Co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says he will prioritise bringing stability to South Africa’s kingdoms by encouraging royal families to look to the British model to avoid conflicts over succession.
Hlabisa — who is president of the IFP — told the Sunday Times that the country could avoid such disputes if royal families recorded their family trees and everyone agreed on the succession plan from the onset.
A number of kingdoms are entangled in succession dispute as families wrangle over the rightful heir to the throne. The Zulu monarch, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, is facing a court challenge from some members of his family who are questioning his suitability for the throne.
“For example, the matter of the Zulu kingdom is before the court of law,” Hlabisa said. “We will wait for it to unfold, and the ministry’s job is to recognise what is applicable as to who is on the throne. We will wait for the courts to run their course and this approach will be applicable to any throne that is being disputed.”
In England, the queen reigned for a long time and there was no dispute as to who would be next. We want to initiate a process in that direction, that all royal households be assisted in that regard
— Velenkosini Hlabisa, Cogta minister
Hlabisa suggested that a family tree structure should be drawn up and preserved to avoid legal wrangles over thrones, and referred to the British monarchy as one to take notes from. “We are giving a very bad reflection of the royalty in our country the way these matters are ventilated in courts, yet each family knows what should happen,” he said.
“As a ministry, we are responsible for being proactive in containing these disputes. In England, the queen reigned for a long time and there was no dispute as to who would be next. We want to initiate a process in that direction, that all royal households be assisted in that regard. It is costly to go to the courts. There is a family tree in every royal house and it must be correctly recorded so that when a dispute occurs there will be a family tree to visit and resolve the problem.”
Hlabisa said his ministry would also look at the Khoi-San kingdoms, which have recently also experienced instability.
“The ministry agreed that it must turn a new leaf regarding issues that affect traditional and Khoi-San leaders,” he said. “There is a string of disputes over succession; some are in court, within the [royal] families, and we are going to dedicate our focus to assist the traditional leadership to have a system of dealing with succession. It is a top agenda item. For too long, some of these matters have been neglected, yet they are low-hanging fruit to deal with and finalise once and for all.”
Hlabisa said that uniformity and parity across the board would be prioritised, while conceding that his ministry did not want to behave as though it had all the answers. “We do not want to behave as though we know everything,” he said.
“We have received the handover report, we have seen cases of disputes, we know the areas of concern, parity, functions, responsibilities and safety and security. We need to explore ways to protect the institution [because] the way killings are happening, it is putting at risk the entire institution.
“In terms of the remuneration, those who are at the same category — kings or queens or izinduna or amakhosi — we want to drive the issue of parity, tools of trade as well as roles and responsibilities. We will soon be meeting with the [National] House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders.”
Hlabisa said that what he could achieve nationally he would delegate to provinces to bridge the gap to ensure parity in the treatment of traditional households. “There is no official structure like the [National] House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders [in the provinces] but we are going to have a forum where we are going to meet them from time to time to discuss matters of concern to them.”
He expressed a wish for the government of national unity (GNU) arrangement to filter down to municipalities and metros as a way of guaranteeing stability and an end to dysfunction. “The spirit of working together must filter down to the local municipalities. There aren’t many municipalities that aren’t functioning well, but the metros have a challenge.”
Hlabisa hailed the presidential working team and section 154 intervention by the government of KwaZulu-Natal as a step in the right direction and a pathway to achieving this end in the eThekwini metro.
“By the end of the month, the people who were sent there will produce the first report. We will be coming closer to assist,” he said. “In Gauteng, I am hoping that as the time unfolds it is likely there will be a new configuration of government in the metros so that they can become functional. If there is no new shape taking forward, the ministry will provide necessary support, such as making parties understand that their behaviour should reflect that no-one won elections [outright], and they need each other to work as a team.
The funding model must take into account the previously disadvantaged municipalities and the fact that Cape Town has a sufficient base for rates, whereas a smaller rural town does not have a base and only relies on the grant
— Hlabisa
“Where they need support, we will engage political leaders whose parties are involved in those municipalities. Administratively, we will also look at the support they need that can ensure they become functional local government structures.”
The presidential eThekwini working group was formed out of concerns raised by business people that the metro was collapsing, he said. The failure of the municipality to deliver on basic services such as safety, cleanliness and water was affecting business and if nothing was done the economy would collapse.
“The task team was appointed with the section 154 team in place. There was resistance from the council. The ministry will ensure that the 154 intervention and the task team talk to each other and collaborate. One does not report to the other, but as a ministry we have access to both reports. We will check if they are working towards a similar direction and what challenges they are raising and how we can bring synergy to get solutions at the earliest.”
Hlabisa said he agreed with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in his opening of parliament address that the GNU would undertake a comprehensive review of administered prices to identify areas where prices could be reduced. He said this was unlikely to affect rates and taxes but cited the need for a review of the funding model, which the IFP had been advocating for.
“The categories of towns are not the same. Metros are different from municipalities; some are deep rural areas, [so] the rates may not be the same. What determines the rates is the level of development of a particular town. There can be no way to have a uniform system of rates regarding what people pay per square metre. Things will remain the same,” Hlabisa said.
“We control most municipalities in the deep rural areas of KZN. If you provide the division of revenue allocation by saying 1,000 people is equal to R10m, the conditions of those people is not the same. For example, people in Cape Town have tarred roads, street lights, etc. They will always advance ahead of the previously disadvantaged where roads are gravel, with no street lights.
“The funding model must take into account the previously disadvantaged municipalities and the fact that Cape Town has a sufficient base for rates, whereas a smaller rural town does not have a base and only relies on the grant.”
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