Statement of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders calling for calm amidst community unrests in some parts of our country

The National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NHTKL), Chairpersons Forum, CONTRALESA and National Khoi-San Council (NKC) were today (14 July 2021) briefed by the government leadership on the situation unfolding in some parts of the country.

Traditional Leaders are the voices of their people and government acknowledges the critical role which they play in society.

This meeting confirmed concerns that were raised by the Traditional Leaders across the country about the scenes of unfolding anarchy in the two provinces (KZN and Gauteng).

The meeting sounded a clarion call to all people in South Africa to stand firm against these acts of violence which not only destroy property and infrastructure, but also the future of our children as the economic impact of this acts will surely be felt for many years to come.

Traditional Leaders are calling for calm, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, following the continued acts of violence that have resulted in the loss of lives, property vandalism, looting, intimidation of law abiding residents and loss of life. This call to action by traditional leaders will ensure that the country remain on track to rebuild our economy with the support of all South Africans in the democratic process hence the need for community mobilization.

We recognise that people might have legitimate concerns, violence cannot be a solution. Our constitution protect the right of people to protest, organise, engage in free expression and free association.

The right to protest comes with the responsibility of not infringing upon the rights of others who may be negatively affected by such actions. We cannot allow a few people in our communities to ridicule our democracy and peace.

It should however be clear that no grievance can justify the violence and destruction of property and infrastructure that we have thus far seen. It is unfortunate that opportunistic criminal elements might be using the protests as a cover up for their activities.

Traditional Leaders will be engaging their communities as they are the voices of those they lead. As Amakhosi across the country, we join President Cyril Ramaphosa, government, law abiding citizens and all sectors of society in calling for an immediate stop to these disgraceful acts of looting across the country.

The NDP envisages creating an inclusive rural economy and transforming society through a unified country. As such we should all joins hands to rebuild our economy that is already destroyed by Covid-19.

These acts of violence will have long lasting impact on the the economy of our country as many people have lost their jobs and businesses. The challenge is that this protests are also threatening food and health security. The sick, the poor and the marginalised communities will surely feel the worst due to this cowardly acts.

As South Africa, we indeed have a proud history that saw all of us, religious leaders, traditional leaders, trade unions, businesses, community organisations, political parties, NGOs and others come together to put a stop to the challenges that had confronted us. This is a time for all of us to come together to protect lives and livelihoods.

We as traditional leaders are choosing to maintain and uphold the rule of law, pursue dialogue and mobilise resources and capabilities to restore order, build up and not shut down South Africa.

We call on all community leaders, sports personalities, musicians and others to do join us in sharing messages for the protection of every person and property in our country against these threats of violence, intimidation, theft and looting.

Unfortunately, lives and property were lost during this protest. We would like to convey our condolences to the community members who lost their loved ones.

As Traditional Leaders, we call for unity against these acts of violence and for those arrested to face the full might of the law. We urge communities across the country to say no to these acts of violence, protect lives and livelihoods and work with the police in protecting our communities #ProtectSouthAfrica .

Source: Government of South Africa