By Amy Musgrave
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the rise in killings of traditional leaders, describing it as an affront to the nation.
Speaking during the annual opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in Cape Town on Tuesday, the president said that even one killing was one too many.
Already this year, Contralesa NEC member and chairperson of the Ndzundza-Fene Traditional Council, Kosi Thugwana, was assassinated at Tweefontein near KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga in January.
This followed the killing of 71-year-old Eastern Cape traditional leader Nkosikazi Thenjiwe Eunice “Nogcinile” Mtirara at her home outside Mthatha in October.
In KwaZulu-Natal alone, more than 50 izinduna and amakhosi have been killed since 2019.
Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that the government extended its deepest condolences to the families who had lost their loved ones and to traditional leaders who had lost their colleagues.
He said the police were working around the clock to ensure the killers were arrested.
“As representatives of different communities, your voices should not and must not be silenced by criminals with hidden agendas,” he said.
The president also touched on the government’s concerns on traditional leadership disputes, saying: “We should continue to invest in the development of genealogies and customary laws of succession.”
Ramaphosa said that to date, the Department of Traditional Affairs has helped 16 royal families develop their customary laws of succession.
On the Constitutional Court declaring the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act unconstitutional, the president told the House that concrete steps have been taken to ensure that a Bill could be reintroduced in Parliament.
He urged the leadership to participate in the consultation processes that have ensued.
The finalisation of the legislation has particular significance for Khoi-San communities because it will be the first time in history it makes provision for the recognition of Khoi-San leaders and communities.
Ramaphosa has also urged traditional leaders to participate in the upcoming National Dialogue that will chart a new path for the country.
He said the government would rely on their guidance to rally people towards a future of shared prosperity and inclusivity.
It was important that the dialogue involved all sections of society and that it provided a space where the voices of all South Africans were heard, the president said.
“This conversation must involve people living in rural areas. It must reach every corner of the country, every town, village, farm and homestead.
“It will be important that traditional leaders and the communities they lead participate in the National Dialogue so that the process produces a plan that reflects the interests and aspirations of everyone,” Ramaphosa said.
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