OSHAKATI – The dust around the leadership squabbles within the leadership of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority refuses to settle.

At the centre of the storm is the legitimacy of Herman Ndilimani Iipumbu as the designated chief of the authority.

Over the weekend, the police had to dissolve a press conference that was organised by a disgruntled group which wanted to address Iimpumbu’s authority.

The group claims to be from the Uukwambi royal family. They also want him to step down so that they can get a chief from the royal family.

They are seeking the designation of a new chief of Uukwambi to be halted.

Tangy Mike Tshilongo, the spokesperson of the committee, on the day threatened that they “will come with what will hurt the most”.

The police told the committee that they were enforcing a court order that was issued last Thursday to stop a planned commemoration of the former chiefs of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority (UTA).

“We know the so-called chief Iipumbu is behind the cancellation of our conference, and the police are taking his side. What is supposed to be discussed today has nothing to do with the commemoration of the former Kings of UTA that was stopped by the court,” Tshilongo charged.

He stressed what the police have done is illegal, and that the committee was mobilising to dethrone Iipumbu, saying he is not from the royal family.

A fortnight ago, Iipumbu, on behalf of the authority, dragged the royal family, represented by Wellem Amwaama and Seblon Shivolo, to the High Court to stop them from having a commemoration ceremony for their departed kings. 

Amwaama and Shivolo, who belong to a committee called Akwaniilwa yUukwambi clan, initiated a celebration on 16 and 17 August this year to commemorate the kings of Uukwambi at Okashana ka Abed Kandongo in Oshikuku. 

They also wanted 15 August to be the annual commemoration date of departed kings.

However, as part of its annual plan, the authority was already in the process of organising a commemoration to honour all previous chiefs on 9 September, including the unveiling of a tombstone of the late chief Iipumbu ya Tshilongo, who died at the hands of the South African colonial regime when his palace was bombed on 15 August 1932.

He further said Isak Elishi, who is from the royal family, was once elected by senior councillors. That is when Iipumbu came, and they know who elected him, but they will not say it now.

“Since we are law-abiding citizens, we will consider Section 5(1) appropriate by considering (a), whereby we are going to instruct our traditional council to do the right thing by applying on the prescribed form to the minister of urban and rural development for approval to make the designation of our chief because whoever is in the position is there illegally if he/she is not from the royal family. We hope they are fully aware of what the application shall state. If they are not aware, we will assist them,” said Tshilongo.

He said they are confident that the minister, on receipt of their application complying with subsection (1), shall, subject to subsection (3), in writing approve the proposed designation set out in such application.

He stated that the Traditional Authorities Act does not allow a person who is not part of the royal family to be designated either as a chief or a head of the traditional authority of Uukwambi.

“Iipumbu is not from the royal family. We don’t need to debate about it. We just need to align ourselves with the law.

This is indeed a testing moment. The Uukwambi traditional authority will never pass this testing moment. They will collapse,” the spokesperson said. He added: “As the committee responsible for the designation of the chief of Uukwambi, we are ready to be hated for revealing the truth. We are ready to face all the obstacles that are waiting for us. With hands on the present, and eyes on the future, the time for the chief is now”.

Iipumbu is the 19th to rule the Uukwambi, a position he has held since 1991.

When contacted, he stated that he would reserve his comment, as he knows nothing about the alleged press conference, noting that he would convene a press conference of his own.

-vkaapanda@nepc.com.na