Reply by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the debate in the National House of Traditional Leaders, Old Assembly Chamber, Parliament, Cape Town

Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders,
Deputy Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders,
Your Majesties,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Traditional Leaders,
Esteemed Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude to everyone who has spoken in this morning’s debate.

In my view, the debate has been lively and enriching.

It has dealt in great depth with the issues that concern not only traditional leaders, but also the communities that you have been given the responsibility to lead.

More than that, the debate has addressed several issues of national importance – ranging from job creation and economic growth to land reform and the empowerment of women.

This engagement confirms that traditional leadership is an integral and essential part of democratic South Africa.

It confirms that as much as traditional leadership is a vital link to our past, it also has a crucial role in responding to the challenges of the present and shaping the fortunes of our country into the future.

Through the work that you do, through the issues raised in this debate, through the suggestions you have made, through the initiatives that you have championed, you continue to prove the relevance of traditional leadership in the 21st century.

Before I respond to the issues raised in the debate, I wish to extend my sincere apologies to the Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Ikosi Mahlangu, to the institution itself and to traditional leaders more broadly for not having acknowledged the presence of the Chairperson in the State of the Nation Address.

We hope that the Honourable Members of this House will see the ommission for the honest and regrettable mistake that it was.

This administration and this Presidency holds the National House of Traditional Leaders in the highest regard and certainly meant no disrespect.

Your Majesties,

All the contributions that have been made in the debate this morning have had as their fundamental concern the well-being and prosperity of the people of South Africa.

That is why we are gathered here today – to improve the lives of our people – and all our deliberations, all our decisions and all our actions should be directed towards that purpose.

It is the foundation of our democratic Constitution and it is the foundation of the institution of traditional leadership.

Therefore, even as we grapple with complex challenges, even as we disagree among ourselves and with each other, we are bound by a common goal to serve the people of South Africa and to see them flourish.

For as long as we hold fast to that shared objective, then there is no problem that is insurmountable and no disagreement that cannot be resolved.

One of these issues relates to the powers and functions of traditional leaders, which was raised by Nkosi Adv Nonkonyana. 

This matter has remained unresolved for many years.

However, I am certain that – proceeding from a common understanding of our shared responsibility – this issue can and will be resolved.

The report of the task team provides a platform for our engagement on how we define, within a Constitutional context, the powers and functions of traditional leaders.

We should agree here that we will work together to finalise this matter without undue delay, ensuring that it is given sufficient time and attention and that the various principles and proposals are widely canvassed across society.

We should look to have a national conversation so that whatever we resolve, like our Constitution, reflects the views and wishes of the South African people.

Kgosi Seatlholo is correct to observe that the legislation that traditional leaders need to undertake their responsibilities often takes a long time to be finalised, and then even longer to implement.

He has reminded us about last year’s court ruling which questioned the locus standi of traditional councils in the absence of enabling legislation such as the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Act. 

The delay in finalising this legislation gave rise to this regrettable situation. 

Now that I have signed the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, we need to focus working together on the reconstitution of the Councils.

As we urge both Parliament and government departments to speed up the process for the development, adoption and implementation of legislation, we should also recognise that the principles of democracy require that thorough and public consultations are undertaken. 

The same applies to the Traditional Courts Bill which is championed by the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services. 

As members of the House are aware, the Bill is currently before the National Council of Provinces, and it is required of Parliament to attend to and engage with submissions that are made irrespective of whether these come from people based in rural areas or not.

As the Executive, we support the prerogative – indeed the duty – of Parliament to exhaust all consultation processes before it adopts any legislation.

As I indicated in my opening address, I have recently signed into law the Traditional and Khoi-South African Leadership Act and the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Amendment Act.

We are now taking the necessary measures to implement them.

Several speakers in this debate have made it clear that this legislation does not exist for its own sake, but is intended to empower traditional leaders to undertake their responsibilities.

We must recognise that our communities still bear the scars of our colonial and apartheid past, as eloquently expressed by Mr Le Fleur, and that we need to ensure that no community is left behind in the implementation of government’s empowerment and development programmes. 

Several speakers have spoken about the role of traditional leaders in promoting economic empowerment.

We all agree that our most critical and pressing challenge of the moment is unemployment among young South Africans.

This why I announced in the State of the Nation Address, the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention to address this problem in an integrated and comprehensive manner.

