KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi plans to adopt late IFP founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s “core principles” to revitalise the traditional affairs part of his department.
Buthelezi was speaking to TimesLIVE Premium as he reflected on the first six months since his appointment to lead the portfolio in premier Thami Ntuli’s cabinet of provincial unity.
He said traditional leadership has been excluded and the development of rural areas neglected since the IFP lost control of the province to their GPU partners, the ANC, 20 years ago.
“Amakhosi have been sidelined in decision making and undermined when it comes to issues affecting their areas of jurisdiction for too long,” he said.
“My priority is to restore the roles, powers and functions of traditional leaders within the limited legislation which is there.”
To do that, Buthelezi has followed the blueprint of his party’s founding president, though he admits those principles were not without their detractors throughout his life.
“There were core principles in his life which made him very unpopular, misunderstood and which caused many people to vilify him.”
Among those principles was his “strong stance on the roles, powers and functions of traditional leaders”.
Buthelezi said his interventions in that regard were his biggest achievement thus far.
This includes the directive to include amakhosi as observers in municipal executive committee meetings. He said that decision has amplified their voice as they now participate when decisions are made. “That has the effect of allowing municipalities to benefit from the experience and wisdom of amakhosi when decisions are still being discussed and not only at the end when decisions are being implemented at council meetings.”
He commended the current administration for granting the provincial house of traditional and Khoisan leaders full-time status to the executive committee of the province within its first six months. “That is a major step towards empowering amakhosi and the work that they do in developing their communities. It was a landmark decision by the cabinet of KZN because it had not been done in the last 20 years.”
He said amakhosi had previously been subjected to a “humiliating” headcount every month, where they would be “threatened” with their salaries being withheld.
“They were cobbled together like cows and counted by officials. Within the first month of assuming office, I’ve discontinued that humiliating practice of the headcount of amakhosi and they have appreciated that because that practice was lowering their dignity.”
Fifty amakhosi are going to be trained for a fully SAQA-accredited certificate in governance and administration, a 12-month academic programme. It will empower amakhosi with the necessary academic training and theoretical framework to assist them in their day-to-day exercise as amakhosi
— Thulasizwe Buthelezi, KZN Cogta MEC
His next mission is an attempt to have traditional leaders undergo tertiary training on governance and administration so they can play a more active role in the local government decision-making processes.
Cogta will sign a memorandum of understanding with the University of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday to enrol Amakhosi in an academic programme that will train them in governance and administration.
“Fifty amakhosi are going to be trained for a fully SAQA-accredited certificate in governance and administration, a 12-month academic programme. It will empower amakhosi with the necessary academic training and theoretical framework to assist them in their day-to-day exercise as amakhosi.”
Retired judge Mjabuliseni Madondo will work with the traditional leaders on governance and justice.
He also mentioned the late Prince of KwaPhindangene’s stance on recognising and developing Ulundi, in northern KZN, as the capital of the province “for historical and economic reasons”.
“He suffered a heavy price for that, but he was uncompromising in that stance.”
The town was previously the capital of the Zulu Kingdom and later shared capital duties with Pietermaritzburg until 2004 when the IFP lost power.
Buthelezi was set to relocate the traditional affairs part of his office to the old legislature in Ulundi on Thursday, but the move was scuppered at the eleventh hour after the premier said it was not in accordance with the ministerial handbook. He didn't want to comment on the delay.
One of his areas of prioritisation in the next six months will be ensuring that every municipality has at least one viable local economic project to stimulate job creation and economic activity.
“We can’t wait for the private sector because by and large all the private sector investment is centred on Durban and Richards Bay, while rural areas are suffering from chronic poverty, so we will ensure that there is a project or an investment in every single municipality under the local economic development programme of Cogta which will ensure there is some form of economic activity taking place.”
They will start the first project under that programme in ward 15 of Abaqulusi local municipality in Zululand in January.
“As Cogta we have secured private investment for the building and operation of a milling plant where all the local subsistence farmers will bring their maize to be packaged for them and they will be able to sell that to supplement their income.”
“The excess maize which is not sold will then be converted into animal feed and given to the people at minimum cost so that at least theoretically livestock can get food supplements.”
His other focus will be to ensure that all wards in the 54 KZN municipalities have access to clean and reliable water supply.
“Every single ward, village and settlement must have a sustainable and clean supply of water. I’ll be going throughout the province ensuring that where municipalities are failing to supply that service, then we as Cogta intervene to ensure that people have that access. Even if they don’t have access to it 24 hours a day, but if there is a system that is clear and sustainable then people appreciate that.”
He added that the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi had a vision for a KZN that would embrace its diversity and would be able to express their culture and identity “within the constitution”.
“He was a champion for social cohesion and if he could look back (now) he would be very proud to see what has been achieved under premier Ntuli.”
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