Hon. Premier DD Mabuza's Address at the Opening of the Mpumalanga
19 March 2010
Honourable Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders,
Ikosi SE Mahlangu,
Honourable Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Hosi Kutama,
Members of the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders,
Members of the Executive Council,
IziNgwenyama namaKhosi,
Bayete!
Your Excellencies, Traditional Leaders from our sister Provinces, i.e
Esteemed guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
I am honoured to be part of this important occasion marking the opening
of the Mpumalanga House of Traditional Leaders. The annual opening of this
Esteemed always reminds us of our collective leadership responsibility to
advance socio-economic development and quality service delivery to ensure that
the lives of ordinary citizens in our Province change for the better.
Chairperson, within two days, we will be commemorating Human Rights Day
Today to remember the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in which more than 60 people
were brutally murdered by the apartheid police during a peaceful protest against
the imposition of pass laws.
We will be honouring many heroes and heroines in the history of our
liberation struggle who sacrificed their lives in the fight against gross
violations of basic human rights by the repressive apartheid government.
For many South Africans, the liberation struggle was a quest towards
creating a rights-based society underpinned by core values that promote the
enjoyment of democratic freedoms, justice for all, human dignity and the
progressive realization of socio-economic rights.
As we commemorate Human Rights Day, we must pay homage to the
generation of traditional leaders who fought fiercely against colonialism and
apartheid subjugation. Their contribution will remain an indelible legacy that
must continue to inspire the current generation of traditional leaders to
advance the ideals of a human rights-based society, free from the tyranny of
poverty, social deprivation, crime and violence against women and children.
On this important occasion of the opening of the House, we must be
reminded of our obligation to promote a rights-based society that protects the
enjoyment of socio-economic rights and human liberties.
Traditional leaders should be reminded of their duty towards building a
moral and caring society, conscious of its obligations to uphold the core values
of respect for human rights, human dignity and the enjoyment of human liberties
guaranteed by our constitution.
Once again, today’s opening of the Provincial House of Traditional
Leaders reminds us of our collective obligation to address poverty and
underdevelopment challenges that continue confront the people of the Province,
especially those living in rural areas under the jurisdiction of traditional
leaders.
For many poor citizens, 16 years of democracy have come and gone
without the enjoyment of socio-economic rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
For them, the realization of socio-economic rights remains an elusive dream as
they continue to be subjected to the indignity of poverty and deprivation.
This is the reality that continues to face us as leaders. This is the
reality that must instill a sense of urgency and galvanise our collective
leadership resolve and commitment to respond to the plight of the poorest of the
poor.
As government, we remain committed towards strengthening effective
partnerships with the institution of traditional leadership to promote
development and service delivery in areas under the jurisdiction of traditional
leaders. We are grateful that, over the years, the leadership of the Provincial
House of Traditional Leadership has worked in collaboration with government to
entrench the critical role of traditional leadership institutions in our local
governance system.
Within the purview of our democratic system of local government, we
should continue to create space for the meaningful participation of traditional
leadership institutions in development planning and service delivery programmes
of government. Municipalities must ensure that traditional leaders participate
and provide critical input into Integrated Development Plans, particularly when
it comes to areas falling within the jurisdiction of traditional leaders.
Chairperson, government remains committed to strengthening the
participation of traditional leaders in municipal councils in line with
legislative requirements. In this regard, the Department of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs is currently finalizing the gazetting of
names of traditional leaders who will be participating in municipal councils.
At ward level, it is crucial that traditional leaders assist in
facilitating people-driven and a people-centred development in areas under their
jurisdiction. This requires meaningful participation by traditional leaders in
ward committees and any other governance structures aimed at fostering public
participation in development and service delivery matters.
Honourable Members, as I highlighted in my address to this House last
year, rural development linked to land reform is one of the five priorities that
the current administration wants to pay special attention to as part of
addressing underdevelopment and poverty challenges in rural communities.
We emphasized the critical point that the commitment to create decent work and
sustainable livelihoods is a collective responsibility that we must undertake in
partnership with traditional leaders.
Working together, we should continue to ensure that we stimulate local
economic development in rural areas to create employment and sustainable
livelihoods.
We reported that we were piloting a comprehensive rural development
programme in
Chairperson, I am pleased to report that significant progress has been
made in the implementation of this pilot in Mkhondo municipality. Among other
things:
- We have provided new houses to needy people
- We have assisted households to producing their own food,
- We have assisted small children to access early child hood
development facilities,
- We have assisted with the provision of community access roads
- We have provided additional mobile clinics in the deep rural parts
of the municipality
- We have developed agri-villages in partnership with Mondi to
promote integrated and sustainable human settlements
- To date, this pilot has already created 1 011 jobs and trained 290
Youth in various skills.
