Chairperson, Hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen in the gallery,...
... neenkosi ezikhoyo phantsi kwalo mnquba endisisicaka sazo. Minister [Mphathiswa] xa ubuthetha ngesiko lokuthwala bendirhala ukuba ukhe uze phaya kuMvezo ngokuba singabaThembu phaya sisaphonononga ukuba intombi kaTrollip okanye kamam' uZille singayithwala njani ukuze ibe ngunkosikazi wesine waphaya ekhaya? [Kwahlekwa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[ ... and the chiefs present in this House whom I serve. Minister, when you spoke about the tradition of "ukuthwala", I wish you could go to Mvezo, because we are a Thembu tribe there, and we are trying to find out how we can take Trollip's or Mrs Zille's daughter to be my fourth wife. [Laughter.]]
Chapter 12 of the South African Constitution specifically acknowledges the institution of traditional leadership and its place and role in the system of democratic governance. It provides for the continued authority and functioning of such leaders in accordance with traditional law within the broader legal framework and for "iinkosi" [traditional leaders] to participate at local government level.
Traditional leaders are enjoined by our Constitution to play an active role in the betterment of our people as custodians and guardians of our culture, traditions and customs. We have a duty to preserve these cultures and slow down the cultural erosion that is rampant in our country. As guardians of culture, we have a responsibility to correct the common misinterpretations and distortions of our cultures, customs and traditions. We need to do this in our governance systems, which are part of our legislative processes, and in the implementation of the country's educational system.
During the opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders in February, ubaw' uMongameli Zuma [President Zuma] reminded us that even in rural areas millions of people now have access to basic services such as water, electricity, roads, houses, clinics and schools, which they never had before. It is equally true that our own communities in rural areas are still bedevilled by massive underdevelopment, evidenced through poor road infrastructure, lack of basic services like running water, primary health care, sanitation, electricity and quality education.
Social ills such as teenage pregnancy and HIV/Aids are rife and are compounded by high levels of unemployment and joblessness. As the President put it, and I quote:
We still have a long road to travel before we can say we have bridged the gap between rich and poor, urban and rural, white and black, and men and women in our society. We also have a long way to go before we can say we are creating scores of decent, sustainable jobs for our people.
Hon Minister, our turnaround strategy seeks to reduce and eradicate these challenges. The current ANC-led government has identified rural development as a priority for the coming five years. The government has given an undertaking to see the extension of services in the rural areas, such as water, sanitation, quality health and education facilities, and increased access to rural communities for more income-generating activities.
The President also indicated that R860 million would be used this year for the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. He also announced a new grant to support on-site water sanitation infrastructure as part of the rural housing programme. An initial R1,2 billion over three years has been made available for this purpose.
In March hon Minister Shiceka launched the first House of Traditional Leaders in the Eastern Cape. This was a historic event and certainly proves that the ANC-led government takes the role and status of traditional leaders very seriously. [Applause.] It was a positive step that will enhance the capacity of "iinkosi" [traditional leaders] to enable them to play their role effectively. We await in anticipation the opening of similar houses in all other provinces. We are also grateful as traditional leaders that the ANC-led government is now implementing the establishment of a Department of Traditional Affairs that will talk to the preservation of our traditions and cultures.
Historically traditional leadership has always been central to the governance of their communities. Even during the colonial and apartheid period, they continued to play this role, although the system of traditional leaders was open to abuse by those in power.
It has always been an accepted reality that no government can effectively rule in rural areas without the co-operation of "iinkosi" [traditional leaders]. This reality led to a situation where many traditional leaders who resisted oppressive governments were deposed and replaced with illegitimate ones. We patiently await the Nhlapo Commission report that will give guidance on how these wrongs of the past are going to be put right.
Today more than 15 million people in this country reside in rural areas and many other black people in urban settings still pledge some form of allegiance to one or other traditional leader. "Iinkosi" [Traditional leaders] therefore have a duty to work closely in partnership with government to ensure that our communities are developed and that the standard of living in rural areas is the same as that of the rest of the country.
Service delivery in rural areas is a shared responsibility of municipalities and traditional councils, who are both called upon by legislative imperatives to work together in the spirit of co-operative governance to ensure the acceleration of service delivery to these rural areas. It is the responsibility of traditional leaders to work together with government and, where possible, to mobilise private sector resources to help deal with some of these identifiable challenges.
Traditional leaders have a duty to work with business and nongovernmental organisations to initiate projects that can help alleviate the many challenges we face. They have the key responsibility to ensure a peaceful, harmonious life for all people and also to lead the moral regeneration of our people, especially our youth, using our cultural values to enhance such attributes as respect for adults and all other attributes that promote the spirit of ubuntu within us as a people.
Traditional leaders can only play a meaningful role if they are allowed the space to do so by the government in power, their own institutions and their communities. It is therefore critical for government and institutions of traditional leadership to continually educate traditional leaders on their role, especially that of co-operative governance. It is important that all traditional leaders ...
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nksk M N Oliphant): Mhlonishwa Nkosi Mandela ngeshwa nawe kufanele ngikunqamule, isikhathi sakho sesiphelile. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M N Oliphant): Hon Nkosi Mandela, unfortunately I have to stop you there; your time has expired.]