ALLOW me space in your widely-read newspaper to write an information/article about the current situation in Hoachanas. Let me first highlight the traditional chieftainship contributions to Hoachanas although selecting few chiefs to spare space. Secondly, the contributions of religious leaders played a significant role which I will also highlight. This is to set straight the current Hoachanas scenario which I find worthwhile. The first chief ?Hab discovered Hoachanas in the late 17th century. Chief Cornelius //Oaseb brought Christianity to Hoachanas in the 19th century. It was also during his reign that the Hoachanas Peace Treaty was signed in 1858. Chief Manase !Noreseb died on 1 December 1905 defending the Kai-//khaun and the Namibian people against the notorious Germans. But during the rule of Chief Fritz //Oaseb the Boer government expropriated 36 000 ha of land from the original 50 000 ha and left us with tiny hectares of 14 000. The land was too small to live and farm on. The current leader Chief P. S. M. Kooper regained two farms adjacent to Hoachanas in 1994. The current black government bought these two farms from two white farmers. This very same chief welcomed the idea of proclaiming Hoachanas as a settlement area and subsequently the rural electrification scheme of the government. In fact, it was his idea and making. He also accepted the idea of establishing water points in the communal area and caters his house for meetings and workshops. Although Christianity was brought to Hoachanas there was only one church known as the Rhenish Mission Church. In the 1940s this church ceased to exist and two new churches came into being – the African Methodist Episcopal church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The late Rev. Ernst Taseb and the late Rev. Markus Kooper introduced this A.M.E. Church to the Hoachanas community and this church came into being in 1946 after a short visit to Gibeon. It is this church that the South African government did not like and constantly harassed and especially Rev. M. Kooper’s outspokenness to the colonial government. In 1959 the late Rev. M. Kooper was evicted from Hoachanas to Itsawises in the vicinity of Tses. A dry, barren settlement area. The late Rev. M. Kooper later found himself in America. And once more a petitioner to the U.N. on behalf of the Namibian people. Upon arrival from America in the 1970s he together with the Hoachanas community established that there was tension between SWAPO and the DTA, and SWAPO supporters were accused of harassing DTA learners at school. For this reason A.M.E. Private School came into existence on 6 April 1978. This was to manage and administer themselves because the colonial regime kept on torturing and harassing the SWAPO supporters. Since then the government school today known as P.J. Tsaitsaib was used as a springboard for attacks on the private school. Furthermore, there used to be private schools in Hoachanas but at later stages came together and formed one school in 1965 as one community. The school was formerly known as Inboorling Skool (Native School). It was the collective idea that this school be formed by the Hoachanas community. The current name of the school is P.J. Tsaitsaib. The school was named after the late initial principal. It does not mean that it belongs to him or any individual or teacher/principal. To me this school was supposed to be known as the Hoachanas Community School. But in 1998 things turned sour and ugly for the entire community. To be exact, a new breakaway A.M.E. Church was formed in this small settlement. A breakaway group from the original Immanuel A.M.E. Church. The A.M.E. church stands for the doctrine of reconciling and liberating people but acts on the contrary. And this is painful and unbearable for the community. This church group and teachers are responsible for the tension and disruptions within the community. This group is against meetings and activities organized by the chief. Usually teachers who come to meetings disrupt the meetings or stay away with negative attitudes and criticism. To me they practice hooliganism. And they are extremely unprofessional. Mere classroom teachers. Let me tell you also why the current A.M.E. Private School was formed in 1978. During these years there was political upheaval between SWAPO and DTA supporters. SWAPO supporters were accused of causing trouble and being responsible for harassing DTA learners at school. This then caused the establishment of the private school. This group wanted to lead themselves independently, but the colonial government tear-gassed this group using P.J. Tsaitsaib School as a springboard for attacks on the private school. This breakaway church group later formed a group known as, “We Are Also Human Beings” in 2001 under the chairmanship of Mr Amon Topnaar. This group wanted to know the powers and functions of the traditional leadership. Chief Kooper then called a community meeting to address this. The chief responded very well to them but they were not satisfied although the meeting took several days. Chaos became the order of the meeting. As a matter of fact this group ended as a failure. In 2003 the chief convened a meeting with the community and elections were held. Traditional councillors’ elections. Mr Amon Topnaar and Mr D. D. Topnaar were elected. Mr A. Topnaar resigned in the year 2004 because he did not get a government allowance and stated that he cannot attend the Traditional Council’s meeting on a hungry stomach. Mr D.D. Topnaar never turned up to any meeting or activity. Mr D. D. Topnaar was nominated by his own late wife Topnaar to be a councillor for the community. Instead at her funeral service the Kai-//khaun Traditional Council paid tribute to his late wife. The tribute was conducted by chief Kooper superbly. But a chance was given to Mr Neels Cooper in the church to say something and he severely criticized the chief openly and also brought in NANTU staffing norm issues. This was really not necessary. The chief did not respond – not that he was afraid but the platform was different. Again in 2005 a new group was formed, known as the ‘Marginalised Kai-//khaun Group’ under the leadership of Mr D.D. Topnaar. This group was formed in haste. What did this group stand for? To topple chief Kooper and his leadership. A petition was drawn up for this. An ultimatum was issued that boycotted the building of the Traditional Authority Office and boycotted the German aid to the Festival. They instead organized a separate festival. Officially on 1 December 2005 a petition was handed over to the chief and his leadership at the Community Hall. This year Honourable Minister Pandeni intervened and mediated between the groups and the minister advised them to act jointly for the development of Hoachanas. In the meeting they accepted this but outside decided to stick to their guns as reported in the newspaper – Die Republikein. They even agreed in the meeting to draft a Memorandum of understanding and to inform his fellow group members on the outcome of the meeting. Furthermore, this so-called Marginalised Kai-//khaun Group brought more confusion and hatred amongst the fellow clan members. SWAPO is split up into two. The teachers were openly canvassing for the current Governor of Hardap and Chief Kooper was thrown out. The teachers campaigned by foot which they did not do in the past during the DTA- SWAPO hot years. The restructuring programme of the two schools – P.J. Tsaitsaib and A.M.E. Community School is blocked by the same group as introduced by the government as a mediator. The same teachers are declining to pay monthly fees to the Hoachanas Communal Water points. P. J. Tsaitsaib School in now a political headquarters to this group. School facilities are used, for example placards, etc. during the demonstration of the petition handover and this petition was drawn up here. Furthermore, dear teachers let Rev. M. Kooper rest in peace. He did what he could and died a hero and was buried at Heroes Acre in Windhoek. You did not even try to come to his funeral/mourning service. Long-live P. S. M. Kooper and his leadership. JJ #Nullganab, Hoachanas