Parliament will this week hold public hearings on a bill aimed at providing for the “statutory recognition of the legitimate Khoi-San leadership and communities”.
The Traditional and Khoi-San Bill “has been in the legislative pipeline since 1997” and the chair of the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs‚ Richard Mdakane‚ said he believes “the time is now ripe to solicit public input and finalise this critical piece of legislation”.
According to Mdakane: “One reason for the delay was the need to develop specific criteria to ensure that only legitimate Khoi-San communities and leaders are recognised.”
A statement from the committee said the bill “provides for integrating recognised Khoi-San leaders into existing houses of traditional leadership and doing away with separate structures for the Khoi-San”.
“These will then be called houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders‚” it said.
“The recognition provisions contained in the Bill do not elevate the Khoi-San communities and leaders to a higher status than other traditional communities and leaders or grant any special status to them.
“Instead recognised Khoi-San traditional leaders will‚ in respect of their recognised communities‚ perform the same functions as the currently recognised senior traditional leaders. This is to avoid a potentially divisive hierarchy among South African communities as occurred under the colonial and apartheid regimes.”
Hearings will run in the Northern Cape‚ Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces from Thursday until December 9‚ and resume in 2017 when Parliament reopens. – TMG Digital
'Bill won't elevate Khoi-San to higher status than other traditional communities': Parliament
Parliament will this week hold public hearings on a bill aimed at providing for the “statutory recognition of the legitimate Khoi-San leadership and communities”.
The Traditional and Khoi-San Bill “has been in the legislative pipeline since 1997” and the chair of the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs‚ Richard Mdakane‚ said he believes “the time is now ripe to solicit public input and finalise this critical piece of legislation”.
According to Mdakane: “One reason for the delay was the need to develop specific criteria to ensure that only legitimate Khoi-San communities and leaders are recognised.”
A statement from the committee said the bill “provides for integrating recognised Khoi-San leaders into existing houses of traditional leadership and doing away with separate structures for the Khoi-San”.
“These will then be called houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders‚” it said.
“The recognition provisions contained in the Bill do not elevate the Khoi-San communities and leaders to a higher status than other traditional communities and leaders or grant any special status to them.
“Instead recognised Khoi-San traditional leaders will‚ in respect of their recognised communities‚ perform the same functions as the currently recognised senior traditional leaders. This is to avoid a potentially divisive hierarchy among South African communities as occurred under the colonial and apartheid regimes.”
Hearings will run in the Northern Cape‚ Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces from Thursday until December 9‚ and resume in 2017 when Parliament reopens. – TMG Digital
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