At its centre, this intervention is about connecting young people to opportunities – opportunities to work, to acquire a skill, to gain experience, to start a business, to broaden their horizons.

We need to work together to ensure that this intervention reaches youth in rural areas, who are among those with the least access to information, networks and economic opportunities.

The innovative use of technology will help overcome the challenges of distance and relative lack of infrastructure, and will provide rural youth with services that would previously only be available to young people in cities.

It is necessary to ensure that all parts of the intervention direct particular attention to rural communities – whether it’s short course training for critical skills, work experience programmes, youth service programmes or support to young entrepreneurs.

This speaks to the issues raised by Kgoshigadi Masemola around youth employment and empowerment.

Another driver of economic growth is investment in infrastructure.

As the Minister of Finance announced in the Budget yesterday, the Infrastructure Fund has been established to get key infrastructure built. 

Over the next three years, the DBSA will package blended finance projects worth at least R200 billion, bringing together funding from government, the private sector, development finance institutions and multilateral development banks. 

Many of these projects must necessarily be built in rural areas.

From water projects, like the long-delayed Umzimvubu Dam, to the roll-out of broadband infrastructure, infrastructure is vital to the economic development and inclusion of rural communities.

As I indicated in SONA, we will be piloting an alternative rural roads programme during which four experimental road stretches of 50km each will be constructed. 

This initiative is a collaboration with academia, industry and rural communities and will be more cost effective and achieve meaningful skills transfer.

Importantly, it has a far higher potential for labour-intensive job creation than conventional roads construction methods.

The aim is to upgrade selected routes in the extensive gravel roads network of the country, while also linking rural communities to economic opportunities, while creating jobs in these areas.

This infrastructure is critical for the development of township and rural economies, taking opportunities to where our people live.

With the establishment of the industrial economy under colonialism and apartheid, many rural areas were reduced to reservoirs of labour, and were not seen as sites of economic activity.

We are determined to change that.

That is why, for example, we have undertaken an industrial park revitalisation programme to expand economic infrastructure in areas that have long been neglected.

It is essential that this work is aligned with the Invest Rural approach which was described by Princess Gabo Moroka.

This is a great initiative that has the potential to transform the economic fortunes of rural communities.

In addition to ensuring that projects in rural areas are included in South Africa’s investment book, we should pursue closer cooperation between the institutions of traditional leadership and the Investment and Infrastructure Office located in the Presidency.

It is essential that we align the Invest Rural approach with the design and implementation of the District Development Model.

We agree that it is essential that traditional leaders are involved in developing the integrated plans and programmes that form the core of the model.

Our guidelines on the Khawuleza Forums identify the representation and participation of traditional leaders as essential to the development of a single, integrated plan for the district.

We note the concern raised by Kgosi Pilane on the need for closer cooperation on the development of mining as an industry that can create much-needed employment and promote development in rural areas.

It is important that the meeting between the Minister of Mineral Resources and the National House of Traditional Leaders takes place without delay. 

We must work as fast as possible to resolve all the mining problems in our areas so that development can take place.

Through these measures to build the rural economy, we will reduce the rate of urbanisation – as the Deputy Chairperson of the National House Inkosikazi Mhlauli correctly stated – and ensure that young people see a future in rural areas.

Nkosi Gumede raised the position of the institution of traditional leadership regarding the important matter of land expropriation and the possible transfer of land to traditional councils. 

We need to allow the consultations on these matters to continue and to be concluded. 

The workshops that provinces will have in the build up to the Land Summit that is likely to take place in the middle of this year, together with the study tours that I have been advised traditional leaders will be part of, should enrich our understanding of these matters. 

Nkosi Gumede also raised the issue of the 13% of the land being transferred to traditional authorities.

He is correct that we need to establish clarity on this issue. 

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is working on a Communal Land Tenure Policy to inform our approach on this issue.

Nkosi Ngonyama raised the issue of Community Property Associations, which are holding entities to facilitate land restitution back to communities. 

We are indeed willing to engage on how best we deal with such issues in areas that have traditional communities.

As we engage on these matters, we must reaffirm the fundamental principle that our accelerated land reform programme aims to correct a grave historical injustice – and that it must focus on the land that was taken from the indigenous population of this country.

It must be undertaken in a way that strengthens the tenure rights of those who live on the land and work the land.

It must make more land available for productive use, provide economic opportunities for more people and increase our country’s agricultural output.

