Message by Kgosi

With the advent of Voice over IP, digital communication, broadband and wireless technology, the world is swirling in the information whirlwind. The ICT Charter in South Africa promises to open up doors for previously disadvantaged communities to participate meaningfully in these technological advancements and our government is trying to ensure that learners in schools have access to computing facilities, because this is the way of the future. In the Royal Bafokeng Nation, we are no different. It is against this background that we launch our revamped website.

The Internet is nowhere more powerful than it is in the lives of rural communities. Those living outside the world's metropolitan centers need access to accurate, free, and up-to-date information as much (if not more) than others, but tend to have access to fewer media than their urban counterparts. The opposite is also true: there is less information on the World Wide Web about the world's agrarian populations than there is about more industrialized and urbanized societies. This website is an attempt to connect the Royal Bafokeng Nation to the world. As a small community in Africa with big plans, we welcome the chance to bring the world into our rural South African environs via the Internet, and to offer the world a glimpse of who we are, where we come from, and where we're headed.

We are aiming for a web-environment that is clutter-free, user friendly and easily navigable for the benefit of our people, partners and associates. We welcome friends and newcomers alike to this site, and hope you will find our version of African cyber-hospitality a fun and informative experience.

Warmest regards,

___________________
L. T. Molotlegi


The Royal Bafokeng Nation

1. Introduction

Each year we set some time aside to assess our progress over the past twelve months, and to ask ourselves whether the things we are busy with are the right things to help us achieve the goals we have set. This is an important exercise whether you are an individual, a company, a community, or a country. As the leadership of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, we have set ourselves some very ambitious goals, both for the short and the long term, and it is therefore even more crucial that we review the past year with a critical and objective eye to see whether we are on track or not.

We are coming out of a phase of intense planning, and moving into a phase of implementation. All the thinking and research and consultations will now bear fruit in the form of new programmes and initiatives, new structures, and new ways of doing things. Although we believe that these changes are all positive, we know that there will be some discomfort, some confusion, and some resistance along the way. Change is never easy, but we have committed ourselves to making the RBN more sustainable over the long run, and to achieve that means adapting to new circumstances, and leaving behind certain conventions. I am always inspired by the legacy of Kgosi Mokgatle when I think about these changes, because he, more than anyone else in our recent past, embraced change even when it meant sacrifice and struggle. If the result was the strengthening of the Bafokeng community over the longer term, Mokgatle stood the course. And because the community supported his vision, Kgosi Mokgatle was able to achieve great things, and we are the beneficiaries of his courage and foresight.

The RBN has never been in a stronger financial position. We have been able to consolidate our relationships with the mines, and expand our business holdings into several other areas, about which I will say more in a minute. The challenge now is to plough these resources back into the community in order to uplift and empower each and every Mofokeng. This is much more difficult than it sounds. We are conscious of the difference between providing communal dividends, such as schools, roads, water and street lights and facilities like the Bafokeng Sports Palace on the one hand, and more individually targeted dividends such as bursaries for tertiary education on the other. However, the challenge now is to broaden the dividends at the individual level beyond bursaries and begin addressing the needs of small businesses, families with special needs, and consumers in general.

The ultimate goal, however, is not to provide more and more benefits to individual Bafokeng, but rather to create an environment that enables each person to stand on his or her own feet. We are not under any illusion about how difficult this will be, and we intend to focus a lot of attention on the needs of individuals and families, but we should never lose sight of our goal—a sustainable and self-sufficient community where people have the skills and the support to reach their highest potential.

2. International Affairs

I would like to inaugurate a new section on international affairs in this annual reflection because we should never imagine that international trends and issues do not affect us here in Phokeng. Just to take one example, the political conflicts and economic fluctuations that occur throughout southern Africa are directly related to the waves of people who migrate to the Bafokeng/Rustenburg region in search of work. People have walked from as far as the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent years looking for peace and prosperity in this area. The economy in Zimbabwe is still in serious decline; the inflation rate there is currently almost 1,600 percent. What this means is that even people with jobs there cannot afford to buy food, pay for transport, etc, and many of them seek refuge here in South Africa. We cannot absorb all of them, and we should therefore understand efforts being made to support peace and democratization throughout the African continent.

