to the Debate of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Tshwane Municipal
Chambers
12 March 2009
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Khosi FP
Kutama,
Deputy Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi PP
Maubane,
Your Majesties and Royal Highnesses,
Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Gwendoline
Mahlangu-Nkabinde,
Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Gwen Ramokgopha,
Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of Provincial Houses of Traditional
Leaders,
Traditional leaders here present,
Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Mr Sicelo Shiceka and other
ministers present,
Deputy Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Ms Nomatyala Hangana, and
other deputy ministers present,
Our leaders and Members of Parliament (MPs),
Religious leaders,
Senior government officials,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me thank you most sincerely for the issues you have raised through this
esteemed house.
I must equally thank the National House of Traditional Leadership (NHTL) for
the weighty issues raised in this regard, as presented by Inkosi Mpiyezintombi
Mzimela, Kgoshigadi MRM Mothapo, Inkosi VJ Nhlapho and Inkosi MG Gwadiso.
This manner of engagement is vital in that it improves our collaboration in
dealing with various challenges facing our country and our people.
Chairperson,
The role and place of the National House of Traditional Leaders should
continue to draw strength from our system of democracy in which traditional
leadership is not a poor cousin but a vital aspect of our Constitution.
As government we have never lost sight of this fact as borne out by steps we
have taken over time to support and build this House since its inception. In
truth much work still needs to be done to ensure that, working together, we
overcome all the challenges we are faced with as well as decisively address all
the difficulties besetting traditional leadership and the communities under
their jurisdiction.
Chairperson,
Part of what was noted in this engagement today was a proposal for the
review of the role of traditional leaders. Various laws, as you know, have been
passed to give effect to our Constitution, such as the Traditional Leadership
Governance and Framework Act of 2003, and the Communal Land Rights Act of
2004.
There are already various steps towards addressing some of the outstanding
matters on the issue of traditional leadership. As one of the examples in this
regard, Parliament is currently working on the Traditional Courts Bill, which,
when finalised, will deal with designated cases and also administer restorative
justice and thus lessen the burden on our courts.
In addition, Parliament is close to completing legislation to alter the
traditional pattern of succession and inheritance, so that we empower even
women and children, who have historically been disadvantaged by our traditional
system.
A careful look at the scope of functions of traditional leaders will confirm
that we have made significant progress in this regard. Accordingly, we are
working on the important matter of the Department of Traditional Leadership,
which I am certain will be completed in due course.
Regarding the Traditional Courts Bill, our honourable members will remember
that this draft should benefit from the opinions of all stakeholders, including
women interest groups. The draft is still with the Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee and should be finalised after the general election.
The same applies to the Khoisan issues. The Draft White Paper, as we know,
is complete and has to be debated by the Cabinet first, and be followed up by
extensive consultation in these matters. Hopefully, this will crystallise in
the new department. Traditional leaders remain key stakeholders in the
successful implementation of government programmes in rural areas.
In this regard, your role in the development and growth of the rural areas
of our country is constantly amplified through various legislative means
government is putting in place. We are in the process of dealing with various
policy and legislations to enhance this role and your inputs have and will
always be highly valued.
We commend your observations regarding the rural-urban drift of our people
and the resultant strain exerted on the planning processes of the
municipalities due to this migration to the urban areas. The development of
women and youth in the rural areas must be a high priority if we are to succeed
in rescuing the millions of unemployed young people from poverty.
As part of the response to challenges facing young people, the National
Youth Commission (NYC) and Umsobomvu Youth Fund will be merged to establish the
National Youth Development Agency. The agency will interact with various
stakeholders, including government and the traditional leaders, on issues and
plans for youth development across all levels.
This means that our programmes from national to local level, such as the
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), will have elements of youth
development. It is for this reason that we appeal to Amakhosi, to create
awareness about government's community development initiatives to ensure that
ordinary people participate in those programmes.
In this regard, we are also encouraged by your participation in the
Integrated Development Planning (IDP) in various municipalities to ensure that
you influence the direction of development projects in areas under your
jurisdiction.
Chairperson,
In addition to all these, we continue to devise means to ensure universal
access to education by all our people, especially rural women and youth. Access
to education by all our children is one of the primary objectives through which
we seek to contribute to the eradication of illiteracy, in particular, rural
areas.
In particular, broadening access should also be reflected in increased
numbers of rural students enrolling and pursuing their studies in institutions
of higher learning. For this reason, we have to ensure that the National
Students Financial Aid Scheme is able to cater to the needy students. I must
mention that the Minister of Education said that an amount of R600 million has
been added to the fund through the re-payment of loans by past recipients who
had already graduated.
Therefore, we would like to make a request to Amakhosi to assist us in
raising awareness of communities, especially the young people in your
localities, about the existence of this fund and its objectives.
I note that one of the issues raised in this house today pertains to the
need for the establishment of institutions of higher learning in Mpumalanga and
the Northern Cape respectively.
We have already established the National Institutes for Higher Education in
each of these provinces. These institutes facilitate the coherent provision of
higher education by serving as administrative hubs for higher education
institutions already operating in the two provinces.
In the Northern Cape, the National Institute for Higher Education has
partnered with the University of South Africa (UNISA), the University of Free
State (UOFS), the Central University of Technology and the Vaal University of
Technology.
Between 2007 and 2009, about 4 500 students have enrolled for various
programmes in the fields of engineering, commerce, tourism, human resource
management, public management and education.
In Mpumalanga, the institute is working with renowned institutions of UNISA,
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Pretoria (UP) and the
Vaal University of Technology (VUT).
This institute offers studies in engineering, economics, management
sciences, humanities as well as information and communication technology. I am
certain that the presence of these institutions in both these provinces will go
a long way in increasing access to higher education for rural communities in
those areas.
Chairperson,
In conclusion, I have noted that the House needs its own Chamber. This
matter was raised a while ago with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and
should be followed up to ensure that we finalise it as soon as is practically
possible. I have been inspired by the nature of our co-operation throughout
this last term of government.
Even though some of the issues raised here today are ongoing, I'm confident
that they will be resolved even beyond the general elections. I am equally
certain that, based on this collaboration, the new government will take the
issue of traditional leadership to a qualitatively higher level. Indeed it
cannot be otherwise, for at the core of all our efforts is the need to improve
the lives of all our people.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
12 March 2009
