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Lüderitz name change faces litigation

2015-03-18  Staff Report 2

Lüderitz name change faces litigation
LÜDERITZ - Detractors of the name change of Lüderitz and members of the Lüderitz Development Trust had a meeting on Sunday to discuss the legal and financial implications of the name change. Some residents of Lüderitz are opposed to the name change claiming tourists flock to the town because of the name Lüderitz and that any changes would reduce the number of tourists visiting the town. These residents congregated at Turnhalle Hall to discuss legal matters on the renaming of the coastal town of Lüderitz to !Nami#nus, which remains a heated debate among certain sections of the town. Last month, the Mayor of Lüderitz Suzan Ndjaleka called a public meeting to inform stakeholders and community members and give an overview on the name-change issue since it was publicly announced by President Hifikepunye Pohamba in August 2013. Ndjaleka set the record straight saying it is the responsibility of the town council to inform the community on the implementation of the name change, which was a consequence of the constituency’s change of name to !Nami#nus. She further informed them that if there is any information needed regarding the issue, the traditional authority and the constituency office as well as the governor’s office are there to assist. Lüderitz will change to !Nami#nus, as it was renamed by the !Aman forefathers. !Nami#nus means “being embraced by water” in the local Nama language. Some of the Lüderitz residents opposed to the name change have created a legal fund and want to raise N$100 000 to enable them to pay legal fees that could accrue from their planned court action. Present at Sunday’s meeting were 150 Buchters opposed to the name change, who met to discuss what action to take guided by Buchters’ human rights lawyer Clemens Daniels. Daniels answered a number of questions from the crowd of Buchters and informed them of the current situation. “Right now we are in a stalemate. As far as I am concerned, nothing has changed and nothing will overnight. At this point, there is no legal change to the name,” stated Daniels. He further said the Delimitation Commission of Namibia (DCN) responsible for determining the boundaries of Namibia’s regions and constituencies cannot change the name of the town. He explained the options available, the first being to bring an application to stop the name change and the second being to submit a request to have them clarify the constitution. “Then should they try to change the name, it will be unlawful and we can fight back,” said Daniels. “Although they cannot legally change the name, they do have the majority in parliament and they can change the law,” he told the meeting.
2015-03-18  Staff Report 2

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