MAYORAL EXECUTIVE MEETS WITH TSHWANE TRADITIONAL COUNCILS TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION

City of Tshwane Mayoral Committee, and the Gauteng Department of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs Jacob Mamabolo held important engagements with Tshwane’s traditional councils with an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation photo supplied

By Cllr Nasiphi Moya
Executive Mayor of Tshwane

This week, the Mayoral Committee, and the Gauteng Department of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs, held important engagements with Tshwane’s
traditional councils with an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

This meeting was led by MEC for CoGTA, Jacob Mamabolo MPL, with a purpose of
engaging two of Tshwane’s recognised traditional houses: AmaNdebele Ndzundza, in Sokhulumi, led by Inkosi MP Mahlangu, and AmaNdebele Ba Lebelo, in Majaneng,
led by Kgosi KC Kekana.

While the functioning of traditional councils is the custodian of the provincial government, the City of Tshwane has begun work to formalise its relationship with the two traditional councils through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The MOU will allow for a structured approach to relations with the City, while giving recognition to the mandate and powers of traditional communities.

Once finanlised, the MOU will be taken to Tshwane Council for adoption.

City of Tshwane Mayoral Committee, and the Gauteng Department of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs Jacob Mamabolo held important engagements with Tshwane’s traditional councils with an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation photo supplied

While we await this process, and the formation of a community trust, there’s work that we believe can be done in these rural communities to advance development, in partnership with the private sector.

During the engagement, the traditional councils were also able to ventilate the issues impacting their communities, such as unemployment, land invasion and funding allocations for traditional councils.

We believe that when properly integrated into municipal planning and decision making, traditional leadership structures enhance accountability, responsiveness, and legitimacy at the local level.

Tshwane has set ambitious targets for economic growth, spatial transformation, and social inclusion.

A key part of that vision is the expansion and acceleration of our agricultural output.

The vast rural land within our municipal boundaries can support food security, job creation, and small-scale enterprise.

For this vision to succeed, we must work together with the custodians of that land.

We are finalising Tshwane’s Rural Development Strategy to augment our economic growth ambitions of 3.9%.

As part of pursing this Rural Development Strategy, traditional leadership is a key stakeholder for consultation on the drafting of this
strategy and its subsequent implementation.