Traditional Authorities and State Functions in South Africa: A Complex Relationship of Private Participation?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2023/v26i0a16229Keywords:
traditional leaders, customary law, traditional authority, state functions, private participation, public-private partnerships, democratisationAbstract
This contribution explores the relationship between traditional authorities and state functions in South Africa. The authors argue that traditional leaders, while not organs of the state, have functions similar to state functions, especially on a local government level. The authors suggest that this relationship can be characterised as a form of private participation in exercising state functions, although it does not amount to full privatisation. The recognition of traditional law systems in the Constitution and relevant legislation provides a legal basis for this relationship. The authors also examine the role of public-private agreements in enhancing legal certainty and clarity. Finally, the authors consider the potential benefits of transforming traditional authorities into state organs, aiming to promote the development of traditional communities and enhance the delivery of essential services.
Downloads
References
Bibliography
Literature
Bekink B The Restructuring (Systemization) of Local Government under the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (PhD-thesis University of Pretoria 2006)
Bennett T and Murray C "Traditional Leaders" in Woolman S and Bishop M (eds) Constitutional Law of South Africa 2nd ed (Juta Claremont 2014) ch 26
Butler J, Rotberg RI and Adams J The Black Homelands of South Africa: The Political and Economic Development of Bophuthatswana and KwaZulu (University of California Press Berkeley 1977)
Farlam P Working Together: Assessing Public-Private Partnerships in Africa (Nepad Policy Focus Report No 2) (South African Institute of International Affairs Pretoria 2005)
Gouws F et al "Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership and Governance" in Rautenbach C (ed) Introduction to Legal Pluralism in South Africa 6th ed (LexisNexis Durban 2021) 219-260
Government Communications South Africa Yearbook 2021/22 29th ed (Government Communications Pretoria 2022)
Khambule I "Decentralisation or Deconcentration: The Case of Regional and Local Economic Development in South Africa" 2021 Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit 22-41 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942211018427
Kiser E and Karceski SM "Political Economy of Taxation" 2017 Annual Review of Political Science 75-92 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-052615-025442
Knoetze E "Legislative Regulation of the Developmental Functions of Traditional Leadership – In Conflict or Cohesion with Municipal Councils?" 2014 Speculum Juris 161-195
Mathenwja J and Makama P "Revisiting the Participation of Traditional Leaders in Municipal Councils in South Africa" 2016 Law, Democracy and Development 200-214 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ldd.v20i1.11
Mawere J et al "The Role and Significance of Traditional Leadership in South African Local Governance" in Tshifhumalo R and Makhanikhe TJ (eds) Handbook of Research on Protecting and Managing Global Indigenous Systems (IGI Global Publishers Pennsylvania 2021) 249-273 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-7492-8.ch014
Ngcobo MM The Role of Traditional Leaders in a Democratic South Africa: Looking Back to the Past and the Present: The Case of Rural Development in Ndwedwe Local Municipality (Master's Dissertation in Social Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal 2016)
Olivier NJJ "Traditional Leadership and Institutions" in Joubert WA et al (eds) The Law of South Africa: Indigenous Law (Vol 32) 2nd ed (LexisNexis Durban 2004) paras 36-66
Ramolobe KS "The Dynamics of Traditional Leaders' Relationship with Municipal Councillors and Service Delivery" 2023 Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation 1-7 https://doi.org/10.4102/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jolgri.v4i0.95
jolgri.v4i0.95
Rautenbach C "Case Law as an Authoritative Source of Customary Law: Piecemeal Recording of (Living) Customary Law" 2019 PELJ 1-20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2019/v22i0a7591
Rautenbach C "Mapping Traditional Leadership and Authority in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Decentralisation and Constitutionalism in Traditional Governance" in Fombad CM and Steytler N (eds) Decentralisation and Constitutionalism in Africa (Oxford University Press Oxford 2019) 483-519
Sachs A Advancing Human Rights in South Africa (Oxford University Press Cape Town 1992)
Scheepers TE et al "Constitutional Provisions on the Role of Traditional Leaders and Elected Local Councillors at Rural Level" 1998 Obiter 61-95
Traditional Authority Research Group The Administrative and Legal Position of Traditional Authorities in South Africa and Their Contribution to the Implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (1996) volumes 1-14
Traditional Authorities Research Group "The Role and Future of Traditional Leaders in South Africa" 1999 Koers 295-324 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v64i2/3.505
Van der Berg A "Public-Private Partnerships in Local Disaster Management: A Panacea to All Local Disaster Management Ills?" 2015 PELJ 994-1033 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/pelj.v18i4.08
Case law
Bafokeng Land Buyers Association v Royal Bafokeng Nation 2018 5 SA 566 (NWM)
Ex Parte Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly: In Re Certification of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 1996 4 SA 744 (CC)
Mogale v Speaker of the National Assembly (CCT 73/22) [2023] ZACC 14 (30 May 2023)
Legislation
Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act 108 of 1991
Black Administration Act 38 of 1927
Black Authorities Act 68 of 1951
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 200 of 1993
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003
Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998
Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000
Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013
Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act 3 of 2019
Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act 41 of 2003
Government publications
Municipal Public-Private Partnerships Regulations (GN R309 in GG 27431 of 1 April 2005)
Regulations Prescribing the Duties, Powers, Privileges and Conditions of Service of Chiefs and Headmen (Proc 110 in GG 5854 of 18 April 1957)
Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Regulations: Land Use Management and General Matters (GN R239 in GG 38594 of 23 March 2015)
White Paper on Traditional Leadership and Governance (GN 2336 in GG 25438 of 10 September 2000)
Internet sources
Anonymous 2017 Difference Between Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Privatisation https://2thepoint.in/difference-public-private-partnership-ppp-privatisation/ accessed 23 June 2022
De Visser J, Steytler N and Chigwata T Date Unknown The Role of Traditional Authorities in Local Governance https://dulahomarinstitute
.org.za/multilevel-govt/publications/doi-factsheets-9.pdf accessed 21 December 2022
Haffejee F 2022 In a Spit-Fire Speech to Unisa, Lindiwe Sisulu Repeats her January Attack on Judiciary and SA Constitution https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-06-21-in-a-spitfire-speech-to-unisa-lindiwe-sisulu-repeats-her-january-attack-on-judiciary-and-sa-constitution/ accessed 1 May 2023
Nkomo S and Kambule S 2023 Traditional Leaders Have a Weak Hold on South Africans - The Institute of Justice and Reconciliation: Afrobarometer (Dispatch No 621 Dated 28 March 2023) https://www.afrobarometer.org/
publication/ad621-traditional-leaders-have-a-weak-hold-on-south-africans/ accessed 30 August 2023
Sisulu L 2022 Hi, Mzansi, Have We Seen Justice? https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/opinion/lindiwe-sisulu-hi-mzansi-have-we-seen-justice-d9b151e5-e5db-4293-aa21-dcccd52a36d3 accessed 1 May 2023
South African Government Date Unknown Traditional Affairs https://www.gov.za/about-government/government-system/traditional-leadership accessed 15 May 2023
South African History Online 2019 Bantu Authorities Act of 1951 https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/bantu-authorities-act-1951 accessed 15 November 2022
South African History Online 2019 The Homelands https://sahistory.org.za/article/homelands accessed 30 August 2023
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Christa Rautenbach, Gerrit Ferreira
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}