Question NW2140 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
17 June 2022 - NW2140
Luthuli, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)With regard to the assassination of traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal that has become an alarming matter requiring urgent attention, and in view of the fact that residents are being robbed of the traditional leaders’ valuable leadership skills, what action has the Department of Traditional Affairs taken to address the surge in the killing of traditional leaders; (2) whether she has taken any steps to open a formal commission of inquiry into the killings, as has been repeatedly called for by the Inkatha Freedom Party; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the details of the time frames in this regard; (3) what total number of arrests have been made since 2012, relating to the killing of traditional leaders? NW2549E
Reply:
1. Government is extremely concerned about the killing of traditional leaders, I have requested the Minister of Police to put together a team to investigate this matter. We have also raised the matter with the Kwa-Zulu Natal CoGTA and they have advised that they are collaborating with law enforcement agencies. A number of interventions have been effected including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Community Safety and Liaison and the Provincial House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, hosting of Imbizo’s in all eleven (11) Districts and a Provincial Imbizo to listen to the views of traditional leaders and reporting this matter to the Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council that has directed that the Provincial Priority Committee on Chieftaincy be re-established as a sub-committee of the Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure and further that the incidents of killings of traditional leaders be filtered within the Provincial Peace and Stability Strategy.
(2) A Commission of inquiry has not been established; however, a number of interventions have been put into place including the establishment of the Community Safety Intervention Unit within the Department of Community Safety and Liaison to primarily deal with these violent crimes.
(3) The Provincial Department has advised that a total of twenty-six (26) arrests have been made.