Rundu
Chief of the Shambyu Traditional Authority Angelina Ribebe was admitted to the Roman Catholic Hospital, days before her wedding to Alois Gende the former DTA of Namibia parliamentarian.
Chief Ribebe has been in hospital since last week.
The two were supposed to tie the knot last Saturday, but due to her ill health their wedding was postponed to August following her hospitalisation last week on Tuesday.
The former DTA strongman confirmed both her hospitalisation and the wedding postponement. Gende and Ribebe got married traditionally in 2004, about three years before Ribebe was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure.
New Era is reliably informed that most of Ribebe’s family is against the planned wedding, with some alleging Gende’s main reason to wed the chief is to have access to her inheritance and to consolidate his power within the influential traditional authority.
“Why does he only want to legalise the marriage now because the chief is critically ill, why did he not push to legalise soon after the traditional wedding,” questioned one of the traditional councillors, who requested anonymity.
Responding to this allegation on the delay to legalise the matrimony, Gende on Tuesday said: “We delayed it because of the sickness since she had to undergo treatment. But she is my wife, we just want to legalise it in church and in court.”
Some of Ribebe’s subjects have also accused Gende of trying to dictate the affairs of the traditional authority by pulling strings behind the scenes.
“As we speak, the official driver of the chief has left his job because Gende is the one who always drives the official car and this should not be the allowed,” said a Shambyu insider.
Ribebe’s former driver Raphael Sinkumba yesterday refused to comment on the matter but confirmed that he is no longer the chief’s driver. Sinkumba was getting a monthly allowance of N$1 000 to chauffeur the chief.
Regarding allegations that he is misusing the official car given to the chief, the former lawmaker said he only drives the car when instructed to by the chief. “She [Ribebe] used to call anyone to drive her because she does not have a permanent driver, but when I am around, she would call me to transport her. Like now I brought her to Windhoek. If she had the driver, where would the driver sleep and where will the car be parked?” questioned Gende.
Gende said Sinkumba was appointed as a judge in the Shambyu community court therefore he could not fulfil his role as a driver.
“I do not know why he was taken away to become a judge, maybe it is because he was always doing work in the community court. They are busy looking for a new driver but the big concern is the salary which the past two drivers complained about,” explained Gende.
In 2008, Ribebe went to America for a kidney transplant, the transplant did not take place due to a lack of funds.
“She was not treated because government said there is no money, they sent us there but before the operation could take place government claimed they did not know how we got there yet they were the ones who paid for our transport, accommodation and even gave us diplomatic passports,” revealed Gende.
“I am suffering because of this driving, the sooner the traditional authority appoints a driver the better for me because I am not young anymore and I cannot be driving the whole time,” he said. In 2013, this publication reported about the ongoing Shambyu tribal row whereby some members of the Shambyu royal family are involved in a quarrel with their traditional leader.
Those involved in the row with Chief Ribebe, mainly traditionalists are disheartened by the fact that she wants to appoint Gende, who is not a member of the royal family, as a senior traditional councillor for administration.
Ribebe’s detractors even wrote to government at the time in which they stated their objection.
Gende at the time reacted saying, “I don’t want any position, I am just involved because of my wife’s illness, I am not involved in the operations or management of the traditional authority.”
The former DTA stalwart also hinted there is a conspiracy against him by his in-laws in the Shambyu royal house.