Chiefs in South Africa - Law, Power and Culture in the Post-apartheid Era (Paperback)

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 5 - 10 working days

The comeback of chieftaincy, custom and culture is one of the most surprising features of post-apartheid South Africa. As democracy dawned, support for traditional leaders rose not only in national politics, but also in the villages of rural South Africa. Chiefs were no longer considered relics of the past or puppets of the apartheid regime; instead they were heralded as key figures in the upcoming African Renaissance. Sekhukhune in the northern part of South Africa had a tradition of resistance. The author has used the example of this chieftaincy to consider much wider questions - what was the relation between the formal legal and political recognition of chieftaincy and its local insurgence? How are the local, national and global interlinked in the creation of custom? Why did the liberal ANC allow the chiefs to retain power over land, local government and custom? What does this teach us about politics in present-day Africa?