Khoisan ethnic groups in South Africa welcome the new Traditional and Leadership Bill, designed to include them in national reforms and protect their institutions, which came in effect on Thursday, Professor Stanley Peterson, national Griqua leader, and a royal family spokesman, told Sputnik
JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Khoisan ethnic groups in South Africa welcome the new Traditional and Leadership Bill, designed to include them in national reforms and protect their institutions, which came in effect on Thursday, Professor Stanley Peterson, national Griqua leader, and a royal family spokesman, told Sputnik.
Last month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with the National Khoi-San Council for discussions on the implementation of the so-called Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act 3 of 2019, aimed to transform traditional and Khoisan political institutions in line with the country's constitution, and to promote and protect them. The president noted that it was high time for the Khoisan communities to be included in the country's land reform and economic development.
"Personally, I really welcome the Traditional and Leadership Act 3 of 2019. It is long overdue. For the first time in 600 years of the history of South Africa, we are being acknowledged by our government. We are now being treated equally and will share the benefits of everybody equally. So it is a huge victory for us as the Griqua people [a subgroup of several heterogeneous South African ethnic nations]," Peterson said.
He added that the indigenous ethnic groups called for a nationwide celebration in the Khoi-san Valley in the Northern Cape to mark what Peterson refers to as the Khoisan Freedom Day. The spokesman specified that the celebrations also take place in the provinces of Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape.
"From today the term 'colored' will no longer be accepted. We know that shortcomings are coming into the act but we know that at least we are being recognized on our land of birth that we equally fought for during apartheid rule," Paterson added.
The Khoisan is the oldest living ethnicity in Southern Africa. Some 22,000 years ago they were the largest group of humans on Earth, also known as KhoiKhoi.