We also need to pay attention to things happening farther a field, beyond the African continent as they too can affect us. China’s new interest in Africa is one case in point and merits critical attention. The largest nation in the world has an insatiable appetite for energy and raw materials, and this is creating some new friendships between China and Africa’s oil and resource rich countries, such as Sudan and Angola. China’s President was here only two weeks ago, and made it clear that issues such as the genocide occurring in Darfur are no obstacle to the loans and development grants being offered to Sudan by Beijing. China looks to South Africa not only for raw materials, but also for new markets for manufactured goods, and technologies like Sasol’s coal-to-liquid technology for creating energy. And while South Africa occupies a two year seat on the UN Security Council, China is also seeking our support for their interests in the UN. We need to inform ourselves and think critically about these international relationships and what they mean for the RBN.

Back home, we have people doing business in the RBN from countries as far away as Ethiopia, Eritrea and Pakistan. As much as we want our local economy to grow and flourish, we need to make sure that the profits from small businesses here are not simply being remitted to countries thousands of miles away.

3. Government Relations

Since the Memorandum of Understanding between the RBN, the Rustenburg and Bojanala District Municipalities was signed in 2003, we have been moving steadily in the direction of a less confrontational and more engaged approach to local, provincial and national government. This spirit of cooperation will continue to serve the interests of the RBN as it helps our government partners to understand our needs and priorities. I have made a point of spending time with various ministers and government officials to understand the thinking behind various new laws and policies, and also of keeping lines of communication open so that we can respond to new challenges arising. One example of this is the new legislation dealing with traditionally governed communities, which will affect the way we reconstitute our Council this year. I will explain this in greater detail in a minute. Another example was my invitation to the Mayor of Rustenburg to accompany me on a trip to Singapore last year to ensure that our plans for infrastructure development and those of the Rustenburg Local Municipality are well aligned.

4. Leadership

4.1 Succession challenges
Every issue I’ve touched on so far has a common underlying theme: leadership. I speak about this every year, and it has never been more relevant than it is at the present moment. The ongoing succession debate in our South Africa is very troubling in its implications for leadership in this country. Stable and effective governance depends on the strength of an office, a role, and not on an individual. Even the mildest individual can lead effectively if the office he or she occupies is solid and well respected. When personalities and egos grow larger than the respect for the offices they hold, society suffers. This is true for Dikgosi and Dikgosana as it is for Presidents and Prime Ministers. No individual is bigger or better than the office in which he serves, and it is ultimately the respect and humility a leader displays before his people that determines his ability to lead.
Conversely, we must not allow any political or professional office to define who we are as people. None of us is identical to the job we perform, and we should develop ourselves beyond the requirements of our professional duties. Those who start to identify too closely with the power or status or wealth they receive as leaders are in danger of losing themselves the second they are out of office. We must always retain our dignity as human beings first and office holders second. Since the advent of democracy in Africa almost 50 years ago, this has been the single biggest challenge on the continent. God forbid the largest economy in Africa falls prey to this pitfall.

4.2 RBN Governance
In the RBN context, we are going to act on these principles by strengthening the systems that support our leaders. By formalizing the bi-laws that articulate the powers and mandate of each office, we will make sure that people’s expectations of their leaders match that leader’s specific mandate, and that such transparency will lead the way to better governance. Examples of such measures include the formalization of each kgotla’s Executive and Sub-Committees, as well as the process of transferring someone from one kgotla to another. We began this process in June 2006, and we will complete phase one in June of this year. The second phase will be completed by June 2008. With a clear sense of what a leader’s responsibilities are, we will be in a better position to expand the range of services that are administered at the lowest level.

The Master Plan, about which I will have more to say in a minute, will see the RBN organized according to five regions. These are 1) the Capital Region here around Phokeng, 2) the North Region around Rasimone/Chaneng, 3) the Central Region that includes Kanana and surrounding villages, 4) the North East Region that includes Maile-Kopman, Tlaseng, Tantanana and 5) the South East Region, where Thekwane and Photshaneng are located. Each region will have its own administrative and recreational complex, and that is how we intend to bring services closer to the people who need them.

