In a recent forum, a participant asked the author how her work added to the understanding of modern traditional rule in rural South Africa. In this paper, the author uses historical analysis to provide an answer and identify solutions to the state's "rural dilemma" of how to administer the former reserves. In precolonial times, voluntary rural-rural migration by commoners prompted competition between chiefs, increasing their responsiveness to adherents' needs. To add a democratic component to modern chieftaincy, this author proposes that the state invest in the ability of common rural Africans to migrate between chiefs.