By Johnathan Paoli
Deputy president Paul Mashatile has underscored urgent concerns raised by Amampondo traditional leadership, including the lack of potable water at the royal palace and surrounding villages, poor road infrastructure, unreliable electricity, inadequate police resources in Libode, and the need for stronger support for agricultural programmes.
Mashatile raised these issues during a working visit to the Amampondo aseNyandeni Kingship at the eNyandeni Royal Palace in Libode, within the Nyandeni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, where he pledged closer cooperation between government and traditional leaders to fast-track service delivery and rural development.
The leadership also flagged high levels of crime, drug abuse, and the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as pressing challenges facing communities.
“These are real issues our communities face, and they require urgent attention. Communities should not have to resort to protests to gain government’s attention. We must take the initiative, be transparent about challenges, and work together with our people to find solutions,” Mashatile said.
On access to water, the deputy president emphasised that government would work with provincial and local authorities to secure a sustainable supply.
He added that fixing local government was crucial.
“Our municipalities are important. Many of our problems start in our municipalities,” Mashatile said.
“If we don’t fix local government, we are not going to succeed in improving service delivery. Municipalities are closest to the people—they are the face of service delivery. We must ensure the right people are in place, and we will work with mayors and councillors to achieve this. When municipalities succeed, we all succeed—provincial and national government alike.”
Mashatile, accompanied by Eastern Cape Acting Premier Zolile Williams, MECs, mayors, ministers and senior officials, was welcomed by His Majesty King Ndamase Ndamase, Queen Madosini and members of the Royal Family.
Mashatile, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Traditional Leadership, said government recognised the authority of traditional leaders and their role in fostering social cohesion, moral renewal and community stability.
He noted that the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act of 2019 empowered traditional leaders to advise government on the needs of their communities and hold officials accountable for service delivery.
He urged closer cooperation between municipalities and traditional councils to ensure that basic services reached every household.
Turning to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), Mashatile called for an accelerated response, urging communities to reject harmful norms and speak out against violence.
“We must all work together to prevent every act that perpetuates GBVF. Even jokes that demean women must not be tolerated,” he said.
The deputy president pointed to interventions such as GBVF desks at police stations, the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, and the Men’s Parliament initiative to promote positive masculinity.
However, he stressed that lasting progress depended on active community involvement.
Mashatile assured the Nyandeni community that the dialogue would not remain a “talk show,” but would translate into concrete action through deadlines, monitoring, and intergovernmental cooperation.
He emphasised that municipalities remained the frontline of service delivery, but required stronger integration with district and provincial structures.
“By working together as different spheres of government, traditional leaders and communities, we will gain a common understanding of service delivery obstacles, growth challenges and opportunities. This collaboration allows us to create a more holistic approach that is inclusive, culturally sensitive and responsive to the diverse needs of our people,” Mashatile said.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to rural development through initiatives such as Services on Wheels, which bring health, home affairs, social development and policing services directly to communities—improving access, reducing costs and enhancing efficiency.
Mashatile said future engagements would provide updates on progress and ensure transparency where challenges remained.
In closing, he thanked the Amampondo leadership for their continued partnership and reiterated government’s commitment to tackling poverty, inequality and unemployment in traditional communities.
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