Houses of traditional leaders are structured as follows: a national house of traditional leaders, provincial houses of traditional leaders and district houses of traditional leaders.

District Houses of Traditional Leaders

A district house of traditional leaders must be established in a district municipal area or metropolitan municipality where there is more than one chieftainship. There should be between 5 and 10 members of the district house. The members are elected by an electorate consisting of all kings, queens or their representatives, chiefs and chieftainesses, living in the district or metro municipality.

The functions of the district house are to advise the district or metro municipality on matters of:

• Indigenous and customary law, custom, traditional leadership and the traditional communities
• Development of planning frameworks that impact on traditional communities
• Development of by-laws that impact on traditional communities
• To participate in local programmes that have the development of the rural communities as an object
• To participate in local initiatives that are aimed at monitoring, reviewing or evaluating government programmes in rural communities

Where a district house cannot be established, the functions of the district house must be performed by the different traditional councils within the district municipality or metropole.