Neither despotic nor civil: the legitimacy of chieftaincy in its relationship with the ANC and the state in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

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Periodical article

Title:	Neither despotic nor civil: the legitimacy of chieftaincy in its relationship with the ANC and the state in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
Author:	Krämer, Mario
Year:	2016
Periodical:	Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:	54
Issue:	1
Pages:	117-143
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	traditional rulers chieftaincy KwaZulu power legitimacy
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X1500083X
Abstract:	Are chiefs in South Africa rural and peri-urban despots or have they transformed to legitimate representatives of local interests in the post-apartheid era? This article argues that the legitimacy of chieftaincy in KwaZulu-Natal is not only based on constitutional and legal recognition, but that chieftaincy may rely on different forms of 'basic legitimacy'. Chieftaincy is neither despotic nor civil but occupies an intermediary position between local citizens and the state. This junction position provides chiefs with specific opportunities to gain power but also requires a navigation between cooperation and conflict in the relationship with the ANC and the state. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]