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This paper examines the conflicts arising from the coexistence of traditional leadership and democratic local governance in Dukuduku, KwaZulu-Natal, a region marked by overlapping authority and contested land claims. Despite constitutional recognition, traditional leadership in post-apartheid South Africa remains ambiguously defined, leading to clashes with democratically elected structures over roles, responsibilities, and territory. This study uses a qualitative methodology to analyse archival materials, media sources, and meeting records and conducts semi-structured interviews with 25 stakeholders, including traditional leaders, senior citizens, and subsistence farmers. The findings reveal that introducing a local government system under the Amakhosi jurisdiction precipitates confrontations, particularly where duties intersect. In Dukuduku—proclaimed a state forest—the recognition of traditional authority creates disputes over land ownership and governance, complicating the administration of land and impacting service delivery. The analysis suggests that the institutional "invention" and subsequent "recognition" of traditional leadership in areas like Dukuduku not only challenge the perceptions of state land but also exacerbate power struggles, thereby affecting local development and governance. The study contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between traditional and democratic governance systems in rural South Africa. It highlights the implications for policy and local administration in managing such dual governance structures effectively. This study explains how hard it is to combine traditional structures with a modern democratic framework. It also gives us a better understanding of what this means for rural governance and land management in changing societies.

For African states’ democratic governance is fundamental for developmental and political discourse while sustainable development is also critical for the continent. Owing to the uneven developmental and historical backgrounds of the African states and democratic deficits it is unclear if sustainable development is achievable ahead of democracy. This study is informed by the constructivist/interpretivist concern as a research philosophy grounded on text and content analysis to identify the nexus between development and democracy on the trail of Africa’s development agenda. While some scholars believe the two are interdependent others claim that the two are independent hence one can be achieved in the absence of the other. Africa should strive to strike a balance between the two as they are not mutually exclusive although it is democracy that should take centre stage. There is a challenge of achieving twin goals in the absence of a blueprint through being robustly innovative.


 Chieftainship being well anchored to hold the cultural fabric of Botswana together remains an institution of interest to uphold democracy in the country. Despite this important function, political administration misconstrues the strategic function of chiefs, leading to insecurity of the institution of Chieftainship. A case in point in this study is that of the principal chief of Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela. Kgosi Kgafela II was the paramount chief of Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela from 2008 to 2011 when the government of Botswana derecognised him. This is a qualitative study that used documents as the main source of data collection. The study analysed the sequence of events and activities during Kgafela’s tenure as a Chief till he fled the country to South Africa in 2012. While there is existing literature on how chieftainship has posed a threat after democratic consolidation in many African states, not much has been done on Bakgata-ba-ga-Kgafela’s case. Documents were analysed in line with the theory of societal security which states that when a referent object is faced with an existential threat it develops a mechanism to ensure its survival. In this case, the study seeks to evaluate if there are implications for Botswana’s national security as Chiefs respond to such societal threats. Further to determine if tribesmen continue to be loyal to their chiefs. The main findings of this study were that; Kgosi Kgafela, declared that the bogosiinstitution is threatened. The institution still seeks to find itself in the governance structures with power and decision-making. Bakagtla reacted to the threats, through initiatives that the community itself carries out and also moved the matter to the political sphere and put the matter as a state agenda item which is in line with propositions of societal security. 

The specialty of African politics lies within its historical contents and background. The continent grew from strength to strength to attain its political development stronghold. By doing so over the years, the continent has been reflected in most states’ political development stronghold. While in some states, religion and tribal alliances are critical factors in political affiliation, in states such as South Africa and Kenya, democracy and ethnicity have been the leading courses to political development. Democracy and ethnicity have proven to be part of the party identification and evaluation factors and have also become the center point of growth and development in the state's politics. Thus, by focusing on Kenya and South Africa as case studies, the paper adopted a qualitative method of research to understand democracy as well as ethnicity as the bane of these states’ political development. Although much has been documented on either state's political development, little is understood about democracy and ethnicity as the bane of their political leadership from 1989 to 2021, which is the complete focus of the paper. The paper relied on qualitative research methodology to collect and analyze the data on democracy and ethnicity as the bane of Kenya and South Africa from 1989 to 2021. Therefore, the study relied on secondary sources such as accredited journal articles, books, and reports to collect and analyze data on the phenomenon at hand. Thus, the paper's main findings suggest that democracy and ethnicity are the strongholds of South Africa and Kenya's political leadership development. Therefore, the study relied on secondary sources such as accredited journal articles, books and reports to collect and analyse data on the phenomenon at hand. Thus, the main findings of the paper suggests that democracy and ethnicity are the stronghold of South Africa and Kenyas political leadership development.

This paper aims to examine the nature of indigenous African political leadership among the Luba People of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The study employed qualitative research that was rooted in phenomenology. The concentration of the study was on the Kasai Central Province. The target population was charm givers, militia, and political leaders were selected as the units of observation by the researcher. The political leaders comprised of local traditional chiefs of villages and modern leaders. A sample size of 40 participants was adequate to enable the researcher to obtain rich information and reach the saturation point. The targeted 40 participants were: 10 charm givers, 8 members of the provincial parliament, 4 provincial ministers, 13 traditional leaders, and 5 militia leaders.  The study used In-depth Interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions, and observations to collect data. The findings indicate indigenous traditional leadership among the Luba has various sources of power. These include the use of various symbols of Luba traditional leadership to perform duties on behalf of the community. The use of the manga is also in line with the customs and traditions of the Luba people and guides the leader on the right things to do while on the throne.

