This speech was delivered by GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament Brett Herron during today’s subject for discussion on the Traditional Leaders and Khoisan Act of 2019:
Honourable Speaker,
One of the strongest reasons to support the Traditional Leaders and Khoisan Act of 2019 is that it finally creates a pathway for representation for Khoi and San leaders, particularly here in the Western Cape.
Until now, our province has had no formal voice in the National House of Traditional Leaders, because traditional leadership here was never recognised under the old legal framework.
This absence has meant that the Khoi and the San, the first peoples of this land, were excluded from national decision-making structures that directly affect traditional communities elsewhere in the country.
The Traditional Leaders and Khoisan Act provides a formal framework for recognising traditional leadership structures, particularly for the Khoi and San communities, enabling them to safeguard their language, customs, and land rights.
But Honourable Speaker, we must also ask: how is it that the Western Cape, of all places, has not done more to recognise its first peoples in terms of this Act? Are we to believe that there are none? We know this is not true.
How does this government, and the City of Cape Town, trot out first peoples to cut ribbons or to make public comments on planning and heritage applications, whilst not doing anything to formally recognise any of them.
The Khoi and the San lived here long before Jan van Riebeeck arrived, and many important heritage sites in this province bear witness to their presence.
Yet we see little evidence of formal recognition. Section 5 of the Act, for instance, empowers the Premier to receive and process applications for recognition, but we hear nothing about this.
This Act is not centralising power away from minorities, we are bringing them into the fold of national representation, ensuring that the Khoi and San and other indigenous leaders of the Western Cape have the same standing and dignity as traditional leaders in other provinces.
For too long, the absence of recognition meant silence. This Act turns silence into representation, participation, and empowerment.
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Fun South African Fact: Travel to Tsitsikamma, on the border of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape to visit the world’s highest commercial bungee jump! Those who are brave enough can take the 216-meter jump off the Bloukrans Bridge and soar through the air towards the Bloukrans River below. Definitely a must for thrill-seekers and adrenaline-junkies!