Exploration of traditional leaders’ roles in the provision of public services :a case of Nhlangwini Traditional Council

Abstract

The lack of collaboration between South Africa’s government departments and traditional institutions impacts negatively on key decision-making. There is a growing lack of community consultation in rural communities due to detached leadership. Communities are receiving government services which are inappropriate to their immediate needs. Consequently, the quality of life of rural based citizens is compromised. Using the social systems theory, this study explored the role played by traditional leaders during provision of service delivery in rural communities, under the Nhlangwini Traditional Council. The social systems theory is also used to frame an investigation into the relationships that exists between traditional leaders, and government organs as well as other stakeholders. The study followed a qualitative approach and purposive sampling was used to select 26 traditionals who participated in this research. Data was collected through in-depth interviews which were all held at the Nhlangwini Traditional Council premises. The study found that the role of traditional leaders is still confused with the role of ward councillors. However, that does not prevent traditional leaders in addressing community issues. Moreover, the relationship between traditional leaders and government organs is very poor. The government still needs to foster a good working relationship with traditional leaders as they are living in deep rural areas which gives them a good position to better understand the needs of rural communities. Ultimately, working together to uplift and improve the community must be the focal point. There is still a need for government to engage with traditional leaders and provide strategies on how to promote participation. The government must also consider creating a manual that will clarify the roles of traditional leaders, possibly this will create a deeper understanding and reduce confusion of roles between the ward councillors and traditional leaders as they both serve the local community