The Forgotten Roles and Importance of Traditional Leaders in Rural Communities: Does the Government Still Care?

Abstract

The traditional leadership in South Africa is an imperative body historically and politically. Nevertheless, throughout the years their significance wrangled debates and thus not everybody concurs or sees them as role players. Given these, intensive research has been conducted on the parts and functions of traditional leadership in South Africa. With various legislations such as the White Paper to provide for the existence of traditional leadership. This paper, in this manner, points out the overlooked roles and functions of the traditional authorities and forecasts how the government has placed a blind eye on the traditional authorities. To showcase the views of traditional leaders in the rural areas and to highlight the conceivable ways for the government to incorporate the traditional authority within the governance forms in today’s life and show the strength of transformation of traditional leaders through the Transformational leadership theory.