4.3 Leadership Development
You all know that the Bafokeng Education Institute is now in place. There is a component of the Institute devoted to developing leadership training programmes for all of our leaders, including myself! Our stated goal is that each headman is either degreed or diploma’d by 2020. In this way, we will achieve a world class level of leadership that will shine like a beacon across South Africa and beyond. There is simply no other way to reach our goals.

4.4 Challenges around Bogosana
In line with everything I’ve just said, I regret to add that our founding governance institution is also our most dysfunctional at the moment. The Institution of Bogosana—our local headmen, is in a shameful state of disrepair. And with all that we need to accomplish in the coming months and years, this is totally unacceptable. I am fully committed to rectifying this situation by all possible means. First, we will resolve all outstanding succession disputes by empowering a commission of inquiry to investigate and establish the facts of each case. Second we will retire those dikgosana who are no longer able to meet the demands of their office, and allow their rightful heir to take their place. Third we will organize dikgosana into regional committees, according to the Master Plan’s regional map I discussed a minute ago. This process should be completed by June of this year. This house needs to be cleaned up, and I expect it to happen without delay. As dikgosana, you are role models to our people as well as bearers of our tradition. Your conduct therefore must be irreproachable, fair, and worthy of emulation. People look up to you, and you must reward their respect with wisdom and genuine concern for their well being.

4.5 Demarcation of wards (Makgotla)
In order to effectively run and govern each ward, we need to physically demarcate where one ward ends and the next one begins. Our smallest administrative unit is not based on loose affiliation or kinship; it is a geographical area that falls under the jurisdiction of a particular kgosana. Demarcating each and every ward will be challenging but must be implemented. By doing this, we will clarify for people where they owe their allegiance and community responsibilities. Nothing stops any of us from maintaining ties with other areas, but each of us needs to know where our administrative home is.

4.6 Bafokeng Councilors
The current Council ends its five year term in March of this year. Rather than scheduling new elections to choose another council, the system will change to bring it into line with the Traditional Leadership Act I mentioned earlier. There will be a three month transition period during which the current council will wrap up whilst we elect new Council. A smaller Council will comprise some elected members and some appointed members, but no more than 11 people. Two members--one appointed and one elected—will represent each region. This Council will work closely with the Rustenburg Local Municipal Councilors to achieve the development goals of each of the five Bafokeng regions I enumerated above. The reason behind this change is to ensure closer alignment between the Rustenburg Councilors and our own, and to reduce the overall numbers so that the office remains representative, but is also more effective.

5. Vision 2020

A document outlining the components of Vision 2020—our comprehensive plan for development in the RBN—will be released of this year. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the six main elements in it.

5.1 Investment diversification
Royal Bafokeng Holdings, our investment entity in Johannesburg, is responsible for overseeing the growth and maintenance of the community’s income streams. The team of investment bankers we have in place at RBH is world class, and to date they have been very successful in their two-pronged task: improving our income stream from the mines, and diversifying our portfolio by investing in other industries. The CEO of RBH reported recently that due to the new arrangement with Impala Platinum, we are now the single largest shareholder in the company. This transaction is at the Impala Holdings level, which will see us receiving dividends with the expansion of the company, even beyond the RBN. We held a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Mr. Trevor Manuel, on 26 June 2006, in order to facilitate for this transaction, which ultimately lead to, The South African Income Tax Act being amended by Parliament.

As a result of this transaction and other new investments, the assets under RBH management are now worth R22bn. This is a doubling of our asset base in less than two years. In addition to mining, RBH has been adding investments to the portfolio, particularly in the areas of financial services, infrastructure and telecommunications.

Despite all the progress made by the RBH in handling the Nation’s investments, the work of this entity is still seriously misunderstood by members of our Executive Council, which has created some tensions. In order to help bridge the gap, we have proposed that on March 2nd, Council attend a workshop with RBH staff to gain a clearer appreciation for the role of the entity in the RBN. I hope you will make the most of this opportunity.

5.2 Economic Development
The second important leg of Vision 2020 is economic development. RBEB was created to drive job creation and SMME development at the community level, but it has unfortunately failed to meet expectations to date. There were multiple causes for this failure, and we have resolved to learn from each of them, and restart the process of supporting economically active Bafokeng who wish to work, start businesses, and grow their existing businesses.

