Kaujeua’s sons fight over father’s royalties

Twenty years after the death of Namibian liberation struggle stalwart and musician, Jackson Kaujeua, his two sons are embroiled in a tussle over his music’s royalties.

Jackson Kaujeua Junior and Ndjam­bi Kaujeua have failed to agree on an acceptable way to share the royalties, with the Namibian Society of Authors and Composers of Music (Nascam) saying the former was given the control of the money by his father before his death.

According to 26-year-old Ndjambi, he is yet to benefit from his father’s musical estate because his brother, who is currently based in Norway, is allegedly reluctant to give him access to the annual royalties collected from Nascam.

“When I say I have not benefited in any way from my father’s musical estate. I am talking about the royalties from Nascam. I have never received anything. I thought I would keep this to myself and protect the image of my family, but since the going got tough, I have decided to come out. It is more like a cry for help,” Ndjambi told The Namibian and Desert Radio yesterday.

“When I went there, Nascam told me there is only one person entitled to benefit from my father’s music and that is my brother Jackson Junior. When I asked the gentleman from Nascam where it is stated that only Junior should benefit, he said it was a verbal agreement.”

Ndjambi said he has gathered information that states that when it comes to Nascam agreements, they can never be verbal.

Ndjambi and Junior are siblings from different mothers. The late Kaujeua reportedly had five children, one who is deceased.

Junior is a performer like their late father, while Ndjambi said he was an avid footballer, but picked up a knee injury which put an end to that dream.

He said his financial struggles have led to him dropping out of a local tertiary institution, where he was pursuing a degree in law after reportedly not being allowed to write exams in 2021 due to accumulated tuition debt.

“This year I also went to the Namibia University of Science and Technology for the entry test and passed, but could not afford the registration fee, as such I had to let that pass as well,” he said.

Ndjambi feels let down by the government as a veteran’s child and particularly by Nascam.

According to Ndjambi, his father did not leave behind much in the way of material inheritance.

“I have to protect the image of my family, but I also have to be honest with you. My father did not have that much. He left behind a homestead at the village with about 10 heads of cattle and a second-hand bakkie, which my mom has since sold, because it was giving her problems,” he said.

Ndjambi was quick to refute any allegations of having a sense of entitlement and called on fellow young people going through the same thing to speak up and not suffer in silence.

He voiced frustration with those who automatically assume he is well off because he is the son of the late Kaujeua, whereas he is languishing in poverty.

He also complained about folks who meet him at social hang-out spots and buy him alcohol instead of rendering other forms of advice or assistance.

“I cannot just be the son of Jackson Kaujeua in shebeens. That is not how I want my father to be remembered.”

VERBAL AGREEMENT

Former Nascam chief executive John Max acknowledged Ndjambi’s case, but maintained that he was not entitled to benefit from the late musician’s royalties.

“He benefited but not that much because he was not entitled to benefit. The late (Kaujeua) indicated who should be the beneficiaries of the royalties or copyright and that is the elder brother, Jackson Junior, and he is the one who would then direct that if there is something Ndjambi can get, and so on,” Max said.

“I remember a time when Ndjambi was supposed to pay school fees and Jackson Junior directed that the money should be transferred to the school or to Ndjambi’s mother for the payment of the school,” Max said.

Queried on the validity of the verbal agreement, Max maintained that Kaujeua repeated on many occasions at the Nascam offices that he wanted Junior to take care of his estate, but failed to submit a form to that effect, “since every time he took the form he never brought it back”.

According to Max, Kaujeua repeated the same in his sickbed at the Windhoek Central Hospital, which makes it a contractual situation to which Nascam is bound.

Max lamented the fact that there is no copyright tribunal or a copyright board, which could have effectively dealt with this case.

The only way to rectify this matter, according to Max, would be to go to court where he would then testify on how the agreement was reached and if the family wants to revisit the deal, a new agreement can be reached.

BE A MAN

Jackson Junior did not mince words when approached by The Namibian for a right of reply.

“That boy should grow up, he cannot continue to live under his father’s legacy,” he said.

On whether or not he has been deliberately keeping royalties away from Ndjambi, Jackson Junior said the money is not earmarked for his brother, and he has not even been using it.

“That money is going into the Kaujeua Foundation. What Ndjambi is complaining about is nothing. If he has fallen on hardship, he should blame himself, not other people,” Jackson Junior said.

He denounced claims by Ndjambi that he has been ‘crying and crawling’ for his help, telling Ndjambi to “try harder”.

Kaujeua is considered as a musical ambassador for Namibia’s liberation struggle. He died of kidney failure in 2010.

Kaujeua’s kidney disorder and the lack of accessible kidney dialysis facilities in state hospitals in Namibia highlighted a systemic issue in healthcare accessibility for many citizens.

Despite his role and contributions, Kaujeua lived in poverty for most of his life.

His source of livelihood primarily stemmed from performances and royalties, and his calls for some form of recognition or support for his contributions to the liberation struggle went unanswered by authorities.

Leaving behind four children, Kaujeua’s legacy is commemorated through the naming of streets in both central Windhoek and Ongwediva in his honour.

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