Fellow Traditional Leaders in the District and surrounding areas

Hon: Fikile Xasa in your capacity as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as well as the Chairperson of Ngcobo Parliamentary Constituency Office! Mqwathi.

Members of Ngcobo Parliamentary Constituency Management Committee

Ward Councillor

Members of the Community

Government Officials

Madibulele, sihlalo elithuba ukuba sizothetha ngalenqubo ka Rhulumente okuthiwa yi Invest Rural Master Plan.

Ndivumeleni ukuba ndiqwalasele indima edlalwa ziNkosi kwinkqubo zikaRhulumente zophuhliso nokuphucula imeko yendawo zasezilalini. Siqwalasela imfuduko eninzi yabantu besinge ezidolophini into eyenza ilali zisale zinengxaki yokungabikho kwamava nezakhono. Uninzi lwabantu abahlala ezilalini bathwaxwa yintswela ngqesho nentlupheko kunabo basezidolophini.

The NHTKL represents traditional leadership at the national level. Preserving customs and heritage, advising the government on issues affecting rural people, and championing socio-economic development in their communities. At an Indaba in late 2020, the NHTKL endorsed InvestRural as the best way forward for rural development. As advocates for InvestRural, they work to engage all traditional communities in the process.

This programme was launched in February 2021, under the National House of Traditional and KhoiSan Leaders in Rustenburg in the Province of Northwest. At the time it was driven by the late Chairperson of the National House HTKL, Ikosi Mahlangu. Nzuza.  

During the launch Ikosi Mahlangu said, I quote “Today as the institution of traditional leadership we have decided to be at the forefront of bringing hope to our rural communities… I, therefore, urge all of us, AmaKhosi (traditional leaders), government, private sector, and our communities to hold hands and make our rural areas places where people work and stay. As the institution of traditional leadership, we say let us invest rurally, let us build an inclusive South African economy, let us create our own rural economy, and let us realise the vision to ‘improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person’ as enshrined in the Constitution.” Unquote.

It has become increasingly difficult to separate communities into rural or urban areas due to many households relying on both urban and rural-based resources, this is especially true in South Africa where the Apartheid legacy has had a lingering effect on urban-rural linkages.

In South Africa, the interdependence between rural communities and distant cities is higher than elsewhere with many rural residents living in urban domains while maintaining family, social and financial ties in rural areas.

Ilali zethu eSouth Africa zijongene nokudodobala kwezoqoqosho nokunqongophala kweziseko ezingundoqo ngenxa yemfuduko esingise ezidolophini. Ezilalini inkonzo zinqongophele, indawo zokuzonwabisa namathuba emisebenzi. Ngenxa yalengxaki ejongene nelali namhlanje ndinqwenela ukunazisa ngenkqubo yethu ebizwa Invest Rural. It is due to these factors that the rural areas need to be reimagined in South Africa. The InvestRural Master plan is a broad strategy that covers several developmental programs that are key to the institution of traditional leadership. It further attempts to reverse the legacy of Apartheid which left areas under traditional leaders in abject poverty. It provides for the mechanism to change rural areas to be investible. Iilali zibengamaziko orhwebo notyalomali.

This Master Plan packages the rural challenges as viable projects capable of attracting investment from all sectors of society. The programme will be leveraging three vital economic drivers, Land, People, and Traditional Systems, which account for the undeveloped potential in all rural areas. The aim is to refocus society’s attention toward rural communities, connecting them to those who have the resources and expertise to drive rural development. InvestRural focuses on the following programmes to be achieved within 20 to 30 years:

• Renewable Energy
• Roads and Transportation (IIndlela nezothutho)
• Water (Amanzi)
• Sanitation (ugutyulo lwelindle)
• Telecommunications (Ezonxibelelwano)
• Financial inclusion (Ezezimali)
• Education (Ezemfundo)
• Health (Ezempilo)
• Agriculture (Ezolimo)
• Tourism (Ezokhenketho)
• Retail (IIntengiso)
• Manufacturing (Imveliso)
• Rural Enterprise Development (Ukuphuhliswa kwamashishini akhasayo)

Lenkqubo ikhokhelwa ziiNkosi okanye iinkokheli zemveli. Ukuze lifezeke iphupha lalenkqubo inkosi nganye kufuneka ikhangele amathuba ezoqoqosho angaphuhliseka kwimimandla yayo.  The community must be willing to use their assets such as land, heritage sites, cultures, clinics, schools, and any resource they have as a source of economic development for the rural development to be successful. Lenkqubo ihambisana ne Asset Based Community Development apho indawo nendawo iphakamisa ukomelela kwayo, amathuba ophuhliso nendalo ekwezondawo. Ilali nalali inazo iziphiwo zendalo ezingalulutho kuphuhliso lwezoqoqosho ezilalini.

Therefore, I urge that we recognize the assets we have and their value, but most importantly how can we utilize them to empower ourselves and the communities economically.

Rural areas have land which not fully utilized to their benefit. Umhlaba sesona sipho sendalo masiqale ngaso kulenkqubo yophuhliso lwelali.  The communities should focus on economic activities they can do with the land they have. Refinement of the rural areas does not mean adopting an urban lifestyle, which is unconnected to the surrounding of the community. Rural areas need to go back to basics and start building economical assets, such as farming, fresh produce products, tourism, etc.

Rural areas are also rich in culture and heritage economy but remain untapped. Culture and heritage refer to a combination of economic activities and development benefits accruing out of the cultural and heritage resources of a community. Zonke iilali zinawo amathuba ophuhliso asekelezwe kwinkcubeko namagugu ayo. Ukuqala kumculo wemveli, ukutya, isinxibo, iindawo ezikhethekileyo zembali ukubalula ezimbalwa. Heritage sites or resources are one of the crucial sources of tourism in traditional communities and I would urge all of us to consider this area as a driver of economic development in our communities. The rich cultures and heritage embedded in traditional communities are significant areas with a lot of potential for addressing poverty and unemployment in rural communities of South Africa. However, culture and heritage assets/resources in most of the South African traditional communities is an aspect that has not been fully explored as an alternative rural development strategy for socio-economic advancement.

South Africa is known for its rich culture. Culture and heritage economy is a way to empower women and rural communities to actively participate in the economy. It could also be a method to lobby for economic infrastructure being built in rural areas. Culture and heritage offer a unique opportunity for the commercialisation of heritage e.g., Maskhandi music in our cultures.

In the 2023 State of the Nation Address the President, quote “Emphasised the importance of forging a consensus among all sectors of our society to rebuild our economy and address the developmental needs of our communities”. Unquote.

The Department under my leadership will ensure that the Masterplan finds expression in the Cabinet through the processes of Cabinet Committees, to ensure that this blueprint deepens socio-economic development in rural communities.

Whilst a significant milestone the Local Government Summit, a meeting that was attended by Troikas and Municipal Managers of all Municipalities in the country, as well as Traditional Leaders and other sectors in our societies that were held last year took a resolution that the Invest Rural Masterplan should be consulted with all municipalities for it to inform their plans.

I am sure that by working together as different partners the Invest Rural Master Plan will find expression in all government departments. It will also assist us to extricate the institution from the jaws of chronic over-dependence.

Madibulele, for elithuba and commit that the Department will have to come back before the end of April, together with the Province, and Municipality to do an analysis of what would be identified as investable programmes in this District. I also wish to call on all of us here today to play a constructive role in making Invest Rural a reality to fight poverty and the underdevelopment of rural areas. 

NDIYABULELA!