Many of the country’s problems might be solved if its criminal justice system followed the “African traditional way”, Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka said in Kimberley on Friday.
“When we are in trouble we run to European courts and retributive justice, and not to our African way, which is based on restorative justice.
“Doing it the African way must be looked at, because prisons are full due to retributive justice,” he told the national general council of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa).
He said traditional leaders should be at the head of government campaigns such as Heritage Day, and of discussions on land reform.
“Talk of Heritage Day which is led by a government department. It should be led by traditional leaders.”
Mining rights
Shiceka said many issues affecting traditional leaders needed scrutiny, such as agreements “money houses” had signed with them.
“We must look at all mining rights that were entered into with traditional leaders, to make sure they are the beneficiaries.”
Shiceka said the payment of headmen and women in South Africa was still problematic.
“We do not know how many are there. How do you budget for this?”
The minister urged the leaders to help the government in this regard.
Shiceka said it was a crime that the Khoisan had not been included in the government after 16 years of democracy.
African National Congress secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the national house of traditional leaders proved the government took traditional leaders seriously. Nevertheless, he warned that any institution was only as strong as its members.
“When chiefs are preoccupied with complaints, void of generating ideas and engaging government, their influence will be limited.”
He told the gathering that leaders should take an interest in the way the budget of the traditional affairs department was used.
Referring to rural development, Mantashe said traditional leaders and councillors should work together.
“Where chiefs and councillors work together we see better progress.”
Earlier, Contralesa president Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa said the gathering should formulate clear views on issues such as crime and corruption in the private and government sector, ownership and exploitation of natural resources and black economic empowerment policies, as they affected rural communities.
The Contralesa national general council would sit in Kimberley until Sunday. – Sapa