Thesis (M.A. (African languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / The purpose of this study is to investigate the issue of bestowing honour to royalty in the Mphaphuli dynasty.The investigation focuses on the origin of the Mphaphuli dynasty. The Chieftainship has been traced right from the beginning when they arrived in South Africa until the current era. According to sources that have been consulted, the chief’s subjects used to respect him/her. Instructions given by the chief used to be carried out in a more positive way than it is in the present era. The socio-economic activities are also covered in the study. It has been shown that chiefs in the Mphaphuli dynasty are no longer getting what they are entitled to. Many subjects no longer find it necessary to participate in traditional activities such as Tshikona and Domba. The money that is supposed to be given to the chief no longer goes to him as it used to be due to modern social and political factors. The study also focuses on the impact of politicians on the status of the Mphaphuli dynasty. The democratic era has brought many changes when it comes to the aspect of the chief’’s authority. The functions of the chief are not clearly defined in the Constitution. By the look of things, some of the chief’s functions have been stripped off. For instance, the Thulamela Municipality has the right to give people residential sites. The chief is not consulted when this is being done. Money collected from buyers of sites goes to the Municipality. Civic associations on the other hand are always at loggerheads with chiefs. The chief’s subjects are sometimes encouraged to defy his commands.The study highlights critical challenges chiefs in the Mphaphili dynasty are facing. It reveals the fact that subjects are confused as to who has the final authority, the chief or the municipality? Things will run smoothly in the dynasty when the chief’s roles are well spelt out in the Constitution

This thesis attempts to define the role of tribal authorities in the structures of the democratic government in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. However, the major difficulty lies in the nature of the institution of tribal authorities itself. In African tradition, leadership is hereditary. It is not subject to any electoral process. Besides this, the hereditary process is fundamentally male primogeniture and by nature excludes women. This contradicts the principles of democracy and the bill of rights which the democratic government of South Africa has adopted. Nevertheless, the institution of tribal authorities is not new in South Africa. It has existed and worked hand in hand with previous governments in South Africa since the period of the British colonial rule in the early 19th century. During the apartheid era, tribal authorities served as the local government in the rural areas of the KwaZulu Bantustan. Chiefs only lost this status after the formation of the Government of National Unity in 1994. However, most chiefs still have great influence and respect among the traditional people who live in rural areas. Besides this, among the Zulus, the institution of tribal authorities symbolizes Zulu nationalism and culture. Because of their closeness to the people at the grassroots, chiefs have good relationships with different political parties, particularly the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress. Probably they are seen by these political parties as potential allies and agents for political mobilization and recruitment in rural tribal areas. Consequently, abandoning the institution of tribal authorities in the democratic dispensation is unrealistic and irresponsible. To meet the political realities of KwaZulu-Natal, a certain form of representation in the structures of democratic government at both the provincial and local levels needs to be given to the institution of tribal authorities as part of the democratization process, and also as a means of expanding the scope of democracy in rural areas. This also fulfils one of the precepts of democracy which entails including all the concerned groups of people in a society, irrespective of colour, creed, sex, race, tradition and culture. Nevertheless, to achieve this, some adjustment is necessary to make possible the incorporation of the institution of tribal authorities in the structures of the democratic government. How can this institution be accommodated? What will the status and position of chiefs be in these structures? What will be their new role? How well can democratically elected structures work with non-elected ones? Is the inclusion of tribal authorities in the democratic government not going to conceptualize ethnicity? In other words, does ethnicity have any room in South Africa's democratic dispensation? To address these questions, this thesis assesses a number of aspects, which include examining the role chiefs played in the previous government, their relationships with the people, the Bantustan government and Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe, and other political parties especially in the democratic dispensation. The thesis also examines legislation passed by the Government of National Unity, as well as the constitutional proposals of the Inkatha Freedom Party, the African National Congress and other political parties in the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal concerning the role of tribal authorities. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

<p>The subject of this research paper is the analysis of the recent national and provincial legislation on traditional leadership. Within the new constitutional dispensation the legislature had to retain traditional leadership pursuan to Chapter 12 of the Consstitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. It was unclear how to change institutions that are based on customary / aw at the same time, recognize them as they are. The legislative branch of government provided its answer through the national and provincial Acts. Precisely the answer forms part of the research paper.</p>

<p>The subject of this research paper is the analysis of the recent national and provincial legislation on traditional leadership. Within the new constitutional dispensation the legislature had to retain traditional leadership pursuan to Chapter 12 of the Consstitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. It was unclear how to change institutions that are based on customary / aw at the same time, recognize them as they are. The legislative branch of government provided its answer through the national and provincial Acts. Precisely the answer forms part of the research paper.</p>

Based on the author's Thesis (doctoral). / Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]-209).

