Question NW1878 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
28 June 2023 - NW1878
Buthelezi, Ms SA to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether her department has given traditional leaders a role to play to ensure that their constituencies still have shelter and are catered for when projects of Government take long to get off the ground and, in some instances, to be completed; if not, why not; if so, what role do traditional leaders play; (2) whether there are any communal shelters that are built and readily available to cater for such eventualities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?NW2130E
Reply:
1. Roles are given to traditional leaders in terms of section 25 of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019). In this regard, a national or provincial department can only give roles to traditional leaders in respect of functional areas of such a department. The building of shelters is not a functional competence of the Department of Traditional Affairs. However, in practice we collaborate with traditional leaders and other role players in addressing the socio-economic needs of communities in areas under the jurisdiction of traditional leaders. We have seen this in practice during natural disasters where traditional leaders have played a pivotal role in, among others, speedily making communal land parcels available for resettlement.
2. As indicated in (1) above, the building of shelters is not the functional competence of the Department of Traditional Affairs. The Department therefore does not have at its disposal the information referred to by the Honourable Member.
End.