Regular or monthly meetings between Minister Baloyi and the National Khoi-San Council (NKC)
In our regular meeting as the Ministry of CoGTA and the NKC held yesterday on the 18th of June 2012 in Pretoria, a report on the work done by the NKC in their work and endeavours to unite the Khoi-San communities was received.
The National Khoi-San Council is a body formed for purposes of uniting the Khoi-San communities and to create a platform through which they can raise issues affecting them as a group of communities. The most important and recent issue the NKC is involved in is the statutory recognition and inclusion of the Khoi-San peoples into the formal government structures.
The following issues were reported on in the meeting:
- The NKC has between March and June 2012 met various Khoi-San communities in the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and has also met leaders in the Free State, North-West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga as part of the drive to involve the communities in the processes of developing the legislation that ultimately seeks to regulate national traditional affairs, the National Traditional Affairs Bill (the NTAB).
- The communities appreciated the robust engagement, even though they raised concerns around the pace of the legislative processes, poor information dissemination and the level of representation of various communities in the NKC.
- Perceptions that NKC is an extension or functionary of government and therefore doubtful as to its impartiality in articulating Khoi-San interests in the Bill were also raised. In this regard the meeting agreed that the NKC should, as part of inclusivity, nation-building and social cohesion, explore expanding its membership to accommodate those groups who may have been unwittingly excluded.
- The meeting further agreed to expedite and accelerate the processing of the National Traditional Affairs Bill, and to ensure that all stakeholders are optimally involved. The meeting emphasised the need for a comprehensive, open and transparent process.
- Regarding the latest SABC2 FOKUS interviews on the status and affirmation of the Khoi-San communities, the meeting reiterated the government position that this matter will ultimately be addressed through the Bill’s consultation processes.
Both Minister Baloyi and the NKC Chairman, Mr C Le Fleur expressed their enthusiasm towards ensuring that the NTAB is processed through parliament during the next few weeks and said that “the time has come for all the peoples and communities that form the South African nation to ultimately feel part of the country’s fabric and tapestry through this Bill/Act.”
Enquiries:
Adv KT Ntsewa
Cell: 082 052 4600
Dr Nghamula Nkuna
Cell: 076 227 5907
