Vital African voice that must not be silenced
Far from undermining democracy, traditional leadership is evolving to strengthen it, writes
PROUD MOMENT: AbaThembu royalty celebrate the coronation of their acting king last month
THE critics, and I dare say haters, of traditional governance believe traditional leaders and democracy are at odds, but the opposite is true.
Traditional leaders led and participated in the struggle for freedom fully conscious that freedom would deliver democracy and human rights.
To suggest that traditional leadership oppresses women is also without merit because women occupy positions in institutions of traditional governance and leadership throughout the country.
It is worth noting that as soon as the erstwhile KwaZulu government, which was predominantly led by traditional leaders, achieved legislative powers, it repealed the Code of Zulu Law that was imposed by the colonial government and relegated women to minors.
Women were given rights of land ownership and inheritance, long before advocacy for gender equality gained momentum elsewhere.
Traditional leadership is founded on the fundamental principle of consensus, giving space to every voice and arriving at decisions through negotiation.
Consensus is a form of democracy, just like elections are a form of democracy — in the latter case, one in which the will of the majority prevails.
Consensus is inclusive and does not leave anyone behind.
The idea that traditional leaders operate without any obligations to account is a misconception.
Traditional councils as representative of the community act as a healthy system to ensure accountability. Furthermore, these councils are now elected through secret ballot, with strict quotas for women’s representation.
The institution of traditional leadership and governance is undergoing serious, albeit piecemeal, change tailored to ensure it is compatible with the democratic dispensation.
The process of transformation would move faster if the recommendations of the cabinet committee made in December 2000 were adopted.
It recommends that chapters 7 and 12 of the constitution be amended to prevent the obliteration of the institution of traditional leadership and create a synergy between local government and traditional authorities and councils.
Models of co-operation between traditional leadership and electoral democracy exist throughout the world. One example is Great Britain, where the queen of England is a traditional leader presiding over a democratic state.
Our democratic order is solid and our constitution is alive. Everybody is equal before the law and traditional leadership governance is not immune to scrutiny.
Like all institutions it must be weighed on the scales of the constitution.
One of the sad successes of colonial oppression and apartheid has been the inculcation of the mentality to second-guess all that is African.
Our African arts, culture, traditions, religions and belief systems, literature and identity are being sacrificed at the altar of globalisation, which is in essence a sophisticated extension of colonialism.
Often it is Africa that is expected to conform to, and accommodate, global trends. Rarely is that which is African conformed to or accommodated on the global stage.
Traditional leadership exists to remind us of what and who we are as a people.
With the world rapidly changing and demanding of South Africa and Africa to keep up, it will become easy for us to lose a sense of ourselves.
If we are not vigilant, we may begin fixing what is not broken or breaking what is working. Traditional leadership governance bears the brutal brunt of the lingering threats of colonialist globalisation.
Being “African” refers to more than mere geography.
It exists as an embodiment of the character of Africa as well, something in our makeup that distinguishes us from the rest of the globe.
Part of that is to be found in the institution of traditional leadership, an institution quintessentially African, linking the distant past, the present and the future.
Hlengwa is an IFP MP and can be followed on Twitter at @mkhulekohlengwa
Traditional leadership governance is not immune to scrutiny