In the new financial year, we will complete the remaining phase of the
pilot project in Mkhondo. We will also identify and begin to prepare other
places where this programme is going to be implemented in the remaining period
of the term of government
As I stated in my State of the Province this year, we will continue to
expand the Masibuyele Emasimini intervention to alleviate poverty confronting
the rural poor. As part of comprehensive rural development, our
Masibuyel’emasimini programme will continue to provide support in the form of
tractors, fertilizers, seeds, training and mentoring to promote food security
and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. Traditional leaders have a critical
role to play in mobilizing and supporting communities to use land productively.
Chairperson, last year we committed to ensuring that we would implement
training programmes to empower traditional leaders with skills in local economic
development and integrated development planning. I am pleased to report that
traditional leaders have received training in local economic development and
integrated development planning. We hope that the skills that they have acquired
through this training will enhance their contribution to local economic
development initiatives as well as participation in IDP processes of
municipalities.
Honourable Members, we are encouraged that traditional leaders continue
to play a significant role in monitoring the implementation of government
programmes in traditional communities under their jurisdiction. We are happy
that traditional leaders have been visiting schools to assess progress and make
contributions towards improving the performance of our schools. Traditional
leaders have a crucial role to play in working together with government towards
instilling a culture of learning, quality teaching and discipline in our
schools.
We must encourage the participation local traditional leaders in school
governance structures and programmes to support the governance of our schools in
general. Quality education is key to eliminating intergenerational poverty and
unleashing the potential of rural communities to develop to their full potential
as citizens.
As we continue to address community health care needs, government will
continue to partner with traditional leaders to ensure that communities under
the jurisdiction of traditional leadership have access to quality health care.
This includes active participation by traditional leaders in the implementation
of HIV and Aids programmes. It is of great concern that
Traditional leaders have an important role to play in helping
communities to prevent the spread of HIV and Aids and mobilizing communities to
take personal responsibility for their health. Traditional leaders must engage
in campaigns to educate communities, particularly young people, about HIV and
Aids.
Traditional leaders must contribute to moral regeneration programmes to
promote positive values and social cohesion within communities. As we fight
against crime, the participation of traditional leadership is essential in
mobilizing communities to participation in street committees and initiatives to
fight crime, drug abuse and violence against women and children.
Honourable Members, government remains committed to providing the
necessary institutional support and the requisite infrastructure to ensure that
traditional institutions are able to fulfill their legislative mandates.
One of the key challenges that we need to address is to ensure that
recently established traditional councils begin to function effectively in line
their legislative mandate. In this regard, we are still awaiting the
finalization of national guidelines that will govern the operations of
traditional councils. Once these have been concluded, the Province will move
speedily to ensure that traditional councils function as expected.
In my address to this esteemed House last year, I stated that
government is concerned that boundary conflicts, succession disputes, and
divisions within some members of royal families as these continue to undermine
unity and social cohesion within traditional communities. To address these
challenges, we will establish a Provincial Disputes Resolution Commission to
deal with disputes in traditional communities. The MEC for Cooperative
Governance will provide details on this matter in his Policy and Budget Speech.
Honourable Members, as part of providing institutional support to the
institution of traditional leadership, government committed to commencing with
the renovation of offices of traditional councils, including the provision of
necessary office infrastructure and information technologies.
As part of our support programme to fast track the renovation of
offices of traditional councils, the Department of Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs has concluded an agreement with MRTT to commence work on the
renovation of offices before the end of this month.
Chairperson, we had hoped that by this time the national Department of
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs would have released the funding
framework for providing financial support to the work of traditional leadership
institutions. Based on the national framework, we would have ensured that the
policy framework is implemented in the Province.
Unfortunately, we have not made progress on the finalization of the
policy framework that guides the provision of resources to support the work of
traditional leaders. However, as a Province, we have developed a draft policy
framework for consideration by the Provincial House and the Executive Council
while waiting for the national policy framework to inform the provincial policy.
As I conclude I would like to state that, despite challenges in some
areas of our work, we will continue to work towards building a vibrant
institution of traditional leadership in the Province. We believe that, over the
last few years, we have built a solid foundation for the effective partnership
with the institution of traditional leadership in advancing development and
service delivery improvement. This institution has become a critical component
of our democratic governance system.
Chairperson and Members, together, we bear the light for hope,
aspirations and dreams for the poor who are waiting patiently for water,
electricity, roads, economic opportunities as well as quality education and
health care. Our task is to respond to their plight, not to betray their hopes
and expectations of a better life.
I wish the House well in executing its duties and responsibilities. I
declare the Sitting of the House of Traditional Leaders open.
I thank you.
Issued by: Mpumalanga House of Traditional Leaders
