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

11 March 2021

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,

Before I reply to this debate, I wish to agree with Kgosi Mokoena that the events that took place near Wits University yesterday are deeply disturbing.

As a country, we are today mourning the tragic death of MrMthokozisiNtumbaduring the course of the protests.

We extend our sympathies to his family and his friends.

The circumstances that led to MrNtumba’s death must be thoroughly investigated and the law must take its course.

All people in this country have a right to peaceful protest, and it is the responsibility of this government to ensure that this right is protected.

As a government we have made significant progress in ensuring that young people from poor households – in urban and rural areas – have access to higher education.

We are keenly aware of the challenges facing students across the country and are hard at work to find sustainable solutions.

Through engagement and dialogue, I am certain that we will be able to take forward the work that has already been done to open the doors of learning to all.

I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to all of our traditional leaders who participated in the debate today.

The debate has affirmed once again that this National House puts the needs, interests and concerns of the South African people first.

What has come through clearly in today’s debate is that as much as you are the custodians of our traditions and heritage, as traditional leaders you envision yourselves first and foremost as architects of development and progress.

This is a vision to which we, as the Government of the Republic, subscribe.

We are now in the final decade towards meeting the aspirations of the National Development Plan.

And it is the NDP that prioritises the creation of a rural economy that is integrated and inclusive. 

Our traditional leadership must be centrally involved in driving this vision.

An inclusive economy is a new economy. 

It is one in which every South African man, woman and child has equal opportunity – whether they are in Umhlabuyalingana or eThekwini, in Olifantshoek or in Polokwane, in Platfontein or in Kimberley.

We emerging from the worst crisis our country has faced in modern times. 

The pandemic has highlighted once again the vast disparities between urban and rural dwellers with regards to accessing healthcare, basic services and social support, 

I am pleased that issues of economic development have set the tone for this debate, because at this moment in our history our economic recovery should be foremost among our considerations.

What is required of each and every one of us right now is to put shoulder to the wheel and drive the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan that we announced in October last year.

It relies for its success on partnerships that involve all sections of our society.

These are not only the partnerships between government, business and labour, but also the partnerships that we forge with traditional leaders, with faith-based groupings and other formations.

As it has been articulated in this House today, traditional leaders must not be bystanders to this process. Nothing must take place about you, without you. Nobody must be left behind.

Traditional leaders must be deeply involved in the implementation of the District Development Model.

This is an integrated approach that seeks to ensure the development of different areas in our country, urban and rural, with all key role players working together. 

I am concerned by the reports presented here that there are areas where traditional leaders have not been included in this process.

As traditional leaders, we believe you are well positioned to ensure that the District Plans that get developed are informed by and respond to the real needs of communities on the ground.

It is within your means as our leaders in rural areas to bridge the urban-rural divide that is perpetuating inequalities in our society.

There is not a single traditional leader in this House who is not aware of the crisis in their communities caused by mass migration to the cities.

It is you as traditional leaders who can play a key role in helping to stem this tide. 

Our rural areas must become centres of economic activity, of industry and of employment opportunity. 

As a number of speakers in this Debate have said, our rural communities want to be self-sufficient. 

As traditional leaders you understand the aspirations of our people to do things for themselves. 

It is our responsibility as government to provide the enabling environment and means for our communities to develop themselves.

For its part, government has prioritised rural infrastructure development to make these areas attractive for investment, but also to meet the growing needs of our people.

The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan speaks to a massive investment in infrastructure, and much of it will be in rural areas.

This includes investments in water infrastructure, rural roads and bridges and the roll-out of broadband to public facilities in rural areas. 

Our experience is that infrastructure investment has the greatest impact when communities are involved in determining the need in an area and are closely involved in implementation.

Infrastructure must be suited to local conditions and must empower the communities in which it is located.

This is an area where traditional leaders can play an important role.

Our economic recovery must also involve the development of local production and industrialisation.

