By: Andrew Kathindi
Newly appointed Acting Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero, Chief Rev. Boas Tjingaete, says his focus will be to unite the Ovaherero people on genocide against what he perceives as a division in the community.
Tjingaete was appointed as acting Paramount Chief over the weekend, after the Ovaherero Chiefs Council convened during the 10 -12 December at Onderombapa, Aminius Constituency.
“What I am going to do is call all the Ovaherero people so that we can unite and have one view and one way forward because we know genocide is one of the most important factors to the Ovaherero people,” he told The Villager.
“Once we are united and stand together, we will manage in talking to the Germans and getting what we want for us. But once we are divided as we are standing currently, we know the future won’t be short. We’ll be talking and waiting for years. These are some of the burning issues that I need to address during my term in this seat.”
Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) transitional committee chairperson Mutjinde Katjiuawas appointed as Paramount Chief-Designate at the same meeting, which saw Tjingaete appointed in the acting role.
Tjingaete comes into the position after the chairperson of Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) Vipuira Kapuuo, who previously served as acting Paramount Chief, until the past weekend, threatened to approach the courts should he be removed from the position.
Kapuuo, through his lawyers, termed the meeting as an “irregular chiefs’ council meeting”, according to media reports.
Tjingaete further said that his focus would be to organize the senate meeting, which will see the official appointment of the substantive Paramount Chief.
“I should work very hard to bring the senate closer to have the person who should lead this nation rather than having someone who will be acting for a long time.”
He told The Villager that the council met on choosing Katjiua as the designated Paramount Chief because he has been with the council for a long time.
According to Tjigaete, he has been in the position of the secretary-general for more than seven years, working in the office of the late Paramount Chief Vekuii Rukoro.
“He is a person with a vision. He knows what we want and has the future of this nation in mind; hence we felt this is the right person.”
The matter of genocide has been a key item on the agenda for the OTA this year after the Namibian and German governments agreed to a deal that has been highly slammed.
The debate on the matter was concluded in parliament this month, with the national assembly taking note of the contributions. However, the government has intentions to proceed with the agreement unopposed.
Rukoro, before his death, was planning to approach the United Nations and African Union for compensation against the genocide committed by German imperial forces under the orders of Lothar von Throtha.
Tjigaete said that the next Paramount Chief would be expected to show the same intensity in the genocide matter.
According to the OTA, Katjiua’s name will be presented before the Ovaherero Senate for confirmation. The coronation will be after the funeral rites for our late Paramount Chief, Adv. Rukoro and the Lion of the Red Flag, General Field Marshal Ismael Kavikamburua Kamuhapita.
