Abstract
The Constitution recognises the institution, status, and role of traditional leadership in accordance with customary law, however, necessitates conformity with the other provisions in the Constitution. In South Africa, traditional leadership has been extensively debated by academics, with traditional leadership, democracy, and human rights as the core subjects of contests. Traditional leadership is often disregarded. However, its success, rather, remain a mystery as it continues to strive because of institutional local governance changes, particularly in rural areas. In this study, a mixed method approach was undertaken, subsequently, 377 respondents that cut across Polokwane Municipality officials, Housing development Agency, and Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and traditional Affairs were administered with questionnaires. The Institution of Traditional Leaders indicate that SPLUMA does not consult with them and does not clear out the roles of Traditional Councils in spatial planning and land use management. This is further reflected in the housing database excluding communal land. Such a tension results in most of the communal land settlements not being proclaimed and registered due to the noncompliance from the traditional leaders. Overall, conclusions derived indicate that the synergy between traditional leadership and the local authority will continue to rise unless institutional efforts are made to realize and materialize the importance of chiefs in land and development decision-making matters.
Keywords: Spatial planning; land use management; land use planning; tribal planning; traditional leadership.