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KZN traditional leaders need reparations and protection, body tells members

Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA had a provincial conference in Durban on Saturday with provincial chiefs and headmen
Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA had a provincial conference in Durban on Saturday with provincial chiefs and headmen
Image: Nqubeko Mbhele

Traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal have been discriminated against since 1994 and should seek reparations.

This is according to the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA (Contralesa) which held its provincial conference in Durban on Saturday.

Zolani Mkiva, Contralesa national general secretary, said traditional leaders of similar rank in other provinces had received payment under the apartheid regime while their KwaZulu-Natal counterparts had only received remuneration since 2016.

“You cannot have a situation where, in a unitary state, izinduna in KZN started getting salaries in 2016 while in other provinces they were getting salaries even during apartheid and immediately after 1994. So the government owes you money not only from 2016 but from 1994,” he said.

Inkhosi Thulasizwe Ngcobo, Contralesa KwaZulu-Natal chair, said izinduna were paid less than the minimum wage.

“We have a minimum wage in SA yet izinduna are getting paid only R1,600 by the same government that introduced that living wage. Which man can live on R1,600 under these economic conditions?”

Mkiva said traditional leaders would lobby for recognition as official governors of villages and traditional communities.

“We are the fourth arm of the state, it’s just that the constitution is not recognising that. So we demand that there must be an amendment of the constitution to recognise — formally and officially —  traditional leadership as the governors of villages and traditional communities of our country.”

With nine kings, a queen and 882 traditional councillors under different chiefs, Mkiva said traditional leaders had the potential to be much more influential if they were united.

“We outsource our power to political formations and when they get there they don’t represent our people, they represent themselves and their families. Our unity is so strategic that we can tell who should form part of the executive and who should go to parliament. We need to call for an amendment in the constitution to have electoral law which begins to give constituency democracy.”

The killing of traditional leaders, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, was also addressed.

Mkiva said they were targeted and called for the co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) department and government to provide security for them.

Ngcobo said it was “scandalous” that 46 traditional leaders had been killed in the past two years but no arrests had been made.

He said the issue of money and succession planning could be contributing factors to the deaths.

“Since indunas started getting paid there has been a scourge in these killings. Another contributing factor is us as chiefs for not following the right procedure of removing and hiring izinduna,” he said.

eThekwini deputy mayor and Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) president Philani Mavundla advised Contralesa to report the issue and the lack of political will to address it to the UN.

TimesLIVE


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