The case of RBEB is instructive on a broader level as well. It seems that we are all too quick to point the finger at people who do not originate in our community when things go wrong. And conversely, we are reluctant to lay any blame at the feet of sons and daughters of the soil. This is a grave mistake! There is no one working in this community who enjoys impunity when it comes to performance, whether insider or outsider. Similarly, there is no one whose professional successes won’t be celebrated and publicized. Creating a welcoming and inclusive work environment is one of the keys to growing world class entities, and the RBEB story shows that we are not there yet.

RBEB has been temporarily placed under the supervision of the RBA, but will eventually become a subsidiary of RBH. We have a newly-appointed member of staff at RBH who will oversee transformation and equity issues in companies in which we invest, and she will also serve as the liaison to a new head of RBEB. I am optimistic that our efforts to promote economic development at the local level will be back on track by the middle of this year.

5.3 Education Planning
The third major component of Vision 2020 is education, or human development. As many of you know, we have recruited an extremely impressive team of education specialists to help us improve our education system. The team, headed by Ian McLachlan, is now in place in the Civic Centre, and is strategizing how to support our schools, educators, learners and families with their educational goals, from birth to graduation. We realize that education in our communities is related to a wide range of other factors, including poverty, nutrition, health, and infrastructure development and upkeep among others. The Bafokeng Education Institute is thus taking a holistic and interventionist approach to the multiple needs of our learners and educators. Their goal is to promote a culture of learning right across the community, and make our schools the best possible places to work and learn and grow. Along those lines, we view teachers as the most important professionals in our community, and we will see to it that they perform to the highest possible standards, and are afforded the greatest respect and status.

5.4 Infrastructure Development/Master Plan
The Master Plan for infrastructure development in the RBN was officially launched in September 2006 after years of research and consultation with the community and with external specialists. You’ve been able to see the outcome of this process on the panels in the foyer of this building.

I wish to emphasize that the changes envisioned by this plan are the product of this community’s hopes and dreams, and each and every Mofokeng must become involved in its implementation. The new regions I mentioned earlier, the new facilities we will build, these are the tangible legacies we will leave to our children and grandchildren. We will transform our community from a proud, quiet collection of villages to this vibrant community celebrating lives.

I mentioned earlier that I took the Mayor of Rustenburg with me to Singapore last year, in order to marry the infrastructural plans for Rustenburg to our Master Plan. In this way, there will be one single plan for the whole region, and the impact of this will be felt well beyond our community. The Master Plan is to be formally adopted by Council in June of this year, and it will comprise the following components: housing and community facilities; environmental management; infrastructural networks like power supply, telecommunications, and waste management; and land use strategies. The first projects being undertaken by the Master Plan are the Lebone II School of Excellence, to be completed in 2008. We will also continue with a new sanitation system, to be completed in 2009. Other projects will get underway once our systems and procedures have been finalized.

Our values and heritage as Bafokeng will be communicated on the physical landscape to all who visit our area. As I said at the outset, change sometimes brings fear and discomfort, but if we keep our sights on the broader goal of prosperity and sustainability, we will arrive at our destination without too many bumps on the way.

5.5 Health and Social Planning
I mentioned earlier the challenges of converting our communal resources into tangible benefits for our people. Some of these benefits will be focused in the area of health and social planning. The needs of our people are many, and it is imperative that we launch a comprehensive plan to address these issues in the course of this year. We continue to face serious problems such as malnutrition, HIV-AIDS, substance abuse, abuse of women and children, people with physical and mental disabilities, and more. The Impala-Bafokeng Trust has been established to support major interventions in these areas, and with the R340 million committed to the Trust over the next 10years, we hope to see rapid progress in many of these areas. It is my priority to mobilize the mines, Bafokeng entities, independent NGOs, and local government departments to align themselves in aggressively dealing with the many forms of suffering experienced by our people. We cannot learn or achieve economic prosperity if we continue to struggle with basic health and social problems.
For this reason, I will propose a three point strategy for addressing our needs in health and social planning.

These will be focused on the following key areas:
• HIV/AIDS
• Vulnerable populations (children, orphans, disabled)
• Food security
A clear strategy to address the above will be revealed during the course of the year.

