Two northern village headmen – one from Onehanga and the other from Oshamukweni – have been suspended for allegedly presiding over dubious land transactions. 

Both headmen are from the Oukwanyama Kingdom. 

Until his purported suspension, Willard Haukongo was Onehanga’s headman, while Sakaria Shuumbili headed Oshamukweni. 

Senior headwoman of Okongo district Ester Nakale confirmed this to New Era on Monday. 

“My office has the power and the right to fire or suspend headmen who do not adhere to the rules and acts of our traditional authority,” Nakale said. 

However, she said the headman of Oshamukweni village has since returned to duty after apologising, while the one of Onehanga was fired. 

Nakale revealed that Onehanga village has since been appointed a new headman. 

She stressed that the headmen sold land illegally to people, which is not permitted. 

“Land is for grazing purposes. My office and the Communal Land Board have been warning headmen to stop selling land, but they continue,” she said. 

“I treat people equally. I do not like corruption. The land belongs to the grazing areas,” she added. 

Nakale stressed that the headmen sold land at high prices, which is illegal. 

“In our traditional authority, land costs N$600. Nowadays, some headmen are scamming people by selling land at high prices, such as N$3 000,” she added. 

Approached for comment, Willard Haukongo, the headman of Onehanga, said he was not fired but is still under suspension. 

“I did receive a letter saying that I was fired. I was fired last August until today,” he said. 

Haukongo stated that after he was suspended by the senior headwoman, he did not communicate with her. 

“I am just at my homestead. I do not even know who is acting on my behalf,” he stated. 

Haukongo added that he is not aware of any new headman who may have replaced him. “The senior headwoman is accusing me. I did not sell land at a high price,” he said. 

He revealed that he became headman in 2021. 

“When I became headman, I found people already occupying the land. I did not give them land or sell land to them,” he added. 

Haukongo said that since he became headman in 2021, he has only allocated land to four households. 

Additionally, on Monday, a group of people from Okongo demonstrated in Eenhana against the Communal Land Board’s decision to remove their fences. 

“They should blame the headmen who sold them land illegally. They are occupying land illegally,” she added. 

On Monday, a group of people from Okongo and Omundaungilo in the Ohangwena region held a peaceful demonstration in Eenhana against the removal of fences from their land. 

The petition was handed to Ohangwena governor Kadiva Hamutumwa. 

They said that if the fences are removed, they will have no place to call home. The move, which aims to protect and preserve the forest for grazing purposes, affects about 200 homesteads. 

The demonstrators are calling on the governor of the Ohangwena region to intervene and stop the removal of fences around their homesteads. At least 22 fences are scheduled to be removed following lawful instructions issued by the Ohangwena Communal Land Board between 17 and 22 February this year. 

This journalist tried several times to contact the headman of Oshamukweni village for comment, but his phone was switched off. 

-fhamalwa@nepc.com.na