Landless San chiefs left out in the cold as recognition remains out of reach

The government’s failure to recognise the majority of San traditional authorities due to landlessness leaves many chiefs without administrative support or communal jurisdiction.

The majority of the community is still without recognised chiefs, San Chiefs Council of Namibia secretary general Naledi Uiras says.

“Out of the 13 San sub-tribes in Namibia, only five traditional authorities are currently recognised by the government. Even among these five, only a few have meaningful access to communal land.

“Because most San chiefs are not recognised and do not have designated communal land, they are effectively treated as ordinary community members in the eyes of the state,” she says.

Ministry of Urban and Rural Development spokesperson Etuna Shikalepo says the matter is currently receiving the attention of the highest office.

“We are not in a position to provide further details at this time,” she says.

Uiras says some San chiefs are currently living in urban areas away from their communities as a matter of survival.

She says the status quo will remain until land is allocated and traditional authorities are recognised.

The Ju/’hoansi people in the Tsumkwe area, for example, have access to a vast area of communal land, she says.

The !Kung in the Omatako area also have access to land, while the #Ao||aesi has access to a small portion of land around farm Skoonheid at Okorukambe in the Omaheke region.

Within the Hai||om community, only one traditional authority is recognised, despite the fact that the Hai||om clan consists of at least seven sub-tribes.

Unlike other San groups, Uiras says some Hai||om community members have been resettled on farms bought by the government, while in other traditional authorities communal land falls directly under the authority of recognised chiefs.

She says the chiefs receive no stipend, no administrative support, and no resources to carry out their traditional responsibilities, even when major companies operate within their ancestral areas.

As a result, many are forced to look for employment at towns and urban areas simply to survive and to support their families.

Despite this, Uiras says many chiefs continue to serve their communities to the best of their ability.

“A good example is chief Edward Soroseb, who holds permanent employment to sustain himself, while still actively helping his community whenever possible from his own limited means,” she says.

Uiras says this situation is not unique but reflects the broader reality faced by unrecognised San chiefs.
Recognised chiefs, on the other hand, generally live in their communal areas or recognised jurisdiction and are able to attend to their communities on a full-time basis, she says.

Most San chiefs do not fall into this category.

Uiras says nothing binds them to a specific area except their traditional responsibility and commitment to their people.

Without land, recognition, or financial support, staying in one place without an income is simply not possible, she says.

THE LAND ISSUE

She says the ministry in 2022 invited three San chiefs to apply for recognition.

In 2023, they were told that recommendations had been forwarded to the office of former president Hage Geingob.

To date they have not received feedback.

“It was indicated that recognition could not proceed without land.

“The question posed was: Where would a chief govern from if there is no communal land? This highlights the core challenge we face: Landlessness continues to block recognition, and the lack of recognition prevents access to land,” she says.

Uiras says recognition and land are not privileges, but necessities for effective leadership and communities’ survival.

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