As a tribute to the heritage of the Northern Cape, Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen Mine along with the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) House of Traditional Leaders, partnered in November to produce a profiling project video that aims to document the lives and cultural background of the officially recognised group of traditional leaders in the region.
Supported by the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), the Dikgosi Tsa Etsho (“our leaders”) profiling project represents more than 86% of the traditional communities within the region.
Through the partnership with the JTG House of Traditional Leaders, established in 2007, the project includes the Batlharo Ba-ga Motlhware, Batlharo Ba-ga Bareki, Batlharo Ba-ga Phadima, Batlhaping Ba-ga Phuduhudu Boo Molehe, Batlhaping Ba-ga Phuduhutswana Ba-ga Phetlhu, Batlhaping Ba-ga Phuduhutswana Ba-ga Jantjie, Batlhaping Ba-ga Phuduhutswana Ba-ga Thaganyane and Batlhaping Ba-ga Phuduhutswana Ba-ga Mahura traditional communities and their rich cultural heritage.
Written and directed by Northern Cape locals, Refilwe Thobega and Germano Moses, the two-hour long project provides insights on the relationship between a Kgosi (king or chief), their communities, and the role government occupies within traditional communities.
George Benjamin, corporate affairs and social performance manager at Sishen Mine, says they worked over 13 months with stakeholders.
“Building partnerships with Dikgosi, who are custodians of cultural knowledge and points of reference for their people, will allow us to formulate sustainable programmes and initiatives, especially in rural communities,” Benjamin says.
Speaking on the behalf of the JTG House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Pelenomi Toto, chairperson of the house, says this project is the first of its kind.
“With one of our responsibilities as traditional leaders being the preservation of culture and tradition of communities, it was vital for such a project to be instituted as it memorialises important historical information deemed a part of cultural knowledge.
Toto says Dikgosi are eternally grateful to this gesture of goodwill and a meaningful strategic partnership.
