A SIMMERING tribal dispute over land, which almost erupted into a mini war between the Masubia and Mafwe traditional authorities, was averted after President Hifikepunye Pohamba sent four Cabinet ministers to intervene.
Caprivi Governor Leonard Mwilima told The Namibian yesterday that the delegation was headed by Local Government and Housing Minister Jerry Ekandjo and listened to both sides after the situation became tense between the two traditional authorities.’There were serious misunderstandings between the two traditional authorities,’ said Mwilima. The other three ministers who were part of the delegation to Caprivi were Health Minister Richard Kamwi, Lands Minister Alpheus !Naruseb and Gender Equality and Child Welfare Minister Doreen Sioka.The Masubia and Mafwe chiefs are fighting over who should rule over the Sikanjabuka area in the Katima Rural constituency. Sikanjabuka encircles the Salambala conservancy. Approached for comment yesterday, Kamwi said they were sent to Caprivi by President Pohamba to listen to the two sides and they advised them to respect the rule of law.He said when they arrived at Bukalo, the whole area was full of Masubia people adamant that the Sikanjabuka area belonged to them and demanding that the village declared as theirs.They even prevented the proceedings of the traditional court, he said.’When we arrived there, the situation was tense and the people were so many, to the extent that they could not allow proceedings in the traditional court. They were not prepared to leave,’ said Kamwi.Kamwi said they advised the chief that the law should be respected and the people later agreed to leave and abide by the law. ‘No one is above the law. This in the end was listened to by everyone and the community were able to leave,’ said Kamwi.From Bukalo, Kamwi and his colleagues proceeded to Chinchimani where they met the Mafwe traditional leaders.He said the chief was not there but their Ngambela (second-in-command) was there.The ministers, according to Kamwi, gave the same advice to the Mafwe traditional leaders, who also agreed to respect the law and to refrain from any action.The Masubia tribe of Chief Kisco Liswani III has its traditional authority headquarters at Bukalo while the Mafwe tribe of George Simasiku Mamili is headquartered at Chinchimani.Sikanjabuka residents, allegedly led by former Caprivi Governor Felix Mukasa and Sankwasa James Sankwasa, claim the area is under the jurisdiction of the Mafwe, opposing Chief Liswani III who alleges that Sikanjabuka area falls under his authority. Some reports said people who were resettled around Sikanjabuka had their huts burned down and Mukasa and Sankwasa have been accused of inciting the vandals.Chief Liswani’s traditional authority wants Mukasa, Sankwasa and other Sikanjabuka residents who are seen as ‘troublemakers’ to leave the area within three weeks.Liswani said failure to do so would result in unspecified action from this traditional authority.This plea was also contained in the Masubia tribal authority’s petition handed over to Government at Bukalo on Tuesday. Yesterday, Mukasa alleged that the problem was caused by poor consultation on the part of the Masubia chief.’He is the guy creating the problems. He does not know the area of his jurisdiction,’ said Mukasa. He dismissed allegations that he and Sankwasa had incited vandalism.’Whoever is accusing me and Sankwasa of inciting does not know what he must tell the people. No matter what they do, we will stand united against any intruder in Sakanjabuka, including the chief,’ said Mukasa.Chief Liswani III has allegedly resettled 48 families from flooded villages in the Kabbe Constituency in villages around the Salambala conservancy because the conservation area and villages encircling it are part of the conservancy, registered under his authority since 1998.But Mukasa, Sankwasa and others who are refusing to leave claim that some of the resettlements encroach on their ancestral land.