This must happen in rural and under-developed areas if it is going to benefit all South Africans.

Rural communities must not only be consumers of goods and services.

They must also be producers and providers. 

They must have the means to process these products into value-added goods that can be sold on the shelves of stores across the country and across the world.

Some of the master plans that have been developed between government, industry and labour – particularly in the poultry and sugar sectors – seek to promote emerging and small-scale farmers and producers.

There are numerous opportunities for alignment between this work and the InvestRuralprogramme. 

Our focus must now be on working with local authorities to craft customised, specific plans for every village and area under your jurisdiction.

These are plans that must build on the unique endowments of each province or locality. 

We may for example assume that a medicinal plant we have been harvesting for centuries is just there for private use when it in fact has potential for being turned into a commercially-viable product. 

Being located in an area with abundant water resources is an attractive investment drawcard for mining or agriculture. 

And our areas with an abundance of sun like the Northern Cape have great potential for becoming leaders in renewable energy.

The Development Monarchs initiative as outline by Nkosi Mavuso is an exciting development that holds great potential for rural economic development.

We need to ensure that we align this initiative with other government programmes and ensure that it receives sufficient support.

We acknowledge, as Princess Moroka has stated, that to prepare traditional communities to be part of the InvestRural strategy we have to strengthen traditional systems. 

Part of this involves the corporatisation of traditional structures. 

We are committed to working with traditional leadership to provide all the necessary support to facilitate this.

For us to achieve all our rural development goals, rural communities need to have land and must have the resources and capabilities to work this land.

We applaud those traditional leaders who have been supporting land restitution and redistribution. 

Since 2018 around 1,500,000 hectares of communal land has been availed by traditional leaders and I want to call on you to work with the Department to avail more land for development and beneficiation.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and COGTA have recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that the land that has been availed by traditional leaders is cultivated and worked on for agricultural and farming production.

I acknowledge the concerns expressed by a number of speakers about the urgency of holding the Presidential Land Summit. 

The Deputy President, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform, will engage with the National House of Traditional Leaders to ensure that this takes place.

We are confident that once all the provincial summits have taken place, we will be able to hold the Presidential Land Summit before the end of the 2021/22 financial year.

Furthermore, traditional leaders need to join hands with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development towards the development of the Communal Land Policy. 

This will go a long way to address the contentious issue of land tenure and equality in traditional communities and elsewhere. 

The prosperity of rural communities requires that we invest solidly in our people.

We need to tackle the great divide in access to resources and support between rural and urban schools.

We need to provide more opportunities for post-school study in rural areas so that young people in these communities do not have to travel to urban centres to gain skills, knowledge and experience.

Importantly, we need to ensure that these young people can find employment or start their own businesses in a thriving rural economy.

The rural areas of our country need to keep the energy, talent and productivity of their young people, and stem the tide of mass migration to the cities that is leaving our rural areas scarred and underdeveloped.

As we build the productive capacity of our economy – which necessarily takes time – government has launched the Presidential Employment Stimulus to create employment and other livelihood opportunities immediately.

Many of these opportunities are in rural areas.

The Subsistence Producer Relief Fund, for example, is one of the largest employment stimulus programmes, and supports mostly rural farmers. 

The Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme builds and repairs bridges in rural areas, providing local employment and bringing many communities closer to schools, health facilities and economic centres.

Many of the 300,000 school assistants that have been recruited as part of the employment stimulus to support learning and teaching are placed in schools in rural areas.

These are all programmes that are strengthened by the support and involvement of traditional leaders.

Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the success we can achieve when we collaborate.

We should continue to work together to address and overcome the number of challenges we still face that have been raised here today.

The issue raised by Prince Buthelezi on the powers and functions of traditional leaders is fundamental to our understanding of the position of traditional leadership in a constitutional democracy.

Prince Buthelezi has been a consistent voice on these issues, and I wish to thank him for the forthright manner in which he has raised the views of traditional leaders.

