CENTRE FOR MEDIATION IN AFRICA
Our Projects
Our Projects
CENTRE FOR MEDIATION IN AFRICA
Ukhuthula: Women building peace
The Ukhuthula Project, supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, strengthens local peacebuilding by supporting women traditional leaders across South Africa.
Why Women Traditional Leaders?
Women traditional leaders are often the first point of contact in their communities. They play a vital role in promoting peace and social cohesion, ensuring access to essential services, responding to community disputes and addressing conflict in contexts shaped by poverty and gender-based violence
Despite their critical leadership, they frequently operate with limited resources and support—while facing many of the same risks and challenges as the communities they serve.
The Ukhuthula Project provides practical, skills-based mediation training and co-learning spaces tailored to the realities of community leadership. The programme focuses on:
- Foundations of mediation
- Advanced mediation and negotiation skills
- Trauma awareness and supportive response
- Applying mediation tools in real-world community settings
Through interactive learning, role-play, dialogue, and peer exchange, participants strengthen their ability to navigate complex disputes and shifting local dynamics with confidence and care.
Creating Safe Spaces for Dialogue
A core pillar of the project is the creation of safe spaces for reflection, collaboration, and mutual support. By connecting women traditional leaders across regions, Ukhuthula strengthens networks of community-based peacebuilders who can learn from one another and respond collectively to emerging challenges.
Building Communities of Peace
Violence and conflict affect every sector of society. The Ukhuthula Project works to consolidate and elevate the contribution of women traditional leaders to sustainable peacebuilding. By investing in local leadership, we contribute to stronger, more resilient communities grounded in dialogue, dignity, and peace.
The South African Queens Council
Our book publication, The Everyday Practices of Women Traditional Leaders in Resolving Conflicts in South Africa, highlights the ways in which women traditional leaders resolve conflict in their communities.
Although much of what we describe here is relevant to traditional leaders broadly, our focus on women brings attention to an institution that is transforming. In South Africa, women traditional leaders are at the forefront of that transformation as they actively challenge traditional norms and engage in new types of community initiatives.