This study is about the place of traditional authorities in local level land administration and rural governance in contemporary Mozambique. It came about as a result of the publication of the Decree 15/2000 that recognised traditional authorities after their abolition more than 20 years earlier. This study seeks to examine four inter-related themes: the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration in Mozambique / why the government recognised traditional authorities in the year 2000 after having abolished them more than 20 years earlier / whether the recognition of hereditary traditional authorities is consistent with principles of democracy / and lastly to investigate whether the practices taking place on the ground are an expression of democracy as envisaged by the country&rsquo / s constitution.<br /> <br /> The study is based on documental research on the subject, as well as on fieldwork in the community of Chirindzene, Gaza Province in Southern Mozambique. It argues that generalisations about the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration may be misleading. Drawing from the case study in Chirindzene, it shows that it was only the lowest level of the traditional authority structure (the lineage level) that continued having influence in land allocation and distribution after independence in this area. With regard to the recognition of traditional authorities, the study argues that an appreciation of the changing global context is important to understand this dramatic shift. The study argues that the Decree 15/2000 and its regulations are weakening the democratic experience initiated in 1970s by allowing rural populations be ruled by hereditary rulers who are not elected. For this reason, the rural population does not enjoy full citizenship rights because they are ruled by both elected structures and appointed ones.

This study is about the place of traditional authorities in local level land administration and rural governance in contemporary Mozambique. It came about as a result of the publication of the Decree 15/2000 that recognised traditional authorities after their abolition more than 20 years earlier. This study seeks to examine four inter-related themes: the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration in Mozambique / why the government recognised traditional authorities in the year 2000 after having abolished them more than 20 years earlier / whether the recognition of hereditary traditional authorities is consistent with principles of democracy / and lastly to investigate whether the practices taking place on the ground are an expression of democracy as envisaged by the country&rsquo / s constitution.<br /> <br /> The study is based on documental research on the subject, as well as on fieldwork in the community of Chirindzene, Gaza Province in Southern Mozambique. It argues that generalisations about the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration may be misleading. Drawing from the case study in Chirindzene, it shows that it was only the lowest level of the traditional authority structure (the lineage level) that continued having influence in land allocation and distribution after independence in this area. With regard to the recognition of traditional authorities, the study argues that an appreciation of the changing global context is important to understand this dramatic shift. The study argues that the Decree 15/2000 and its regulations are weakening the democratic experience initiated in 1970s by allowing rural populations be ruled by hereditary rulers who are not elected. For this reason, the rural population does not enjoy full citizenship rights because they are ruled by both elected structures and appointed ones.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Though the Maganja da Costa District in Mozambique has potential for the development of natural resources, the District is neither economically self-reliant nor empowered and is the poorest within the country. Thus, the research question set for this study is: What are the main factors that inhibit poor people in the study area from effectively using local resources for their livelihoods and what possible alternatives could enable them to achieve economic empowerment? In an attempt to answer the question, the following aspects were investigated: the systems of local resources, product and indigenous knowledge use and management; the local mechanisms of acquiring and sharing information, knowledge and skills; the obstacles to acquiring and sharing information, knowledge and skills; the influence of such obstacles on the management of local resources and livelihood strategies, as well as on the community’s organisational, leadership and entrepreneurship capacity. An exploratory study was conducted in the study area using the qualitative method, involving participatory action research. A comparative literature review and field work was conducted in order to collect the data. Raw data were collected in two phases: While pilot research took place over 5 days, more extensive research took place over 21 days. During the extensive research, in-depth household interviews were conducted, using semi-structured personal interviews, focus group interviews and discussions, direct observations and cross-checking methods employing a sample size of 101 respondents randomly selected and 10 key informants. The Statistical Programme of Social Science (SPSS) was used to process and analyse the raw data. The results show that the main factors that inhibited poor people in the study area from effectively using local resources and products for their livelihood were: i) a lack of knowledge, skills and talents; ii) the inadequate mechanisms in place for sharing local information, knowledge and skills; iii) the ineffective community organisation and leadership; iv) a lack of entrepreneurship skills and capabilities; v) the inadequate existing infrastructure, transport and trading systems; vi) a low level of partnership and networking; vi) a disruption of socio-cultural cohesion; and vi) inadequate mechanisms for planning, implementation and management of local development strategies, programmes and projects by local government. Most of the government’s development strategies in Mozambique focus on economic growth, which does not necessarily entail the economic empowerment of poor people. The role of traditional leadership has been neglected, which has resulted in the disruption of traditional values and belief systems that might otherwise have positively contributed to socio-cultural cohesion. The role that community building could play in assisting poor people in the study area to establish common values, and to develop collective goals and actions, should enable them to acquire and/or share information, knowledge, skills and talents in such a way as to strengthen themselves. Such strengthening of organisational, leadership and entrepreneurship capacities and skills could significantly contribute to attaining economic self-reliance, poverty alleviation and sustainable development, if the community building approach were to be adequately applied. Additional research is required in order to identify appropriate mechanisms for making further advances in applying such an approach in rural Mozambique, especially in the study area.