Govt must recognise traditional needs of councils - Vhembe traditional leader
Chief Mbangiseni Masia, who rules over the Tshivenda-speaking Ha-Masia village in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality, said that traditional leaders were not adequately resourced.
VHEMBE - A traditional leader in Limpopo’s Vhembe District said that while he has encouraged villagers to register to vote ahead of next year’s elections, government needs to do more to recognise the needs of traditional councils.
Chief Mbangiseni Masia, who rules over the Tshivenda-speaking Ha-Masia village in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality, said that traditional leaders were not adequately resourced.
He was speaking to Eyewitness News on the sidelines of the third Men’s Parliament Dialogue held at a community centre in his village on Sunday.
Thousands of people in the Vhembe district visited the electoral commission’s voting stations this weekend to register to vote or verify their details.
Traditional chiefs in Limpopo have many times expressed that they feel neglected by the African National Congress government, most of whom said only serviced Nguni royals.
This is a sentiment that Chief Mbangiseni Masia of the Ha-Masia village in the Vhembe district has not avoided.
He told Eyewitness News that while he’s managed to run traditional affairs with ease in his village, he remained under-resourced.
"There is so much that we still need, there are still many expectations from government but we cannot go to the extent of saying that there is no need that has been met by government."
But despite this, he’s urged his villagers to register to vote in an effort to bring a change in society.
