Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
Even the intervention of the higher echelons of the Namibian government, starting with the Prime Minister who passed on the responsibility to the line Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, could not broker a suspension in hostilities among the feuding Ovambanderu.
The political principals had a series of nocturnal meetings last week on the eve of the 111th commemoration of the execution of erstwhile Ovambanderu King, Kahimemua Nguvauva, to broker a thaw, albeit temporary, in the cold war that has been raging among the Ovambanderu.
Prior to and leading to the commemoration, the internecine cold war had ascended to the platform of the two opposing organising committees vying for supremacy over the commemoration’s programme, as well as the commemoration turf, the municipal plot that for years has been serving as the camp for the remembrance pilgrim attendants.
During this brokerage, rapprochement would seem in sight, especially in the wee hours of the night, understandably so perhaps with fatigue having set in after long sessions, only to dissipate with sunrise. This mediation by the political principals, intended to save the commemoration, went on until late Friday night, the day before the Saturday when the Ovambanderu were to converge on Okahandja, one of the foremost historic seats of Ovaherero and Ovambanderu commemorations.
At one stage, word went out that somehow an agreement had been struck with only the harmonisation of the respective programmes a fait accompli.
This in reality proved nothing more than delusory, the good intentions of the brokering team notwithstanding. The tension in the air on Saturday was not only unmistakable but also ominous of what was in store. It was clear, even to the indifferent and inattentive onlooker that the truce was fluid and extremely temporal, as it was not cast in good faith and goodwill. Needless to mention what party made itself guilty of chicaneries because this has all along been naked ever since the birth of the push and pulling.
Some of us who have been following this matter were not tickled in any way by the latest gimmick. One’s heart goes out to those who may have been genuine about it. Certainly there are those who may want to bury the hatchet and move on with the normal affairs of the beleaguered community. The problem is they have their adversaries who would ever only see the community together again over their dead bodies. How the community allows itself to be held hostage by such elements baffles me. Isn’t it time that eminent people attached to neither of the two factions come forward and rescue their community? Or are we saying we no longer have among the community unaligned women and men of wisdom who can pull the community out of the current impasse? How can we entrust people, who have proven to be the very genesis of the situation the community currently found itself in, with efforts at togetherness? How genuine can their efforts really be?
There has never been any semblance, and even lately there was never any pretence at genuineness that the community ever buries the hatchet, at least as far as one of the parties to the dispute is concerned. That is why I don’t understand the feeling among some Ovambanderu that Okahandja was a lost opportunity. The situation was forced upon the two groups, at least from the perspective of one of them, by a possible ban by the Government of the commemoration if the two competing committees could not merge into one.
Thus, the seeming thaw was but only an expedient act born out of a situational necessity. At one point along the line it was bound to crumble as it did for it was not cast in forthrightness.
As the bid by the High Court has already proven, the latest bid at mediation by the political principals once again proved that the destiny of this community only lies in the wisdom of its leader, Chief Munjuku II Nguvauva.
This is as much as it also hinges on the goodwill and good faith of all the frontrunners on both sides of the divide, and last but not the least, in a no-nonsense attitude by every right-thinking community member that enough is enough. The community must set an ultimatum to their leaders that this cannot continue for ever. Surely the community has better things to do, its well-being not the least. Yet resources and energies are expended on a meaningless internecine war that does not seem to have an end. The Ovambanderu leaders are failing their community, period!
One needs to applaud the Ovambanderu community for its patience and tolerance through these trials and tribulations. This patience is quickly running dry. In the final analysis it behooves the Ovambanderu Chief to show some leadership in this matter. This leadership, tenacity and magnanimity have awfully been absent so far.