HUNDREDS of mourners joined by tribal leaders and senior Government officials on Saturday paid homage to Blouwes Traditional Authority acting chief Moses Jacobs.
Jacobs, who has been involved in the Blouwes community leadership for 37 years, died at the age of 75 after a long illness.
In her tribute, Local Government Deputy Minister Priscilla Beukes said Government shares the pain and sorrow of the Jacobs family and Blouwes community at losing their tribal leader. ‘We must thank the Almighty for having given him the strength and dedication to continued offering his service to the Blouwes traditional community until his passing,’ said Beukes. In his message, the Traditional Authority Council deputy chairman, Immanuel /Gâseb, urged the Blouwes community to appoint Jacobs’s successor without delay and in line with the Customary Law and Traditional Authority Act. /Gâseb reminded the Blouwes community that a number of traditional authorities are without a leader because of succession battles that have taken root in the country. ‘Never allow your traditional authority to be divided,’ /Gâseb urged.Stressing that tribal leaders should be appointed through the royal blood line, /Gâseb angrily remarked that traditional leaders’ appointments are being handled like ‘political elections’. ‘Traditional authorities should not be seen as political parties,’ /Gâseb warned. Nowadays, he added, traditional authorities are seen as ‘charity’ organisations and ‘pension funds’ for retired pastors and elders. Following the death of Jacobs’s predecessor Hans Titus in 2009, a section of the //Hawoben clan broke ties with the Blouwes Traditional Authority- a coalition of the //Hawoben and Kharo!Oan Nama tribes – and chose their own chief Dawid Gertze without government blessing. At the funeral, /Gâseb said the Traditional Authorities Council will never allow Government to recognise any traditional leader appointed by a breakaway group from the Blouwes Traditional Authority. ‘All these years Hans Titus had led the Blouwes Traditional Authority consisting of two clans without any problem,’ /Gâseb remarked. Pastor Joe Charley Lewis, who conducted the funeral service, urged people to forgive each other. This seems to have paved the way for the breakaway /Hawoben section and the Blouwes Traditional Authority to renew dialogue over the leadership tussle. However, when Blouwes Traditional Authority senior councillors Johannes Barman, August Bloodstaan and self-imposed Chief Dawid Gertze were given an opportunity to say a word of thanks, the hope for reconciliation faded. Gertze said funerals should not be used to settle scores arising from leadership disputes. Saying his /Hawoben Traditional Authority is open for dialogue, Gertze added that he had written a letter requesting the Blouwes Traditional Authority to iron out some issues. Gertze did not go into detail about the issues he referred to. For his part, Barman claimed that some people used funerals as a ‘platform for sabotage’. Barman said the Blouwes Traditional Authority would continue with the planned launch of a unity flag on May 25. The Namibian understands that the breakaway //Hawoben section is opposed to the flag launch. They claimed the flag depicts the colours and symbols of the //Hawoben clan, and want them removed from the flag. luqman@namibian.com.na