This paper examines the conflicts arising from the coexistence of traditional leadership and democratic local governance in Dukuduku, KwaZulu-Natal, a region marked by overlapping authority and contested land claims. Despite constitutional recognition, traditional leadership in post-apartheid South Africa remains ambiguously defined, leading to clashes with democratically elected structures over roles, responsibilities, and territory. This study uses a qualitative methodology to analyse archival materials, media sources, and meeting records and conducts semi-structured interviews with 25 stakeholders, including traditional leaders, senior citizens, and subsistence farmers. The findings reveal that introducing a local government system under the Amakhosi jurisdiction precipitates confrontations, particularly where duties intersect. In Dukuduku—proclaimed a state forest—the recognition of traditional authority creates disputes over land ownership and governance, complicating the administration of land and impacting service delivery. The analysis suggests that the institutional "invention" and subsequent "recognition" of traditional leadership in areas like Dukuduku not only challenge the perceptions of state land but also exacerbate power struggles, thereby affecting local development and governance. The study contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between traditional and democratic governance systems in rural South Africa. It highlights the implications for policy and local administration in managing such dual governance structures effectively. This study explains how hard it is to combine traditional structures with a modern democratic framework. It also gives us a better understanding of what this means for rural governance and land management in changing societies.


 Chieftainship being well anchored to hold the cultural fabric of Botswana together remains an institution of interest to uphold democracy in the country. Despite this important function, political administration misconstrues the strategic function of chiefs, leading to insecurity of the institution of Chieftainship. A case in point in this study is that of the principal chief of Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela. Kgosi Kgafela II was the paramount chief of Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela from 2008 to 2011 when the government of Botswana derecognised him. This is a qualitative study that used documents as the main source of data collection. The study analysed the sequence of events and activities during Kgafela’s tenure as a Chief till he fled the country to South Africa in 2012. While there is existing literature on how chieftainship has posed a threat after democratic consolidation in many African states, not much has been done on Bakgata-ba-ga-Kgafela’s case. Documents were analysed in line with the theory of societal security which states that when a referent object is faced with an existential threat it develops a mechanism to ensure its survival. In this case, the study seeks to evaluate if there are implications for Botswana’s national security as Chiefs respond to such societal threats. Further to determine if tribesmen continue to be loyal to their chiefs. The main findings of this study were that; Kgosi Kgafela, declared that the bogosiinstitution is threatened. The institution still seeks to find itself in the governance structures with power and decision-making. Bakagtla reacted to the threats, through initiatives that the community itself carries out and also moved the matter to the political sphere and put the matter as a state agenda item which is in line with propositions of societal security. 

The specialty of African politics lies within its historical contents and background. The continent grew from strength to strength to attain its political development stronghold. By doing so over the years, the continent has been reflected in most states’ political development stronghold. While in some states, religion and tribal alliances are critical factors in political affiliation, in states such as South Africa and Kenya, democracy and ethnicity have been the leading courses to political development. Democracy and ethnicity have proven to be part of the party identification and evaluation factors and have also become the center point of growth and development in the state's politics. Thus, by focusing on Kenya and South Africa as case studies, the paper adopted a qualitative method of research to understand democracy as well as ethnicity as the bane of these states’ political development. Although much has been documented on either state's political development, little is understood about democracy and ethnicity as the bane of their political leadership from 1989 to 2021, which is the complete focus of the paper. The paper relied on qualitative research methodology to collect and analyze the data on democracy and ethnicity as the bane of Kenya and South Africa from 1989 to 2021. Therefore, the study relied on secondary sources such as accredited journal articles, books, and reports to collect and analyze data on the phenomenon at hand. Thus, the paper's main findings suggest that democracy and ethnicity are the strongholds of South Africa and Kenya's political leadership development. Therefore, the study relied on secondary sources such as accredited journal articles, books and reports to collect and analyse data on the phenomenon at hand. Thus, the main findings of the paper suggests that democracy and ethnicity are the stronghold of South Africa and Kenyas political leadership development.

For African states’ democratic governance is fundamental for developmental and political discourse while sustainable development is also critical for the continent. Owing to the uneven developmental and historical backgrounds of the African states and democratic deficits it is unclear if sustainable development is achievable ahead of democracy. This study is informed by the constructivist/interpretivist concern as a research philosophy grounded on text and content analysis to identify the nexus between development and democracy on the trail of Africa’s development agenda. While some scholars believe the two are interdependent others claim that the two are independent hence one can be achieved in the absence of the other. Africa should strive to strike a balance between the two as they are not mutually exclusive although it is democracy that should take centre stage. There is a challenge of achieving twin goals in the absence of a blueprint through being robustly innovative.

This paper aims to examine the nature of indigenous African political leadership among the Luba People of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The study employed qualitative research that was rooted in phenomenology. The concentration of the study was on the Kasai Central Province. The target population was charm givers, militia, and political leaders were selected as the units of observation by the researcher. The political leaders comprised of local traditional chiefs of villages and modern leaders. A sample size of 40 participants was adequate to enable the researcher to obtain rich information and reach the saturation point. The targeted 40 participants were: 10 charm givers, 8 members of the provincial parliament, 4 provincial ministers, 13 traditional leaders, and 5 militia leaders.  The study used In-depth Interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions, and observations to collect data. The findings indicate indigenous traditional leadership among the Luba has various sources of power. These include the use of various symbols of Luba traditional leadership to perform duties on behalf of the community. The use of the manga is also in line with the customs and traditions of the Luba people and guides the leader on the right things to do while on the throne.