Members of the Manenzhe Traditional Council expressed happiness, following the visit by Musina Mayor Mihloti Muhlope last Thursday. This is the first official visit to the area, following the incorporation of Ha-Manenzhe into Musina Municipality after the disestablishment of Mutale.
Muhlope was accompanied by the portfolio head of Local Economic Development and Technical Services, Cllr Jeremiah Khunwana. She is on a mission to visit traditional councils that are falling under Musina after new boundaries were effected by the Municipal Demarcation Board. The purpose of the visit is to discuss issues pertaining to service delivery.
When addressing members of the Manezhe Traditional Council, Muhlope said no municipality would survive without the support of the traditional leaders. "A large portion of our municipality is comprised of tribal land and it is important to have a good working relationship with the custodians thereof. The land that we use for development belongs to the traditional leaders and it is vital to move with them in terms of delivering efficient services."
She said the municipality respected the status of the traditional leaders, hence they had been allocated seats in the council. "The participation of traditional leaders in our council is a major step in building our relationship. The time for traditional leaders to come to our council meetings as observers is now a thing of the past. They now have equal mandate with the councilors and they will be guided by the council's rules and standing orders."
Thovhele Mmbangiseni Elon Manenzhe commended Musina Municipality for taking the importance of traditional leaders into consideration. "We read in the newspapers and hear from the radio that other traditional leaders are always at loggerheads with their municipalities. This is a different story with Musina because we live in peace and harmony with our municipality."
Thovhele Manenzhe said the fact that he was one of the senior traditional leaders allocated a seat in the municipal council meant that he would use the platform to contribute to the efficiency of service delivery. "We will not stand aside and criticize the municipality because we are part of the municipal council. It is our duty to make sure that we make positive contributions to the development of our municipality."