The Western Cape has no traditional leaders which is obviously one of the reasons that the ANC is not governing the province. Traditional leaders’ salaries buy a lot of loyalty.
Deep rural areas‚ where headmen and headwomen wield considerable power‚ are expected to remain the bedrock of ANC support in next year’s local government elections. If the ANC can replicate its deep rural success elsewhere to rural KwaZulu-Natal‚ it could once and for all pulverise the IFP‚ which has always relied on support in these areas.
“According to figures quoted by the director general of traditional affairs Charles Nwaila in February 2015‚ the Eastern Cape has 1‚193 headmen‚ the Northern Cape 24‚ Limpopo 1‚513‚ Mpumalanga 464‚ Gauteng 4‚ KwaZulu-Natal 2‚039‚ North West 85 and the Free State 104.
The cash-strapped Eastern Cape will therefore be paying R100 million in headmen salaries this year‚ and Limpopo R127 million. Because of the numbers and location of traditional leaders‚ the burden is heaviest on the poorest provinces.
Another problem awaiting national government in the very near future is the increasing number of people laying claim to the position of headman.
According to figures recently provided by Nwaila‚ there are 3‚000 headmen in KwaZulu-Natal that are not officially recognised‚ 611 in Limpopo and 61 in Mpumalanga.”
Photo Credit – Daily Maverick The Zuma cocktail: tradition, leadership and politics
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