By Vho-Thovhele Adv. Tshedza Netshimbupfe
We, the Netshimbupfe Royal House and the people of our village, join the people of Limpopo in expressing our best wishes and congratulations to Dr Phophi Ramathuba on her historic election as the first female Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo at the recently concluded 11th ANC Provincial Conference.
We also want to extend our sincere and heartfelt congratulations to the elected top five and the entire members of the ruling ANC in our province for demonstrating unity and organisational strength in electing the leadership that has already set its focus on improving service delivery especially in traditional communities.
Your historic election as the first woman to lead the revolutionary movement in this province is a milestone that reflects both progress and the enduring confidence of the people in the ANC… as a champion of their aspirations “Mama Action”, as the masses of the people call you, may you truly put your best foot forward!
As traditional leaders, we recognise that leadership is a sacred responsibility entrusted by the people. In our indigenous tradition, we say that benevolence equals votes, and votes equal power.
Therefore, power resides not in office, but within the people, and where it is misused or disconnected from its source, it will inevitably shift.
We are reminded, through our history, of the sacrifices made by our people in the long journey to freedom, that sacrifice sustains the democracy we enjoy today.
Most importantly, the sacrifices must guide us on how we exercise leadership in the present.
The newly elected Provincial Chair of the ANC in our province will remember the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa calls upon us to ensure that “We the people” must share in its wealth.
This promise must extend to every citizen and must be realised through tangible improvements in quality service delivery, particularly in rural communities across our province.
While we remain committed to supporting democratic participation and encouraging our people to vote, we must also acknowledge that, three decades into our democracy significant strides have been made, yet challenges persist.
Basic services such as clean drinkable water, sanitation, road infrastructure, housing, and healthcare services remain inadequate in most traditional areas, while youth unemployment continues to place immense strain on our society.
As former President Thabo Mbeki once observed: “the dream has been deferred.”
Provincial Chair and your collective Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), it is now time to ensure that the dream is realised.
In our province that is rich in natural resources, it is imperative that together, we decisively address poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment with urgency and accountability.
As a senior traditional leader, I strongly believe that leadership must be exercised with integrity, and that corruption must be decisively confronted.
Those entrusted with leadership must fulfil the promises made to the masses, for governance is not only about the present, it is about securing the future for generations to come.
In our province, traditional authorities play an important role in the rural areas, we want to urge you to recognize traditional leaders as your critical role players. We strongly believe that you will never use your tenure to marginalise traditional leaders in this province.
As the Netshimbupfe Royal House, we reaffirm our commitment to working collaboratively with all provincial government structures to advance the development agenda in our traditional communities to continue to restore the dignity of our people.
May your tenure be guided by wisdom, humility, and an unwavering commitment to unity and accelerating services to the masses of the people.
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Vho-Thovhele Adv. Tshedza Netshimbupfe is a senior traditional leader of Tshimbupfe settlement