the House of Traditional Leaders during Social Development Day
19 October 2007
Namusi mubuso wo swika dzimauli ha Rammbuda tshiwa nga Matembele ro disa
mvula! (Today the government has come to ha Rammbudaâ¦we have brought along
rain!)
With rain comes blessing and those we bring you today. When it rains it
bring blessings. This is what we have been taught by those who came before
us.
Within the African National Congress (ANC), those who came before us also
taught us to respect traditional authority. Traditional leaders have always
been part of the organisation and they been in the forefront of the leadership
of the ANC.
In 1910 Alfred Mangena, Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, Montsioa and Msimang a group
of African lawyers returned to South Africa from overseas, realised that the
knowledge that they had acquired was not only for their self aggrandisement and
enrichment but also for the upliftment and emancipation of their downtrodden
people.
The conditions, under which Africans lived and worked particularly in the
northern provinces, shocked them and stirred their mind into action. The four
lawyers at the suggestion of Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, decided to convene a
conference of all the Chiefs and prominent educated Africans to meet in
Bloemfontein on 8 January 1912.
This demonstrates the historical relationship between our Traditional
Leaders and the ANC. It is for this reason that the ANC's recognition of
traditional leadership is unwavering and supported in all fronts.
Since the dawn of the democratic breakthrough the ANC led government through
legislative mechanisms established a House of Traditional Leaders to support
our constitutional democracy and to ensure that issues of tradition and culture
are maintained and promoted through this house.
The National House of Traditional Leaders has identified the following key
focus areas for the next three years as per our strategic plan. Some of the key
focus areas are as follows:
* mobilise relevant stakeholders to contribute to rural development
* advise government and legislative bodies on matters affecting traditional
leaders and their communities
* promote culture, language and moral regeneration
* promote indigenous knowledge
* provide sound guidelines on communal land
* develop a sound justice system for traditional leaders
* develop and sustain women and youth development programmes.
On all these issues that the National House of Traditional Leaders has
raised, government is very supportive of them. It is in the interest of the
country that the institution of traditional leaders succeeds. Your role is
indeed immense!
South Africa today faces a challenge of teenage pregnancy. This is even
greater when we think about the sexually transmitted diseases that we know
exist in our communities such HIV and AIDS. I am appealing to the leaders, to
you Misanda, to help in the curbing of these diseases through education and
promotion of positive values.
One of our national challenges is crime. Here too the traditional leadership
should work even closer with the police and the criminal justice system and the
community to deal with this scourge. Together, we will win this war against
crime.
As the community we cannot continue with practises that perpetuate evil. I
am talking about the issue of ritual murders that Limpopo and this region has
been experiencing. I have no solution here except to appeal to the community to
work together with the leadership to end this demonic practice.
We need to promote values of respect in traditional leadership, the offices
that people bear in government and all forms of authority in our community. We
need to emphasise that without the rule of law and the respect of the law in
general, this country will not prosper to the heights we all wish it to
reach.
Role of traditional leaders in the fight against HIV and AIDS and
tuberculosis (TB), malaria and other infectious diseases is important.
Traditional leaders still have the authority in their jurisdiction and this
must also be used to encourage people to live positive lives free from
disease.
I want to praise the Mutale the Arts and Craft Centre where a number of
community members are engaged on a daily basis in sculpture (wood carving),
sewing and the production of other arts artefacts.
I feel that as government we must give them a better deal. For instance,
some of the artefacts can even be sold to visiting international guests who may
be travelling through this part of the land. The development of workable Local
Economic Development (LED) programme is a must for this area. In government, we
can buy them to give as presents for our official international guests. The
National Productivity Institute (NPI) and other organisations should be called
on to assist in the packaging and marketing of these products.
It is high in our priority to promote cultural tourism and, therefore, I
want to encourage that the relevant departments must also look into improving
road access to this region.
Land capability
I have been told that the capability of the land is as follows:
* approximately 45% of the District is suitable for dry-land
agriculture
* approximately 55% of the total land base is of low agricultural capability
(dry-land cultivation)
* approximately 43% is of moderate potential for dry land agriculture
* using Irrigation would increase production by 82%.
The south area with annual rainfall of ±550mm is suitable for cattle and
goat production. This is an area that we should promote and develop markets
for.
I am encouraged that the following projects are underway in this
district.
* rehabilitation of small holder irrigation schemes (Resis)
* revitalisation of the tea estate in Tshivase and Mukumbani
* backyard gardens
* food security projects
* renovation of infrastructure on restitution farms
* fish production systems.
Using these projects and others we will be able to fight against food
insecurity and also be able to alleviate poverty.
Ndo ribuha! I thank you.
For more information please contact:
Thabang Chiloane
Cell: 082 888 8783
Issued by: The Presidency
19 October 2007
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za)
