Members of the /Khomanin Traditional Community over the weekend voted overwhelmingly in favour of removing Gaos Julianne Gawanas and her council from office.
Gawanas stands accused of wanton abuse of power, illegal land sales and misusing community funds. The vote follows months of growing dissatisfaction within the community over the leadership of the traditional authority.
According to disgruntled members, the recent election was part of that process and was aimed at determining whether the community still had confidence in the current leadership.
As per the results, 634 people voted in favour of removing Chief Gawanas and her committee, while 69 members voted for them to remain in power. The election process was overseen by independent candidate Simon Gaiseb from the Erongo region.
Community members who supported the removal said the outcome reflected the frustrations and concerns of the majority of the /Khomanin people regarding accountability, leadership, and the management of communal resources.
Efforts to obtain comment from Gawanas or her representatives were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
However, Walter Haseb, the chief’s advisor, told this publication last week that the process was illegal.
He insisted that neither the chief nor the traditional authority has sold any communal land or mismanaged any community funds.
“The planned event is an illegal meeting of proceedings. Whatever they are trying to do is illegal; the queen has never sold land, and there are no funds that have been mismanaged,” Haseb said.
He further challenged those making the accusations to approach law enforcement authorities if they have evidence to support their claims. “If government or anyone has proof that land was sold illegally, they must go to the police and open a case against the queen,” he said.
Marching on
Steering committee member Shaun Asprila Gariseb said the referendum will again this coming weekend continue with a special vote from communities such as Nauspoort and Baumsgartbrunn.
Residents there were unable to vote during the initial voting process.
“There were plans to sabotage this election, but we went ahead as planned, and a lot of people voted for her removal. So, this week the election will continue and give a chance to those that could not vote over the past weekend,” he said.
The dispute dates to 31 January 2026, when more than 700 members of the /Khomanin traditional community gathered at AI Steenkamp Primary School to discuss concerns surrounding the leadership of the traditional authority.
There, it was resolved that Gaos Gawanas and her council be removed from office, due to what they described as “unacceptable conduct over the years”.
Members also called for amendments to the community’s long-disputed customary law, arguing that it had merely been adopted as an academic exercise to secure official recognition of the traditional authority.
Following the meeting, a steering committee was mandated to begin the removal process in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Traditional Authorities Act.
Community members further cited provisions within the /Khomanin Traditional Community’s own laws, particularly clause 4.2.5(b), which states that the traditional authority may, in consultation with the community, remove a chief under certain circumstances, including poor mental health.