A BITTER and longstanding rivalry that had been driven by a leadership impasse between the /Hai-/Khaua clan’s Isaak and Goliath factions finally ended with the election of Johannes Isaak as new leader of the tribe.
Tribesmen and women that attended Saturday’s gathering at Berseba, seen as the ‘dawn of unity for /Hai-/Khaua’, unanimously accepted Johannes Isaak and Stephanus Goliath as the clan’s chief and deputy chief respectively. Goliath nominated Isaak, who he described as a ‘committed, dedicated and kind’ person, for the position.After accepting the nomination seconded by the former senior councillor of the Isaak faction, Daniel Motinga, Isaak then nominated Goliath as his deputy. ‘In our efforts to strive towards unity we supported each other like twin brothers. We have forged a good working relationship during a short time after we buried the hatchet between us,’ said Isaak. Maria Hiqoam seconded Goliath’s nomination. When no sign of any solution was in sight to end the rivalry between the Isaak and Goliath factions that lasted for about four decades, Reverend Stefanus Tiboth convened a mass meeting in April at which the newly elected leaders were mandated to map out plans for unity, prosperity and peace for the /Hai-/Khaua. Saying that ‘a new era of unity for the /Hai-/Khaua has dawned today,’ Tiboth on Saturday urged the tribe to support the newly elected leaders. In his maiden speech, Isaak stressed that ‘unity, peace, prosperity and love’ should be the keywords among the /Hai-/Khaua. ‘We must be united to be recognised as a tribe,’ he said. Playing his cards close to his chest about his future plans for the tribe, Isaak said: ‘It’s too early to dwell on it now’. Echoing the same sentiments, Goliath urged /Hai-/Khaua to maintain unity, adding that they can achieve a lot if they are united. He appealed for respect among tribesmen and women as required by the clan’s cultural and moral values. Both leaders thanked Reverend Tiboth for his initiative in unifying the /Hai-/Khaua. The Namibian understands that a splinter group of the Goliath faction, which is opposed to the unity agreement, plans to declare a dispute if Government grants traditional authority status to the /Hai-/Khaua tribe.
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