It is true that this matter has remain unresolved for many years, and it is equally true that the finalisation of this matter will enable progress on several challenges that have been identified in this debate and more broadly.

We must acknowledge that there are differing views across society on how to define the powers and functions of traditional leadership. This has no doubt contributed to the lack of progress in dealing with this matter.

But we are nation that confronts our challenges. We find common ground on even the most difficult and divisive issues.

There is no reason why we cannot do the same on the powers and functions of traditional leaders.

The report of the task team that was established in 2018 provides a platform for our engagement on these issues.

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

Our shared task now is to organise extensive consultations with traditional communities, civil society, political parties, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to arrive at a common understanding.

Given the range of different perspectives on this issue, we can expect that the discussions will be robust and, at times, difficult.

But this is a discussion we need to have and to conclude.

As NkosikaziMhlauli has rightly said, as traditional leaders you will not be able to achieve your quest for self-reliance unless these outstanding matters are speedily resolved.

Kgosi Mokoena has raised the matter of timeframes with regards to key legislation that directly impacts traditional leadership, like the Customary Initiation Bill.

I understand that this is on the programme of Parliament for this quarter and will be processed through the National Assembly.

The Portfolio Committee for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has suggested that a colloquium be held on customary initiation, and we hope that it takes place prior to the next winter initiation season.

With regards to the Traditional Courts Bill, we will be aware that last month the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services requested a legal opinion on its Constitutionality. 

It is critical that these matters are resolved to align the functioning of traditional courts with our constitutional values.

It will be a moment of great historical significance when the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act comes into effect next month.

As Mr Le Fleur of the National Khoisan Council has rightly said, it has been a long and difficult road towards official recognition, and our focus must now be on ensuring integration and effective participation.

We will be attending to the issue of appointing a Commission on Khoi-San Matters as required by the Act. 

This would be a critical step that paves the way for the reconstitution of traditional councils and the induction of newly-elected members of Traditional Councils. 

For the effective functioning of these Councils, the newly elected members would need to receive targeted induction training. 

Excellencies, above and beyond your important developmental roles, traditional leadership must also be at the forefront of the moral regeneration of our country. 

As those who occupy positions of authority and influence in our country you have a key role to play in stamping out the social ills in our communities and our society.

As NkosikaziMhlauli has said, we have to work to empower women because without women rural development is not possible.

We wholeheartedly support induction for members who serve on traditional structures. 

We agreed that this must include gender-sensitivity training, and that traditional structures must have active programmes to empower women socially and economically.

We acknowledge the role of this House in the implementation of Project Ndabezitha in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide, as well as a number of workshops held last year to sensitise traditional communities about domestic violence. 

This is good work that must continue.

Several speakers have raised the issue of a lack of implementation of decisions that we take.

This is a serious problem, which we must work together to address.

Among other things, this requires that we work more closely.

There is a need for a dialogue rather than just a debate. 

We need to consider having this engagement over two days to allow certain Ministers to come address the issues that would be raised by the members. 

This approach will ensure that we have a better understanding of the programmes of various departments and of the issues confronting rural communities.

One of the great strengths of the institution of traditional leadership is that it has endured over centuries – during times of plenty and of peace, and during times of great hardship and conflict.

It has stood defiant in the face of colonial occupation and has resisted every effort to bend it to the will of the oppressor.

Therefore, as we face the devastation caused by the coronavirus, as we undertake the arduous journey to rebuild our country and restore the livelihoods of our people, we can be certain that the institution of traditional leadership will be a firm and unwavering ally.

This is an institution that has known far greater challenges, and has ably led the people of our nation to confront and overcome those challenges.

This debate has once again proven the value and the relevance of traditional leadership. 

I want to urge traditional leaders to continue to be part of shaping the country and fighting the scourge of underdevelopment.

We call on you to rise and play your part in building this country, as developmental monarchs, as architects of progress, and as proud South Africans.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency, 11 March 2021