Traditional Leaders in a Democracy: Resources, Respect and Resistance
Keywords:
traditional leaders, democracy, MISTRASynopsis
Traditional Leaders in a Democracy: Resources, Respect and Resistance explores how chieftaincy is practised, experienced and contested in contemporary South Africa. It explores how those living under the authority of chiefs, in a modern democracy, negotiate or resist these politics in their respective areas. Post-1994, South Africa’s traditional leaders have fought for recognition, and positioned themselves as major players in our political landscape. Yet their role in a democracy is contested, with leaders often accused of abusing power, disregarding human rights, expropriating resources and promoting tribalism. Some argue that democracy and traditional leadership are irredeemably opposed and cannot co-exist. Meanwhile, shifts in the political economy of the former bantustans − the introduction of platinum mining in particular − have attracted new interests and conflicts to these areas, with chiefs often designated as custodians of community interests.
Chapters
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Preface
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Acknowledgements
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Contributors
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OneCollisions, collusions and coalescences
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Section One
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TwoMistaking form for substance
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ThreeTraditional leadership and the African National Congress in South Africa
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FourMining magnates and traditional leaders
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Section Two‘Development’ and Distributive Struggles
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FiveChiefs, land and distributive struggles on the platinum belt, South Africa
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SixTraditional leadership, violation of land rights and resistance from below in Makhasaneni village, KwaZulu-Natal
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Section ThreeLeadership and Legitimacy
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SevenThe violence of the harmony model
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EightChieftaincy succession disputes among the AmaNdebele-a-Moletlane in Hammanskraal, 1962 to 1994
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NineEmerging rural struggles against unelected traditional authorities and the role of the courts
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TenSituational chiefs
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Section FourOpinions from Two Traditional Leaders
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ElevenIn defence of traditional leadership
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TwelveA long walk for traditional leadership in South Africa
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Towards ConclusionsTraditional leadership
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Index
