Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said that they will coordinate the inaugural meeting of the newly established National Khoi and San Interim Consultative Forum, which will be representative of all the stems, including the National Khoi-San Council.

Hlabisa was speaking on the last day of a three-day all-inclusive national convention of the Khoi and San community leaders at the Birchwood Conference Centre, in Ekurhuleni, where they gathered to discuss and find permanent solutions to challenges raised by the community, including their recognition.

As the conference concluded, inclusivity emerged as the guiding principle, COGTA said. The department stated that the convention has been an overwhelming success and has shown that the Khoi and San are united.

Several key issues were raised, most notably, the issue of formal recognition, which will be actively pursued on behalf of the Khoi-San people.

A call was made to appoint representatives from each of the five stems, additional groupings, and the National Khoi and San Council (NKSC) to form a unified voice on Khoi and San affairs.

The NKSC structure consists of 25 members representing the five main groupings of the Khoi-San, namely: Griqua, Cape-Khoi, Korana, Nama and San.

The department said it was incumbent on the leaders gathered to establish the National Khoi and San Interim Consultative Forum structure and assign a name for it, to enable the Department of Traditional Affairs to define its terms of reference working together with its constituent nominees.

“The first thing we are going to do now is to convene a meeting of the representatives of about 30 people in all, and draft the terms and references of the structure, as well as how this structure is going to receive support from government and any other stakeholder with an interest in the rights and recognition of the Khoi-San people,” Hlabisa said.

The minister explained that the National Khoi-San Council is not a legal structure in terms of the law, but will be a platform where all the Khoi-San speak together.

In 2021, the government established the Commission on Khoi-San Matters through which recognition could be sought by a community, branch, senior leader, and branch head in terms of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act.

The commission’s term of office is between September 2021 and the end of August next year.

“The Commission on Khoi-San Matters had a presentation on Saturday, where it showed a significant number of applications for recognitions for kings, headman and all hierarchies within the Khoi and San community.”

Hlabisa said they have received over 100 applications and that the closing date is in May.

He urged those who wished to be acknowledged as having a king, or a queen, or a headman to follow the process of the Commission on Khoi-San Matters “as they are a legal wing that is operating to give full recognition to the various communities”.

Hlabisa said that those who participated in the convention will have 14 days to go back to their communities to consult, and give five names to represent each stem of the five stems, and in those submissions they want to see women, young people and those with disabilities represented.

On Saturday, Hlabisa said while there is a National House of Traditional and Khoi and San Leaders, the Khoi and San are not there and are only there by name.

”This is the process which will ensure that at the local houses, provincial houses, and the national house, the Khoi and San will be represented by warm bodies who will have been recognised through the law and become part of contributing to issues of developing South Africa,” he said.

The convention concluded with Hlabisa expressing his gratitude for the wealth of knowledge, skills and wisdom shared by the delegates.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za