Paper short abstract:

The paper examines institutional transformations of neotraditional rule in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and in Namibia. Against the background of democratisation, chiefs adapt to the changing political circumstances and neotraditional rule has developed beyond administrative chieftaincy.

Paper long abstract:

The paper examines institutional transformations of neotraditional rule in the process of democratisation in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and in Namibia. In contrast to modernist perceptions, democratisation does not necessarily lead to the fall of chieftaincy and neotraditional rulers are able to adapt to the changing political circumstances in different ways. The diversity of neotraditional legitimacy and power results from the creativity of chiefs in dealing with the political demands by national, international and transnational actors and institutions. The paper questions the validity of Mamdani's argument of "decentralised despotism" and argues instead that in the course of democratisation processes in the 1990s diverse types of neotraditional rule have come into existence. These types can be differentiated on the basis of their dependency on respectively autonomy from the post-apartheid state, the varying strength of local and supralocal power, and the different forms of legitimacy. Against the background of democratisation, neotraditional rule has developed beyond administrative chieftaincy.