Your Majesties, Queens and Royal Highnesses – our Kings
Thank you for accepting the invitation to meet and interact with us as we requested.
We are truly humbled by your ever readiness to meet and engage with us on matters of mutual interest.
As you would know, we are meeting just days after the country celebrated the 20 years of our freedom and democracy. Without doubt, ours is a hard-won freedom and democracy which have restored back to us our human dignity and pride as a people.
We now have rejoined the family of humanity, enjoying the freedoms and liberties of our fellow human beings.
Today South Africans are equal before the law. South Africans are no longer citizens of pariah state that condemned them to live in a twilight zone at periphery of the family of humanity.
We are celebrating freedom that has been meaningful to many of us in many ways.
I know it as a matter of fact that; as traditional leaders, you are celebrating because in our freedom you too have found freedom. Your institution has been affirmed as an integral part of democratic government.
As politicians we know that to a much greater extent, our freedom is owed to the wars of resistance fought by many of our traditional leaders. I talk here of the struggles of warriors such as Kings Sekhukhune, Makhado and Ngungunyane.
Today we can safely say their resistance was indeed, not in vain
As a government, we try hard to live-up to the mandate of the constitutions to support and work with the institution of traditional leadership.
I accept that in some areas we have faced challenges and difficulties; however it is pleasing that nothing has been above our collective resolve to work together
The rousing development that has taken place in most of our rural villagers is owed to the good working relationship between ourselves as the government and yourselves as traditional leaders.
Since this government took over our determination to undo the apartheid damage on the institution of traditional leadership has been unwavering.
To that effect we promulgated the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act that saw the establishment of the Houses of Traditional Leaders at all levels of governance. The envisaged Traditional Councils in our communities is another milestone worth recognising.
The legislative framework we have put in place has opened the doors of opportunity for municipalities and traditional councils to work together in strengthening local economic activities and protecting heritage.
As I have said during our interaction in October of last year ‘It is for you to seize these opportunities that have come with freedom for the benefit of Limpopo and her people’.
My leaders,
We work together with Traditional leaders because we accept that you have an important role to play in the socio-economic development of our province.
We accept that no development and no fundamental change can ever take place without the input of Traditional leaders.
We are always willing to tap into your wisdom as we confront the complex challenges of governance and relations with our communities.
Last year we organiSed the Traditional leadership Indaba to amongst others assess the extent we have gone in supporting and improving the institution of traditional leadership.
The Indaba also sought to establish mechanisms to deal with challenges that continue to confront traditional leaders on daily basis.
I want to confirm that the interactions during that Indaba were very helpful for us as government. It has also assisted us in realising that your effectiveness needs the relevant tools of trade, whithout which you are not able to rule over your subjects. Government has therefore committed itself in meeting those needs whenever resources are available.
Maaparankwe,
While admitting to some difficulties, mostly owed to financial constrains, I believe that we are on the right track in carrying our constitutional mandate of supporting the institution of traditional leadership.
The establishment of the Houses of Traditional Leaders has created a unique platform for Traditional Leaders to freely engage on matters of societal interest and advise government accordingly.
We have also managed through Seriti Commission, to ensure that the salaries of Kings and Senior Traditional Leaders are standardised. In the same vein we have developed a Policy Prescript guiding the remuneration of headmen, Indunas.
Whilst still on this,I must announce to this House that the Executive Council has discussed the 2013/14 arrear payments to traditional leaders in our province.The Provincial Treasury and Coghsta have since been instructed to process these payments, and I trust that the payments would have been made by the end of June this year.
Programme director
We also note and celebrate the fact that our traditional leaders are actively participating in our municipal councils. Your participation at this level of governance continues to add value to our efforts to improve conditions of living of our people.
The process of refurbishment and construction of new traditional authority offices is continuing as planned. We have appointment staff in all traditional authority offices and this has greatly helped improve the administration of traditional communities.
Programme director,
As I conclude,
I want to extent my heart-felt gratitude to the role you played as traditional leaders during the voter-registration campaigns.
One thing that has stood out is that in areas where there is traditional leadership voter-registrations went very well.
I am confident that as leaders you have played a similar role in encouraging your subject to go out in their numbers and vote on Wednesday.
I am confident that we will continue working together beyond this election to accelerate service delivery to better the lives of our people.
Indlovu ya hina!
Ndaa!
Pula!
