Eastern Cape traditional leaders have ironed out differences with ANC provincial leaders which threatened to break down the relationship between the two organisations.
The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) and the ANC provincial working committee met last week to discuss the traditional leaders’ frustration with the ANC.
They said they felt undermined by the ANC and that the ruling party only used them as voting cattle during elections.
In September, Contralesa came out guns blazing expressing their “utmost disgust” at the ANC leadership’s apparent “disrespectful conduct”. They demanded an urgent meeting with the ANC provincial leadership.
Last week leaders of the two formations came out of a meeting at Calata House in King William’s Town smiling having ironed out their differences.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and Contralesa provincial chairman Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana yesterday said the meeting was the start of good things between the two organisations.
“We acknowledge the social distance that has created itself and as the ANC, we feel we should have played role in closing the gap. Contralesa raised a number of matters of discontent with relations between the ANC and Contralesa, but also issues of provincial development. Their participation in the development of the Eastern Cape is crucial,” said Mabuyane.
He said Contralesa felt the ANC, as the governing party should not create policies affecting (traditional leaders) without their input.
Contralesa is also trying to get government to recognise the level of sub-headmanship as part of the traditional leadership layers of governance. Currently the traditional leadership has four recognised spheres of leadership – kingship, principal traditional leadership, chieftainship and headmanship.
Contralesa also expressed concern over the ANC’s deployment policies saying traditional leaders were overlooked.
“They felt that although some traditional leaders are ANC members, they could not get an opportunity of being deployed. The ANC, in balancing its own deployment, should take into consideration those kind of sectors. We took that as learning curve,” said Mabuyane.
The ANC agreed to involve Contralesa on land policies and others.
“We are concerned with land policies which are a deliberate attack to traditional leaders. We are concerned with the clear deterioration of the ANC as the leader of the mass democratic movement, which Contralesa is part of. Some ANC leaders publicly speak nasty things about traditional leaders,” said Nonkonyana.
He added that the meeting agreed that the dignity of traditional leaders should be upheld.
Both organisations acknowledged the important role they should play currently and in the future in the development of the province.
This meeting was similar to the 2011 October meeting between the national working committees of the ANC Youth League and Contralesa led respectively by then presidents Julius Malema and Chief Phathekile Holomisa to discuss on issues of common interest. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
ANC, traditional leaders make up
The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) and the ANC provincial working committee met last week to discuss the traditional leaders’ frustration with the ANC.
They said they felt undermined by the ANC and that the ruling party only used them as voting cattle during elections.
In September, Contralesa came out guns blazing expressing their “utmost disgust” at the ANC leadership’s apparent “disrespectful conduct”. They demanded an urgent meeting with the ANC provincial leadership.
Last week leaders of the two formations came out of a meeting at Calata House in King William’s Town smiling having ironed out their differences.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and Contralesa provincial chairman Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana yesterday said the meeting was the start of good things between the two organisations.
“We acknowledge the social distance that has created itself and as the ANC, we feel we should have played role in closing the gap. Contralesa raised a number of matters of discontent with relations between the ANC and Contralesa, but also issues of provincial development. Their participation in the development of the Eastern Cape is crucial,” said Mabuyane.
He said Contralesa felt the ANC, as the governing party should not create policies affecting (traditional leaders) without their input.
Contralesa is also trying to get government to recognise the level of sub-headmanship as part of the traditional leadership layers of governance. Currently the traditional leadership has four recognised spheres of leadership – kingship, principal traditional leadership, chieftainship and headmanship.
Contralesa also expressed concern over the ANC’s deployment policies saying traditional leaders were overlooked.
“They felt that although some traditional leaders are ANC members, they could not get an opportunity of being deployed. The ANC, in balancing its own deployment, should take into consideration those kind of sectors. We took that as learning curve,” said Mabuyane.
The ANC agreed to involve Contralesa on land policies and others.
“We are concerned with land policies which are a deliberate attack to traditional leaders. We are concerned with the clear deterioration of the ANC as the leader of the mass democratic movement, which Contralesa is part of. Some ANC leaders publicly speak nasty things about traditional leaders,” said Nonkonyana.
He added that the meeting agreed that the dignity of traditional leaders should be upheld.
Both organisations acknowledged the important role they should play currently and in the future in the development of the province.
This meeting was similar to the 2011 October meeting between the national working committees of the ANC Youth League and Contralesa led respectively by then presidents Julius Malema and Chief Phathekile Holomisa to discuss on issues of common interest. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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