Speech delivered by the North West MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mothibedi Kegakilwe at the official opening of tribal offices

Programme director
Kgosi ya Bakgatla ba Kgafela
Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Mabe
Executive Mayor of Bojanala district, Raymond Motsepe
Executive Mayor of Moses Kotane, Peter Molelekeng
Members of provincial and local Houses of Traditional Leaders
Members of mayoral committees
Councillors
Dikgosi tsa gaetsho tsotlhe
Bahumagadi le boMmadikgosi
Bakwena le Bagaetsho botlhe

It is a great pleasure to be part of this celebration and it is even a great honour for me to address such a gathering which takes place a day before the country celebrates Heritage day, a day which seeks to bring people of different cultural background all races to respect each other's culture.

A day, which brings in us a culture of respecting ourselves and inculcate it to our next generation to respect and adore their culture. In fact the whole of this month is dedicated to celebrating our different cultural backgrounds.

Government remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that traditional leaders become part of its developmental agenda and that traditional leaders become the drivers of that developmental agenda as partners in government.

Part of the commitment is to ensure that traditional leaders are given the full recognition they deserve, including improving their working conditions hence it is our responsibility as government to provide resources that will make working conditions for our traditional leaders bearable and conducive.

I am happy to announce that since the department was given the responsibility to oversee the functionality and full existence of the institution of traditional leadership in the province, we have registered tremendous progress.

One of the most urgent task that the department had to attend to as a matter of urgency, was lack of resources for traditional councils as this had serious impact on the pace at which they were able to function effectively.

The department has recently acquired ten vehicles which will be soon be allocated to traditional councils to allow them to carry out their day to day tasks with ease. The day and date will soon be announced when government will officially be handing over those vehicles to our traditional leaders.

We need to recognise bogosi as part of our society if we are to protect and preserve our culture and customs and this can only happen when our traditional leaders take their rightful position in the society.

Motsamaisa tiro, magosi a a tlotlegang, morafe ke morafe ka kgosi. Ka jalo re tshwanetse go tshegetsa le go tlotla magosi a rona, re ba eme nokeng, re tloltle ebile re rate kgosi ya rona jjaka morafe.

Gape Setswana sa re, kgosi ke thuthubulo o olela matlakala, ka jalo le rona re solofele gore kgosi ya rona are reetse, a reetse mathata a rona go sa kgathalatsege gore ke mathata a makae. Kgosi e reetsa morafe, kgosi e gakololwa ke morafe.

As government, we need to put more emphasis in getting the involvement of our traditional leaders in the implementation of our programme of action. It is no secret that some of the challenges, including those related to service delivery can be resolved with the involvement of dikgosi.

We therefore need to strengthen and improve our relations with the institution of traditional leadership. At some point, we need to go back to the basic if we are to restore botho in our children.

We need to teach our children about their culture and the values it carries, and the meaning of MOTHO KE MOTHO KA BATHO BA BANGWE and how to preserve and respect our culture.

It is time that we take pride in who we are and where we come from. A tendency has developed throughout the country where initiation schools are now turned into money making schemes.

Just how long are we going to allow that situation to prevail when it is our children who die at the hands of these perpetrators? Let us be vigilant against these illegal practices and work with the relevant law enforcement agencies to bring them (perpetrators) to book.

As we join the rest of the country to celebrate Heritage Day tomorrow, let us do so in honour of our forefathers who fought for our freedom. Let us preserve the very same culture and tradition that they fought for. Let us do it by protecting and respecting our traditional offices.

Dikago ke tse bagaetsho, ke dikago tsa rona, di batla tlhokomelo ya rona. A re bontsheng ka go di dirisa ka tlhokomelo le go didirisetsa merero ya morafe le merero ya segosi.

These offices are a tool for a speedy service delivery as government and bogosi are committed to such.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Bakgatla ba Kgafela for the sterling work they are doing in the area. As I drove into the area this morning, I saw a number of massive developments. You have created a legacy for generations to come.

Ke a leboga.
I thank you.