The importance of government intervention in implementing a conflict management and peacebuilding programme is captured in the views of the ad hoc committee members. They consider government involvement as significant because there were many contributing factors to the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict. Some of these factors had to do with the control of community resources and the involvement of faceless parties. Interviewees explained what should happen and why they believe government should intervene. For example, Interviewee 1 suggested, “As a way of building peace, community development programmes should be implemented.” Interviewee 4 said:
Government should roll out a conflict management programme that seeks to address the contributing factors to that violence. The chieftaincy position was not the real cause of that violence. Both parties should be brought together and encouraged to open up about what happened. Before it emerged, there was an income- generation project that the Department of Social Development had initiated in that village. Since Mthonjana village is situated along the coast, there is a potential to develop the area, and government should develop a strategy on how small business can be structured.
Interviewee 7 suggested, “As a neutral body, government should initiate a reconciliation programme for that community. But government alone cannot
succeed; other neutral bodies should be brought in”, and continued, “The House of Traditional Leaders, the custodian of the customary law has a statutory responsibility in cases of this nature to advise government on how best this matter can be settled”. Finally, Interviewee 8 suggested the following:
Even though we did intervene, the case of Mthonjana was left to settle on its own. No follow-up strategies were developed, no report was consolidated, and there were no recommendations made by the ad hoc committee to the provincial government on how future, similar cases can be handled. I would recommend that businesses that were initiated be revived for the benefit of the whole community. Trauma debriefing should be provided to that community because that violence was traumatic even to us as government officials.
5.3 Conclusion
In this chapter, the findings of the study were discussed. The major themes and sub- themes were reported, analysed and discussed in detail. The focus was on exploring the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict at Mthonjana village. Seven major themes were discovered, all of which were congruent with conflict processes theory, which formed the basis of this study. The themes pertained to latent conflict, conflict emergence, conflict escalation, conflict stalemate, and conflict de-escalation. The last two themes, namely, conflict resolution and conflict management and peacebuilding, are conflict intervention strategies. These conflict stages together present the multifaceted processes that conflicts can go through if they are not managed properly. The stages further reveal how destructive conflict can become, if not dealt with effectively.
The next chapter summarises the findings and recommends areas for the formulation and implementation of conflict management policy at community level. The value of the study is explained, as are some of the ad hoc committee challenges and successes. The limitations of the study and spiral of unmanaged conflict are discussed and recommendations are made about how community conflicts can be
CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
6.1 Introduction
Chapter One served as a general introduction to the study. In Chapter Two, the literature consulted during the research process was reviewed, and the focus was on conflict dynamics and the phases of conflict. The conflict stages or phases reviewed were used to analyse the dynamics of the chosen case study. In Chapter Three, the historical roots of the Institution of Traditional Leadership, its current legal debates and the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict as a case study were explored. In Chapter Four, the research design and methodology, sample size, data collection and analysis, issues of validity and reliability, ethical considerations, and the limitations of the case study were discussed. Chapter Five presented the research findings collected through semi-structured interviews with the ad hoc committee members selected and studying official documents (ad hoc committee minutes of proceedings, reports and memorandums, and newspaper articles); and highlighted the key findings that emerged from the data. In this chapter, a summary of the research findings is presented along with recommendations on how to resolve the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict. The significance of the findings and limitations of this research will be discussed.
In 2003, the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict broke out in a small village of Mthonjana in the Eastern Cape. The conflict outbreak was ignited by the appointment of a female regent by the king of the AbaThembu to lead the AmaTshezi clan. Several failed attempts to assassinate the female regent were made. The AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict unfolded on its own without intervention on the part of government until May 2007, when an ad hoc committee was established by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government with the mandate to mediate in the conflict. Despite the establishment of the ad hoc committee, the opposing group successfully managed to kill the female regent in September 2007. Prior to the death of the female regent, 10
of her supporters were killed, including a 91-year-old women and a three-year-old boy. In addition, 35 huts and three cars were burnt.
The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the dynamics of the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict because almost six years after the Mthonjana conflict began, hardly any comprehensive information about the process this traditional leadership conflict followed exists; moreover, it remains unclear what government plans to do, should similar cases occur. This study was further influenced by the much-anticipated outcomes of the Nhlapho Commission, which was established to investigate the legitimacy of traditional leadership claims. Who was behind the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict and the motives remain unclear, so the focus of the case study was on the unfolding of the conflict process.
The objectives of the study were as follows:
• to analyse dynamics of the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict from 2002 to 2007; • to explore and describe the impact the AmaTshezi conflict had on the chieftaincy
position;
• to discover if any incidences of conflict in Mthonjana village were reported prior the outbreak of the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict in 2002;
• to ascertain when the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict drew the attention of those in authority and what their approach towards managing the conflict was; and • to ascertain if any conflict practitioners were part of the ad hoc committee. In order for this study to accomplish its aim and objectives, the following questions were asked of the participants:
• When (which year) were you made aware of the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict? • How did the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict develop?
• Which factors made the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict worse?
• Before the death of the heir in 2001, were there signs of disagreement over the chieftaincy position?
• How has the conflict been resolved?
• What would you recommend as a conflict management and peacebuilding or reconciliation method for Mthonjana Village?
• When did the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict come to the attention of those in authority, and what was their approach towards managing the conflict?
• Were conflict practitioners part of the ad hoc committee?
In this study, the dynamics of the AmaTshezi chieftaincy conflict in Mthonjana were explore and described. The study was planned and conducted in an accurate, ethical, and professional manner to ensure its validity, reliability, credibility and trustworthiness. The findings that have emerged from this study may contribute to a better understanding of traditional leadership disputes in general.