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16 October 2014
South Africa

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Traditional Leaders

South Africa has a traditional tribal structure that does not fit easily into a modern democracy. These ancient tribes and nations represent the culture, customs and values of early African societies and are an important part of South Africa 's traditions. The Constitution of South Africa recognised this by setting up six Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders. These Houses are in Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West.





Each Provincial House nominates three members to a National House of Traditional Leaders. The Provincial House's job is to advise Provincial Government on matters affecting traditional laws and customs. The National House also advises the national Government on the rights of communities in areas where traditional customs and laws still hold sway. These include traditional practices such as circumcision and polygamy. There are often strong links between these tribes and ethnic groups and modern political parties. For example the Zulu are strongly linked with the IFP and the Xhosa with the ANC.



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