Publisher: Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA), South Africa
Pages: 402
Year: 2019
Category: Democracy, Leadership, Politics
Dimensions: 229 x 152mm
Traditional Leaders in a Democracy
Resources, Respect and Resistance
Post-1994, South Africa’s traditional leaders
have fought for recognition, and positioned themselves as major players
in the South African 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.
This edited
volume explores how chieftancy is practised, experienced and contested
in contemporary South Africa. It includes case studies of how those
living under the authority of chiefs, in a modern democracy, negotiate
or resist this authority in their respective areas. Chapters in this
book are organised around three major sites of contest: leadership, land
and law.
£42.00 – £44.00
About the author
The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) was founded by a group of South Africans with experience in
research, academia, policy-making and governance who saw the need to
create a platform of engagement around strategic issues facing South
Africa. It is an Institute that combines research and academic
development, strategic reflection and intellectual discourse. It applies
itself to issues such as economics, sociology, history, arts and
culture and the logics of natural sciences.
About the editors
Mbongiseni Buthelezi holds a PhD in English and Comparative Literature
from Columbia University, New York, where he also obtained a Master of
Philosophy in English and Comparative Literature. A dedicated scholar,
he graduated cum laude from both the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the
University of Natal, earning a Master of Arts in English Studies and
Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English and Drama, respectively. Working in
various academic and activist capacities, Mbongiseni has been interested
in how the state interfaces with citizens in areas that include land
restitution, the role of traditional leaders in governance, heritage and
public archives. With various collaborators he has researched and
written on the state’s constructions of the identities of citizens in
KwaZulu-Natal through heritage discourse and commemorative events. He
has also written on land and citizenship rights in rural areas and the
role of traditional leaders in the realisation of these rights, as well
as the dire state of public archives and its implications for
accountable government.
Dineo Skosana is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Studies,
Wits University and a lecturer at North-West University, Vaal Triangle
Campus.
Related books
Future Realities of Coalition Governments in South Africa
£29.00