THE Goliath splinter group has come to out to defend embattled Karas Governor Dawid Boois after accusations that he was trying to sabotage attempts to reconcile the /Hai-/Khaua community of Berseba that has been divided for about 50 years.
On April 24 the two factions of the community – Isaak and Goliath -buried the hatchet over a chieftainship row and mandated Chief Johannes Isaak and former Chief Stephanus Goliath to lay the foundations for one leader for the /Hai-/Khaua community. However, the Goliath faction led by Salomon Thomas Karools boycotted the April 24 meeting and questioned the legitimacy of the joint leadership mandate. At a press conference at Berseba on Tuesday, the Goliath splinter group claimed that the accusations levelled against Boois was politically motivated.’We [splinter group] want to know in what way he [Boois] is against unity attempts after numerous attempts of bringing together leaders of these two factions for unity,’ Paul Fleermuis said. ‘Our clear message to them is that we the residents [of Berseba] and Swapo Party members of this constituency brought him [Boois] into this position and want him as true leader, someone who brought tangible changes within this constituency,’ Fleermuis added. He claimed a decision to launch a smear campaign against Boois was taken at a meeting held by the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP).He slammed the media for reporting that Karools’s election as leader on March 6 was shrouded in controversy, saying former Chief Stephanus Goliath had accepted Karools as the rightful heir to the chieftainship. Karools was elevated to the position without any secondment or counter-proposal after he was nominated. Fleermuis also accused the media of subjective reporting on the /Hai-/Khaua clan chieftainship issue. A media invite to Tuesday’s media conference indicated that Boois wanted to respond to the accusations against, but it turned out that the splinter group had organised the conference. Asked about the sudden change, Boois, who was sitting in the back row, replied that the people had decided to respond on his behalf. luqman@namibian.com.na
