Bondelswarts leadership issue a bundle of trouble

DISAGREEMENTS over leadership between different Bondelswarts factions are toppling the clan into disunity.

The row over leadership at Warmbad centres around Josef Christiaan, the acting chief, who some in the community claim is not the rightful chief. In a petition this week, Christiaan is also accused of embezzling community resources. The petitioners, led by Mathew Veldskoen, claim that Josef Christiaan exploited the poor health of Chief Anna Katrina Christiaan, who has led the Bondelswarts for 30 years, to unconstitutionally install himself as clan leader. Chief Anna Christiaan is no longer deemed fit to run the clan’s affairs because of ill health.In the petition, Veldskoen claims Josef Christiaan is an ‘arrogant and autocratic leader’ and claims he does not have the hereditary right to the chieftainship. ‘Currently there is a battle in the royal house concerning this position as it is claimed that Mr Christiaan took over a position that he was never entitled to,’ states Veldskoen’s petition. Mathew Veldskoen is also the interim president of the newly formed Christian People’s Party.Backing Veldskoen’s claims, Jan Christiaan, the son of Chief Anna Christiaan, said the royal family decided that no one would be appointed as acting chief, while the running of clan affairs would be the responsibility of himself and Josef Christiaan. ‘Josef Christiaan imposed himself as acting chief and started to sideline me in any decision making,’ said Jan Christaan.Christiaan has responded that he is in line for the chieftainship as he is a direct descendant of late Chief Willem Christiaan, whom Chief Anna Christiaan succeeded. ‘I’m not an intruder in the royal house, thus nobody will deny my right to the chieftainship,’ said Josef Christiaan. ‘The current leadership will not allow individual opportunists to mislead the clan,’ he added. Josef Christiaan called Veldskoen’s allegations ‘ill-fated endeavours’ and said the decision to make him the acting chief was taken by the royal house and endorsed by the traditional authority. ‘HIJACKING DEVELOPMENT’One of the more serious allegations levelled by the Veldskoen group against Christiaan is the sale of clan property, in the form of 20 goats, to settle a personal debt. According to Veldskoen, Josef Christiaan recently paid Auto Repair Shop, owned by Karasburg businessman Ron Walters, 20 goats for repairs done on his private vehicle.The 20 goats were donated to the Bondelswarts Traditional Authority through the German Special Initiative to be distributed among community members. Josef Christiaan did not deny the allegation, but claimed it was a traditional authority decision to pay off his N$10 000 debt to the Auto Repair Shop with the 20 goats. Veldskoen also accused Josef Christiaan of failing to report on projects, such as the Warmbad Hot Springs Project and the Warmbad Community Trust Fund, which received an injection of N$2 million recently from an investment company.In response, Josef Christiaan simply said he continuously consulted the community on these projects. luqman@namibian.com.na