When Spanish explorers first arrived in the region later known as the southeastern United States in the early 16th century, they encountered complex, chiefdom level societies in many areas. These societies, with populations commonly numbering in the thousands and occasionally tens of thousands, were characterized by hereditary inequality of individuals and groups, monumental architecture, elaborate ceremonialism, and were engaged in constant warfare with one another. While state societies like those present in western South America and Mesoamerica were not found in the Southeast, most scholars believe they would have eventually emerged within the region. Indeed, some believe that a state did emerge briefly at Cahokia in the central Mississippi Valley around ca. AD 1050. The contact era societies the early European explorers saw, however, represented only the final chapter in a long record dating back thousands of years. Seemingly complex societies characterized by formal cemeteries and elaborate ceremonialism were present in the region as far back as the terminal Pleistocene some 12.000 years ago, as represented by the Dalton culture of the central Mississippi Valley, while the construction of massive mound complexes of earth and shell appears in many areas in the later Mid-Holocene era, after ca. 7000 cal yr BP. Complex societies thus persisted for thousands of years in the Southeast, with hunting and gathering providing the means of subsistence for much of this interval. Agricultural food production only became important in the final two millennia before contact, long after complex societies were widely established. / A principios del siglo XVI, cuando los exploradores españoles llegaron por primera vez a la región más tarde conocida como el Sureste de los Estados Unidos, encontraron sociedades complejas correspondientes al ámbito de las jefaturas en muchas áreas. Este tipo de organizaciones, con poblaciones que alcanzaban los miles y, ocasionalmente, las decenas de miles de personas, se caracterizaban por una desigualdad hereditaria de individuos y grupos, arquitectura monumental, ceremonialismo elaborado y constantes guerras entre ellas. Si bien sociedades del tipo que existieron en la parte occidental de Sudamérica y en Mesoamérica no se han encontrado en el Sureste, diversos estudiosos piensan que, en algún momento, esto pudo haber ocurrido en la región. Ciertamente, se sostiene que, si bien de manera breve, en Cahokia, en el valle central del Mississippi, surgió un Estado alrededor de 1050 d.C. Sin embargo, esta época particular, en que las comunidades entablaban contacto y que vieron los exploradores europeos tempranos, representaba solo el capítulo final de un largo registro que retrocede miles de años en el tiempo. Al parecer, las sociedades complejas caracterizadas por cementerios formales y un elaborado ceremonialismo existían ya hacia fines del Pleistoceno, alrededor de 12.000 a.p., tal como lo representa la cultura Dalton, del valle central del Mississippi, mientras que la construcción de complejos de montículos masivos de tierra y conchas aparece en muchas áreas en la parte tardía del Holoceno Medio, hacia alrededor de 7000 A.P. De esta manera, las sociedades complejas persistieron por miles de años en el Sureste y, en gran parte de este intervalo, sus medios de subsistencia fueron la caza y la recolección. La producción agrícola de alimentos solo cobró importancia en los dos últimos milenios antes del contacto con los europeos, mucho después de que este tipo de agrupaciones estuvieran ampliamente establecidas.

This paper evaluates the hypothesis that feasting among the Muiscas served for political centralization in a society where chiefly power was based on the control of fertile lands and labor. Based on the archaeological information regarding feastings at the site of El Infiernito, mainly bowls and jars, as well as on the analysis of the distribution of soils and demographic dynamics, it is concluded that, although feasting could have contributed to the prestige of chiefs, their power was not based on the control of fertile lands or labor. / En este artículo se evalúa la hipótesis de que los festejos muiscas servían como mecanismos de centralización política para una elite que había alcanzado el control de las mejores tierras y tenía acceso privilegiado a mano de obra. La información arqueológica vinculada con la realización de festejos en el sitio de El Infiernito se compara con la distribución de los suelos más fértiles y la población. La conclusión a la que se llega es que, si bien las festividades pudieron ser importantes para el prestigio de los caciques, el poder de estos no se basaba en el control de las tierras más fértiles o la mano de obra.

This paper analyses irrigation systems, settlement patterns and indigenous chiefdoms locatedin the lower part of the Rimac river valley, during the XVIth century, when this territory wasunder the administration of the Inca Empire. Aerial pictures of 1944 and old maps were analyzedto determine the location and characteristics of the irrigation channels, reservoirs andarchaeological edifi cations. The study was complemented with the revision of colonial documentationto establish the chiefdom spatial locations in relation to these irrigation systems. / Este artículo analiza los sistemas de irrigación, patrones de asentamiento y señoríos indígenasen el valle bajo del río Rímac, correspondientes al siglo XVI, cuando dicho territorio seencontraba bajo la administración del imperio inca. Se analizaron fotografías aéreas de 1944y mapas antiguos de la zona para determinar la ubicación y características de los canalesde irrigación y reservorios, los que formaron valles artifi ciales, y las edifi caciones arqueológicas.El estudio se complementó con la revisión de documentación colonial para establecerla ubicación espacial de los señoríos del valle en relación con dichos sistemas de irrigación.

Thesis (MPA. (Public Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the role of traditional leaders in supporting service delivery in the communities of Polokwane Municipality as a third sphere of government. Moreover, not much research has been conducted in this field especially in Limpopo Province. The latest policy document on Transforming Public Service Delivery stipulates that public services are not a privilege in a civilised and democratic society, they are a legitimate expectation. Hence, meeting the basic needs of all citizens is one of the five key programmes of the government’s Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). From the literature review, it was evident that service delivery is essential in the communities and traditional leaders and the municipality have a critical role to play. Therefore this study also aimed at examining the problems and challenges the community is confronted with during the provision of services and also reflects on the strategic importance of the municipality in service delivery. This information may be used as a point of departure in showing the municipalities and traditional leaders the perception of communities and their level of satisfaction and serves as a yardstick in terms of their effectiveness in delivering services to the community. The study used data collection instruments such as interview schedule, questionnaires and supporting documents, such as the Polokwane Integrated Development Plan and relevant scientific articles to collect data in the four selected villages. The participants ranged from the youth, adults, to people with disabilities and the elderly. The main patterns of concern that emerged from the data related to the low levels of satisfaction among the community in terms of service delivery in general. From the analysis of data it was realised that the lack of proper service delivery impacts negatively on members of the community. It is advisable for the Municipality to take note of these findings and concerns. In an effort to improve and ensure effectiveness in this sphere as stipulated in the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery and the Reconstruction and Development Programme documents. Therefore, it can be concluded that the provision of service delivery in the municipality is of a substandard quality, and that the provision of quality services in the municipality is required. This can be achieved through the participation of traditional leaders, municipalities and community members.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2010. / Title from title page screen (viewed on July 13, 2010). Thesis advisor: Lynne P. Sullivan, Gerald F. Schroedl. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.