As part of effective land reform, we have prioritised farmers from traditional areas as beneficiaries.

And we are therefore in full agreement that beneficiaries of land restitution should receive training and other support so that they can effectively use the land that they are given.

The initiatives that are being taken by the institutions of traditional leadership to advance the empowerment of women – which Nkosi Zulu described – must be applauded and supported.

We have made the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of women an essential part of South Africa’s chairship of the African Union.

This aligns with the work traditional leaders are doing to address discriminatory practices, identify economic opportunities for women and enable rural women to access support to establish their own businesses.

As we have noted, the institution of traditional leadership has a vital role to play in ending all forms of violence against women and children.

Among other things, traditional leaders can assist in changing behaviour by challenging the attitudes, practices and customs that demean women or give men a sense of entitlement.

Traditional leadership needs to be involved in the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, ensuring that survivors have access to justice and that perpetrators are caught, prosecuted and punished, but ultimately – through changing attitudes and behaviour – that we eradicate such violence from our communities and our society.

Your Majesties,
Honourable Members,

When I addressed the House two days ago, I touched on the important issue of tools of trade to enable traditional leaders to carry out their responsibilities effectively. 

Hosi Ntsanwisi has raised issues of the remuneration of traditional leaders and Kgosi Dikgale has gone into detail on tools of trade. 

The issue of resources has been a challenge for many years and we need to have a frank discussion on how we resolve it.

The Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has been conducting comprehensive reviews on the remuneration of various categories of public office bearers. 

As part of the engagements that take place between the Commission and the Ministry of COGTA, we would like to encourage that the institution of traditional leadership be included in the future plans of the Commission for such reviews. 

Provinces will continue to be engaged on the need to provide enabling tools of trade and that the resources provided to traditional leaders need to be uniform across the country. 

I have been advised that the Minister of COGTA has already raised this matter with the COGTA MINMEC where all the relevant MECs sit. 

COGTA should continue to monitor progress in this regard, and should work towards the finalisation of the Handbook on Tools of Trade.

We undertake this necessary work mindful of the severe constraints on public finances and the need to curb the increase in public spending.

In his Budget Speech yesterday, the Minister of Finance outlined a range of measures to reduce costs and increase revenue, to eliminate wastage and abuse, and to shift resources to where they have the greatest impact.

These measures are absolutely necessary if we are to stabilise our country’s finances and establish a platform for economic recovery and growth.

Nkosi Chiliza and Nkosi Ngomane speak about the central role of traditional leadership in promoting social cohesion and moral regeneration.

This is a responsibility that traditional leaders have exercised since time immemorial, bringing communities together around a common set of values of respect, dignity, justice and peaceful co-existence.

Traditional leaders championed these values even as the colonial powers and the apartheid regime sought to destroy them.

They kept communities together even as the authorities tried to tear them apart.

It is important that we address concerns about the Comprehensive Sexuality Education taught in our skills.

It was introduced in 2000 within the subjects of Life Orientation and Life Skills to ensure that learners do not get confusing and misleading messages on sex, sexuality, gender and relationships. 

There is clearly a need for engagement between traditional leaders and the Department of Basic Education to ensure that any misconceptions and concerns about this content are addressed.

I understand that the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture is in the process of meeting the Chairperson of the National House to verify the extent of implementation of many issues listed in the MoU signed between the department and the National House on social cohesion. 

I am pleased that the National House of Traditional Leaders actively participated during the Social Compact Convention organised by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture a few weeks ago. 

The contributions were well received and appreciated.

Your Majesties,
Honourable Members,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have gathered here to deliberate on the matters that are of the greatest concern to our people.

We have gathered here to reflect on the shared responsibility that we have as leaders to serve our people and to improve their lives.

The institution of traditional leadership is not a historical artefact.

It is a living reality.

It is an essential part of our constitutional democracy and a valued partner in the empowerment of our people and the development of our society.

Over centuries, traditional leaders have fought – tirelessly and courageously – against all the subjugation and dispossession of our people.

They have fought to preserve the land, the livelihoods, the rights, the traditions and the heritage of all our people.

As we confront the challenges of the present – of unemployment and inequality, of poverty and violence, of landlessness and homelessness – let us draw on this great tradition of struggle and service.

Let us be inspired by the great leaders that have come before us.

Let us be guided by their actions.

Let us work together to build a better future for all South Africans.

For that is the responsibility that history has placed on our shoulders.

I thank you.