Traditional leaders are not absolute monarchs and should be accountable for their actions in line with the constitution and the principles that govern a democratic South Africa, North West Premier Popo Molefe said on Sunday.
Molefe was speaking to traditional leaders in Mafikeng during the consultation summit on the Draft White Paper on traditional leadership.
He said traditional leaders could not function as absolute monarchs and needed to become accountable to their subjects and the country’s democratic constitution.
The premier said government wanted to work hand in hand with traditional leaders to restore the integrity and legitimacy of the institution.
”Both government and traditional leaders must work together because we share the same passion about our country, and all of us want to lend a hand in the national effort to push back the frontiers of poverty. We all want accelerated service delivery to
our people. There is more that unites us than divides us.”
Molefe said he was heartened to note that the majority of traditional leaders in the North West province believed that co-operation and coexistence between government and traditional authorities were both possible and necessary.
If the White Paper was passed, it would more clearly define the roles and functions of the institutions of traditional leadership within the democratic context.
It would also provide a framework for coexistence and co-operation between traditional authorities and government, Molefe said. – Sapa