Understanding the manifestation of the conflict between traditional leaders and ward committees, A case of Greater Giyani Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

In South African municipalities, there has been a coexistence between elected and traditional leaders for decades. However, this coexistence has often been marked by numerous conflicts. These conflicts take different forms and dimensions; while priority has been given to violent conflicts, these conflicts escalate and rescale when not dealt with. However, it appears priority has been given to violent conflicts, making it critical to understand and deal with all forms of conflicts before they escalate. Therefore, this study examined the nature of the conflict in the Greater Giyani municipality of South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select 33 participants. Interviews were conducted with knowledgeable individuals to gain insight into the tensions between traditional and elected leaders. Codes and themes were electronically generated from the narratives of community members and key informants using ATLAS ti.22. The study concluded that existing conflict resolution mechanisms focus more on violent conflicts than embedded ones. Again, the current study demonstrated that non-violent conflict, if not dealt with, can escalate into violent conflict. Thus, these research findings pointed to the need for state and non-state actors to pay attention to all forms of conflict. By identifying different types of conflicts between community leaders, this study contributes to understanding how conflicts between TLs and WCs manifest and highlights the extent of common conflicts. Keywords: active conflicts, overt, nature of conflicts, peace institutions