Item 1374 - Address by President Nelson Mandela at the National Conference of Contralesa

TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Chairman
Your Majesties, traditional leaders
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Distinguished guests

Allow me to thank you with all humility for the invitation you extended to us to attend this National Conference of CONTRALESA.

My task this morning is made easier by the fact that, during yesterday's session, you went into the substance of the challenges we collectively face. I intend therefore to make a few general remarks.

When we met before, our task was to work out strategies of changing South Africa into a democratic country. Today, we meet under totally different circumstances.

Now, we can speak with our heads held high.

Now, we can proudly say to our ancestors: the country is back in the hands of the people.

Now, we can look Makhanda, Cetshwayo, Moshoeshoe, Khama, Ramabulana, Nghunghunyane, Sekhukhuni and other ancestor- kings and generals in the eye and declare: our generation has accomplished the responsibility you bequeathed on us to free the mountains and plains of the fatherland from foreign domination.

But we know that we have only just started. The real battle, to fully restore the dignity of all South
Africa's people and ensure that they live decent lives, has just begun.

In these efforts, we will be reinforced by the towering example of leadership shown by those great patriotic leaders. We shall not hesitate to drink from the well of their wisdom. We shall not tire in our efforts to follow their lead: that everything we do is motivated by the commitment to serve the people.

When we met in the past, we wrestled with the issue of the place and role of traditional leaders in a democratic order. Because our vision and our objectives are essentially the same - indeed, because we suffered from the same tyranny - we were and still are at one that our society should be based on the will of the people. Today, after centuries of colonial domination, our traditional leaders can once more walk tall, in the full knowledge that South Africa is restored to the people.

We salute CONTRALESA and all the traditional leaders who stood firm against the system of white domination. In the face of banishment, detention and harassment, you elected to stand by the people.

It is a result of all these collective efforts that today we have an Interim Constitution and Charter of Fundamental Rights whose broad parameters accord with our own objectives. We refer in particular to the recognition and restoration of the rights of traditional leaders.

Never again shall anyone tell our people and their traditional leaders what their customs and traditions should be. Never again shall anyone define the role of traditional leaders without their full participation.

Of course, these are general principles agreed to in multi-party negotiations. And it would have been unnatural if all of us who took part in those deliberations were satisfied with all the detail in the final product. There are countless issues that need further attention. And in approaching these issues, the African National Congress will always confer with you, to ensure that what emerges from the legislative and constitutional processes, reflects the true interests of traditional leaders and the communities you serve.

This is particularly crucial in the drafting of the new democratic constitution by the Constitutional Assembly. Together, we must ensure that we emerge with a basic law of the land to which all South Africans will pay allegiance.

In the immediate future, we are called upon to give effect to the agreements contained in the Interim Constitution. I refer, in particular, to the setting up of the Houses of Traditional Leaders in the Provinces where this is required; the constitution of the national Council of Traditional Leaders and the drafting of legislation regarding the functioning of these institutions.

We are concerned that the pace in this regard has not been as we want it to be. And it would be erroneous to deal with this matter sluggishly, simply because the deadline set in the Interim Constitution is some months away. Needless to say, it is in the interest of the country and traditional leaders themselves that they should start making their deserved contribution to the governance of the country. Without this, we shall be the poorer.

In consultation with the Provinces, we shall ensure that the relevant ministries as well as the Commission on Provincial Government immediately set this process in motion.

Over and above what is contained in the Interim Constitution, the Government of National Unity in general and the ANC in particular believe there should be an even-handed approach to the issue of traditional leaders throughout the country. Whilst we do acknowledge that there are regional varieties, this cannot be interpreted to mean that traditional leaders in any given area should occupy a rung above others.

Details regarding the form of structures to be set up will be elaborated in the Provinces. But the door of national government and the President will always remain open to assist if and when the need arises.

Our objective is that governance in South Africa should benefit from the wisdom of our traditional leaders. This includes local government structures which will be elected in due course. In this regard, we will have to ensure that the implementation of Local Government transitional legislation is consistent with the letter and spirit of the Interim Constitution.

The Programme for Reconstruction and Development, particularly in the rural areas, requires an enduring partnership between government, traditional leaders and the people as a whole.

In the first place, traditional leaders have an important role to play in mobilising communities to take part in the projects proposed. Hand-in-hand with local communities, their input will be crucial in determining priorities and ensuring that all the people benefit. In this way, traditional leaders will once more assume their role not merely as custodians of tradition and custom, but as a dynamo for community development.

Over the years, the African National Congress and CONTRALESA have developed good working relations in pursuit of democracy. Now it is crucial that we consolidate this into a partnership for reconstruction and development. We should together ensure that all South Africa's traditional leaders become part of this process, not only through the formal structures of the constitution, but in our day-to-day activities.

Through such joint endeavours, the mutual confidence and respect that we have for one another will grow and flourish. And the people will, from their own experiences, be able to say, without any shadow of doubt: we are their government; we are their traditional leaders.

A new and glorious era beckons. In the name of our gallant forebears who stood their ground against terrible odds, we cannot afford to fail. We have it in our power to build a society of our dreams.

THANK YOU.