Every Municipality Must Work
Honourable Speaker
Honorable Members of the Portfolio Committee
Honorable Minister Hlabisa and Deputy Minister Masemola
DGs of DCOG and DTA
CEOs of MISA and SALGA
Officials from the COGTA Portfolio
Fellow South Africans
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you, Honorable Speaker, for granting us the opportunity to address this august House on this occasion of the 2026/27 Budget Vote debate of the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
It is indeed my humble privilege to contribute to the tabling of Budget Votes 3 and 15 on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the National Assembly.
The devastation of the disaster in Limpopo and other provinces
A year ago around the time of the budget vote, some of our provinces experienced devastation due to inclement weather conditions that caused a lot of damage, havoc and also led to loss of lives. The government led by the Presidency and the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs made concerted effort to rally government support to the communities that were affected by the sever weather condition that time.
In the current year under review, the country also experienced severe floods and weather condition that caused a lot of damage to infrastructure, human settlements and the loss of people and animals. These devasting weather conditions were experienced in provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. I would like to also echo the words of Honorable Minister Hlabisa to convey my condolences to especially the people of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces who endured the terrible weather conditions and were negatively affected by disastrous floods that caused deaths of young children and old people and also left a trail of massive damage to infrastructure and herds of domestic animals. As a Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, we continue to hold hands with the provincial governments of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga and other role players in addressing the aftermath of this disaster and in assisting the affected communities to get back on their feet.
Involvement of Traditional Leadership in government decision making processes.
Honorable Speaker, we remain committed to ensuring that the institution of Traditional and Khoisan Leadership is involved in statutory processes of governance. In this regard, Section 39 (1) of the Traditional and Khoi-san Leadership Act provides for certain Bills to be sent to the National House of Traditional and Khoi-san Leadership House for comments before they can be passed by Parliament. In the spirit of cooperative governance, organs of state also consult with the National House on their own draft policies and proposed pieces of legislation. In the financial year 2025/26, the National House provided inputs on five (05) pieces of legislation, including amendment of the Customary Initiation Act, Intergovernmental Monitoring, Support and Intervention Bill, the Water Services Amendment Bill and the Constitution’s Twenty-Second Amendment Bill, among others.
Furthermore, following inputs that have been received from the National House regarding the participation of traditional leaders in municipal governance, the traditional leadership through the national and provincial houses, continues to participate in the review of the White Paper on Local Government to ensure inclusive and effective participation of institutions of traditional leadership in the governance and decision making in local government structures.
Traditional Leaders support programmes:
The provisions of the enabling resources to the institutions of Traditional leadership continues to be central to the plans of the Department of Traditional Affairs to ensure that the capacity of the traditional leadership is strengthened to provide effective and efficient discharging of their responsibilities. Pursuant to the endorsement by MINMEC of the Handbook of Tools of Trade for Traditional Leadership for phased implementation, there process of consultations with provinces on the cost implications is ongoing and there are scheduled meetings dates secured with the Premiers and MECs of various provinces. In the 2026/2027 fiscal year, our focus will be on finalising the official consultations with the Premiers not yet engaged and to open the way for actual implementation of the Handbook.
The Department received an additional budget allocation of about R87m from the National Treasury towards the construction of palaces and council offices for the Kingship/Queenship and Principal Traditional Leadership. The Department is engaging various role players in the implementation of the project. This is a response to one of the matters raised by traditional leaders in relation to provision of infrastructure support for the Institution of Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership, thus ensuring dignity for reigning Kings/Queens and Principal Traditional Leaders. This is viewed as a first step in government’s intervention to support the institution and such is greatly welcomed, as this support will enable kings/queens to execute their functions effectively and efficiently.
Interventions to address Customary Initiation Challenges
Honourable Chairperson and members, last year we made a commitment to raise awareness with the winter initiation season upon us, and to continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to raise awareness in our communities and minimize casualties during the initiation seasons. The focus interventions continued in all provinces and in provinces that were considered hotspots. The Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committees (PICCs) increased their coordination to ensure that we establish a footprint that lead us to zero casualties. The mobilization also included the Majesties forum who also contributed proposals to ensure that this customary practice is protected against unscrupulous people who erode the importance and cultural value of this customary practice toward nation building and social cohesion.
The Minister also hosted a dialogue on customary initiation in February 2026 where traditional leaders and various other stakeholders were invited to engage on plans to promote safe initiation and to establish a common strategy espoused in the concept document on Cogta’s approach to reduce and eradicate initiation deaths and amputations and operations of illegal initiation schools during customary initiation seasons. The interventions by the Minister supported by the Department and traditional leaders are contributing towards raising consciousness in administering safe initiation practices and also reduction of initiation deaths and amputations.
During the budget vote of 2024/25 we also reported on the initiation awareness campaigns we conducted on the provisions of the Customary Initiation Act in the OR Tambo District of the Eastern Cape, Bojanala District in the Northwest Province and Sekhukhune District (Limpopo) focusing on clamping down on illegal initiation schools. The report received from the PICCs of the areas of the Provincial Governments have demonstrated the beginning of a downward slope in the number of deaths and amputations, and even if in some instances the reduction is low, but it is a welcomed and encouraging sign of progress.
We are heartened by the dedication of all stakeholders in putting the lives of young initiates first. Our shared goal is clear: zero deaths, zero harm, and a dignified experience for every initiate. This is not just the responsibility of one entity, but a collective obligation that must be championed through an all-of-government and all-of-society approach. Our commitment to safe and dignified initiation practices remains unwavering.
Let us ensure that ‘Mabaye Bephila, Babuye Bephila.’ This should not be a slogan to appease, but a reality.
