Royal leaders should reclaim their birth right positions and authority to advance the interest of their people and to strive to ensure their wellbeing.
Aarone Mahumani, Provincial Secretary of Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) made this appeal when addressing a General Council meeting in Polokwane on Sunday. He emphasised the importance of claiming land as natural resource to be optimally utilised and stated that to ensure the meaningful development of royal leaders, civil society, Government, business forums and state owned enterprises must work together to create a peaceful environment to promote job opportunities to push backwards the frontier of poverty. “We must produce a society which is productive and also ensure sustainable development in our communities. The National Development Plan reiterates its perspective as a plan for a better future, a future in which no person lives in poverty, where no-one goes hungry, where there is work for all, a nation united in the vision of our Constitution.”
Phogole Phaahla, Provincial Chairperson of Contralesa told the meeting that they recognised that Government had failed to provide an enabling environment for rural project development. “We further realised that this situation makes it impossible to advance the objectives of royal leader-driven projects, as no funds are channelled to that effect but instead used to fund sinking state owned enterprises with money that could be used to develop rural projects and cooperatives to benefit the poor and create jobs.
Phaahla said royal leaders must embark on a self-determination path as the ruling party and government had neglected them over the past 23 years. “Royal leaders have no political voice in South Africa, hence Parliament passes laws aimed at destroying the institution of royal leadership. We demand reasonable representation in Legislatures and national Parliament to defend issues relating to our institution. On top of this, we demand introduction of a stand-alone ministry that deals specifically with royal leadership. We have also reached an agreement with South African National Civic Organisation and South African Communist Party to address challenges relating to royal leadership and that they should be vocal in canvassing for proper recognition of the institution of royal leadership,” he concluded.
Story: Herbert Rachuene
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