5.6 Crime Free Environment
The final element in our long term plan is the achievement of a crime free environment. This is an ambitious goal, given the challenges we face in this area at present, but again, it is important to think big and do everything in our power to create an optimal environment for the growth and prosperity we seek for our community.

At present there is an unacceptably high level of crime in the RBN, caused by, among other things, unemployment, substance abuse, domestic violence, lack of recreational outlets, and the constant influx of job seekers to the area. As a result, we encounter theft, assaults, vandalism, and armed burglaries on a regular basis. Addressing this problem requires not only the best efforts of the Bafokeng Reaction Force, together with the SAPS, but also the community itself. People do not report crime when it occurs, and seem apathetic about our ability to make arrests or recover stolen property. We can never be effective in this regard unless the community participates and gives us the benefit of information, tips, and suggestions.

In addition to social and property related crimes, we also experience white collar crime, or corruption at the level of business and administration. This is just as serious as assault or stock theft, and it will not be tolerated in any Bafokeng entity. A number of cases against alleged white collar criminals are underway, and our intention is to eradicate this form of crime in the current year.

In addition to crime prevention and detection, the Bafokeng ambulance service handles between 100 and 150 calls per month. We lost one ambulance to hijacking last year, but it has been replaced, and we remain committed to assisting the Rustenburg Municipal Services in providing emergency response services to our area.

Crime is a serious issue for the RBN, as it is for the rest of the country. It affects our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. It distracts us from the work we need and want to be focusing on, and it hurts our productivity and ability to enjoy our community life. We are not in a state of denial about this issue, its seriousness, or the measures necessary to combat it. We know that our ability to reach our goals depends on our ability to reduce—even erase—the constant threat of crime, and we are determined to address this using all necessary means.

6. Unemployment

One of the challenges that I have mentioned in connection with almost every single issue is that of unemployment. Despite our national economic growth that consistently achieves rates of 4.5 to 5 percent, our high unemployment rate hinders our ability to grow as fast as we could. Although our unemployment rates are not significantly higher than the national average of 25%, we do see a disparity in our area in terms of gender. Female unemployment is much higher than male unemployment, which is undoubtedly a result of the prevalence of the mining industry in this area. But even as Rustenburg continues to be one of the fastest growing local economies in the country, the boom in housing and other sectors is not matched by overall growth in other sectors. This is something we will need to carefully consider in the years to come, as it underscores the importance of supporting small and medium sized businesses that create jobs and spur growth at the most local level.

7. Land

Moving on to the issue of land, this one is one of our greatest assets, and also one of our biggest challenges. Land allocation and land use are fundamental issues to all of us, because they affect where we live, how we make a living, and how we relate to our immediate environment. This year will see the launch of a land audit committee that will be tasked with the job of creating a comprehensive database of stand occupation in the RBN. What this means is that every single stand in the RBN will be recorded and monitored to determine if the resident has acquired the stand legitimately. The audit team will also assess whether there are multiple stands illegally registered to one person, and whether stands are being improperly used to rent out shacks. Those who are found to have acquired their stands for the sole purpose of creating “Shack Motels” whilst living elsewhere will have their registrations revoked.

As we roll out aspects of the Master Plan, our land use strategy will shift in certain ways. There will be less land available for agriculture, and I know this will be cause for concern among our farmers. We will work with our farmers to find mutually-acceptable solutions to this problem, such as buying land beyond the Nation’s borders for commercial agriculture. In this regard, we need to keep our sights on the long range goals of job creation and economic sustainability. Very few of us engage in home gardening, which is an important strategy for food security, and even small scale agricultural production. It is important to determine why so few of us make use of the land we have for this purpose.

The Master Plan addresses this issue, and is sensitive both to the need for jobs, and the desire to support our agricultural heritage.

The Master Plan also looks at land zoning. In developed areas, no piece of land is built upon unless plans are submitted and approved by the relevant authority, and unless the intended use is appropriate for that zone. We will develop a similar policy for the RBN in the near future. People who wish to build new structures or improve the land in some way will submit plans and have them approved by a zoning committee. In this way, residential areas will be separated from industrial or commercial areas.

