Government and Amakhosi united to serve
Merely days after being deployed as the political head for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, MEC Busi Shiba has sprung into action, calling for government and traditional leadership in the province to work together to enhance service delivery.
Shiba, who offi cially handed over three vehicles to three traditional councils, Siboshwa, Bakgatla ba Seabe and Manala Mgibe, said the need for government and traditional leaders to work together must never be postponed, especially during this era of Covid-19 pandemic.
“Traditional leadership plays a huge rule in our communities, as they are rooted and one with the people on the ground. Their say and opinion on developmental issues and our efforts in the fi ght against dreadful diseases such as HIV/ Aids and Covid-19 matter the most. And as government of the day, we need them (Amakhosi) to be always on our side to help us speed up service delivery for all our communities while at the same time fi ghting the scourge of gender based violence and Covid-19,” said Shiba.
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“It is mainly for this reason that today we are donating these much-needed tools of trade to our traditional leaders, for them to be able to do their community work with much ease.“
“ These vehicles are to service our communities and I hope with this gesture our traditional leaders will notice how much we value and respect them. “We don’t see them as only custodians of our traditions and cultures but also as key instruments of change and development within our communities,” continued Shiba.
Inkhosi Sandile Ngomane, the current provincial chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, applauded government’s efforts to bridge the gap that existed before between Amakhosi and government.
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“We want to appreciate the relationship that exists today between Amakhosi and government. I want to make it known and clear that the Mpumalanga provincial government has been nothing but good and supportive to us traditional leaders in the province.“
“This proves just how much government values the role of traditional leadership in the community and we shall not disappoint both government and our people in their quest for a better life. We want to reaffi rm our stance to work with government to improve our people’s lives and communities,” said Ngomane.
