2016-12-09Staff Report 2 Windhoek OvaMbanderu Chief Kilus Munjuku III Nguvauva will tomorrow at the traditional homestead, Omimbondevitano at Omaue-jozonjanda, announce the traditional authority’s new leadership. The OvaMbanderu Traditional Authority (OTA) in October announced that it will commence with the election of new traditional councillors after the current leadership’s tenure ended. Yesterday, OTA spokesperson Uazenga Ngahahe told New Era the election process in all fourteen regions of the country was now done and Chief Nguvauva will be announcing the new leadership this weekend. He said this new leadership would form part of the Supreme Council, which is the traditional authority governing body. According to Ngahahe there will be approximately 70 traditional leaders of whom only twelve will be presented to government for gazetting. For each traditional authority government allows only twelve traditional leaders – six senior and six junior – to receive a monthly allowance raging from N$2 100 for the chief, N$1 800 for senior traditional leaders and N$1 600 for junior traditional leaders. Meanwhile, Chief Nguvauva who is also the former deputy minister of transport became the chief of the OTA after a long chieftainship dispute. The chieftaincy battle started after Kilus Nguvauva the half-brother to Keharanjo Nguvauva lodged an application with the ministry seeking the same recognition as the duly designated candidate for the OvaMbanderu chieftaincy. Keharanjo hanged himself at a flat in Khomasdal on April 8, 2011. Kilus Nguvauva then approached the High Court with an application in which he asked the court to instruct the minister to approve his application with no further delay. After Keharanjo’s death, Aletha Nguvauva – Keharanjo’ s mother – was inaugurated by another faction and supporters as the queen of the OvaMbanderu people. This move led to another legal battle in the Supreme Court between Kilus and his stepmother. Kilus emerged victorious from the Supreme Court legal wrangle on June 18, 2013 when the court dismissed an appeal application by Aletha and senior councillor of the OvaMbanderu Traditional Authority, Erastus Kahuure. At the time, the Supreme Court ruled there was insufficient evidence to support their claim on succession in terms of the right to intervene in the counter-application brought by Kilus. The two (Aletha and Erastus) brought the unsuccessful appeal application before the Supreme Court after they were denied permission by the Windhoek High Court to join a case which was earlier brought before court by Keharanjo alone. High Court Judge Collins Parker in 2014 ordered the Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development (Rtd) Major-General Charles Namoloh to approve the application of Kilus Nguvauva as the rightful chief of the OvaMbanderu. Nguvauva was installed as the traditional authority chief the same year. 2016-12-09Staff Report 2
