English: The role of traditional leadership in South Africa has remained a controversial issue over the past fifteen years. The focus of this research is to investigate the relationship between the modern political system of governance and the traditional leadership as forms of dual system of governance in South Africa. The thesis raises issues as catalysts for robust debated, to move beyond standard political arguments particularly when it comes to the meaningful role traditional leaders must play in South Africa today. Debates surrounding the institution of uBukhosi primarily polarised the South African society and this is normal as it is the case with all other issues. There seems to be two opposing schools of thought on the subject of traditional leaders, even within the African National Congress’ ranks. The thesis also gives a background to these two theoretical schools of thought and attempts to explain the reason why there is some difficulties formulating a policy document that is implemental. In this thesis, the two opposing viewpoints are represented by ‘modernists’ and ‘traditionalists’ respectively. The other position is recognising the role traditional leaders played and believe that traditional leaders have a role in the democratic dispensation and must form part of local governance in rural areas. This relationship is examined from the government’s documentations, official political statements by politicians and most importantly, how policy (theory) is implemented (praxis) by both government and the institution of traditional leadership. The argument brought forward in this thesis holds a view that the institution of traditional leadership possesses the ability for understanding how to govern and effectively make people come to an agreement through consensus about social problems that they share and the possible solutions to these problems, rather than depend on political elites and bureaucrats. In this way the system of traditional leadership provides values that are absent in the democratic form of governance. The thesis also focuses on issues of governance and political transformation that was introduced in the ‘Interim’ Constitution and further developed in the Constitution. In order to establish good working relationships between the institution of uBukhosi and elected government structures, ‘trust’ is essential between these two systems. Thus the researcher takes a moral stand that government must demonstrate a ‘political will’ to remedy the situation and work towards authentic recognition of the institution of uBukhosi and African culture. The study further puts forward a view that traditional leaders must be seen to be apolitical in decisions they make. Further more, the institution of traditional leadership must constantly revisit itself and seriously revise its strategies with regard to the position of women in the succession debate for position of leadership as traditional leaders and other aspects that are seen as inherently opposed to the Constitution. In other words, the institution must also transform, it cannot remain static. There must be a ‘political will’ to come to terms that people on the grassroots want their traditional leaders to remain in authority, therefore traditional leaders’ role in governance must be made clearer. The study provides for a rational involvement of the institution of traditional leadership in the negotiated state. Given the fact that South Africa is currently a constitutional state guided by democratic principles, democracy should prevail, however, not at the expense of the destruction of the institution of traditional leadership. Thus, democracy should not thrive by destroying traditional African leadership system. Finally, this thesis perceives the dual system of governance as two sides of the same coin.
Afrikaans: Die rol van tradisionele leierskap het die afgelope 15 jaar ‘n omstrede kwessie in Suid- Afrika gebly. Die fokus van hierdie navorsing is om die verhouding tussen die moderne politieke stelsel van regering en tradisionele leierskap as vorms van ‘n tweeledige stelsel van regering in SuidAfrika te ondersoek. Die tesis roep kwessies as katalisators vir robuuste debat op om verder as die gewone politieke argumente te gaan, veral met betrekking tot die betekenisvolle rol wat tradisionele leiers vandag in Suid-Afrika moet vervul. Debatte rondom die instelling van uBukhosi het die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap gepolariseer en dit is, soos in die geval van ander kwessies, normaal. Dit lyk of daar twee teenstellende gedagtegange oor die onderwerp van tradisionele leiers is – en dit is selfs in die geledere van die African National Congress die geval. Die tesis verstrek ook agtergrond oor hierdie twee teoretiese gedagtegange en probeer om te verklaar waarom daar probleme is om ‘n beleidsdokument te formuleer wat toepasbaar is. In hierdie tesis word die twee teenstellende standpunte respektiewelik deur die ‘moderniste’ en die ‘tradisionaliste’ verteenwoordig. Die ander posisie erken die rol wat tradisionele leiers vervul het en glo dat hulle ‘n plek in die demokratiese bedeling het en deel van die plaaslike regering in landelike gebiede moet wees. Hierdie verhouding word uit regeringsdokumente en amptelike verklarings deur politici ondersoek asook, en dit is belangrik, hoe beleid (teorie) deur beide die regering en die instelling van tradisionele leierskap toegepas word (praktyk). Die argument wat in hierdie tesis na vore kom, behels die standpunt dat die instelling van tradisionele leierskap die vermoë het om te verstaan hoe om te regeer en hoe om mense effektief deur middel van konsensus tot instemming te bring oor gemeenskaplike maatskaplike probleme en oor die moontlike oplossing van diesulke probleme, eerder as om op die politieke elite en burokrate staat te maak. Op hierdie wyse voorsien die stelsel van tradisionele leierskap waardes wat nie in die demokratiese regeringsvorm aanwesig is nie. Die tesis fokus ook op kwessies rakende regering en transformasie wat deur die Tussentydse Grondwet aan die orde gebring en in die Grondwet verder ontwikkel is. Ten einde ‘n goeie werksverhouding tussen die instelling van uBukhosi en verkose regeringstrukture te bewerkstellig, is dit noodsaaklik dat daar ‘vertroue’ tussen die twee stelsels moet wees. Die navorser neem dus ‘n morele standpunt in dat regering ‘n ‘politeke wil’ moet toon om die situasie reg te stel en om te werk aan outentieke erkenning van die instelling van uBukhosi en Afrika-kultuur. Die studie stel ook die standpunt dat tradisionele leiers opsigtelik apolities in hul besluitneming moet wees. Die instelling van tradisionele leiers moet ook voortdurend nabetragting hou en sy strategieë ernstig hersien met betrekking tot die posisie van vroue in die opvolgingsdebat om posisies van leierskap, as tradisionele leiers en ten opsigte van ander aspekte wat blyk om inherent in stryd met die Grondwet te wees. Met ander woorde, die instelling moet ook transformeer; dit kan nie staties bly nie. Daar moet ‘n ‘politieke wil’ wees om te aanvaar dat mense op voetsoolvalk wil hê dat hul tradisionele leiers in ‘n gesagsposisie bly; daarom moet tradisionele leiers se rol in regering duideliker uitgestippel word. Die studie voorsien ‘n rasionele betrokkenheid van tradisionele leiers by die onderhandelde staat. Gehewe dat Suid-Afrika tans ‘n grondwetlike staat is wat hom deur demokratiese beginsels laat lei, moet demokrasie in die verband in swang wees, maar nie ten koste van die vernietiging van die instelling van tradisionele leierskap nie. Demokrasie moet dus nie gedy op sterkte van die vernietiging van die stelsel van tradisionele Afrika-leierskap nie. Ten slotte beskou hierdie tesis die tweeledige stelsel van regering as keersye van dieselfde munt.