The system of traditional leader-ship has proved over many years to be one of the best systems to handle matters affecting people daily, in particular for under-developed rural areas.

From time immemorial rural citizens relied on and were serviced by their traditional leaders. For this reason, among others, giving traditional leaders remuneration was a practice from way back and was regulated.

The introduction of a democratically elected local government that has introduced local councillors stretching to rural areas has distorted the role and importance of the institution of traditional leadership. It replaced a working system with non-effective ward councillors.

The headmen and headwomen's role and function were made invalid, and as a consequence their remuneration was negatively affected. This happened despite the fact that the headmen and headwomen remain, even today, the most accessible and trusted leaders of people in rural areas.

Some, if not many of the elected councillors, immediately after being elected, leave the rural areas and go to urban areas, leaving the people leaderless.

Headmen and headwomen are the ones who convene and hold community meetings using their own homes as venues, and they attend to each and every matter affecting all the citizens of the area.

The government should first, and as a matter of principle, go back to basics and acknowledge the strategic role and function of the traditional leadership system with regard to the daily servicing of rural people.

Once this is done, then the matter of remuneration of traditional leaders will be located within a proper context of the remuneration of public office-bearers.

The remuneration of public office-bearers is a matter that is first considered by an independent commission in terms of the constitution and the relevant legislation. The president, relevant ministers as well as provincial premiers, after considering the recommendations of the commission for a particular financial year, then make a determination.

Headmen and headwomen are covered equally in the categories of public office-bearers and have their remuneration recommended by the independent commission. The president then determines their salaries.

The historic disparity in the remuneration model for headmen and headwomen across provinces has necessitated standardisation and harmonisation.

It is in this context that the pay increase recently announced by President Jacob Zuma should be understood.

In one province headmen who earned R1300 per month will now find himself earning R7000 per month. In this case the claim about a double-digit pay hike has merit.

But for headmen or headwomen who already earned over R7000 a month there is no increment enjoyed. The only benefit is that they remain at their current salary until those headmen and headwomen who were earning less than them reach the same pay notch. They receive no pay hike despite the continuous rise in inflation, which is projected to increase by 0.2% in the second quarter of this year.

The salary dispensation announced by the president must be understood in the context of an attempt to achieve parity and standardisation across provinces.

While acknowledging the efforts and the increase, this double-digit increase makes no significant difference given that the headmen and headwomen's remuneration and that of other traditional leaders does not include benefits like medical aid, car allowance and a pension that are enjoyed by other categories of public office-bearers, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and municipal councillors.

Going back to the fundamental issue, what is of importance in this matter is the acknowledgement of the historic and current role of the institutions of traditional leadership.

We need to reaffirm that system as a necessary and functioning one even today. That being achieved, the legislative framework will have to be amended to give practical meaning to this acknowledgement and reaffirmation.

Currently, the legislation recognises the system of traditional leadership but puts it at a level below that of councillors. The consequence of this is that traditional leaders are not direct participants in local councils but are merely observers with no powers.

Once the role and function of traditional leaders in service delivery and community development in general is recognised, then the nation will accept that their remuneration will have to be consistent with their functions.

We welcome the salary increase given to traditional leaders and call for government to go back to basics and give full recognition of this institution and system once and for all.

Traditional leaders must be fully recognised and must be supported by being capacitated to understand the new conditions under which they continue to discharge their functions and be part of the broader developmental agenda of the nation.

There needs to be uniformity in dealing with traditional leadership across all provinces and at all levels of this leadership. Kings must be treated equally in all respects, and this goes for all other leaders under kings.

l Holomisa is president of the United Democratic Movement