Cape Town - Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) resolved that it would be calling on Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to urgently meet with the Khoi and San communities in order to address long-standing issues and concerns.
On Friday, Committee chairperson Zweli Mkhize instructed that a letter be written to the Minister urging that this meeting take place urgently and that matters be expedited.
In a written correspondence to the Minister, committee member, Member of Parliament Glen Taaibosch clarified on some of the core issues.
On the issue of land, namely the inability of Khoi and San to lodge land claims, there was a need for reforms in order to allow Khoi and the San to register meaningful land claims.
“Since the Khoi and the San are unable to lodge any meaningful claims, it prevents them from claiming any royalties regarding the minerals on the land. No Khoi and San community have benefited from the minerals of this country,” the correspondence read. Another issue raised was the official recognition for Traditional and Khoi and San leaders.
He mentioned there was inequality between Traditional and Khoi and San leaders in provinces, with some traditional leaders receiving benefits such as monthly stipends, vehicles, housing, land, and cattle among other things.
“I am not aware of any Khoi and San leader enjoying such benefits, but at the same time there are many Traditional leaders who are also not that lucky.”
The letter stated that most Khoi and San leaders and Tribal Houses questioned the validity of the National Khoi-San Council (NKC) used by Cogta to “rubber stamp all Cogta agreements and projects”.
Mkhize said: “The first issue is the plight of the Khoi and the San community in so far as their communities have not been properly recognised and therefore not streamlined together with the rest of the traditional communities. This committee agrees that that matter needs urgent attention. That matter has dragged on for a long time without resolution and this time around, it needs to be resolved...”
He said the Committee had previously written to the Minister to meet with the Khoi and San communities and that this had not taken place.
“That meeting became a concern once there was already a meeting of Kings and Queens which the Minister has had two of those, and that raises more pressure on the Khoi and the San community for that attention,” Mkhize said.
Two experts have been identified to assist the committee on better understanding issues pertaining to Khoi and San communities, for the purpose of ameliorating consultative processes.
All tribal authorities and traditional councils must be legally constituted by February 2025, under the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019 (TKLA). Traditional councils not constituted by this date will lack legal standing, affecting the formation of kingships, queenships, and principal traditional councils, a previous Cogta statement read.
Mkhize set a deadline of a month in which a date should be set for a briefing to the committee by the experts.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
Cape Argus