar and civic rights activist, better articulate the
urgency with which this task should be approached when he says: "Now is the
accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that
our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today
that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed
time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest"

In pursuit of our goal to define the role of this institution in
multilateral, continental and regional structures of governance, there are
areas that we need to highlight.

Democracy is a globally-accepted form of governance. Albeit it being a
newly-adopted concept in some of our countries, the reality is that it is a
barometer which is used to measure the well-being of any society. The
institution of traditional leadership will prosper within, among others, this
practical reality of our times. This conference must therefore come up with
resolutions, on how these systems of governance can co-exist, for the
development of our people and their own respective growth. We consciously raise
the issue of growth, because we are of the view that through cross-pollination
and a genuine understanding of where the other system comes from, we will
emerge with even more resilient and practical systems that will be able to
better co-exist.

For a long time, the system of traditional leadership has been beset by the
scourge of succession disputes. Almost all dynasties in the world, have
suffered at the hands of this challenge. The upshot of this is that the
institution suffers immensely from the resultant perception that it is an
unstable institution.

Particularly because the traditional leadership institution also plays a
role as the ambassador of the people, at times responsible for inviting
investors to communities under traditional leaders, the repercussions of
succession disputes may mean that investors shy away from that area, let alone
critical development initiatives. We need to look at this challenge and devise
ways of how succession disputes can, in the first place, be circumvented or,
secondly, be dealt with in a manner that does not upset the communities and
that does not lead to loss of lives. The institution needs to interrogate the
process upon which suitable individuals are identified to lead traditional
communities. Is the principle of the first born or exclusion of women in
consideration for succession still relevant? Does it rob the institution of the
best-abled individuals to lead irrespective of first born or female?

Programme director, the world has indeed become a global village. In order
to influence global decisions on issues that directly affect those whom we lead
as traditional leaders, we need to have our voices heard where it matters. The
regional, continental and multilateral institutions provide a platform for us
to influence the way the world evolves. Critically, therefore, we need to
define our role in these multilateral institutions not with the aim of only
forming our own ineffective parallel institutions but to ensure that we build
synergies that truly inform the debates and the decisions taken at these
institutions.

Obviously, this means that we need to seriously discuss the issue of unity
and cohesion of our own structures at local leading to national levels, in
order to ensure that when we engage in these institutions we talk on behalf of
the whole institution not just a handful of us. Any structure or organisation
that is going anywhere is characterised by its ability to candidly and honestly
reflect on what it does, identify its weaknesses in relation to the obtaining
conditions and challenges; as well as try to plot the way to a brighter future.
This conference accords us the chance to engage in such an exercise, not as an
end on its own but as a means to an end. We believe that the sharing of
contemporary experience in traditional governance will help us better
appreciate the challenges we face, and enable us to share experiences with a
view to informing our future responses to challenges.

Programme director, the institution of traditional leadership has received
its most brutal attacks based on the perception that it is, seemingly, an
anti-women institution. Again, we need to engage honestly on the issue of
traditional leadership and gender.

We need to pose a question whether it is not the distortion of our system
and those with a want to oppress women who hide behind our system that have,
through their acts, propagated a perception that the institution of traditional
leadership is anti-women. If this is the case, then this conference needs to
resolve on how this perception can, through both deeds and verbal
pronouncements from ourselves, be reversed. Again, we need to be frank and
honest if there are cases where women oppression is perpetuated using the
institution of traditional leadership. We need to be unequivocal that women
abuse and oppression cannot be associated with this institution.

Programme director, we cannot escape the fact that, at times, the
relationship between the institution of traditional leadership and
democratically-elected governments has been characterised by animosity and
fight for turf. Yet, the two need to work in tandem for the benefit of the
people. In our country and particularly in our province, we have made major
strides in ensuring the existence of synergistic partnerships between the two
institutions. We are convinced that, from this conference, will emerge
resolutions that will begin to crystallise the terms of engagement between
democratically-elected governance institutions and the institution of
traditional leadership.

The areas we have touched on are those that we think should be discussed at
this conference. We also feel that concrete and implementable resolutions
should emerge from these discussions because from them, we will begin to
position this institution in a manner that enables it to play its rightful role
in global affairs.

Again, we wish to thank you for responding to our call to come and discuss
these important issues pertaining the future of traditional leadership. We have
no doubt that with the collective brains, experience and expertise gathered
here for the two days, the fortunes of this institution are going to change for
the better.

May we discuss frankly and openly. May we set out to persuade other
delegates to our point of view but, in the same vein, allow ourselves to be
persuaded. May we, importantly, always keep in mind that we have to act with
urgency in ensuring that this, our institution of traditional leadership, takes
its place in the global sun.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Local Government, Housing and Traditional Affairs,
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
25 October 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)