Dikgosi have been lauded for the critical role they play in ensuring that communities they lead live in peace and harmony.
The tribal leaders have also been commended for promoting social cohesion, dispensing justice and preserving culture within their communities.
When officially launching the, Training Programme on The role Of Councillors and Dikgosi In The Transformation Agenda, this week, the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mabuse Pule said that Dikgosi’s role resonates with the Vision 2036 Pillar 4, on governance, peace and security which seeks to make Bogosi and the Kgotla system visible, functional and an empowered institution of governance that will contribute meaningfully to the national development agenda. “My Ministry and Government at large have prioritised to strengthen and foster Bogosi and the Kgotla system in providing local services and promoting local participation and social inclusion.”
Pule said that Bogosi therefore, must be seen to be relevant today and beyond 2036.
He said that government is resolute in empowering Councillors and Local Authorities (Local Government) to improve their service delivery to the communities they serve. “As, a second tier of government, Councillors, must of necessity, be well conversant with the mandate and functions of their vocation. They must understand the role they should play in the national development agenda of government as well as its socio-economic imperatives and priorities,” he added.
Pule said that his Ministry has observed that a gap in relevant competencies exists that needs to be plugged to enable Dikgosi and Councillors to fully support government initiatives at local level. “This makes training of Dikgosi and Councillors imperative in order to capacitate them in the delivery of their mandates. Capacitating of the two will empower them to engage constructively towards facilitating change and social transformation at local level.”
He added that it will as well as contribute to the National Transformation Agenda, and the RESET Agenda, hence the need for a robust training program on “The Role of Councillors and Dikgosi in the Transformation Agenda”.
