Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Sicelo Shiceka, will tomorrow, 5 November 2010, hand over the first of the certificates of recognition signed by the President of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable JG Zuma, for the country's kingships and kings as confirmed by the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims, popularly known as the "Nhlapo" Commission.
Minister Shiceka will hand over the certificates to two Kings in Mpumalanga as the next step following the announcement made by President Zuma on the findings of the "Nhlapo" Commission on 29 July 2010.
The ceremonies in Mpumalanga will signal Minister Shiceka's commencement of the process to hand over the Certificates to the Kingships approved by President Zuma as advised in the Commission report (http://www.cogta.gov.za).
In July the President pronounced on the following categories:
- Kings and kingships that had been confirmed by the commission, whom the President then approved
- those incumbents found not to qualify as kings, but would continue as Kings until they passed on after-which their successors would then be principal traditional leaders
- those that would not qualify as Kings following the President's announcement but would continue in the role until they passed on.
Members of the media are cordially invited to both ceremonies to witness the handing over of certificates of recognition to:
- King Mabhoko 111
Venue: Old Legislature Building, KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga
Time: 10h00
Date: Friday, 5 November 2010
- King Makhosoke 11
Venue: Manala Royal Palace, Klipfontein
Time: 13h00
Date: Friday, 5 November 2010
RSVP: Boitumelo on 084 601 8395 / Simphiwe on 082 413 3931 / Vuyelwa 082 877 3898
With this event, the department reconfirms the following:
- That government recognises and will work in a spirit of cooperative governance with traditional leadership and communities
- That government trusts and supports the findings of the now defunct Nhlapo Commission which were announced by President Zuma in July, as part of nation-building and correcting the wrongs of the past
- That government is committed to strengthening and supporting institutions of traditional leadership and their communities, with a view to enhancing rural development
- That the Department of Traditional Affairs which has been established as a separate entity, is up and running with its leadership in place and working to provide leadership to issues of traditional affairs.
Source: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
