Abstract
This article approaches traditional leadership disputes amongst and within Venda royal houses over the past three decades (from the end of grand apartheid to the presidency of Mr Cyril Ramaphosa) while investigating the reasons for the importance of such traditional leadership positions in modern South Africa. In the light of the most recent disputes around the right of women to ascend to the highest Venda authority, historical precedents around practices of female leadership amongst the Vhavenda are considered. Amongst the continuities observed, are the inevitable limitations to traditional authority: a need to be legitimated from “within” and sanctioned from “above”, by whoever controls the greater nation-state. The discontinuities can be observed in the nature of the arguments on both sides. The historical account pays attention to popular protests, government-appointed commissions, court cases and appeals to the principles of equality in the South African constitution.
Highlights
INTRODUCTIONThe history of the Venda[1] vhuhosivhuhulu, commonly translated into English as kingship, has taken an unprecedented turn in the past decade
The history of the Venda[1] vhuhosivhuhulu, commonly translated into English as kingship, has taken an unprecedented turn in the past decadeFor the purposes of this article, Venda is used both as adjective and to refer to a geographical area; VhaVenda is used to identify the people associated with that area.SJCH 46(2) | December | 2021 when, for the first time, a woman contender asserted her right to the highest position of Venda traditional leadership by appealing to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
We look at historical precedents around practices of female leadership amongst the Vhavenda
Summary
The history of the Venda[1] vhuhosivhuhulu, commonly translated into English as kingship, has taken an unprecedented turn in the past decade. SJCH 46(2) | December | 2021 when, for the first time, a woman contender asserted her right to the highest position of Venda traditional leadership by appealing to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa This is the latest saga in a history of rulership controversies within and between the Vhavenda royal houses, amongst whom the Ramabulana, the Vhangona, the Tshivhase and the Mphaphuli are the most prominent. Against this background, we trace the intricacies of the latest dispute within Venda circles as reported in the media. We conclude that hot debates around succession politics in the media and on legal platforms, continue to mask the deeper question about the legitimacy, the form and the extent of traditional authority and customary law within a democracy
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