Interface between Constitutional Democracy and Traditional Mechanisms of Authority in Rural Communities of South Africa: Lessons from Maruleng

Abstract

This Afrocentric article uses the Maruleng sub-district of Limpopo province as a test case to analyse and critique the intersection(s) between constitutional institutions of authority and traditional mechanisms of governance in South Africa. Methodologically, the author has relied heavily on critical discourse approach and conversations in their broadest form. The article’s main argument is that the co-existence of traditional leadership and municipal councils is inherently problematic. At the centre of the problematic nature of the co-existence of traditional leadership and municipal councils lie the discontinuities of the cultural values and practices of the Black communities in Maruleng sub-district. It is concluded that there is an urgent need for the desk of traditional leadership within the local Maruleng Municipality. It is also necessary to craft a space for municipal representation in the council of traditional authority. This desk and municipal representation in each other’s affairs would be instrumental in un-tangling the competition for leadership space and other challenges within and/or between the various traditional authorities and the local municipal council.