By: Rudorf Iyambo
RDP president Mike Kavekotora says there is a rumour that the OvaHerero Paramount Chief-designate has been earmarked for a high-level position in the IPC party.
Kavekotora said the rumour has always been there, even during the tenure of the late Paramount Chief Vekuii Rukoro.
“The rumour that the position of the vice president in IPC was reserved for him with the condition of, obviously, that he will have to bring in the Herero tribe into IPC. I have to mention this to make sure that people don’t play politics in traditional matters,”
Kavekotora said.
Kavekotora’s comments come amid a possible split in the Ovaherero Traditional Authority after a faction appointed Mutjinde Katjiua as the Paramount Chief designate.
The appointment was made during a meeting held at Onderombapa in the Aminus constituency.
The same meeting also appointed Chief Boas Tjingaete as the acting Paramount Chief.
If confirmed, Katjiua will succeed Rukoro, who died earlier this year from COVID-19.
However, the appointment has sparked a heated row with those who did not attend the meeting, accusing those who did of holding an illegal gathering.
The OTA this week ordered the office of the Acting-Paramount Chief to direct the OTA chairperson, chief Vipuira Kapuuo, to “cease from acting in any way on behalf of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority other than on matters pertaining to Ovitoto for which he is a Chief.
Kapuuo last week threatened to approach the courts should he be removed from his position.
The standoff and the never-ending disagreement among the Ovaherero led Kavekotora to call for a press conference on Thursday where he voiced concern with the state of affairs.
About the Onderombapa meeting, Kavekotora argued that chief Kapuuo was not correctly informed about the agenda, and that is why he disassociated himself with the meeting.
“This smells like another looming division. It is on that basis that I call upon the organisers of this event to stop for a moment and reflect on the negative effect such a move will have on unity of the OvaHerero Traditional Authority, in particular, and the OvaHerero communities in general,” Kavekotora said.
Kavekotora said the rift in the Ovaherero community could be harmful to their survival as a tribe and is only beneficial to their adversaries.
On those whom he said were bringing politics to divide the OvaHerero, Kavekotora said: “I also call upon other political parties not to abuse our traditional leadership to advance their political agenda and as a consequence divide our people. The OvaHerero suffered enough, and enough is enough.”
According to Kavekotora, the OvaHerero communities have suffered enough.
He recounted that in 1974 the OvaHerero of the former Kaokoland fought, and people were killed, and others were wounded for no apparent reason.
“The effect of that event is still felt among those communities to this day,” he said.
Kavekotora also said in 1987, the OvaHerero split when some leaders of the interim government were suspended, leading to the subsequent suspension of traditional leaders from Omatjete, Kaokoland, Otjombinde and Okamatapati.
In 1992, he further said, at a meeting in Okakarara chaired by the late Paramount Chief Rukoro, another split loomed when it was decided that the OTA leadership would revert to the leadership of pre-colonial times and discontinue the leadership of the late Kuaima Riruako.
On the genocide deal, Kavekotora said the government did not handle the issue genuinely.
The motion, which the late Riruako tabled in parliament in 2006, had four resolutions, one of which was for Germany to acknowledge that what they had done 1904-1908 was a genocide.
Kavekotora said that Germany never apologised and never acknowledged that what they had done was genocide.
He further said that Swapo’s arrogant stance ignores Riruako’s motion.
“We know Swapo has a majority in the parliament, but Swapo must understand that the will of the affected communities will always prevail”.