As part of a recent parliamentary Q&A session, the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Des van Rooyen was asked how many traditional leaders there are in each province in South Africa.

Traditional kings and senior leaders are symbolic figureheads in the country who carry little political power.

However, these rulers play an important role in local disputes and often perform advisory roles to government, as well as in the lives of the traditional rural populations.

According to Van Rooyen, as of June 2018 there are 14 kingships, queenships, and/or principal traditional leaders in the country across five of South Africa’s provinces.

In addition, there are 844 senior traditional leaders in the country across eight provinces (the Western Cape is not included) – with just two leaders based in Gauteng and as many as 277 in KwaZulu Natal.

Kingships/Queenships/Principal Traditional Leaders

Province Total number of traditional leaders Limpopo 3 Free State 2 Mpumalanga 2 KZN 1 Eastern Cape 6 Total 14

Senior traditional leaders

Province Total number of traditional leaders Free State 12 Northern Cape 8 Mpumalanga 56 Limpopo 201 North West 50 KZN 277 Gauteng 2 Eastern Cape 238 Total 844

How much they earn

After a pay freeze in 2017, the majority of traditional leaders saw their salaries increase between 4.5% and 8% for the 2018 financial year. This is in line with the increases given to ministers, MPs and other senior members of government gazetted late last year.

As of 2010, South Africa recognizes seven royal families in the country, after a recommendation by a traditional leadership commission that South Africa lose six of its kings and queens.

Of the 13 recognised traditional kingdoms recognised previously, only seven will remain once the current incumbent rulers of the identified kingdoms have passed away.

Extrapolating the data below, the South African government is paying around R250 million a year on senior traditional leader salaries, including kings and queens.

Note: NHTL = National House of Traditional Leaders | PHTL = Provincial House of Traditional Leaders