Marriages of (In)convenience and Politics of Traditional and Democratic Leadership in Botswana and South Africa

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the interplay between traditional and democratic leadership and their co-existence in African modern societies. The chapter uses an idiomatic expression of ‘Marriages of (In)convenience' to demonstrate the discordant nature of traditional and democratic leadership in Africa with particular focus on South Africa and Botswana. A marriage of inconvenience depicts the blending of traditional and democratic leaders who welded indissolubly together, yet these leaders are incompatible in co-governance and co-existence in the democratized society. This chapter argues for the transformation and reformation of traditional governance system for rural community development. The chapter is anchored on a modernist perspective that advocates for incremental democratic reforms of traditional leadership in line with democratic principles in Botswana and South Africa. Botswana and South Africa are used as case studies to demonstrate the marriage of (in)convenience between traditional and democratic leadership.