TSUMKWE – Tsamkxao #Oma, the chief of the Ju/’hoansi in Tsumkwe’s Nyae Nyae area, has urged the youth to redirect its time and energy towards productive undertakings. 

He said they must follow in the footsteps of early trendsetters such as legislator and former deputy minister of marginalized communities, Royal Kxao /Ui/o/oo.

Tsamkxao #Oma, also affectionately known as ‘Chief Bobo’, expressed concern with the rising unemployment, substance abuse and lack of encouragement among his community’s youth, saying an urgent change of heart, attitude and focus is needed to overcome these.

He particularly wants the community’s youth to follow /Ui/o/oo’s footsteps, who broke social and political barriers to become the first and so far, the only San Member of Parliament.

/Ui/o/oo is an ethnic ǃKung from Tsumkwe’s Juǀʼhoan-speaking community. Although he was born in Tsumkwe, he grew up in Botswana. Tsumkwe settlement is about 60km from the Botswana border.

It was historic for the Juǀʼhoan and Tsumkwe community when /Ui/o/oo made his way to Parliament in 2000 as a Swapo backbencher and served until 2010 and after that as a special advisor in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. 

/Ui/o/oo would become part of the Cabinet as deputy minister of marginalised communities from 2015 until March this year. Today, he remains a staunch Swapo MP and a senior traditional councillor for the Ju/’hoan Traditional Authority.

It is these remarkable achievements by /Ui/o/oo that Chief Bobo wants the Tsumkwe youth to emulate.

“They must carry the torch forward and make this community proud. As you can see, I’m now very old and frail, but I cannot rest until these children succeed in their lives. They have people from this community to look up to, but without discipline, it will be very hard for them to carry this community forward,” said Chief Bobo. Chief Bobo is also worried that rising substance abuse, lack of direction and unemployment among the community’s youth.

“The young people of my community are facing a lot of challenges, and through my office and with the support of the government, we try to encourage them to pursue education and other meaningful undertakings, but it seems we have a long way to go as a people. Despite the many problems, we try to assist and provide direction, but they [youth] must show their determination to succeed.”

Officially proclaimed as an electoral constituency in 1998, Tsumkwe is located about 300km east of Grootfontein and has a population of over 15 000 inhabitants.

The constituency has two settlements – Tsumkwe, the administrative centre, and Gam, a fast-growing settlement in business terms. –ohembapu@nepc.com.na