Traditional council poll flawed

Category: National News

Date Added: 12 March 2010

By Lubabalo Ngcukana

Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) president, Nkosi Patekile Holomisa, has criticised the recent elections for traditional councils as flawed.

The first ever traditional council elections which took place last weekend around the Eastern Cape were marred by controversy as some tribal authorities refused to participate.

In some areas they refused to nominate candidates.

Holomisa said though the elections were an important start, “the elections themselves were flawed”.

“My main personal criticism of this exercise is the fact that there was no proper registration of residents … there was some attempt but it was not done sufficiently as it would be done for political elections,” Holomisa said.

He said the registration of residents needed to be redone so that residents could elect their traditional councillors.

Holomisa also suggested that by-elections be held to solve the impasse.

But he added that the new councils were also a commendable development in that government was now starting to realise the importance of traditional leadership.

He said the recent opening of the provincial House of Traditional Leaders in Bhisho was a good example of how the relationship between traditional leaders and government had improved.

“I detect a realisation on the part of government that traditional leadership must be used to promote the goal of bringing about a better life.

“It (government) is beginning to realise that traditional leadership is not a threat to democracy or to politicians.”

He said the role of traditional leaders would be to continue providing public service to rural communities.

“They should be the link between the people and the government by calling on relevant government officials and politicians to account to people what they are doing,” he said.

Holomisa said traditional leadership should be at the centre of government’s service delivery and in leading rural development.

This, he said could be achieved by having offices that serviced mostly rural communities, such as agriculture, social development, health and home affairs, in those communities so that people didn’t have to go to town to access such services.

The Contralesa president said the emergence of traditional councillors should not cause panic among ward councillors because there was no competition between the two.

“Traditional leaders are there to facilitate the delivery of services. They are not there to compete with politicians of whatever level in government.”

The Provincial Electoral Officer, the Reverend Bongani Finca, said the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs had been in charge of the elections.

“The elections were run by the department. We mainly provided assistance on the technical aspects, that is all,” Finca said.

The department’s Superintendent-General Stanley Khanyile defended the election process as being free and fair.

“We believe the elections were proper. We assigned an independent body, the IEC, to conduct them and they were declared free and fair.”

Khanyile said the elections had gone smoothly except in Amatinde village where people did not want to participate because they felt they had not been properly consulted.

He said also in Qaukeni in Lusikisiki elections were not conducted because of similar problems but that generally the elections had proceeded well.

“The process was quite open, transparent and truly a reflection of those who participated.”

Source: Daily Dispatch