The consultations on amendments of the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Bill is finalized and gazetted and it is submitted to Parliament to start with public participation processes. We call on the sector and the public to really come in their numbers to contribute towards ensuring that the bill is owned and shaped by the people.
The finalization of the Customary Initiation Regulations and the Customary Initiation Fee determination is welcomed and these regulations will ensure that the customary initiation is conducted ethically and with integrity.
Addressing Disputes in traditional leadership
Honorable members, we continue to be worried by the rising trend of traditional leadership disputes in our communities. Not only does this destabilise the institution and its functioning, but it also brings it into disrepute. We continue to convey our commitment to encouraging and facilitating the development of genealogies and customary laws of succession. We believe that these laws will introduce a much needed element of certainty and predictability in leadership succession and thus minimize leadership disputes. We have therefore developed guidelines to assist royal families with the documentation of customary laws of succession and genealogies. In addition, the Department has a project to facilitate and support royal families for kingships/queenships to document and signing off the customary laws of succession and genealogies.
In the 2025/2026 Financial Year, the Department supported the two Principal Traditional Leaderships in the Free State as well as the AmaRharhabe and the AmaMpondomise Kingships in the Eastern Cape to document their customary laws of succession and genealogies. The Department further held capacity building workshop for members of the two Provincial Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership (Limpopo and Northwest Provincial Houses) on the documentation of customary laws of succession and genealogies.
In the current fiscal year 2026-2027, the Department will continue with the Project to extend the documentation of customary laws of succession and genealogies to other Kingships. Working with the Provinces, the project will be extended to senior traditional leadership royal families in the Free State and Limpopo in the current fiscal year and will also include local houses.
The challenge is that some royal families are hesitant to sign-off on the documented customary laws of succession because they are not legally binding and mandatory to be submitted to the President or Premiers for the recognition of an identified successor. The Ministry will explore the possibility of introducing enabling legislative provisions to make these mandatory and legally binding to each royal family through the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill process.
Training and capacity building
Honourable Chairperson and members, capacity building of traditional leaders continues to be a key project for the department. This is one of the projects that equips them with knowledge and skills to perform their duties as outlined in the legislation. In the previous financial year, traditional leaders were capacitated in the following: disaster management, Gender Based-Violence and Femicide, and the Customary Initiation Act (CIA).
The aim and objective of this training was to workshop traditional leaders in eight (8) houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership to contribute to disaster prevention and relief in line with the Disaster Management Act, Act 53 of 2005. In addition, to ensure that traditional leaders participate in the disaster management inter-governmental structures and advisory forums at national, provincial and district levels. In this current year 2025-26, ten (10) Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San leadership will be capacitated on their roles in disaster management.
Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) is the second pandemic in our country. The department will continue with its anti- GBVF training project to ensure that Traditional leaders promote awareness in their communities and assist in nation-building and social cohesion in the country. In this financial year, we are targeting to conduct GBVF awareness campaigns in North-West and Eastern Cape or Free State.
The other training project for this year is the development of a training manual on Traditional Courts Act 9 of 2022. The training manual will be used to capacitate traditional leaders or any other person delegated by a traditional leader to preside over a traditional court. In addition, it will serve as a source document in guiding traditional leaders to perform their duties in an effective and efficient manner.
Lenaka Project
Further that we join forces with the House in their endeavors to learn from previous heroes and heroines through their project called Lenaka. Lenaka is a horn used to call communities to a meeting or to a war depending on sound coming out. This project aims to provide memorial lectures and encourage young people to know their history and how the heroes and heroines of yesterday influenced today. The Lenaka further aims to propel development in rural areas as part of fighting the war on poverty and hunger. During 2025-26 financial year around, late in November, Lenaka was successfully held in Northern Cape to honour the Makgosi who fearlessly participated in the Langerberg rebellion of 1897. In this financial year, the Lenaka project will be held in North West in the Bahurutse ba Moiloa where the heroes and heroines will once again be celebrated and lessons be drawn from their majestic bravery in fighting to demolish a system that was undermining the development of institutions of traditional leadership and the oppressed majority in South Africa. It is through the Lenaka Project that true patriotism lessons and experiences are drawn and documented to assist current and future traditional leaders in executing their role as custodians of customary leadership and traditional practices.
Social Labour Plans’ (SLP’s) Socio-Economic Development
As part of our commitment to ensuring that development reaches our communities in meaningful ways, the Department has continued to play a critical role in monitoring the implementation of Social and Labour Plans (SLPs) projects, in collaboration with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. These plans, developed by mining companies as part of their licensing conditions, are intended to contribute to the socioeconomic upliftment of mine-hosting communities.
Through site visits, stakeholder engagements, and support, we have worked to enhance accountability, improve alignment with community priorities, and fast-track delivery of SLPs commitments. Importantly, we have also advocated for greater involvement of Traditional Councils in the planning and implementation phases of SLPs, ensuring that local voices shape the development agenda. We believe that this collaborative approach will yield positive results for our communities through improved access to infrastructure, skills development, and enterprise opportunities.
Since this was a pilot project, working with the Department of Minerals and Petroleum Resources; the focus was on KwaZulu Natal;Northern Cape; North-west and Limpopo.
Traditional leadership summit on the Eastern Seaboard Development Initiative
As part of the implementation of the District Development Model, in partnership with MISA, a summit was held with Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in the region that is: Ugu, Harry Gwala, O.R Tambo and Alfred Nzo, to discuss among other things, development opportunities in traditional communities. This also entailed land identification and availability processes for such initiatives. The department will continue with consultation processes with traditional councils, allowing them the opportunity to identify areas for investment and development purposes.
Honourable Chairperson, I hereby join the Minister to table the budget vote of the Department of Traditional Affairs, under Vote 15 and call upon this House to support it.
I thank you