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Set a deadline for chiefs' replacement

BAB WRITES FROM //KHARAS:

Allow me a space in your newspaper again on discrepancies causing disunity among the subjects of our Traditional Authorities.

I put the blame squarely on the Government’s doorstep. The Government is solely responsible for the enactment of appropriate legal and policy frameworks to promote good governance and to restore peace, unity and tranquility among the respective communities.

Hon. Minister Erastus Utoni, who is at the pinnacle of the Urban & Rural Development Ministry, please explain to me the difference between the Nama Traditional Leaders' Association and the Southern Traditional Communities Association. To the best of my knowledge and understanding, the latter is an association of the various unrecognized Nama- speaking splinter groups of the South, as the name dictates.

The Traditional Authorities that aren’t recognized by Government are not being paid monthly allowances.

The other contributing fact is that the Government says a given Traditional Authority can have up to forty (40) traditional leaders, although only fourteen (14) are being paid monthly allowances by the Government. That’s where the problem starts.

The other serious violation is the inconsistency of the various distorted Customary Laws, some of which are even unconstitutional if it comes to certain aspects.

The Minister must oblige all the Traditional Authorities to submit their Customary Laws to the Justice Ministry for a review and to include a clause which will compel Traditional Authorities to replace fallen traditional leaders within a certain time frame of 90 days or 180 days. Some of the traditional leaders are exploiting the situation by practicing “delay-tactics” to continue to enjoy service benefits and conditions, viz official vehicles etc.

Why should recognized leaders and those not recognized be allowed to share the same platform at official functions? This is very dangerous and is causing animosity knowingly or unknowingly. The other thorne in the eye is the question of “bloodlines” and apparent “royal house” disputes among two brothers' children. Some are regarded as more senior and some as less important, according to where you were raised and according to the economic status of a given person, which is again unconstitutional in terms of Article 10 of the Namibian Constitution.

These things are breeding continued hatred, disunity and leadership disputes among the small traditional communities. In my personal opinion the Traditional Authorities Act No. 25 of 2000 must be reviewed, since there are certain sections that are being taken for granted.

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Republikein 2024-04-20

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