8. Overview of RBN Corporate Entities

It is interesting to note that all of the current RBN entities emanate from the RBA, but are now more focused, and ultimately more efficient. Extending from this, we now seek to formalize the administration of makgotla (wards). In order for us to deliver effectively at the lowest level, each kgotla has to be brought into line with the larger entities, and given the tools and mandate to provide the services our people require.

8.1 RBN Development Trust
At the kgotha-kgothe (AGM) held on 30th September 2006, the assembly passed a resolution approving the concept of an RBN Development Trust. The Trust was formally approved at the November 2006 kgotha-kgothe. The purpose of this Trust is to steward the community’s assets, including commercial (but not communal) land, businesses, cash, and other holdings—under a registered entity overseen by a Board of Trustees. The Trust vehicle is a recognized and respected way of managing wealth, and offers security and transparency in the way the RBN’s entire portfolio is handled. Although the Trust will work in concert with the Council, the two entities are different. The Trust manages assets while the Council governs. The Board of Trustees will comprise 14 individuals, some elected at the level of the five RBN regions and some appointed on the basis of professional expertise.

8.2 RBA
I mentioned earlier that many of the functions of the RBA will be decentralized to the five regions in order to bring services and resources closer to the people. The RBA as we know it today will thus become principally a town planning unit charged with procurement and monitoring the progress of the Master Plan across all the regions. A permanent MD for the RBA is being sought, and should be in place by the third quarter of this year.

8.3 RBEB and Community Affairs Department
As the entities responsible for the bulk of social and economic development, the Community Affairs Dept and RBEB will become subsidiary departments of Royal Bafokeng Holdings. A director will be appointed to head this social delivery agency, which will be located in Phokeng. As part of the effort to respond to the community’s needs in the areas of housing, child-headed households, skills transfer, and job creation, a special unit of the Community Affairs dept will be launched called Letsema Housing. This project will combine volunteerism, design, and development to address the housing shortage in the RBN. Two houses have already been built under this initiative, very cost effectively.

8.4 Education Institute
The Bafokeng Education Institute has begun its work at the beginning of this year. Currently housed in the Civic Centre, the Institute will eventually move to its own premises on a new site in Phokeng. The Institute’s Director, Mr. Ian McLachlan, oversees a team of ten education experts who will be addressing human development needs in the community at all levels.

9.5 Royal Bafokeng Sports Holdings Co.
Another new subsidiary of RBH will concern itself with the management of commercial sporting events in the RBN. The Royal Bafokeng Sports Holdings Co. will work on preparations for the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, as well as other professional sporting events.

The RBN was very proud to host a very successful event in September 2006 when the Springboks Rugby team played the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, in the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace. This event brought new constituents to Phokeng for the first time, and helped establish the Bafokeng Sports Palace as a top sporting venue in South Africa. RBSH will continue to sponsor and promote such events, and work to continue the important partnership with the PSL team SilverStars, who have been using the Sports Palace as their home field since 2006.

As a World Cup venue for 2010, the Sports Palace will be upgraded starting in July of this year, and the alterations are scheduled to be completed by December 2008, at an estimated cost of R70 million. A FIFA delegation was here yesterday to inspect the stadium and surrounds. I’m happy to announce that everything is on track for Africa’s first soccer World Cup.

10. Conclusion

The RBN faces exciting times ahead. As a community, as a country, and as a continent, we look forward to implementing our plans, showcasing our achievements, and learning from our missteps. We have much to be proud of, but also a long way to go to reach our goals. I have outlined some of the most important and pressing issues on the horizon. The most important thing is that, we must aspire to the highest standards of conduct, ethics, and performance as individuals and as a community. Being a Mofokeng or not does not change the bottom line at all in this regard. Excellence knows no ethnicity, and what we want to achieve is a level of excellence that will be the product of many talented and committed people.

I leave you with one thought: let us not make anyone else responsible for the things we want most. Blaming our failings and misfortunes on someone else is a waste of time. We must extend ourselves to reach what we want. We live in interesting yet challenging times, but there is nothing that focused and talented people can’t do, if we set our minds and will to the task. If we are sober and humble with respect to the year gone by, we should be optimistic and determined about the year ahead. There is much work to be done.

Thank you.